long.Samardzija had been listed as Saturdays starter, and Yank

A pair of middle infielders from the D.C./Maryland region made substantial jumps in this weeks Going Forward Rankings, partly due to their recent upticks in performance, but also due to skills growth theyve exhibited since the season began.Jonathan Schoop of the Baltimore Orioles leapt more than 70 spots -- and seven at second base alone -- after posting .390/.421/.650 triple-slash rates, five home runs, 16 RBIs and 24 runs scored in his past 25 games. Its the runs that stand out, fueled in part by his nine starts combined between the Nos. 2 (8) and 3 (1) lineup spots during that span. Schoop might not be a logical choice for the No. 2 spot due to his modest walk rate, but in his defense, he has improved upon a near nonexistent rate of 4.7 percent during that 25-game span. His free-swinging nature will almost certainly lead to inconsistency over the course of a typical year -- expect a .250 (or worse) hitting month in at least one of his next two -- but Schoop is on pace for 25 home runs, and as an everyday player, thats a reasonable target.Further down I-95, Danny Espinosa continues to lay claim to the starting shortstop job for the Washington Nationals, with an even more generous home run pace than Schoops: Espinosa is on track for 34 homers of his own. Like Schoop, Espinosas walk rate has risen this season to a career-best 8.9 percent, and he has batted an outrageous .303 with 15 home runs, 33 RBIs and 31 runs scored in his past 37 games. ESPNs Leo Howell dug deeper into Espinosas recent improvements on Tuesday, but most notable is that Trea Turner, the Nationals top prospect and Espinosas primary competition for playing time in the future, has been playing some center field in the minors of late. Espinosa now looks locked into regular at-bats through years end, and his power/speed combo makes him well worth top-20 shortstop value.Here are some quick thoughts about the weeks other big movers...Before you assume that Clayton Kershaws projection wasnt adjusted to account for his back injury, Ill remind that, before his placement on the DL, he enjoyed such a substantial advantage over the rest of the starting-pitching field in terms of going-forward projections that his absence merely drew him closer to the rest of the pack. Think of it like this: If he was projecting a $48 player -- which he was -- and the next-best pitcher was projected for $38, then a mere three-week absence isnt going to drag him out of the top spot. Theres risk in owning Kershaw now, for sure, but Id be far more apt to buy if his owner is concerned than to lower him further in the ranks.Stephen Strasburg looked like he didnt miss a beat during his DL stint, and with the mid-to-upper tiers of starting pitchers struggling this season, hes easily back to being one of the top members of Tier 3 (if not on the bottom part of Tier 2).A move up to 70th overall for Brian Dozier felt a little aggressive to me initially, considering his historically streaky nature fueled by his high strikeout rate (and resulting low batting average). Id imagine hell probably hover between 70 and 100 for most of the remainder of the year, which still makes him a regular member of the top 10 second basemen in the rankings.The same might be said for Matt Harvey, ranked only two spots behind Dozier. I gave some thought to dropping Harvey into the 120 range.Though he hasnt shown evidence of a full return to his 2015 Cy Young form, Dallas Keuchel nevertheless has posted four consecutive quality starts and a 3.91 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 22.0 percent strikeout rate in his past eight turns. He might be one dominating outing away from recapturing a ranking among the top 15 starters, making this your final opportunity to perhaps acquire him at an at least reasonable price.Though Wade Davis still has a top-10 relief pitcher ranking, I cant say Im confident about it. His velocity drop and modest usage to date is a red flag, despite the Kansas City Royals suggestion that this is a mere rest period conveniently wrapped around the All-Star break. If Davis returns with a hot week or two, hed be the first reliever Id shop, if I could get anything close to a top-five fantasy closers value.Your weekly Dee Gordon follow-up: Hes eligible to return in 22 days and has moved up 19 spots in the rankings. Id anticipate a ranking around 115-120th in the next edition.Michael Pinedas peripherals have been significantly better than his Rotisserie returns all season, and since June 1, his Rotisserie stats have fallen much closer in line. Im all in on him for the second half, which is the reason for the sizable jump into the top 40 starting pitchers.New ESPN position eligibilityThe following players added new position eligibility within the past week. As a reminder, position players need to appear 10 times at a new position to gain in-season eligibility, while pitchers need to make three starts to earn starting-pitching eligibility or five relief appearances to earn relief-pitching eligibility.Luis Cessa (RP), Jefry Marte (3B), Jurickson Profar (3B), Andrew Romine (1B), Keyvius Sampson (RP), Miguel Sano (3B), Kolten Wong (OF).The following players are within two games of earning new eligibility, with their total games played noted at the listed position.Cristhian Adames (2B, 9 games), Mike Aviles (2B, 8 games), Emilio Bonifacio (OF, 8 games), Daniel Castro (3B, 9 games), Christian Colon (3B, 8 games), Chase dArnaud (2B, 9 games), Stephen Drew (3B, 8 games; SS, 8 games), Jedd Gyorko (3B, 9 games), Marco Hernandez (2B, 8 games; 3B, 8 games), Paul Janish (3B, 9 games), Jefry Marte (OF, 9 games), Shawn OMalley (SS, 8 games), Hernan Perez (OF, 9 games).Going-forward rankings: Week 14Listed below are my updated, going-forward rankings. These are based upon an ESPN standard league of 10 teams and Rotisserie 5x5 scoring. Click here to see these rankings sorted by position. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Cheap Edmonton Oilers Jerseys http://www.cheapedmontonoilersjerseys.com/ . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Cheap Oilers Jerseys Authentic .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Wholesale Oilers Jerseys . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. NEW YORK -- Johnny Cueto was set to start for San Francisco against the New York Yankees on Saturday and Jeff Samardzija in the series finale, which Giants manager Bruce Bochy said was his plan all long.Samardzija had been listed as Saturdays starter, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he was not notified of the change until noon, about 4 hours before game time.Bochy, whose first-place team is in a season-high, six-game losing streak, attributed the confusion to a failure to inform the Giants media relations staff.We thought we had done it. This wasnt done last night, which a lot of people think, Bochy said. I guess its our fault for not putting it out there a litttle sooner.dddddddddddd I think it was more we took for granted that everybody knew that.Cueto, the NLs All-Star starter, follows staff ace Madison Bumgarner, who did not get a decision in Fridays series opener.Both pitchers will be making their second start since the All-Star break. Samardzija did not get a decision in a 7-6, 10-inning loss at San Diego on July 16, and Cueto took the loss in a 5-3 defeat to the Padres the following day -- his first loss since April 21. Cueto had pitched that day after waking up with pain in his left side. ' ' '