Bleacher Report - Articles by Nick

Fantasy Football Sleepers Part Three: Running Backs

Nick — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:11:09 -0400

First off, before writing this article, I think I should define the term "sleeper." I have a few definitions that I would use.

I would define a sleeper as an undrafted player that obtains unexpected success or a player that is drafted in the later rounds of a fantasy draft and outperforms his draft position significantly.

The key to winning your fantasy league is finding several of these sleepers late in your draft.

I have constructed a list of a couple running back sleepers for the upcoming fantasy football season that will help you in your search for one of those gems.

Oh, and just for the record, this list will not include rookies.

Felix Jones

I know what you're thinking, Jones isn't much of a sleeper pick. He is expected to do well this season.

I'm kind of breaking my own rules with this pick, but I do think he outperforms his ADP significantly.

Had Jones not been injured last year, I believe he would've been among the top rookie RBs.

In six games last season, he carried the ball 30 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Not to mention he averaged an amazing 8.9 yards per carry or what he did in the return game.

With the loss of T.O., the Cowboys should be more of a run-oriented team. Jones should get a lot more carries this year as the Cowboys save up Barber to close out games.

Jones is a great No. 3 fantasy option and a great flex play in all formats.

Tashard Choice

Wait, what? Two Cowboys?

Yes, I expect all three of the Cowboys RBs to be featured in the offense. Choice should also be on your team if you own either MB3 or Jones. You all should know what happened after both were injured last year.

In 10 games last year (really only five, in the other five he had six carries or less), Choice ran the ball 90 times for 472 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

He's a nice receiving threat out of the backfield too—last year he caught 21 passes for 185 yards (8.8 yards per catch), including a 50-yard catch.

Choice is a nice handcuff and sleeper candidate for your fantasy team, especially in PPR leagues. If you own Marion Barber or Jones and this guy is on the waiver wire, pick him up now.

Jamaal Charles

I would actually prefer having Charles on my team over Chiefs starter Larry Johnson, but if you're an L.J. owner, you must have Charles.

Johnson is about to turn 30 and is on the decline. I expect Todd Haley to eventually bench L.J. in favor of Charles, something similar to what he did last year with Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower.

Last year, Charles had 629 total yards (357 rushing, 272 receiving) and one touchdown as a backup.

If Charles stays in the same role he was in last season, I expect slightly better numbers this time around.

However, if he takes over for L.J. and you have him on your team, you've struck fantasy gold, especially in PPR leagues.

Ahmad Bradshaw

The story's the same for Bradshaw as it is for Jones—he's not much of a sleeper, but I do expect some big things from him this year.

Bradshaw is a must-have if you're a Brandon Jacobs owner. With the pounding a runner like Jacobs goes through, he's bound to get injured sometime.

Bradshaw should be a solid fantasy option. Last year's backup to Jacobs, Derrick Ward, still managed to get enough carries to rush for over 1,000 yards. As the third RB, Bradshaw even managed to get 355 rushing yards and two total touchdowns last year.

With the loss of Plaxico Burress, the Giants don't really have a No. 1 receiver. Until one of their receivers can solidify themselves as a No. 1, I expect the Giants to be a run-oriented team, making Bradshaw a good flex play in all formats.

This is it for RBs. Next up: Kickers—kidding of course. Look out for my QB post next.

This article is also featured at: Front Row Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Football Sleepers Part Two: Tight Ends

Nick — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:07:58 -0400

If any of you read Part One, you noticed at the end of the article I said that RBs would be next. Well guess what? I lied.

First off, before writing this article, I think I should define the term sleeper. I have a few definitions that I would use. I would define a sleeper as an undrafted player that obtains unexpected success, or a player that is drafted in the later rounds of a fantasy draft and outperforms his draft position significantly.

The key to winning your fantasy league is finding several of these sleepers late in your draft. I have constructed a list of a couple tight end sleepers for the upcoming fantasy football season that will help you in your search for one of those gems.

When drafting I usually find myself waiting on a tight end, there is a lot of talented tight ends outside of the first few tiers. Some of these guys go very late, or even undrafted.

I don't classify rookies as sleepers anymore. It seems like every draft I am in people just go rookie crazy. That being said, this list will not include rookies.

Visante Shiancoe

If you've already drafted and settled for Shiancoe as your tight end you've made a great pick. With the recent signing of Brett Favre, Shiancoe's fantasy value skyrockets.

Even without Favre, Shiancoe was a solid tight end last year. He caught 42 passes for 596 yards and seven touchdowns. Oh, and he did it all with QBs such as Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson. Even with those QBs he set personal records in receptions, yards, touchdowns, and targets.

Shiancoe is still on the waiver wire in around 60 percent of ESPN Fantasy Football leagues, and his current ADP is 147.

Martellus Bennett

Call this a homer pick, but I really like Martellus Bennett this year. The Cowboys are set to use a two tight end set as their base offense, this obviously boosts Bennett's fantasy value.

As a rookie last year Bennett caught 20 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns in limited action last year. In a two-tight end set I can easily see him doubling those numbers from last year with T.O. out of town.

Right now, I will say he's worth a draft pick in deeper 14-, 16-, or even 20-team leagues. I can see him being a top-15 tight end by year's end.

At 6'6", 256 pounds, Bennett could prove to be a good red zone threat. Bennett is only owned in 4.2 percent of ESPN Fantasy Football leagues, and is going undrafted in most.

Jeremy Shockey

I fully expect Shockey to rebound after a horrible fantasy season last year, and he should be a nice late-round value pick. In every mock draft I have participated in recently, I have noticed he is quite undervalued.

He has looked really good thus far in the preseason. In the Saints' opener he caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. The good news is that his touchdown came off a 22-yard pass from Drew Brees, something the duo wasn't able to do last season.

With both Marques Colston and Lance Moore coming off surgery, Shockey has been getting more looks in practice and building up his chemistry with Brees. I would expect around 60 catches, 600 yards, and five touchdowns from Shockey this season in a pass-happy, Drew Brees-led offense.

Shockey is available in around 30 percent of ESPN Fantasy Football league.

Brent Celek

Celek was solid last season with the Eagles. But now that L.J. Smith is gone and rookie Cornelius Ingram is out for the season, Celek really has no competition for the starting gig.

He is a consistent fantasy option, and goes undrafted in around 83 percent of ESPN leagues. In the 10 games he was a starter last season (including playoffs) he caught 38 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns.

For now he could be a nice waiver wire pickup as your No. 2 tight end. But he does have huge sleeper potential.

That's it for the tight ends. Next up: RBs (I hope).

This article is also featured at: Front Row Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Football Sleepers Part One: Wide Receivers

Nick — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:22:17 -0400

First off, before writing this article, I think I should define the term sleeper. I have a few definitions that I would use.

I would define a sleeper as an undrafted player that obtains unexpected success, or a player that is drafted in the later rounds of a fantasy draft and outperforms his draft position significantly.

The key to winning your fantasy league is finding several of these sleepers late in your draft. I have constructed a list of a couple wide receiver sleepers for the upcoming fantasy football season that will help you in your search for one of those gems.

Oh, and just for the record, this list will not include rookies.

Earl Bennett

I'm actually pretty high on Earl Bennett this year. I know he's never caught an NFL pass, but he was very impressive in college when he played for Vanderbilt.

Oh yeah, who played QB at Vanderbilt in 2005? None other than Jay Cutler, who now happens to play for the Bears along with Bennett.

Bennett had an impressive career at Vanderbilt, too—in only three years he set the SEC record for receptions. He could be huge in a PPR league.

Yet, it seems Bennett is going virtually unnoticed in most leagues while Devin Hester is getting the majority of the love. I really have no clue why.

I don't see Hester as a good fantasy option at WR. Honestly, I think he will be too inconsistent to be a solid fantasy option.

I would compare him to a guy like Eddie Royal last year. Wait who was Royal's QB?

Bennett is owned in around 17 percent of ESPN Fantasy Football leagues—definitely take a look at him if he is available in your league. I expect big things this year.

Chansi Stuckey or David Clowney

I like both of these guys, but one of them is going to be a No. 2 while the other will be the third option. Whoever wins the No. 2 job is going to be a nice pickup in most formats.

Stuckey is my pick to win the No. 2 role, so I'll start with him.

With the departure of Laveranues Coles, and the addition of Mark Sanchez (I'm really big on him) Stuckey's fantasy value has skyrocketed, in my opinion.

Last year, Stuckey was a pleasant surprise for the first three weeks of the season. Through those three weeks, Stuckey had 12 catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns. After that, he was pretty much a non-factor, while Jerricho Cotchery and Coles got most of the love.

Welcome to fantasy relevance, Stuckey. Clowney is really his only big competition, the Jets added no WRs via free agency. The reason I give Stuckey the nod is he has a better track record than Clowney (one catch last year).

Now, I'm not completely ruling Clowney out. He could easily win the No. 2 job, I just don't see that happening yet.

Although, Clowney has been very impressive in the preseason. In the opener, he caught three passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. He seems to be building a connection with Sanchez, as his first pass was a 48-yarder caught by Clowney.

