July has arrived, and MLB fans are in for an exciting week full of warm-weather baseball. With a ton of teams slated to play seven and eight games -- and, subsequently, a ton of pitchers slated for two starts -- there's an opportunity for fantasy baseball owners to take advantage while their leaguemates focus on hot dogs, beer, and fireworks.
Every Friday, we get you ready for the fantasy week ahead, listing our favorite two-start SPs, sleepers, and streams. We also give you a full list of teams scheduled for seven or eight games, as well as the teams only slated to play five (this week, every team plays at least six). Finally, we highlight a few of our sleeper hitters to stream or target in trades. It's an embarrassment of fantasy riches! Good luck in Week 13, and have a happy and safe Fourth of July!
As always, these lists are subject to change, especially if inclement weather rears its ugly head.
Fantasy Baseball Week 13: Two-start SPs (must-starts)
| Justin Verlander, Astros | v. KC | @ OAK |
| Max Scherzer, Mets | @ CIN | v. MIA |
| Alek Manoah, Blue Jays | @ OAK | @ SEA |
| Julio Urias, Dodgers | v. COL | v. CHC |
| Carlos Rodon, Giants | @ ARI | @ SD |
| Sandy Alcantara, Marlins | v. LAA | @ NYM |
| Kyle Wright, Braves | v. STL | v. WAS |
| Nick Pivetta, Red Sox | v. TB | v. NYY |
| Luis Garcia, Astros | v. KC | @ OAK |
Justin Verlander cannot be human. At 39, he's the No. 8 overall player in Yahoo mixed leagues — third overall in the past week. He's flirting with a 2.00 ERA and 0.80 WHIP on the season, and over his past two starts, he's 2-0 with an 0.60 ERA and 0.53 WHIP across 15 innings. Have mercy on the Cy Young voting, good sir! ... Max Scherzer joins his fellow veteran Cy Young winner at the top thanks to solid play of late as well as a cake schedule ... You can't go wrong with Alek Manoah in his west-coast trip to Oakland and Seattle, either ... Kyle Wright returned to his early-season form against Philly Wednesday, with seven innings of one-run ball. He's got a 9-4 record and 3.03 ERA on the season, but he'll be celebrating 4th of July on the mound against the Cards ... I believe in Nick Pivetta —he's looked solid in his past starts against St. Louis, Cleveland, and Toronto. I wouldn't shy away from him in weekly leagues just because he has the Yankees later in the week ... Luis Garcia joins the auto-start group for the first time — he looked great against the Yankees Thursday, and he's quietly won three straight starts.
Fantasy Baseball Week 13: Two-start SPs (sleepers & streamers)
| Cal Quantrill, Guardians | @ DET | @ KC |
| Taijuan Walker, Mets | @ CIN | v. MIA |
| Zack Greinke, Royals | @ HOU | v. CLE |
| Jameson Taillon, Yankees | @ PIT | @ BOS |
| Alex Wood, Giants | @ ARI | @ SD |
| Ian Anderson, Braves | v. STL | v. WAS |
| Eric Lauer, Brewers | v. CHC | v. PIT |
| Ranger Suarez, Phillies | v. WAS | @ STL |
Cal Quantrill went eight strong against the Twins Wednesday, allowing just three runs. He's not a strikeout guy, but he does have two sweet matchups and it gives you the opportunity to rename your squad 'Quantrill Physics' ... Taijuan Walker has had a roller coaster of a career, but he sure looked special in his 7.1 innings against the Astros Wednesday. Like Quantrill, his K numbers are up and down (along with his WHIP), but he has a good shot and 2-0 against Cincy and Miami ... Zack Greinke revenge game in Houston? Maybe just start him at home against Cleveland, if you're conservative ... Jameson Taillon finds himself in the exact same table position as last week, how about that? He's a strong play against Pittsburgh and an iffy play at Fenway ... Alex Wood is a very consistent pitcher, If he can't mow down the Diamondbacks, cut him loose ... Beware of Ian Anderson and his recent struggles — weekly-league managers might be better served benching him for now ... Eric Lauer can be trusted to stream against both the Cubs and the Pirates, but Ranger Suarez probably only merits a start against Washington. St. Louis is too hot.
