If you play in a league that folds the first weekend after the All-Star break into the first full week for an extra-long 10-day scoring period, this article is of no use to you. I've addressed the 10-day scenario elsewhere, and by the time you're reading this, your choices are probably locked in for it anyway.
No, for official CBS Sports purposes, Week 18 refers to the first full week after the All-Star break, separate from the first stray weekend (that itself is known as Week 17). It's a bit confusing, I know, but hopefully, all formats have been served now.
As always, I've limited my selections to those rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 18 (July 22-28)
The unlikely All-Star remains a prime regression candidate for the second half, but you can cross your fingers that it doesn't happen with two primo matchups this week.
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Jose Soriano may be an even better choice than Tyler Anderson to take advantage of this week's favorable matchups against the Athletics and Mariners given that he's one of the top ground-ball pitchers in the league. That's especially true against the Athletics, who rank near the top in home runs even though they rank near the bottom in runs scored.
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Michael Lorenzen has few strengths as a pitcher, but he's maintained an ERA in the low-to-mid-threes this year. That's reason enough to believe he'll make the most of matchups as good as the White Sox and Blue Jays.
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The ERA estimators (FIP and the like) don't really support the 3.13 ERA that Tobias Myers has put together as a rookie, but he has a couple of swing-and-miss secondaries (slider and changeup) that he's begun to mix in more often. A two-start week with one decent matchup (Cubs) and one great one (Marlins) might be enough to entice me.
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Andrew Heaney has recently gotten back in touch with his 2022 self, deploying a harder slider for an improved whiff rate. I like his chances to come through against a Blue Jays lineup that entered Sunday ranked 25th in runs scored.
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Jon Gray was having the season of his life through May 15, but it's been all downhill since then. His slider doesn't necessarily have to be in top form, though, for the two matchups he has this week against the White Sox and Blue Jays.
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Albert Suarez's starts tend to be on the shorter side, but if he can pull out a win against the Marlins to begin the week, it should mitigate whatever damage results from the Padres start later on.
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After a breakthrough season in the minors, Yilber Diaz has put together back-to-back quality starts for the Diamondbacks. There haven't been many strikeouts, but the slider has gotten whiffs at a good enough rate for you to roll the dice on him with two pretty good matchups.
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Andre Pallante doesn't offer much sizzle, but his near-60% ground-ball rate has helped him to a 3.70 ERA since entering the rotation in late May. His two opponents this week (Pirates and Nationals) rank in the bottom half in runs scored.
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When trolling the waiver wire for two-start pitchers, the one with a 2.00 ERA in his past six starts is sure to stand out. Of course, Jose Quintana's first matchup against the Yankees is about as dangerous as it gets, but his second matchup against the Braves is better.
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