The preseason isn't over and injuries still happen, if anything happens to either Cotchery or Stuckey (knock on wood), Clowney better be on your team.

Robert Meachem

It seems as if I've been saying this for a few years now but I think this is his year.

Obviously, he has my (and many others) No. 1 fantasy QB throwing him the ball, in Drew Brees, that can only help him. Meachem has been working with the first team offense majority of OTAs with Marques Colston and Lance Moore coming off offseason surgeries.

He's made the most of this opportunity, in the preseason opener he caught three passes for 77 yards, including a 64-yard catch.

Right now he is the team's No. 3 wide receiver, but I don't think it will be like that for long though.

I'm not a Lance Moore believer, I don't see him doing anything like what he did last season. I see Meachem taking over the No. 2 role at some point in the season.

Right now, he is a good pickup for deeper leagues. Keep him in mind, I think he will be a great in-season pickup.

Chaz Schilens

I was extremely high on Chaz this year, until I learned that he broke a bone in his foot yesterday. I still really like him, although I'm unsure of the severity of the injury.

While watching the Cowboys-Raiders preseason game, Chaz really stood out. He was very impressive catching five passes for 52 yards in two quarters. He even drew a 47-yard pass interference penalty.

I would never invest in a Raiders WR, as their leading receiver last year had only 22 catches. Chaz is the exception, as I started to read up on the guy I realized why the Raiders made the right move and passed on Michael Crabtree. Schilens is taller (6'4") and faster (4.30s 40-yard dash time).

It should also be noted that in the final two games last season he caught six passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

This list concludes part one of my fantasy sleeper series, next up: RBs.

This article is also featured at: Front Row Fantasy Sports

Front Row Fantasy Sports 2009 Fantasy Football Draft Kit

Nick — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:51:26 -0400

Exactly two weeks ago from today, the Front Row Fantasy Sports team set forth on a mission to assemble the most in-depth and accurate Fantasy Football Draft Kit in the history of mankind.

While our efforts came nowhere near our lofty goals, we are thoroughly impressed on the job we did. We weren't able to complete the most in-depth draft kit in history, and only time will tell if we were all that accurate. All I can say is that we are proud of our valiant efforts.

Each of us devised individual rankings for QB's, RB's, WR's, and TE's, ranking the top 40 for each. We then compiled our own list of our overall top 100 players.

Once this was completed, Christian Karcole had the job of evaluating each player's average rank and sorting out the rankings based on those rankings. Much thanks goes out to Christian for volunteering to do the work nobody else wanted to do.

Eventually, Christian began to complain over having to do all of this work manually. Our good friend and fellow B/R columnist Zach Fein stepped in and completed the overall top 100 players and their averages in much less time than Christian ever would have. Hats off to him for doing so.

Finally, after two long weeks of putting this draft kit together, I present to you the official "Front Row Fantasy Sports 2009 Fantasy Football Draft Kit."

Since we completed this with Google Docs, we are unable to simply cut and paste our rankings into this article. Instead, we have chosen to resort to linking our spreadsheet into the article.

The draft kit can be found here.

Under each of our initials (Christian Karcole, Nick Allen, Dalton Scantling), you will find where we ranked that individual player.

Any questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome. We appreciate you taking the time to take a peek at our draft kit.

This article is also featured on Front Row Fantasy Sports.

Fantasy Baseball Roundtable: Looking Back at the Morgan-Hanrahan Trade

Nick — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:14:53 -0400

On June 30, the Bucs sent outfielder Nyjer Morgan and reliever Sean Burnett to the Nats in exchange for outfielder Lastings Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan.

Nearly one month later, the guys at Front Row Fantasy Sports (myself, Dalton Scantling, and Christian Karcole) look back at this deal (mainly because we have all have a man-crush on Nyjer Morgan) and briefly analyze the winner, and each player involved.

Nick Allen: Well, the one player that really sticks out in this trade is Nyjer Morgan. Since getting traded to the Nationals, Morgan is batting .394 with one home run, and 13 stolen bases. He is now batting .304 on the season with 56 runs, three home runs, 34 RBI, and 31 stolen bases.

Morgan has been solid all year, and is on a tear with the Nationals, right now he is the most productive player in this deal.

Fantasy Spin: Morgan is a great addition to any fantasy team especially in roto leagues. He can hit for average and has very good speed. Morgan should be owned in all leagues while he is producing like this.

The other player that came to the Nationals, Sean Burnett, has been pretty impressive in his minor role with the club. In his first game with the team he allowed a home run, since then he has not allowed a single run. His stat line with the Nats looks like this: 10.1 innings pitched, with nine strikeouts, and an ERA of 0.87.

Fantasy Spin: Burnett has extremely small fantasy relevance, but could be worth a pick-up in a very deep NL only league.

Lastings Milledge has yet to make his Pirates debut, and is currently playing in Triple-A where he is 19 for 56 with a .339 batting clip, three stolen bases, and six RBI, in 16 games.

Whenever called up, Milledge could be a nice addition to the Pirates outfield, but I'm going to have to see him perform highly at the major league level before I'm buying into anything.

Fantasy Spin: Milledge has no fantasy value while playing in the minors, obviously, but if he keeps playing the way he is down their, it will be hard for the Bucs to not call him up. Keep an eye on his status.

Joel Hanrahan is in a similar position as Sean Burnett, they both encompass minor roles within their respective teams. Hanrahan has more upside though, if anything happens to Matt Capps, he has a good shot at taking over the closers role.

Fantasy Spin: Hanrahan should be owned in deep leagues at this point, but if Matt Capps struggles, gets injured, or even traded, Hanrahan has a good shot at taking over the closers role.

I think the Nationals got the better end of this deal for now, everything could change based solely on how Lastings Milledge performs in the MLB when given the opportunity.

Dalton Scantling: The Pirates got Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan from the Nationals.

Milledge started off the year terribly with the Nats and was sent down to Triple-A to try to fix his swing. Since being traded he seems to have found his stroke.

He’s hitting .339 for Indianapolis and it’s only a matter of time before he gets called up. His power numbers are down, but he’s making up for that with the very high average.

Whenever he gets called up he should make an impact for the Pirates.

The second player the Pirates got, Joel Hanrahan, is a good relief pitcher that’s a little inconsistent at times. He has an ERA of 6.70, but since coming over to Pittsburgh he has an ERA of just 3.00.

On the other side of the trade the Nationals got Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett.

Nyjer has been the best player in the deal so far. He is second in the NL with 31 stolen bases and is hitting over .300. Since coming over to Washington he is hitting an outstanding .394. He has also been caught stealing 31% of the time compared to 56% of the time while with the Pirates.

The other player the Nationals received in the deal was Sean Burnett. He has been great since coming over. He has given up just one run and sports a 0.87 ERA with the Nationals.

That one run he gave up did give him a blown save, but he has been rock solid since then. In his last nine innings pitched, he’s given up just three hits and no runs.

I think the Washington Nationals were the winners of this deal. Both Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett are doing more than what was expected of them. If Lastings Milledge doesn’t come up to the big leagues and produce the Pirates ownership will take a hit for this trade.

Christian Karcole: Nearly one month ago, when Nyjer Morgan was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Washington Nationals in a four-player deal, nobody expected him to produce like he has. After moving from a last place team (the Pirates), to the worst place team (the Nationals), Morgan has actually seen an upturn in production. A huge upturn, that is.

His .394 batting average with the lowly Nationals ranks fourth in the majors for the month of July, while his 13 stolen bases in the month ranks first. Also, Morgan's 35 hits this month rank sixth in the majors.

As a lead off hitter for the worst team in baseball, you can't expect much else from Morgan. His stellar average, stolen bases, and hits should be enough to prove how well the 29-year old is playing.

Along with Morgan, the Pirates sent left-handed reliever Sean Burnett to the Nats. With his new club, Burnett has posted a 0.87 ERA with nine strikeouts in 10.1 innings. He could eventually make a case as the Nationals' future closer if Mike MacDougal proves himself unfit for the role.

In return, the Nationals sent troubled outfielder Lastings Milledge and inconsistent reliever Joel Hanrahan. Milledge, who has been up-and-down between the majors and the minors over the course of his career, has yet to appear in a game for the Pirates. Hanrahan has made a slight impact with the Pirates, as he has gone nine innings so far while striking out 10 batters. His ERA with the Pirates stands at a solid 3.00.

Overall, who ends up as the winner of the deal? Obviously, it has to be the Washington Nationals. They received a stud outfielder and a young, extremely solid reliever, and only gave up an above average reliever and an outfielder who has yet to make his mark on the field wherever he has played.

When this deal was completed, most questioned its intent and whether there was a point in either team trading who they did. Both teams exchanged an outfielder and a reliever. At the time, it appeared to be a toss-up who the winner would end up as. Now, just a month after the exchange took place, the Nationals are the clear winners (for a change).

