The unofficial first half of the 2025 Major League Baseball season comes to an end next weekend. Following next Sunday’s slate are the festivities surrounding the league’s All-Star Game. Regular games resume on the following Friday, July 18.
Some fantasy baseball leagues treat the period from July 7 through July 20 as one scoring period. That sounds wild to me, considering that there is no way to project which starting pitchers will pitch the three days following the All-Star break. Add this to the list of things I need to change when I am anointed Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler of Fantasy Sports.
For this column, I will focus solely on the next seven days, from July 7 to July 13. Here is the Week 16 Fantasy Baseball Hitting Planner, with several noteworthy items along the way.
More great Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire | Weekly SP Rankings | Pitching Streamers | Two-Start Pitchers | Hitting Planner | Lineup Analysis | MLB Injury Report | Risers and Fallers | Prospect Report | Advanced Stats | Under the Radar | Overvalued & Undervalued
Week 16 Schedule Notes
Week 16 is shaping up to be the most symmetrical of the season so far. There are 10 games on Monday, with 10 teams having the day off. The same scenario will play out on Thursday as well. As a result, 10 teams play a full seven-game slate this week. Another interesting tidbit is that there are no split weeks (home/road) among any of the 30 MLB teams.
Every single team plays all their Week 16 games at home or on the road. Boston, Cincinnati, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Angels, and San Diego will play seven home games. Meanwhile, Arizona, Cleveland, Miami, Tampa Bay, and Texas will play seven on the road. The other 20 teams (again, 10 at home and 10 on the road) will play six games at home or six on the road.
Week 16 Starting Pitching Matchup Notes
The Cincinnati Reds have one of the highest matchup ratings we have seen all season. They face the Miami Marlins for four games and the Colorado Rockies for three. They close the week facing five straight starting pitchers with an ERA of 5.4 or higher. Matt McLain and Spencer Steer have been hot lately and should continue to produce in Week 16. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting their other Reds hitters as well.
Other teams with favorable matchups include the Boston Red Sox, the Oakland Athletics, and the New York Mets. The Baltimore Orioles are in an interesting spot this week. They have a relatively low matchup rating this week. However, Jordan Westburg and Tyler O’Neill have recently come off the Injured List, and Gary Sanchez has had a strong run as the team’s primary catcher in the absence of Adley Rutschman.
There are as many as nine MLB teams that are likely to face three left-handed starters this week. Among them are the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers. Veterans Willy Adames and Marcus Semien have shown signs of life in recent weeks after dreadful starts. With both facing a slew of left-handed starting pitchers in Week 16, they should be able to finish the first half strong.
The Detroit Tigers are one of four teams that are scheduled to face exclusively right-handed starters this week. Colt Keith has been batting leadoff for the Tigers recently, so he should get a boost over the next week. Super utilityman Zach McKinstry is another Tiger who is likely to keep up his solid all-around play in Week 16.
Week 16 Ballpark Effects Notes
In addition to mainly facing low-level starting pitchers, the Cincinnati Reds are also likely to benefit from a favorable ballpark perspective. They will play seven games at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. Their home park has a top-five overall offensive factor for both left and right-handed hitters. Like the Reds, the Boston Red Sox play seven games at home this week.
And also like Cincinnati, three of those games are against the Colorado Rockies. Wilber Abreu and Trevor Story have been among the hottest hitters in the league over the past week. Fantasy managers should keep them locked into lineups in Week 16. Rookie Roman Anthony and Abraham Toro have been hitting near the top of the team’s new-look lineup. Both players are in favorable positions to keep up their recent production as well.
Week 16 Hitting Planner
| Rnk | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lamar Jackson |
| 2 | Josh Allen |
| 3 | Jayden Daniels |
| 4 | Joe Burrow |
| 5 | Jalen Hurts |
| 6 | Justin Fields |
| 7 | Caleb WIlliams |
| 8 | Patrick Mahomes |
| 9 | Baker Mayfield |
| 10 | Bo Nix |
| 11 | Dak Prescott |
| 12 | Kyler Murray |
| 13 | Jared Goff |
| 14 | Brock Purdy |
| 15 | Trevor Lawrence |
| 16 | Drake Maye |
| 17 | Justin Herbert |
| 18 | JJ McCarthy |
| 19 | CJ Stroud |
| 20 | Jordan Love |
| 21 | Tua Tagovailoa |
| 22 | Bryce Young |
| 23 | Michael Penix Jr. |
| 24 | Sam Darnold |
| 25 | Cameron Ward |
| 26 | Geno Smith |
| 27 | Matthew Stafford |
| 28 | Aaron Rodgers |
| 29 | Daniel Jones |
| 30 | Russell Wilson |
| 31 | Tyler Shough |
| 32 | Anthony Richardson |
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