The 2026 Major League All-Star Game is officially in the books. As in the American League, all National League teams are in action on Monday because Week 18 has only three games. Only two NL games are scheduled for Thursday, giving four teams a seven-game week. There has been lots of player movement from both a roster and lineup standpoint since my last fantasy baseball lineup analysis article, so let’s get to it. Here is everything you need to know for all 15 National League teams heading into Week 18.
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NL Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 18
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks once again placed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the Injured List. This is his third trip to the IL in what is looking like a lost season. Gurriel is hitting .207 with two home runs in nearly 200 plate appearances. Fantasy baseball managers can safely move on. Max Kepler should benefit the most here. However, Arizona is facing four left-handed starting pitchers among its seven games in Week 18. The Diamondbacks have remarkably only faced one left-handed starter since Kepler was reinstated on June 25. I suppose it is possible Kepler plays some against lefties. But I think it is more likely that the red-hot Tim Tawa shifts to the outfield, with Ildemaro Vargas playing first base. Arizona mercifully sent Pavin Smith to the Minors last week after he posted a 23 wRC+ in 89 plate appearances.
Atlanta Braves
Drake Baldwin has led off in three straight games for Atlanta after hitting cleanup the previous six. He and Michael Harris have switched spots in the Braves batting order. Either way, both are high-end fantasy options at their respective positions. Atlanta has a seven-game week on tap, with six outings against right-handed starting pitchers. Dominic Smith could be worth streaming if you are in the market. The Braves placed Mike Yastrzemski on the Injured List last week and called up Brewer Hicklen. Hicklen is a 30-year-old with 13 career MLB plate appearances prior to his call-up. I salute him for his perseverance, but fantasy managers can ignore him. The same can likely be said about Jim Jarvis, who has been starting at shortstop ahead of Jorge Mateo. Jarvis’s calling card is his speed, but he has yet to attempt a stolen base in nine July starts.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs continue to tinker with their lineup behind leadoff hitter Pete Crow-Armstrong. Seiya Suzuki has hit second in four consecutive games, with two each against lefties and righties. When Chicago faced a righty, Michael Busch, Alex Bregman, and Ian Happ followed Suzuki in the batting order. I would expect that lineup for the majority of Week 18, as the Cubs will face five right-handers and one left-hander. Michael Conforto is the most likely candidate to be the team’s designated hitter this week. However, he is hardly a safe start for the upcoming week because Craig Counsell has not been shy about sitting him for extended periods. Pedro Ramirez reached base three times filling in at DH on Saturday.
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati’s long road trip continues with six more road games this week. While I think you should start the usual suspects, I would warn fantasy managers about the potential for a Coors Hangover early in the week. The Reds are going from facing the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. The combination of an upgrade in pitching competition and a downgrade in ballpark factors should not be overlooked. The Reds will face five right-handers and one left-hander this week. The team recently activated both Ke’Bryan Hayes and Dane Myers from the Injured List. However, I would not expect either player to earn more than 50 percent of the starts. Nate Lowe looks to have fallen out of favor with the Reds’ staff. He has started just two of Cincinnati’s last six games against right-handed starting pitchers.
Colorado Rockies
Colorado will also move up a weight class during Week 18. They begin the week at home against Washington, whose pitching staff is one of the few that might be worse than their own. Then the Rockies head to Milwaukee to face the Brewers. Even without having to face Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, or Brandon Woodruff, it is hard to get excited about Colorado’s offensive potential in that series. Fantasy managers will have to hope the Rockies bats can do enough damage against the Nationals to get them through. Overall, Colorado will face three left-handed starters and three righties. Jake McCarthy, Hunter Goodman, and TJ Rumfield should be the first choices in weekly leagues, but everyone else feels like a crapshoot.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue their East Coast road trip with six games against the Phillies and Mets this week. Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday for the first time in over two weeks after dealing with a knee injury. It will be interesting to see if he performs double duty that day, given his health concerns. Hopefully, he can hit, considering the Dodgers are facing Aaron Nola that day. His other two games in that series are against Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler. Tommy Edman seems to have supplanted Alex Freeland as the team’s starting second baseman. Edman typically does more damage against lefties than righties. The Dodgers will face two left-handed starting pitchers this week, including Sanchez.
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are usually keen on platooning at several positions when a left-hander is opposing them. However, that will not be an issue for them in Week 18. All six of their scheduled games will be against right-handed starting pitchers. Because of that, we should see a steady lineup throughout the week. Griffin Conine is one of my favorite streamers for the week where he is available. Conine has 10 extra-base hits in just 70 at-bats versus right-handed pitchers this season. He will most likely hit fifth or sixth, which should give him plenty of opportunities to drive in runs behind the likes of Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards. Jakob Marsee could also be an option for fantasy managers needing stolen bases.