This article is also featured at: Front Row Fantasy Sports

Diggin' Deep For Pitchers: Fantasy Baseball Deep League Pick-Ups

Nick — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:04:27 -0400

Are you in a 14, 16, or even a 20 team league and need some good pitching options? Well, I've put together a list of a couple of guys owned in less than two percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues that can help out your team.

They're all young, and can turn out to be very good pick-ups especially in deep dynasty leagues.

Craig Stammen

Yesterday, in 7.1 innings, Stammen held the Mets to one run and four hits, while striking out five, and walking four. He is now 3-5 on the season with 34 strikeouts, 15 walks, a 4.14 ERA, and 1.18 WHIP.

In his last four games he is 2-2, with 24 hits allowed, seven earned runs, and 12 strikeouts. One of his two wins included a complete game where he gave up two runs and struck out two.

Stammen doesn't strikeout a lot of batters, and he plays for the Nationals. Yet, he has an ERA slightly below league average, and he's young.

Stammen is worth a pick-up in deep leagues, he is only owned in 0.3 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

Mat Latos

Latos pitched Sunday against the Rockies on a 75-pitch limit in his debut. He tossed four innings, and gave up three hits and two earned runs, while striking out four batters and walking two.

In Double-A he had a 1.19 ERA, a 0.51 WHIP, and an impressive 9.00 K/BB.

Latos can provide you with strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, as his pitch count increases.

His next start is the 24th against the Nationals. Pick him up and start him in this favorable match-up. He is only owned in one percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

Tim Stauffer

In six innings of work Monday, Stauffer allowed only one run and three hits, while striking out four batters, although he got the no decision.

Both of his starts this season have been good, but he is still 0-1 on the season. In his first start, he threw seven innings, allowed four hits, two earned runs, and one walk, while striking out seven batters.

He has a 2.08 ERA, and a 0.77 WHIP on the season. Stauffer can be a decent source of strikeouts, and a good source of ERA, and WHIP.

His next start is the 25th against the Nationals, which I would consider a favorable match-up. He is only owned in 0.6 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues and is worth a pick-up in deeper leagues.

Luke French

Today, against Seattle, French lasted 5.1 innings, giving up eight hits, and only two runs, while striking out six. He was awarded the loss after only getting one run of run support.

On the season he is 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts.

French is a cheap source of strikeouts, and a good source of ERA, he is worth a pick-up in deep leagues.

He is owned in 1.1 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

This article is also featured at: Front Row Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Pitchers Edition

Nick — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:15:02 -0400

Need some pitching?

This list consists of five pitchers with favorable matchups and/or guys that have just been tearing it up lately. Most of them can be found on the waiver wire.

Joel Pineiro

Pineiro has been excellent in his last two performances, one of which he lasted nine innings, giving up three hits and one earned run, while striking out five.

In his other start, he tossed seven innings, surrendering five hits and one earned run, while striking out three.

Pineiro is now 8-9 on the season with a 3.09 ERA, 51 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 122.1 innings. His 12 walks are lowest in the majors among qualifiers. In his last seven starts, he has an ERA below 2.00 and a WHIP below 1.00.

Did I mention he's in a contract year?

Although Pineiro won't provide your team with many strikeouts, he can help you out with his low ERA and WHIP.

He is owned in 14.9 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues. Take a look at him if he's available in your league.

J.A. Happ

Happ added another win to his perfect 7-0 record on Sunday by shutting out the Marlins in seven innings of work. That outing brings his season total to 94 innings pitched with 65 strikeouts, 33 walks, an ERA of 2.68, and a WHIP of 1.15.

In his last six games, he has only allowed three runs once. In the rest he allowed two or fewer.

Happ is not a huge strikeout guy either, but he has a low ERA, a low WHIP, and is undefeated on the season.

Happ is only owned in 30.9 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues. If he continues to pitch like this, he should be owned in most formats.

Scott Baker

After starting off the season horribly and disappointing fantasy owners that picked him as their third or fourth starter, it seems Baker has turned it around.

He is 4-1 in his last five starts, with his best of those performances being Friday against the Rangers. He pitched eight innings, gave up one run, and struck out eight en route to his eighth win of the season.

Baker is now 8-7 on the season, with 90 strikeouts, 23 walks, an ERA of 5.10, and a WHIP of 1.20.

Baker is starting to look like the guy we thought he would be this season. He can provide your team with strikeouts, WHIP, and his ERA will drop.

As a result of his early season struggles, Baker is available in around 15 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues. Pick him up now.

Ervin Santana

Coming off a breakout year, Santana has been plagued with injuries all season. When he wasn't injured, he was struggling on the mound.

Well, in his last start he lasted eight innings, gave up three hits, one earned run, walked two, and struck out four.

His season totals still aren't that great—2-5, with a 6.70 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 19 walks. He has only pitched 48.1 innings, though.

He has a favorable start today against the Blue Jays, and is available in 21 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues. If you don't already own him, pick him up and start him.

I believe in Santana the rest of the way if he can stay healthy. And if he does, look out for an increase in his strikeouts and decrease in his ERA.

Randy Wolf

Wolf has had some pretty solid numbers recently. In his last three starts he is 1-1 in 18.1 innings. In that span, he has allowed 16 hits, six earned runs, and three walks, while striking out 17 batters.

All three performances were quality starts, but he got either a loss or a no decision due to poor run support.

Wolf has pretty solid seasonal statistics too. He is 4-4 with a 3.51 ERA, struck out 91 batters, and walked 34 in 120.2 innings of work.

He has a favorable matchup in his start today against the Reds, facing Homer Bailey, who struggled in his last start.

Wolf is owned in 43.1 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues. Pick him up if you don't already have him, and get his start for today in.

This article is also featured at: Front Row Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Week 16

Nick — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:51:56 -0400

We are 16 weeks into the baseball season and there is still gold to be found on the waiver wire. I have constructed a list of a few guys owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues that can help your team out in the second half of the season.

Franklin Gutierrez

Gutierrez's fantasy value is continuously increasing as his 2009 season is much better than expected. His 2009 stat line thus far looks like this: .294 AVG (86 for 293) with 12 home runs, 40 RBI, 44 runs, and six stolen bases. He will easily surpass his career high in home runs (13), RBI (41), and runs (54).

He recently had a 13 game hitting streak snapped, over the span of that streak he was hitting .365 (24-52) with three home runs. Since his streak was snapped he is hitting .321 (5 for 16) with two home runs.

Today, he faces Aaron Laffey and the Cleveland Indians, this will be his first time facing Laffey, but so far this season against the Indians he is 2-for-9 with a home run, and against LHP's this season he is batting .324 (22 for 68) with five home runs.

Gutierrez is a decent source of power with a good average, he can get an occasional stolen base, but he's been caught stealing as many times as he's actually stolen a base (5).

Gutierrez is only owned in 22.5 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues, if he's available in your league, I would recommend picking him up.

Martin Prado

The 25-year-old righty from the Atlanta Braves kept his nine game hit streak alive yesterday against the Mets going 1-for-5 against Johan Santana. During his streak he is batting .358 (14 for 39) with one home run, four RBI, and six runs. He now is batting .330 (65 for 197) with five home runs, 19 RBI, and 29 runs.

Prado can help your team out at first base, second base, or third base, as he is eligible at each of those positions.

Today he faces Fernando Nieve and the Mets. This season against the Mets he is batting .350 (7 for 20) with two home runs, and against LHP's he is batting .372 (29 for 78) with three home runs.

Prado is a cheap source of power with a very good batting average, don't expect any speed from him though, he only has three in his short career.

If your in need of a 1B, 2B, or 3B, it would be wise to take a look at Prado, especially in deep keeper or dynasty leagues. He is only owned in 11.8 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

Erick Aybar

Aybar has hit in each of his last eight games, during that streak he is batting .567 (17 for 30) and in seven of those eight games he has recorded more than one hit. He is now batting .304 on the season with three home runs, 32 RBI, 32 runs, and seven stolen bases.

Today, Aybar faces Brett Anderson and the Athletics. This season against the A's he's batting .409 (9 for 22), Aybar hasn't faced Anderson yet this season but against LHP's he is batting .284 (21 for 74) with two home runs.

Aybar isn't much for power and is only a cheap source of speed, for that reason I'd say he should be owned in mostly deeper leagues.

Aybar is owned in 3.5 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues, give him a look if you're in a deep league.

Nyjer Morgan

Since joining the Nationals, Morgan is hitting .333 (17 for 51) with 8 stolen bases. He has collected a hit in each of his last six games mixed in with three three hit performances. On the season he is batting .290 (97 for 334) with two home runs, 30 RBI, 48 runs, and 26 stolen bases.

Today, Morgan faces Kevin Hart and the Cubs, against the Cubs this season he is batting .433 (13 for 30), and against RHP's he is batting .332 (83 for 250) with a home run.

Morgan is a very good source of stolen bases, he has a chance to reach 60 on the season. He also has a good average, don't expect much power though, he's never been much of a power hitter with only three home runs in his career.

