Top 15 Fantasy Baseball SS For 2010: Jose Reyes Fallout

Jose Reyes’ thyroid problem throws a huge wrench into fantasy owners’ plans for their upcoming draft. Not only does he have a known problem, but the time frame for his potential return is wide open.

According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News (click here for the article), “Reyes cannot have any physical exertion for the next two to eight weeks."

If that were not enough, once he returns to physical activities he will need additional time to get himself into game shape. That means, on a worst-case scenario, Reyes will not return to until mid-to-late May.

How likely is that? Who really knows, which simply complicates matters even more. There’s a chance he misses a week, but at the same time there’s a chance he misses nearly two months.

So, how much of a gambler are you? How high are you willing to select him on draft day? Let’s take a look at how my current rankings sit:

Hanley Ramirez - Florida Marlins
Troy Tulowitzki - Colorado Rockies
Jimmy Rollins - Philadelphia Phillies
Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
Jose Reyes - New York Mets
Alexei Ramirez - Chicago White Sox
Elvis Andrus - Texas Rangers
Everth Cabrera - San Diego Padres
Jhonny Peralta - Cleveland Indians
Stephen Drew - Arizona Diamondbacks
Jason Bartlett - Tampa Bay Rays
Yunel Escobar - Atlanta Braves
Erick Aybar - Los Angeles Angels
Rafael Furcal - Los Angeles Dodgers
J.J. Hardy - Minnesota Twins

He’s a speculative pick at this point, but the rewards may just outweigh the risk. While he gets dropped slightly (he was original ranked third), I simply can’t move him down any further.

What happens if you bypass him for Ramirez and Reyes only misses three weeks? There’s just little chance that Ramirez outperforms Reyes in that scenario.

I’d take the gamble, but what about you? How far do you downgrade Reyes based on this news?

If you would like to see a free preview of the Rotoprofessor 2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide (available for just $5) now including a Top 50 Prospects for 2010 List, click here .

Make sure to check out our 2010 yearly league rankings: