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Cameron Maybin ’s fall from the elite prospects of fantasy baseball has been rather surprising. Anyone who grabbed the young outfielder expecting him to fulfill his destiny as a five tool Major League stud has to be a little disappointed. He has high strikeout and ground ball rates, meaning he will likely never blossom into a power hitter or a high average guy. His speed and ability to swipe bases will always make him a very useful piece to a Major League team, but to keep him as a centerpiece to your fantasy squad is a waste of a valuable bench spot. Cut bait.

Interleague play continues this week so pay attention to American League designated hitters taking a seat on the bench in National League parks and some National League hitters getting extra at bats as designated hitters if they are playing in American League parks.

Also, all 30 Major League teams play exactly six games this week.

Now, the projected two-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues who require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week

1. Tommy Hanson is struggling a little in his sophomore campaign, but most pitchers would like to struggle through a 7-3, 3.38 season. A road matchup against the clueless White Sox followed by a home tilt against the Tigers looks like a very productive week for this young phenom.

2. Roy Oswalt is a little miffed over Houston’s desire to trade him and has plans to show them that he’s not done. With matchups at home versus San Francisco and at Texas, he should be good this week to up his trade value.

3. Mike Leake gets the Athletics in Oakland and then the Indians at home. These two weak offenses should be overmatched by Cincinnati’s young righty.

4. Tommy Hunter is off to a fast start. Home matchups against the Pirates and Astros are the kind of thing that most pitchers dream about. Play this kid with confidence.

5. Wade Davis gets two home matchups against the Padres and Diamondbacks. Neither team is especially good away from home. Davis is better at home than on the road. A hot Rays offense will give Davis all he needs this week.

Not with a ten foot pole—Randy Wells threw 130 pitches on Thursday. Look for him to be tired in his Wednesday outing. Do not to use him. This kind of abuse from a Chicago Cubs manager is something we grew accustomed to when Dusty Baker ran Kerry Wood and Mark Prior into the ground, but with Lou Piniella? No, Wells is not a double-start pitcher, but don’t use him this week even though he is pitching against a weak Seattle offense at spacious Safeco Field.

Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com . Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Raise your hand if you predicted that Armando Galarraga would pitch a perfect game. As much as I have liked the kid over the last year, nothing in his resume said he was able to dominate a game, much less throw a perfecto. He’s a decent play against weak teams and will likely have a rotation slot for a while, but don’t think for a minute that he’ll ever come close to that kind of dominant performance again.

Interleague play continues this week so pay attention to American League designated hitters taking a seat on the bench in National League parks and some National League hitters getting extra at bats as designated hitters if they are playing in American League parks.

Also, all 30 Major League teams play exactly six games this week.

Now, the projected 2-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues who require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are the guys you should strongly consider:

Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week

1. Adam Wainwright gets two weak offenses at home (vs SEA, vs OAK) and is the best bet for the week. He should dominate both opponents and deliver two wins.

2. Clay Buchholz has been a monster this season for Boston. He’s posted six straight strong outings and this week should add to his total. Home starts against Arizona and the Dodgers should both provide challenges, but this kid is definitely up to the task. Play him and reap the rewards.

3. Johan Santana gets one good matchup (vs CLE) and one bad one (at NYY). He’s not mowing down opponents like he did four or five years ago, but he’s still pretty good. Look for a good result against the Indians and then hold your breath against the Yankees.

4. David Price gets two difficult matchups (at ATL, vs FLA), but will still be good this week. Play him confidently.

5. A tough week awaits the best pitcher in baseball (at NYY, vs MIN), but Roy Halladay is still a play. He’s unlikely to get lit up, but the wins will be tough to come by against two very strong foes.

Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com. Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This late in the season, it is rare to see bona fide stars sucking, but that’s what you get from Nate McLouth , Aramis Ramirez , Chone Figgins ,or Jake Peavy . All of these guys were drafted with expectations of big fantasy numbers, but all have floundered this season. These are the types of guys who are too good to suck for an entire season, so stick with them or trade for them and expect things to get a lot better very quickly. They all have way too much talent to continue down their current paths.