If Morgan is available in your league pick him up, especially if you need steals. He is only owned in 48.7 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

Mark Rzepczynski

Rzepczynski picked up his first win of the season yesterday against the Red Sox. He lasted six innings, struck out four, allowed four hits, and one run. He is now 1-1 on the season in 18 innings of work with 16 strikeouts, and a 2.50 ERA.

Rzepczynski's next scheduled start is Thursday against the Indians, he has yet to face them. Although, against LHB's he has a 1.93 ERA with four strikeouts, and against RHB's he has a 2.70 ERA with 12 strikeouts. The Indians' top hitters are left handed.

He is worth a pick up in deep leagues at this point, if he continues his success then he should be worth a pick up in most formats. Rzepczynski is owned in 0.9 percent of ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues.

This article is also featured at: Front Row Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Week 14

Nick — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:51:47 -0400

Week 13 of the MLB and fantasy baseball season is in the books, and week 14 is underway. This is the last week of fantasy baseball left before the All-Star break. I have put together a list of a few guys who can help your team out for this week and more.

Casey McGehee

McGehee has been tearing the cover off the ball with the Brewers. He is currently batting .343 (46 for 143) with six home runs, 23 runs, and 27 RBI in 47 games.

He is currently eligible at second base and third base, giving him added value. He also has played one game in the outfield and three at DH—he would need to play 10 games at each of those positions to gain eligibility.

Tomorrow, McGehee and the Brewers will start a series with the Cardinals led by their righty, Adam Wainwright. McGehee has had the majority of his success against RHP's, considering that he has a .344 average with five home runs and 22 RBI when facing them.

I think McGehee will continue his success batting near the middle of the order. He is a good source of power and can come through when it counts, with runners in scoring position and two outs he is hitting .563 with 13 RBI and a home run. Don't expect any speed though—he has not recorded a steal yet.

McGehee is owned in 22.5 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. If he is available in your league, you should definitely pick him up.

Scott Rolen

Rolen has been pretty solid all season, but I think it's safe to say he's currently at his hottest streak of the season. Currently, Rolen has recorded a hit in each of his last 23 games. On the season, Rolen is batting .327 (89 for 272) with six home runs, 32 RBI, 44 runs, and four stolen bases.

Rolen looks to keep the streak alive against James Shields and the Rays today. Against the Rays this season, Rolen is batting .333 (4 for 12) with a home run. Against RHP's Rolen is batting .319 (65 for 204) with five home runs.

He hasn't had much luck against Shields over his career though, as he's only batting .154 (2 for 13) with a home run.

Rolen is a cheap source of power with a good average. If your team is lacking in the hits/average department, Scott Rolen is your guy. He has 10-10 potential—10 stolen bases is feasible but it's not very likely to happen.

Rolen is owned in 50.5 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. If he is available in your league, you should definitely pick him up.

Ricky Romero

Romero was having a good fantasy season before he was injured. Now that he's back it doesn't look like much has changed. Romero is 7-3 with a 2.96 ERA, with 66 strikeouts in 79 innings.

This week, Romero is a two-start pitcher. His first start was against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees.

He lasted 6.1 innings and gave up seven hits, three earned runs, and struck out five in a winning effort. His next start is against Rich Hill and the Orioles this Saturday. The first time he faced the O's he got roughed up, but I'd say Romero is a must-start this week.

Romero is having most of his success against right-handed batters. They are hitting .227 off him so far this season. His ERA against RHB's is 2.81, and he has struck them out 39 times compared to 27 against LHB's (3.38 ERA).

The league average for ERA is 4.29, by the way.

Romero is owned in 38.2 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, and he is definitely worth a pick-up.

Ricky Nolasco

Nolasco has been lights out since his return from a short stint in the minors. Since his return, he is 4-1 with a 1.53 ERA. On the season he is 6-6 with a 5.42 ERA and 82 strikeouts—not very good numbers, but they should be coming down if this hot streak continues.

Nolasco's next start is Friday against the D-Backs. He's a must-start for me this week, as he hasn't allowed more than two runs in his last six starts.

If your team needs ERA, strikeouts, and innings, that's exactly what he can provide you with during this streak. In his last start, he went eight innings, struck out 12, and didn't allow a run.

Nolasco is owned in 84.5 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. Pick him up and ride the hot streak.

Ryan Sadowski

In two starts this season Sadowski has not allowed a run in a total of 13 innings. He is 2-0 with six strikeouts and of course a 0.00 ERA. He needs three more scoreless innings to get the Giants' record for consecutive scoreless innings, which is 15. That is pretty impressive considering he's 26 years old and has only played in two MLB games.

Sadowski's next start is tomorrow against the Marlins. I like Sadowski for this week and I think he can get the win, as he is getting plenty of run support (the Giants scored 13 runs in his last start). When your offense does that for you, it's not hard to win.

Sadowski is a cheap source of strikeouts with two in his first start and four in his second start. If your team needs help with ERA or you are in a deep keeper or dynasty league, Sadowski should have a spot on your team.

Sadowski's 0.00 ERA is good, but he had a 4.11 ERA in Triple A; this suggests that he could regress extremely.

Sadowski is owned in 1.9 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. He is worth a pick-up and start for this week in deep leagues.

Kendry Morales

Morales also has a hitting streak going. He has a hit in each of his last 11 games. During the streak, he is batting .384 (15 for 39) with two home runs, six runs, and nine RBI. Morales has multiple position eligibility; you can start him at first base or outfield.

Today, Morales faces the Rangers and Dustin Nippert.

He has never faced Nippert in his career but this season against RHP's he is batting .301 (68 for 226) with 14 home runs. This season against Texas he is batting .308 (8 for 26) with a home run.

Morales is a good source of power with 14 home runs on the season. Don't expect any speed though, as he has yet to record a steal and only has one in his career.

Morales is owned in 38.4 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, so if you have the roster space he's worth a pick up.

Why Run Support Can Make Win-Loss Records Misleading

Nick — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:34:06 -0400

A pitchers' win-loss record can be very misleading.

Many factors contribute to the win-loss statistic, one of the biggest factors is run support. With no run support, it's going to be impossible to win, obviously.

So according to the win-loss statistic, a pitcher that goes nine innings gives up one run, and gets no run support at all, isn't as good as a pitcher that goes five innings, gives up nine runs, but gets 10 runs of run support.

That's what makes this stat flawed.

For example:

Scott Kazmir has a 7.69 ERA, but a 4-4 record, he can thank his offense that provides a Major-League-Leading 7.7 runs of run support per game.

Matt Palmer is 6-1 with a 4.47 ERA, but, he also has the 5th best run support among qualifiers this year.

Jason Vargas has a 3.79 ERA which is well below league average, yet he sports a 3-3 win-loss record due to his run support of 2.8 runs per game, fifth-worst in the majors.

In 1992, Jim Abbot had a 2.77 ERA the fifth lowest among AL qualifiers that year, but he went 7-15 that year due to the 2.5 runs of run support he recieved while pitching.

In 2008, Jake Peavy, had a 2.85 ERA, good for sixth best in the majors but a sub .500 winning percentage, with a 10-11 record, because his run support of 3.5 runs per game was sixth-worst in the Majors.

In 2004, Shawn Estes had a 5.84 ERA and went 15-8 just because his offense produced 5.6 runs per game.

I asked Zach Fein to run some numbers for me on run support, ERA, and win-loss percentage and he came up with this:

Using the 88 pitchers that qualified in 2008, the correlation between win-loss percentage and ERA was -0.65; the correlation between W-L% and run support per game was 0.55. The difference between the two is not that large and suggests that run support plays a large role in W-L%.

As well, a regression between the three variables (W-L%, ERA, and run support, the latter two standardized) shows that every point of ERA affects W-L% by -0.08, while every run of run support affects W-L% by 0.07. There's minimal difference between the effects of ERA and run support on W-L%.

--

A pitchers win-loss record shouldn't be used to justify that one pitcher is better than another, due to the variables that go into a win or a loss.

The Effects of Gatorade on Win-Loss Record (Satire)

Nick — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:39:07 -0400

In regards to Zach Fein's latest article, "How NFL Statistics Lead To Wins Pt. 3: Salary Cap Efficiency Since 2000," I have computed the probability that a team will win based on the flavor of Gatorade consumed.

Gatorade flavor has long been discussed in the NFL community, ever since Bill Parcells was doused with the sports drink after winning Super Bowl XXI.

In fact, Vegas even included a prop bet based on the color of Gatorade dunked on the winning coach. Clear Gatorade and water were the flavors of choice for Super Bowl winners from 2005-2007; however, lemon-lime Gatorade was poured onto Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin after winning Super Bowl XLIII, as you can see here.

Below is a graph that shows drink flavor and a corresponding winning percentage. This winning percentage would be the actual winning percentage of the team drinking that flavor.

To find this information, I only looked at the preceding three years, using a meticulous procedure of viewing game tape to see the Gatorade that was consumed by each team.

Of course, I only viewed footage of the teams' home games because on the road they don't have their drink of choice. I also have come the the conclusion that home-field advantage is all about getting your drink of choice—all these crowd myths are false.

