Fantasy Baseball Forecaster Week 18: Aug. 7-13

An eight-game week, that belonging to the Atlanta Braves, highlights fantasy baseball's Week 18 schedule. The extra game comes from the rescheduling of an April 29 postponement against the New York Mets at Citi Field, as the teams will play a split doubleheader Saturday. With the additional contest, the Braves have a supremely favorable schedule. While all eight of their games will be played on the road, they will come against a pair of teams (the Pittsburgh Pirates being the other, to begin the week) that are a combined 43-68 (.387) since June 1.

The Boston Red Sox could welcome back a pair of big-name fantasy players from the IL during Week 18, as Trevor Story (elbow) and Chris Sale (shoulder) have better-than-even odds of being activated before week's end. Meanwhile, Tanner Houck (face) and Garrett Whitlock (elbow) aren't far behind, though both might wait until Week 19 before being activated.

An additional pair of National League aces should mark their own returns from the IL, either during or directly ahead of fantasy's Week 18. Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) is on track to rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation by midweek, while the Milwaukee Brewers activated Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) on Sunday, setting him up for a Saturday start on the road against the Chicago White Sox.

• Projected starting pitchers for the next 10 days

• Hitter matchup ratings for the next 10 days

Lineup lock times

Scheduling quirks for Week 18