Now, the projected two-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues that require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

Rick’s Picks

Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week:

1. Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher in baseball not named Roy Halladay . He gets the Rockies at home and the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Gotta get me a double scoop of this guy this week and hope he’s not hopped up on dope during the season.

2. Chad Billingsley gets two home games (vs ARZ, vs ATL) and has won four in a row, striking out at least five in each of those contests. Jump in and hang on for the week.

3. Justin Verlander will get two weak opponents (vs CLE, at KC) just as he’s turning around his slow start. Verlander will be big this week, so be a part of the action.

4. Roy Oswalt is trying to build his resume. By pitching his best for the next month, he is more likely to find a few suitors who are willing to meet Houston’s high price for his talents. Two home games against Washington and the Chicago Cubs will be great opportunities for you to enjoy those resume building stats.

5. Hisanori Takahashi isn’t likely to continue this torrid pace, but ride him while he’s hot. A road game in San Diego and a home game versus Florida will provide ample opportunities to keep it up.

Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com . Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Austin Jackson was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Curtis Granderson’s large contract to the New York Yankees. As of Saturday, he is hitting .369/1/9/5, has reached base in 24 consecutive games, and is the odds on favorite to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

He’s hitting at a very high rate, and even though his other numbers aren’t very high, that batting average pace is completely unsustainable. His batting average for batted balls in play (BABIP) is .512. Over time hitters tend to regress to a norm of .300.

If you have him on your squad, sell now because his value will never be higher. If you are thinking of trading for him, consider waiting for his value to dip a little before pulling the trigger.

Now, the projected two-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues who require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week

1. Matt Garza, TB—Garza faces a mediocre offense on the road (at LAA) and a weak offense at home (vs SEA). You don’t need to know that much about Garza’s opponents this week to start the hottest pitcher in baseball.

2. Barry Zito, SF—Zito has found his glory days of old and is pitching very well these days. He gets two poor offenses at home (vs SD, vs HOU) and should reward you with a strong week.

3. Brad Penny, STL—Penny is not pitching anywhere near his caliber these days, and St. Louis is very glad about that. He gets two weak offenses (vs HOU, at CIN) and should keep right on rolling.

4. Tommy Hanson, ATL—Hanson faces two of the top three hitting clubs in the league (vs MIL, vs ARI), but two home starts should help Hanson tame his opponents.

5. Colby Lewis, TEX—Lewis is in the top 10 in strikeouts and faces two mediocre offenses (vs OAK, at TOR). Look for the K’s to keep coming and maybe a couple of W’s.

Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com. Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With a number of key players getting off to slow starts this season (like half of my NFBC squad), we need to stay alert and active. It is still early, so you have lots of time to make your team better.

One option is to try to buy the slow-starting players at a low price from their owners if they get impatient, but you can also get some for nothing. By keeping one eye on the waiver wire, you can get some quality guys who will turn it around.

I found Josh Johnson on the scrap heap and grabbed him just in time to enjoy his 12-strikeout performance on Monday. Why someone would toss aside a guy with a 1-1 record and a 4.09 ERA is a mystery to me, but this guy has “ace” written all over him, and I will enjoy his stats this season at the bargain-basement price of my waiver priority.

Now, the projected two-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues who require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

* The Arizona Diamondbacks are still undecided about their Monday pitcher, who will likely get two starts on the week. This is Kris Benson ’s slot, but Benson is already on the DL after one outing.

Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week

1. C.C. Sabathia , NYY. Sabathia is the best pitcher on the best team in baseball, so what’s not to like? The first start is a home game against a weak Baltimore Orioles squad but the second is at the rival Boston Red Sox. Bank on one win, but the second might be a little tougher to wrangle. Look for good ratios and strikeouts as always.

The next four pitchers all get two starts on the road, which is never a good thing, but all are red hot and most opponents are weak, so play them with confidence.

2. Ubaldo Jimenez , COL (at SD, at LAD)

3. Ryan Dempster , CHC (at PIT, at CIN)

4. Ricky Romero , TOR (at CLE, at CWS)

5. James Shields , TB (at SEA, at OAK)

Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com . Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com