Remember, this information was collected over the past three years.

Teams that use water as their sideline refreshment have the best winning percentage over the past three years. Those teams consist of the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Giants.

The teams that drink fruit punch Gatorade include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Baltimore Ravens, the Carolina Panthers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, the Chicago Bears, the New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Atlanta Falcons.

Lemon-lime is drunk by the Arizona Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Washington Redskins, the New Orleans Saints, the Houston Texans, the San Diego Chargers, the Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins.

Orange-flavored Gatorade is the drink of choice for the Buffalo Bills, the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Green Bay Packers.

The teams that drink grape Gatorade consist of the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The team that drinks Vitamin Water is the Detroit Lions.

There is a clear and obvious relationship between Gatorade flavor and win percentage; the only team that looks to be in the wrong group is the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, without the Steelers, the Lemon-Lime win percentage drops from .505 to .412.

We can look at this from more of a mathematical standpoint: The correlation of any team's win percentage with the combined W% of all the teams in their flavor group (excluding themselves) was .85, which suggests that the two variables—win percentage and Gatorade flavor—are highly correlated.

Is your team struggling? Maybe a change in Gatorade flavor can help.

The History of the Battle for the Golden Boot: LSU Vs. Arkansas

Nick — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:08:42 -0400

Rivalries.

Teams are often defined by rivalries, in nearly every sport, every team has a rival. A teams rivals are hated, even if your team stinks that year, if they beat their hated rivals, especially if it knocks those said rivals out of contention it’s worth it.

It’s that one game all year that you play your absolute hardest in.

So what makes a rivalry?

- History

Usually the two teams have a long history, LSU and Arkansas date back all the way to 1901. Since then, the two teams have faced each other 53 times.

There has been a lot of amazing games between to the two teams, such as the “Miracle on Markham”, the 1966 Cotton Bowl, and the triple overtime victory by the Razorbacks against number one ranked LSU.

- Switching Teams/Transferring

Student athletes and professional athletes switch teams all the time, heck, even coaches switch teams. Examples that come to mind would be when Terrell Owens went from the Eagles to the Cowboys.

Even before that they were rivals, but the rivalry was intensified greatly after he went to Dallas. In 2007, Arkansas coach, Houston Nutt resigned from the team only to sign with the Ole Miss Rebels (also in the SEC) a day later.

- Trash Talk/Disrespect

Trash talk occurs on and off the field, and happens all the time. Trash talk is part of the sport, and it should motivate the opposing team to win. It also usually results in the opposing team/player being targeted by responding either through the media, or on the field, which has led to fights and cheap shots, thus intensifying or creating a rivalry.

- “Running up the score”

The term “running up the score” is used in when a team scores more touchdowns near the end of the game in a one-sided match up. It is considered unsportsmanlike, but is usually done for other reasons than just running up the score.

The opposing players and coaches view it as poor sportsmanship, the next time the teams face off against each other; it’s bound to be a heated matchup.

- “So we meet again”

In every sport, there is that other team that you always seem to meet up with in the right moment, something like the Colts-Patriots matchups, and in 2007 the Giants-Patriots. Your rivals don’t always have to be in your division, there have been some really great rivalries between two teams in different divisions.

- Fan Bases

The bigger the fan base, the bigger the rivalry. Teams like the Red Sox and the Yankees have some of the largest fan bases in baseball, same with the Patriots and Colts in football, and the Lakers-Celtics in the NBA.

The rivalry between the LSU Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks is known as, "The Battle for the Golden Boot." The Battle for the Golden Boot originated in 1996 although, the two teams have played each other since 1901.

The game is played on the yearly on Nov. 27 and is played in Little Rock, AR one year and Baton Rouge, LA the next.

LSU has won the Battle for the Golden Boot 33 times compared to Arkansas' 19 victories there has also been two ties. Since the introduction of the Golden Boot prior to the 1996 season LSU is 8-5 against the Razorbacks, although, the trophy is currently in possession of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The trophy itself is four feet tall and weights around 175 pounds and it is believed the be the heaviest trophy awarded in a college football rivalry. It is molded out of 24 karat gold into the outlines of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana making it look like a boot.

Engraved on the trophy are the outlines of the major lakes and rivers in Arkansas and Louisiana. The prized-trophy is valued at $10,000.

The rivalry between LSU and Arkansas began in 1901 when the two teams faced each other for the first time; LSU won the game 15-0. They then played each other in every season from 1906-1936 excluding 1918.

They then played each other again 11 years later, and again six years later lasting from 1953-1956. They then went 10 years without playing each other, and met again in 1992 and have played each other ever since.

The Miracle on Markham is considered one of the best games ever played between to the two teams. With 34 seconds on the clock, Arkansas was trailing 14-20; the Razorbacks had the ball at their own 19 yard line. Matt Jones, the Razorbacks QB, went 2-3 on the drive with a touchdown.

He completed a 50 yard pass, then threw an incompletion, he then threw the game winning 31 yard touchdown with nine seconds left on the game clock. Arkansas ended up winning the game 21-20. The “Miracle at Markham” got its name for Markham Street which was right outside of the stadium the game was played at.

A couple of years ago, in 2007, the two teams played in another nail-biter. The un-ranked Razorbacks played the No. 1 ranked Tigers. The Razorbacks won the game in triple overtime 50-48.

Darren McFadden ran for over 200 yards and scored three touchdowns three rushing and one passing, the three rushing touchdowns came on runs of 73, 16, and nine yards. Peyton Hillis also had a big game, he scored a total of four touchdowns, two receiving and two rushing, one of which was a 65 yarder.

Just last year there was another last second come from behind win, the Razorbacks were down 14-30 at the start of the third quarter. Following a QB switch, the new QB, Casey Dick, led the Razorbacks back into the game, Arkansas scored 17 unanswered points on the way to the victory.

With 20 seconds left on the game clock, Casey Dick, threw the game winning 25 yard touchdown pass to London Crawford on fourth down. Some consider the game to be "Miracle on Markham II."

There has been a long, illustrious history between these two teams, their rivalry is considered amongst the top-10.

"The Battle for the Golden Boot" will continue again this year the day after Thanksgiving, November 27th 2009 in Baton Rouge. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for these two teams to face-off, I can't even wait for the College Football season.

Flamethrowers: A Look at MLB's Hot Pitchers

Nick — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:49:02 -0400

In the past few days, there have been some great performances from some undervalued pitchers. So I put together a tribute to some of those guys. All of the percent owned information was found using ESPN's fantasy baseball system.

Joe Saunders

Saunders easily had the best performance of his career yesterday, out-pitching Zack Greinke, a feat not many pitchers have been able to do this year. He posted his first career shutout and second career complete game. Through nine innings of work, he allowed five hits, zero runs, and one walk, while striking out six batters.

Saunders moves to 5-1 on the year through 47.1 innings. He has struck out 22, walked 11, and his ERA is 2.66.

You know you're doing something right when you get the win and the opposing pitcher went nine innings, allowed one run, and struck out five.

Saunders is owned in 55.6 percent of fantasy leagues and should be owned in all of them.

Edwin Jackson

Jackson was solid for the Tigers yesterday, pitching seven scoreless innings and struck out seven batters while allowing five hits and one walk. He lowered his ERA to 2.60 in the winning effort.

Jackson is 2-2 on the season but has received the least amount of run support than any other pitcher in the American League. He got four runs from his offense yesterday, all in the seventh and eighth innings.

His next start is May 15th against the Oakland A's.

Jackson is owned in 28.3 percent of fantasy baseball leagues; that number should and will go up. Give him a look.

Brian Bannister

Bannister was recalled from Triple A on April 21st and has been a force for the Royals ever since. His first start of the season resulted in a win: he threw six shutout innings, allowing six hits, zero runs, two walks, and only struck out one.

In his last start, he threw another six shutout innings, allowing five hits, zero runs, while walking only one, and struck out seven.

Bannister was a ground ball pitcher in Triple A but, has shown signs of improvement with strike outs. He has recorded a higher K total in each game this season. Another reason for concern was his control in his first two starts he issued eight walks; in his last two starts he only allowed three.

Since being recalled, Bannister is 3-0, allowing 18 hits, four earned runs, 14 strikeouts, and his ERA is 1.48.

Bannister is owned in 6.9 percent of fantasy baseball leagues. He is definitely worth a look.

Eric Stults

Stults pitched a complete game shutout yesterday against the Giants. He went nine innings, allowing four hits, zero runs, zero walks, and struck out five, making him 4-1 on the season. He retired his first 13 batters before allowing a hit.

So far, Stults has pitched 32.2 innings, allowing 32 hits, 13 runs, and 14 walks, while striking out 20. His ERA is 3.58.

Stults was recalled from Triple A after Hiroki Kuroda was placed on the 15-day DL and is making the case as to why he should stay in the Majors.

He is currently owned in 2.2 percent of fantasy leagues, up from 1.6 last week. Stults is another guy worth a pick-up in all deep leagues.