Fantasy Baseball Week 13: Two-start SPs (one-and-done or forget 'em)
| Yusei Kikuchi, Blue Jays | @ OAK | @ SEA |
| Cole Irvin, Athletics | v. TOR | v. HOU |
| Johnny Cueto, White Sox | v. MIN | v. DET |
| Kyle Hendricks, Cubs | @ MIL | @ LAD |
| Tarik Skubal, Tigers | v. CLE | @ CHW |
| Michael Kopech, White Sox | v. MIN | v. DET |
| Dylan Bundy, Twins | @ CHW | @ TEX |
| Hunter Greene, Reds | v. NYM | v. TB |
| Michael Wacha, Red Sox | v. TB | v. NYY |
| Kyle Freeland, Rockies | @ LAD | @ ARI |
| Dane Dunning, Rangers | @ BAL | v. MIN |
| Madison Bumgarner, D-backs | v. SF | v. COL |
| Nick Lodolo, Reds | v. NYM | v. TB |
| Mitch White, Dodgers | v. COL | v. CHC |
| Dakota Hudson, Cardinals | @ ATL | v. PHI |
| German Marquez, Rockies | @ LAD | @ ARI |
| Chris Flexen, Mariners | @ SD | v. TOR |
| Andre Pallante, Cardinals | @ ATL | v. PHI |
| Michael Pineda, Tigers | v. CLE | @ CHW |
| Mitch Keller, Pirates | v. NYY | @ MIL |
| Dean Kremer, Orioles | v. TEX | v. LAA |
| Justin Steele, Cubs | @ MIL | @ LAD |
| Braxton Garrett, Marlins | @ WAS | @ NYM |
| Patrick Corbin, Nationals | v. MIA | @ ATL |
| Austin Voth, Orioles | v. TEX | v. LAA |
| Jon Heasley, Royals | @ HOU | v. CLE |
| Paolo Espino, Nationals | @ PHI | @ ATL |
What a completely overwhelming list of pitchers. Good lord! I start with Yusei Kikuchi because the bones of his pitching skillset are good, he has a good schedule for the week, and he has a great offense behind him ... Cole Irvin matchups? Not very good. But he's looked pretty good lately, with a decent whiff rate and 1.13 WHIP over the past two weeks ... Johnny Cueto and Michael Kopech might be worthy of streams against Detroit ... Hunter Greene and Michael Wacha concern me against power-hitting offenses ... Dane Dunning offers slight appeal in weekly leagues, if you're desperate and need high-reward plays to jump you up the pitching standings ... Mitch White is not terrible — he plays for the Dodgers and has home matchups against the Rockies and Cubs ... lower your stress this holiday weekend and stay away from the rest of these guys.
Fantasy Baseball Week 13: 7- and 8-game teams
| Team | Mon | Tues | Weds | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| Guardians | @DET(x2) | @DET | @DET | OFF | @KC | @KC | @KC |
| Dodgers | COL | COL | COL | CHC | CHC | CHC | CHC |
| Reds (8) | NYM | NYM | NYM | PIT (x2) | TB | TB | TB |
| Diamondbacks | SF | SF | SF | COL | COL | COL | COL |
| Braves | STL | STL | STL | STL | WSH | WSH | WSH |
| Orioles | TEX | TEX | TEX | LAA | LAA | LAA | LAA |
| Red Sox | TB | TB | TB | NYY | NYY | NYY | NYY |
| Cubs | @MIL | @MIL | @MIL | @LAD | @LAD | @LAD | @LAD |
| White Sox | MIN | MIN | MIN | DET | DET | DET | DET |
| Rockies | @LAD | @LAD | @LAD | @ARI | @ARI | @ARI | @ARI |
| Tigers (8) | CLE (x2) | CLE | CLE | @CWS | @CWS | @CWS | @CWS |
| Astros | KC | KC | KC | KC | @OAK | @OAK | @OAK |
| Royals | @HOU | @HOU | @HOU | @HOU | CLE | CLE | CLE |
| Marlins | @WSH | LAA | LAA | @NYM | @NYM | @NYM | @NYM |
| Mets | @CIN | @CIN | @CIN | MIA | MIA | MIA | MIA |
| Pirates | OFF | NYY | NYY | @CIN (x2) | @MIL | @MIL | @MIL |
| Giants | @ARI | @ARI | @ARI | @SD | @SD | @SD | @SD |
| Cardinals | @ATL | @ATL | @ATL | @ATL | PHI | PHI | PHI |
| Blue Jays | @OAK | @OAK | @OAK | @SEA | @SEA | @SEA | @SEA |
| Nationals | MIA | @PHI | @PHI | @ATL | @ATL | @ATL | @ATL |
All other teams (10) scheduled to play six games.
Fantasy Baseball Week 13: Hitting sleepers/streamers
By Nick Musial
Juan Yepez, 1B/OF/DH, Cardinals
With fellow OF Harrison Bader (plantar fasciitis) landing on the IL, Yepez is now thrust into everyday playing duties. Even without Bader heading to the IL, Yepez’s red-hot bad needs to stay in the Cardinals lineup. The 24-year-old rookie outfielder is slashing .327/.320/.714 over his past 15 games and ranks in the 95th percentile in max exit velocity on the season. With Yepez only being rostered in 39 percent of Yahoo Leagues and 13 percent of ESPN leagues, there’s a good chance he can be added to your roster for the mid-to-late season playoff push.
Ramon Laureano, OF, Athletics
Despite Oakland posting the worst record in baseball (25-53) Laureano’s been one of the few bright spots for the Athletics. Laureano’s been a mainstay at the top of the Athletics lineup since his return from an 80-game suspension. Laureano has a solid chase rate (78th percentile) and ranks above the league average in walk rate (52nd percentile), as he consistently grinds out at-bats. Laureano’s logged seven hits, two home runs, and five RBIs over his past seven games and continues to get acclimated to the everyday lineup.
Evan Longoria, 3B, Giants
Longoria’s been on fire over the past five games, chalking up a total of 31 fantasy points in ESPN’s standard scoring leagues. He's heating up at the right time, and San Francisco will need his bat if it wants to secure a spot in the postseason for a second straight year. Longoria and the Giants have a seven-game week upcoming, and a trip to the desert to face a Diamondbacks’ pitching staff ranking 23rd in ERA (4.31 ERA) is good news for the third basemen. Buy low on Longo before it’s too late.
