Fantasy Baseball Forecaster: Week 23 rankings, lineup picks

The fantasy baseball playoffs are here!

In ESPN leagues, Week 23 represents the first of four weeks of head-to-head playoffs. If you've advanced this far, congratulations! This week is the first of a two-week, semifinal-round playoff matchup, beginning with the games on Monday, Sept. 2, and extending through Sunday, Sept. 15 (Sunday of Week 24). Winners of these semifinal matchups will then match up in the championship round, which begins Monday, Sept. 16, and lasts through Sunday, Sept. 29.

On the field, the Labor Day holiday on Monday leads to some scheduling quirks, as the Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds, as well as the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres, each play their series openers on Monday, get a day off on Tuesday, then play the final two games of their series on Wednesday and Thursday. Fantasy managers should also bear in mind that there are five day games on Monday, beginning with the St. Louis Cardinals-Milwaukee Brewers game with a 2:10 p.m. ET scheduled start.

The Toronto Blue Jays draw the short end of the stick as far as total games are concerned, scheduled for only five contests due to beginning the month in the midst of an interleague stretch against National League East competition. Considering seven other teams are scheduled to play on all seven days, including five of them from the American League, the Blue Jays are in a tough spot for Week 23.

• Projected starting pitchers for the next 10 days

• Hitter matchup ratings for the next 10 days

Lineup lock times

Scheduling quirks for Week 23

Starting pitchers for Week 23

Hitting charts for Week 23