Jorge De La Rosa

Aside from his first start, De La Rosa has had five pitching performances worthy of a win. In his start yesterday, he went a career-high eight innings, giving up four hits, two earned runs, one walk, and struck out a career-high 12 batters in a losing effort.

Unfortunately for De La Rosa, he faced Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson, who only allowed one run over eight innings.

De La Rosa has hardly gotten any run support. In five of his starts this season, he has gone five or more innings and hasn't allowed more then three runs, yet he sits at 0-3 on the season.

If you're in a league that uses RP and SP slots, take a look at De La Rosa, as he is listed an RP and SP. He is most likely available in your league. If your league is one of the 98.9 percent he isn't owned in, take a look at him. He's worth a look in deeper leagues and maybe all formats later on.

Matt Harrison

Harrison came to my attention on Friday. I hadn't really known about him prior to his performance. On Friday, he tossed a complete game shutout against the White Sox, extending his scoreless inning streak from 10 to 19 innings.

The beginning of the season was rough for Harrison. In the first 16.2 innings he pitched, he allowed 19 earned runs and 12 walks, while striking out nine, his ERA was 10.68, and he went 1-2.

In his last 19 innings, he has allowed zero earned runs and one walk, while striking out eight. His ERA was of course 0.00, going 2-0, giving him an overall record of 3-2.

Harrison is owned in 0.9 percent of leagues, up 0.8 percent from last week. This means he is still available in 99.1 percent of leagues. Right now, I would give him a look in deeper leagues but, if he can keep this up, he should be worth a look in most formats.

You can check out other articles like this at: www.thesportspa.blogspot.com

Fantasy Baseball: Three Up, Three Down

Nick — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:14:39 -0400

Today, I am going to take a look at some of the hottest hitters in baseball. Along with that I will include some of the struggling hitters.

Up

Ryan Zimmerman

Yesterday, Zimmerman extended his hit streak to 23 consecutive games. The streak is the longest in Nationals history and the third longest in franchise history.

During the streak—basically the whole season—Zimmerman is 35 for 99 with a .354 batting average, five home runs including a multiple home run game against the Phillies, and 19 RBI. Of the 25 games he has played in this season he has accumulated a hit in 24 of them. He also had a career best four hit performance on Monday.

Zimmerman faces Kershaw tonight in hopes of keeping the streak alive. Zimmerman is 2 for 5 (.400) against Kershaw in his career and 5 for 21 (.238) against left handed pitchers this season.

He is owned in around 98 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, he should be owned in all of them. He is only 24 years old and looking like an elite third basemen.

Zimmerman would need a hit in each of his next 22 games to tie the NL record of 45 consecutive games set by Willie Keeler. He would need a hit in each of his next 33 games to tie the MLB record of 56 set by Joe DiMaggio. He would have a long way to go if he were to break any of these records.

Anyway, he should definitely be owned in every fantasy league. If he is available in your league pick him up immediately.

Shane Victorino

Victorino went 4 for 5 with three runs, a home run, and three RBI in yesterday's game against the Cardinals. That makes him 32 for 104 with 23 runs, four home runs, 19 RBI, three stolen bases, and an average of .308 on the season.

Victorino also has a hitting streak going, some people may not have known about that because of Zimmerman's hitting streak. Anyway he has gotten a hit in each of his last 14 games. During his 14 game hitting streak, he is 23 for 63 with 15 RBI, 15 runs, and a .365 batting average.

He puts his streak on the line tonight against Johan Santana. I think the streak ends today.

Against Johan all time, Victorino is 1 for 12 with a .083 average. Against the Mets this season he is 3 for 10 with a .300 batting average. Also, he is 9 for 25 against left handed pitchers this season, not bad numbers but tonight he faces the best.

Victorino could have a 20-20 season this year. He has the speed, he only has three stolen bases but will eventually surpass 20.

Last year he had 36 stolen bases in only 146 games, and the year before he had 37 in only 131 games. Assuming he stays healthy he is a lock for 30+ steals.

The only question is his power. Last season he had 14 home runs which was also a career high, but he hasn't played a full year yet. The promising thing is his home run numbers have improved each year and he already has four this year.

He probably isn't available in your league. He is owned in 99.2 percent so I doubt he's in waivers. If he is, pick him up.

Justin Upton

So far this season, Upton is 21 for 77 with 12 runs, four home runs, 12 RBI, a stolen base, and his batting average is .273.

Upton also has a hitting streak going, he has recorded a hit in each of his last 12 games. Another notable hit streak that hasn't been mentioned much. During his hitting streak he is 15 for 41 with nine runs, four home runs, 11 RBI, and an average of .366.

Tonight he faces Jake Peavy this will be the first time he faces Peavy in his career. Although, he is 17 for 58 with three home runs, and a batting average of .293. I'm interesting in seeing his at-bat against Peavy, knowing they have never faced off before.

Upton is only 21 years old. He has a lot of power (three days ago he hit a 450 foot home run) last year he had 15 home runs in 108 games. Just remember he is only 21 and still developing. He isn't much for speed, he has been caught stealing more times (5) then he has stole a base (4).

Upton is owned in 84.7 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. He should be owned in more, especially in keeper or dynasty leagues.

Down

B.J. Upton

Upton is struggling this season going 13 for 83 with 13 runs, zero home runs, three RBI, six stolen bases, with a .157 average, and 28 strike outs.

Looks like B.J. is getting a run for his money by his little brother. He is losing every major offensive category to his brother besides runs and stolen bases.

Although he was on the DL for the most of the April. He also had a streak of his own going, just not the kind of streak you want to be known for. Yesterday, he snapped out of a 20 at-bat hittless streak which is the longest of his career.

He faces the A.J. Burnett and the Yankees today, Upton is 4 for 18 (.222) against Burnett all-time, 2 for 11 (.182) against the Yankees this season, and 11 for 64 (.172) against right handed pitchers this season.

He could easily be a 20-20 guy. In 2007 he hit 24 home runs and stole 22 bases. Last year he only had nine home runs but 44 stolen bases. He has the potential, and already has a good start on the stolen bases with six, but hasn't hit a home run yet.

Do not drop Upton, he will break out soon, mark it down.

He is available in only 1.9 percent of ESPN leagues after being dropped by impatient owners, if your league is one of the few, pick him up and stash him on your bench.

Garrett Atkins

On the season, Atkins is 22 for 94 with 12 runs, three, home runs, 13 RBI, and a .234 batting average.

The Rockies are currently 10-15 and sitting at the bottom of their division. If that keeps up and they are out of contention, Atkins will likely be dealt. Depending on where he goes, this could be bad or good news for Atkins.

He faces Randy Johnson tonight, all time against Johnson he is 4 for 17 (.235) with a home run, against the Giants this season he is 2 for 10 (.200) and against left handed pitchers this season he is 7 for 27 (.259) with a home run.

Atkins will get you a good amount of home runs (in the 20's possibly low 30's). He has eclipsed the 20 home run mark in each of his last three seasons, with his highest being 29.

He isn't much for steals though, I would expect at most 3 stolen bases from him this season.

All of his stats besides runs have declined in the past three years, not a good sign. He is still fairly young at 29 years.

Geovany Soto

The struggling Cubs' catcher is batting .167 on the season. He is 10 for 60 with four runs, zero home runs, and four RBI.

I expect Soto to turn around soon, and he may have already started to, he is on a little four game hit streak where he has recorded one run and two RBI.

No home runs yet is a bit of a disappointment. I expect him to break out of his slump very soon.

Tonight he faces Mike Hampton, who he has never faced before. I can tell you he is 1 for 5 (.200) this season against Houston, and 8 for 3 (.375) against left handed pitchers.

Like Atkins, Soto will get you power and a decent average, despite not showing that this season. Last year he hit 23 home runs and had an average of .285. He is yet to steal a base in his career, he was thrown out on his first and only attempt.

I expect Soto to turn his season around and soon. He is available in about eight percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, pick him up if he's available in your league.

Check some more of our stuff out at: www.thesportspa.blogspot.com

Flamethrowers: A Look at Hot Pitchers

Nick — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:34:39 -0400

This week I'm going to try and stay away from the obvious guys like Greinke, Santana, Billingsley, and show some love for the "lesser" known guys. I will be basing that on the percentage of leagues that each player is owned in. All of the percentages will be found using ESPN's fantasy baseball system.

Hot

Wandy Rodriguez (82.4%)

Wandy has had two great starts which both happened to be against the Reds. In both starts against the Reds he lasted 14 innings, while giving up seven hits, one run, four walks, and striking out 15. Solid performances, but like I said, both starts where against the Reds. Wandy has the ninth best ERA in the MLB (2.19), and 20th in strikeouts (30).

I would take a shot with Wandy Rodriguez if you have the roster space.

Phil Hughes (29.3)

Hughes got his first opportunity to start this season after Chien Ming Wang made his way onto the DL. He made the best of his first start throwing six shutout innings, while allowing two hits, two walks, and striking out six. If Hughes keeps this up, Wang may be on the DL for quite some time.