Milwaukee Brewers
Brice Turang was scratched on Saturday due to foot soreness. It does not sound serious, but make sure he is at least ready to play on Monday. The Brewers traded for former Astros infielder Braden Shewmake right before the All-Star break. Shewmake played second base on Saturday, but I would not expect him to play much if Turang is healthy. Luis Lara has started six of nine games since being called up, including starts at all three outfield positions. He should continue to start with Sal Frelick on the Injured List. Just don’t expect much in the way of power. Milwaukee is off on Thursday and will face four righties and two lefties in Week 18. Unfortunately, that probably means another week on fantasy benches for Andrew Vaughn and his 140 wRC+. Not that I’m mad about it or anything.
New York Mets
The New York Mets have activated Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco from the IL since my last update. Brett Baty played second base on Thursday against a right-handed starting pitcher, while Semien sat. We may need to use Sunday’s game as a more thorough litmus test to see how New York is going to work Semien back into regular playing time. If Baty remains at the keystone on Sunday, he profiles as the better weekly option than Semien, considering that the Mets are scheduled to face an all-right-handed group of starting pitchers in Week 18. Polanco is expected to serve as the team’s DH, while Jared Young should play every day at first base. A.J. Ewing has been leading off against right-handers and offers a solid blend of speed and power.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are going to continue to ride their regulars for the most part, as they have been doing with great success since hiring Don Mattingly. However, Philadelphia is only facing three right-handed starting pitchers this week, along with three lefties. They have dropped Brandon Marsh to sixth and Bryson Stott to ninth against left-handers in their last two opportunities. The Phillies have also not started either Justin Crawford or Gabriel Rincones Jr. in either game. Edmundo Sosa and Derek Hill have been starting in the outfield, though I like them more in DFS and Daily leagues than weekly formats. I am not very confident about starting Crawford in weekly leagues based on his recent usage. The right-handers Philadelphia faces this week include Shohei Ohtani and Cam Schlittler.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Konnor Griffin on the 60-day Injured List last weekend. Griffin could return in September, but fantasy managers who cannot afford to hold him may have to move on. Esmerlyn Valdez continues his assault on Major League pitching. I still think a crash is coming, given his inflated strikeout rate. But fantasy managers should keep riding him for as long as they can. Pittsburgh acquired Jacob Gonzalez from the Chicago White Sox after Griffin’s injury. Gonzalez already has eligibility at first and second base in most formats, so he could be an intriguing option if he earns regular playing time at shortstop for the Pirates. With Griffin gone, Jake Mangum has been leading off every day, giving the lineup a steadier top spot. Mangum and Otto Lopez are the only Major Leaguers with a .300 batting average and at least 18 stolen bases this season.
San Diego Padres
Jackson Merrill has been moved up to the second spot in San Diego’s batting order following a recent hot stretch at the plate. Hopefully he can return to the form that made him such a coveted player in drafts. Jake Cronenworth is back towards the bottom of the lineup, which is probably for the best. The Padres placed Samad Taylor on the Injured List last week due to his oblique injury. They recalled Luis Rengifo, but he has not started since his call-up. San Diego has a seven-game slate in Week 18, all on their extended road trip. Five of the seven games are scheduled to be against right-handed starting pitchers. The Padres have not faced a left-handed starting pitcher since the end of June, but I would not expect any major changes in those two games.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants have kept their regular players in the lineup on a consistent basis. However, their exact place in the batting order has changed quite a bit, including several shifts coming out of the All-Star break. Luis Arraez is back to leading off, with Bryce Eldridge second and Heliot Ramos fifth. Jung Hoo Lee is hitting sixth while Willy Adames is batting seventh. San Francisco is off on Thursday and scheduled to face an all-right-handed cast of starting pitchers this week. I would expect the current iteration of their lineup to remain intact. Either way, I would continue to start all the players you have already been starting. Casey Schmitt and Rafael Devers continue to be must-starts in all formats as well.
St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis hosts Arizona in a makeup game on Thursday, giving both teams a seven-game week. The Cardinals are scheduled to face five right-handed starters and two lefties. They usually employ platoons at a few different positions when opposed by a left-hander. However, they did not do so last Sunday. Lars Nootbaar is solid enough to justify starting him in weeks where he might only start five times. But if he can earn six or seven starts this week, starting him in weekly leagues is a no-brainer. I don’t feel as strongly about a player such as Nathan Church. Although technically, his numbers are slightly better against left-handed pitchers than right-handed pitchers. Perhaps he should not be starting against right-handed pitchers either. The Cardinals lineup thins out very quickly after Nootbaar, who usually bats fifth.
Washington Nationals
Curtis Mead has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the fantasy season. I expect him to keep his momentum going in Week 18. Not only do the Washington Nationals play in Coors Field, but four of the six games they play this week will be against left-handed starting pitchers. Andres Chaparro could be an interesting streamer this week. He has started all nine games Washington has played against left-handed starters over the past 30 days. Chaparro has hit second or third in eight of those nine games. Conversely, this may not be the best week to start Luis Garcia Jr. He has only started three of those nine games and has not hit higher than seventh in any of them. If anything, Garcia should hit the bench next weekend in leagues where you can make Friday switches.
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