Fantasy Baseball: Week 11 Start/Sit

Start’em

1. Jose A. Contreras, SP CHW:
The White Sox have been very inconsistent this year, but one player who has been consistent is Jose A Contreras. In his last four starts, he has an ERA of 1.61 with a record of 2-0. He has surrendered more than two runs only once in his last seven starts. He is scheduled to pitch twice in Week 11 and is a must start.

2. Christian Guzman, SS WAS:
In a disappointing year in Washington, the most consistent player has been shortstop Christian Guzman. His play this year has been stellar. In May, he finished the month hitting .316, with three home runs and 12 RBI. He scored 23 runs and had a .339 on-base percentage. He is tied for fourth in runs scored and average among all shortstops. He is a must-start in any format and an excellent player in Week 11.

3. Jason Bay, OF PIT:
Pirates' faithful have come to terms with the fact that it is going to be a long year in Pittsburgh. However, the play of Jason Bay over the last few weeks has the fans cheering once again. Over the last 15 games he is hitting over .400, and he ended May with a .330 average. In that month he also had seven home runs with 18 RBI. Look for him to continue his hot streak in Week 11.

4. Jason Giambi 1B NYY:
He ranks eighth in the American League in home runs, and has been playing very well. In his last ten games, he has raised his average from .217 to .253. In that span he has hit three home runs and driven in eight RBI. What is more impressive is eight of his 11 home runs have been on the road. Look for him to be a great start in Week 11.

5. Shane Victorino, OF PHI:
He had an injury to start the season, and since coming off the DL, he has been on fire. In his last 14 games, he is hitting over .400 and he has come to life hitting in front of Chase Utley. He has 12 steals so far and has stolen three bases in his last seven games. Look for him to continue his streak in Week 11.

6. Randy Johnson, SP ARI:
In his last four games, the Big Unit has pitched like his Cy Young days. He has allowed only six runs in his last 26-1/3 innings and has 32 strikeouts in that span. He is back, but more importantly, healthy. And he is showing that he can still pitch with the best of them. Look for him to start in Week 11.

7. Luke Scott, OF BAL:
The Orioles continue to stay in the hunt in the A.L. East, and part of the reason is the play of OF Luke Scott. In the last six games he is hitting .500, with one home run and two RBI. The Orioles will travel to Boston, where Scott is hitting .474 with two home runs and five RBI in six games. Look for him to excel in Week 11.

8. Todd Wellemeyer, SP STL:
Wellemeyer continues to have a great year for the Cardinals. He finished May 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA. He has a 3.16 ERA and a record of 6-1. He is schedule to pitch twice in Week 11 and is a must-start option.

Sit’em

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B BOS:
He has done well this year, and will need to pick up his play and produce more to offset the loss of DH David Ortiz. In the last few weeks, Pedroia has started to slide. On May 18, Pedroia was hitting .307. Since then, his average has dropped to .276. In that span of 15 games, he has only driven in seven RBI. Look for him as a potential disappointment in Week 11.

 
2. Roy Oswalt, SP HOU:
What is going on with Roy Oswalt? He comes into play with a record of 4-5 and an ERA of 5.45. In May, his struggles continued. He went 2-2 with a 5.18 in six starts. In his last three starts he is 0-2, and he has given up 27 runs in only 19 innings. He has combined for seven strikeouts while giving up 14 runs. He is scheduled to pitch twice in Week 11 and should sit on the bench.

 
3. Brett Myers, SP PHI:
Myers has not lived up to the hype from his one-year stint as the closer in Philadelphia. Returning to the rotation in 2008, Myers has struggled all year, especially in his last six games. He has a record of 1-4, with an ERA of 5.94 and a WHIP of 1.79. He is scheduled to pitch on the road twice in Week 11, where he has a record of 0-5 with a 7.15 ERA. Put him on the bench.

 
4. Mike Jacobs, 1B FLA:
The Marlins have been the surprise team of Major League Baseball, and they have been helped out by their young players. One of those players is first baseman Mike Jacobs. For the season he has 13 home runs with 33 RBI.

However, in his last 12 games, he is 10 for his last 45, and his average has dropped 20 points. Before his two home runs and four RBI on Sunday, Jacobs had only five RBI and two home runs. Look for him to stay on the bench while he starts to show more consistency.

 
5. Edwin Encarnacion, OF CIN:
How far has he fallen after a great first month of the season. In May, he only hit .172 with one home run and eight RBI. In his last six games, he is hitting .238 and is not a reliable option at this point. He is a very streaky hitter, but he should not be trusted in Week 11 of fantasy play.

 
6. Rick Ankiel, OF STL:
His transformation of pitcher to outfielder is remarkable, and he has done well since coming up to the Cardinals. However, in his last six games he has not been able to hit. He is hitting .067 with no home run or RBI. He finished May with three home runs and nine RBI in 22 games. He has regressed, is dealing with an infection to his right knee, and should be on the bench for next week as a precaution.

 
7. Michael Bourn, OF HOU:
In his last six games he is hitting .190, with no runs scored and one stolen base. Since May 11, a span of 22 games, Bourne has stolen seven bases. He started off well, stealing 17 bases in his first 32 games, but lately he has dropped off drastically. He has an on-base percentage of .274, which is resulting in his low stolen-base total. He needs to be on the bench for Week 11.

John Arias is a fantasy baseball columnist at Fantasy Maniaxs.com