Hughes is a must have in all fantasy leagues for me.

Jason Marquis (4.5)

Marquis has been on a hot streak, I wonder why he is owned in only 4.5 percent of leagues. Marquis is 4-1 on the year and even went all nine innings in his last start against the Giants giving up only five hits, one run, and one walk, while striking out four. He hasn't been much of a strikeout guy, but he's been getting the job done with his four wins.

I don't really see him keeping this up, but why not ride the hot streak?

Scott Richmond (17.2)

Richmond has been amazing on the mound lately. In his last four performances he is 4-0 in 26.1 innings of work, allowing 20 hits, six runs, ten walks, while striking out 22. You could make the case that he hasn't played very good offensive teams, but one of his best starts came against the Rangers where he lasted six innings with six hits, two runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts.

I like Richmond. He's a cheap source of strikeouts and has been getting the job done lately with his 4-0 record.

Justin Verlander (95.0)

Verlander was roughed up in his first few starts but has gotten it together in his last two. In his last game against the Indians, Verlander gave up two hits, one run, three walks, and struck out 11, holding an ERA of 1.29 in seven innings of work. In his start before that he went seven innings allowing seven hits, zero runs, zero walks, while striking out eight, his ERA was of course 0.00. Verlander is currently second in the Majors with 45 strikeouts.

I like Verlander going forward.

Mark Buehrle (93.7)

Buehrle is 4-0 on the season which is 4th best in baseball, his ERA of 3.30 currently ranks 33rd. He does have a few downsides. Buehrle only has 19 strikeouts in five starts and has not pitched more than 6.2 innings this season. Regardless, Buehrle has been getting the job done with four wins in his last four starts.

Buehrle may lack some categories, but is a solid option for wins.

Johnny Cueto (81.7)

Cueto has been solid at times this year, his best performance was yesterday against the Pirates. He went eight innings and gave up four hits, zero runs, one walk, and nine strikeouts with an ERA of 0.00. On the season he is 2-1, with 29 strikeouts (ranks 23rd), and an ERA of 1.65 which ranks fourth in the league.

Cueto was dominant at the beginning of last year but fell off quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if he broke out this year.

Edison Volquez (96.0)

Volquez has had some command issues this season giving up 21 walks in his five starts this year. He has been working on getting it under control and he seems to have done just that. In his last start he allowed just one walk, where in his previous five starts he allowed seven, five, four, and four. Along with that one walk, he allowed one hit and zero runs while striking out six; his ERA was 0.00. He is 3-2 on the season with 28 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.45.

It looks like Volquez could be returning to his dominant 2008 form.

News and Notes

Ken Takahashi replaces struggling Oliver Perez in the Mets rotation and he will start this friday.

The Cubs plan to recall pitcher Randy Wells to replace Carlos Zambrano (DL) in the rotation.

Matt LaPorta hit his first Major League home run on Monday. Let the LaPorta phenomenon begin.

Brian McCann hopes to return to the Braves by Friday.

You can check this article out at: www.thesportspa.blogspot.com

Fantasy Flamethrowers: A Look at Hot Pitchers

Nick — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:26:28 -0400

Starters

Yovani Gallardo

Gallardo has been impressive this season. So far, he has pitched 26.2 innings and given up 19 hits and 11 runs while accumulating 23 strikeouts, two wins, and an ERA of 3.71. That doesn't include his impressive outing today against the Pirates, in which he threw eight scoreless innings, gave up just two hits, and struck out 11 batters.

He has now managed to lower his ERA to 2.86 and boasts a 34:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Heck, he even hit a home run, which turned out to be the only run of the game.

Chad Billingsley

Billingsley has looked good in every game he has pitched in this season. He has pitched in 33.2 innings while giving up just 22 hits and eight runs. Meanwhile, he's struck out 34 and his ERA is 2.14.

Billingsley is 4-0 on the season, though he should probably have a fifth win. In his last start, he went seven innings and only gave up two runs while striking out eight, but Jonathan Broxton blew the save and the W.

Zach Greinke

Greinke is without a doubt the hottest pitcher in the MLB right now. He has yet to give up an earned run and has also pitched two straight complete games with at least 10 strikeouts in both.

He's struck out 36 and maintains a league-best 0.00 ERA. Kid was due for a breakout year, and this is it, no joke.

Johan Santana

Santana is off to a hot start this year. In the five games he has pitched, he has won three of them, although his numbers were good enough for him to win all five. In loss and no decision, he hasn’t had much run support.

Through four games, he pitched 25.2 innings while striking out 37 and posting an ERA of 0.70. He surrendered just 17 hits and two runs in that stretch.

In his start today, he went seven innings while giving up seven hits and two runs and striking out seven. He did not factor in the loss, so he is still 3-1 on the season.

Dan Haren

Haren has been putting up Cy Young award-like numbers, but he has gotten minimal run support through his five starts. He is 2-3 on the season but has pitched amazingly in his outings.

In his three losses, the D-Backs have combined for a whopping total of two runs. Hell, he was the first pitcher since 1980 to have a 0-3 record with an ERA under 2.00.

Through 35 innings, Haren has given up 21 hits and six runs while striking out 36 batters. His ERA is a good 1.54.

Cliff Lee

After starting off the season horribly, it looks like Lee is turning it around; each game he has gotten better.

In his first start, he went five innings and gave up seven runs. In his second, he went five and gave up four.

Then, in his third, he went six innings, gave up just one run, and got the win. His fourth was an eight-inning offering in which he allowed just two to score, and his fifth was a shutout eight-inning display that earned him a ND.

Looks like Cliff Lee is back; his next start is May 3 at Detroit, and I'm curious as to how he'll perform.

Josh Johnson

Johnson has been fairly impressive this year for the Marlins. His best game came against the Mets, in which he threw a complete game five-hitter. Through nine, he gave up a run and struck out seven.

He is 2-3 so far, but, like a lot of other pitchers, he lost a couple games due to lack of offensive support. Johnson is an up-and-coming pitcher with a bright future ahead of him.

Felix Hernandez

"King Felix" has been solid this season, putting up 36 strikeouts in 34 innings. He's 4-0 and also has a scoreless streak of 19 innings. His ERA is a nice 2.38.

In his last start, he threw ten ground-ball outs and allowed four hits, all of which were singles. I’m loving me some Hernandez this season.

Relievers

Heath Bell

Bell has been the best closer in the MLB so far. He has a league-leading eight saves, nine strikeouts, and an ERA of 0.00. He also has not blown a save.

He's looking to be a very reliable reliever.

Jonathan Papelbon

Papelbon has been working on a new delivery, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering him, as he is five-for-five on save opportunities so far. Batters are only hitting .229 off of Paps; he is always reliable.

Ryan Franklin

Franklin took over the closer role for the struggling Jason Motte in St. Louis, and he’s made the most of it. He has six saves, nine strike outs, and an ERA of 0.00.

He hasn’t officially been named the Cards' closer, but how can you not like what he’s doing?

Trevor Hoffman

After returning from the DL, Hoffman has gotten his first save opportunity and made the most of it. He threw a scoreless ninth along and posted a strikeout to record his first S of the season.

Frank Francisco

Francisco has impressed in the closing role this season. He has an ERA of 0.00 while striking out nine and has already notched six saves and a win.

Fantasy Baseball: Three Up, Three Down

Nick — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:22:15 -0400

Up

Dexter Fowler

The Rockies prospect has been good thus far in limited action. He has nine stolen bases only second to Ellsbury's ten. So far this year he is 16 for 53 with 11 runs, two home runs, six RBI, nine stolen bases, and an average of .302.

In Fowlers last game, he went 2-4 with five stolen bases. Fowler is a cheap source of power and an excellent source of speed.

Fowler is 23 years old, pick him up especially in keeper/dynasty leagues.

He is owned in 16.5 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Jason Jaramillo

Jaramillo took over catching duties for the Pirates, after Ryan Doumit was placed on the DL. Jaramillo has taken full advantage of his opportunity in the majors and has beat out Robinzon Diaz for the starting catchers role.

In 18 at-bats he has nine hits, four of which are doubles, four runs, one RBI, a stolen base, and a batting average of .346. If you are in a deep league and in need of a catcher take a look at Jaramillo, ride the hot streak.

He is only owned in 0.8 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Asdrubal Cabrera

Cabrera is on a hot streak, hitting in 10 of his last 13 games. He has also been moved up to second in the batting order. So far Cabrera is 19/60 with 14 runs, one home run, nine RBI, and three stolen bases, with a .317 batting average. Cabrera is eligible to play second base and short stop.

He is only owned in 41.4 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Down

Stephen Drew

Drew was struggling prior to being placed on the DL going 9 for 44 with three runs, one home run, and five RBI. Drew is coming off a breakout year, fluke? Possibly. He will be dropped in a lot of leagues, so if your a believer pick him up.

Emilio Bonifacio

Bonifacio has come back down to earth. Who knows if he will ever be back. After starting off the season hot and looking to be the early season waiver wonder, he came crashing down. I'm going to hold on to him a little longer in my leagues, just to see if he gets it together.

Jordan Schafer

Schafer also started off the year hot and has since come down to earth. He is 16 for 62 with two home runs, three RBI, and an average of .258. Although, he has been playing with a sore left wrist. He looks like he has been rebounding lately. Monitor him.

Massage Table Mentionables: A Look at Injured Players

Nick — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:48:14 -0400

Ryan Doumit

On April 20th, the Pirates placed Ryan Doumit on the 15 day DL with a fracture in his right wrist. Doumit had surgery today and is expected to miss eight to ten weeks. If you're in a deep league, and catchers are slim, the Pirates just recalled catcher Robinzon Diaz to take Doumit's place.

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Dice-K was placed on the 15 day DL with a mild right shoulder strain on April 15th. He has began playing catch and has been throwing from as far as 60 yards. Matsuzaka had been struggling prior to being placed on the DL. Although, he was complaining about arm stiffness. I expect Dice-K to return at full strength and perform better than he was before he was placed on the DL.

Alex Rodriguez

A-Rod was placed on the 15 day DL before the season. He is taking part in batting practice, where he hit 75 balls and 10 home runs. He also is doing defensive drills. He is ahead of schedule, but the Yankees haven't changed his return date, which is currently set at May 15th.

Vladimir Guerrero

Vlad has been diagnosed with a torn pectoral muscle, and was placed on the 15 day DL list. The Angels will most likely not use him in the field for the rest of the year and just have him hit DH. If that happens, one of the Angels backup outfielders could really benefit from this. Vlad will probably be back in a month but possibly longer.

Joe Mauer

Mauer is set to return to the Twins on May 1st. He is looking pretty good, in an extended spring training game he caught six innings and went 3-4. He just started a six game rehab stint in the minors, so he looks on track to return by May 1st.

Alex Gordon

Gordon just underwent successful surgery on his hip, and is already in rehab. He is expected to be back in 10-12 weeks, either late June or early July. If you are in need of a third basemen, Mark Teahen is going to take over duties for Gordon.

Xavier Nady

Nady is set to rehab for three weeks until he begins hitting again. We don't know for sure yet if he will even return this season but he doesn't need season ending surgery so he might return this year. If he does get back, he will probably be limited to DH duties anyway.

Melvin Mora

Mora is eligible to return to action April 28th, but he says he still has discomfort in his legs when trying to run. He wants to go on a rehab assignment to test out how he feels running. Depending on how that goes, Mora could be on the DL a little longer.

Jed Lowrie

Lowrie was in a slump prior to being placed on the DL, going 1-18 with an average of .056. He just underwent successful surgery on his wrist and isn't expected to pick up a bat for at least six weeks. He is expected to be back by the All-Star break.

Three Up, Three Down: A Look at Fantasy Hitting

Nick — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:36:14 -0400

Up

Marco Scutaro

Scutaro has had a hot start to his season, going 15 for 53 with 15 runs, 10 RBI, four home runs, and an average of .283. Scutaro has multiple position eligibility, you can play him at second base, third base, or short stop. I don't expect him to keep posting these numbers. He will probably come down to earth sometime, but pick him up and ride the hot streak.

He is owned in 78.6 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Kosuke Fukudome

Fukudome had a hot start last year, but fell off toward the end of the season. This year, he is having another hot start, but I don't think he will fall off again like last year. This season, Fukudome is 15 for 40 with 10 runs, three home runs, ten RBI, and a stolen base, while hitting for a .375 average. Fukudome has the power and speed for 15/15 potential.

Take a look at him for your team; he is owned in 73.7 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Jack Cust

Cust is outfield and DH eligible, but most of his value is for his DH eligibility. This year, Cust is 12 for 42 with 10 runs, two home runs, six RBI, and an average of .286. Not bad numbers for a guy who went undrafted in most drafts this year. I would pick him up if your league has the DH position, or if you're in a deep league and have a need for outfielders.

Cust is owned in 32.2 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Others

Carlos Quentin

Quentin would have made the list above, but he is well known and owned in all leagues. Quentin is having a fantastic year this year though, going 13 for 43 with 11 runs, 13 RBI, and a league-leading seven home runs. Quentin was playing well before he landed on the DL last year, and he is starting right where he left off. Look for him to have an awesome year.

Ryan Ludwick

Another one of the breakout outfielders from last year, Ludwick is having an awesome year. So far, he is 17 for 42 with eight runs, a stolen base, five home runs, and 15 RBI, with an average of .405. Ludwick is proving any doubters wrong—he's no fluke. Congrats if you have him on your team.

Down

Emilio Bonifacio

It had to happen sometime. I wanted the hot streak to carry on for a long time, but all good things must come to an end. Bonifacio has been ice-cold in his last 24 at bats, only recording two hits. He has not gotten a stolen base in over 10 games. Looks like he has come down to Earth. Hold onto him to see if he can get it back together, but he is definitely struggling.

Conor Jackson

Jackson hasn't gotten anything going yet, really. So far, he is 8 for 44 with four runs, one home run, seven RBI, a stolen base, and a .182 average. He has first base and outfield eligibility, which gives him more value, but it won't matter unless he can string some good games together. If there is a better option out there, go for it, but I'm holding on to him for now.

Curtis Granderson

I wouldn't worry about Granderson; he will get it together eventually. I really like him as a buy-low option. So far this year, he is 11 for 52 with seven runs, two home runs, six RBI, a stolen base, and a .212 average. Like I said, I like him as a buy-low option. I think he'll get it together.

Others

Prince Fielder

Fielder is really struggling this year. He only has one home run, seven RBI, seven hits, and a .175 average. He has been getting on base, though, as he takes a lot of walks. Wait for Fielder to have a huge game, then sell high. Not that I don't trust him this year, I'm just not a big fan of him. He's supposed to be a power hitter, yet he only has one home run. Sell him when he gets hot.

Brandon Phillips

Phillips is another guy drafted early that isn't performing. You gotta believe he'll turn it around, and I'm sure you can get him pretty cheap. He is just in a slump and will turn it around. He is batting clean-up, so the RBI will be there soon enough...when he isn't slumping.

Chris Davis

"Crush" is having a horrible season thus far, and I think last year was a fluke. So far this year, he is 7 for 39 with five runs, two home runs, four RBI, and an average of .179. He also has 18 strike outs. This is definitely not a good sign for a guy who only had success for half the year last year. Like I said, I think he's a fluke.

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Flamethrowers: A Look at Fantasy Pitchers

Nick — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:55:07 -0400

Hot pitchers:

Zack Greinke – Kansas City Royals

Greinke is, without a doubt, the hottest pitcher in the MLB right now. In three starts this season, he is 3-0 with a league best 0.00 ERA. Greinke has thrown 26 strikeouts, which is only second to Johan Santana with 27. He has not allowed a run through 20 innings this season, and a Royals record 34 innings going back to last season. In Greinke's last start he tossed a complete game shutout against the Texas Rangers. Greinke is looking very impressive so far.

Roy Halladay – Toronto Blue Jays

Halladay is also 3-0 on the season. Through 21 innings he has allowed 19 hits, seven runs, while striking out 17 batters. Halladay is, and has been, a stud his whole career. The only worry coming in to this year was wins due to a rebuilding Blue Jays offense, but that doesn't seem to be a problem as the Blue Jays are 10-4 and atop the AL East.

Chad Billingsley – Los Angeles Dodgers

Billingsley, another 3-0 pitcher, is on a roll. In his three starts he has allowed 11 hits, six runs, struck out 21 batters, and has an ERA of 2.84. Billingsley has elevated himself to one of the best pitchers in the National League, and solidified himself as the Dodgers ace. He is only 25 years old and has a bright future ahead of him.

On the rebound:

Cliff Lee – Cleveland Indians

After two rocky starts where he combined for 17 hits, 11 runs, and 10 strike-outs, his last outing helped lower his ERA to 6.75. He went six innings giving up seven hits, one run, four strike-outs and got the win against the Yankees. Lee seems to be getting it together, and I believe he will return to last years form.

Kevin Slowey – Minnesota Twins

Slowey was roughed up in his first two starts, but got it together in his last start. He went seven innings, giving up six hits, and two runs, while striking out five. In his first start, Slowey went six innings giving up nine hits, and five runs, but still got the win due to good offensive support. Slowey is 25 years old and very promising.

Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants

Lincecum was back to his dominant self in his last start, tossing eight scoreless innings and striking out 13. Just like last season he got the no decision because of the helpless Giants offense but, otherwise he was back to his Cy Young form. This is an improvement from his previous starts where he gave up a combined 14 hits, and seven runs while striking out ten. Lincecum is a stud but needs more offensive support, which is the only thing holding him back. Lincecum is also 25 years old and he has a long promising career ahead of him.

Struggling pitchers:

Chien Ming Wang – New York Yankees

Wang is probably struggling the most of all the pitchers. Through three starts, Wang is 0-3. In six innings he has given up 23 hits, and 23 runs, while walking six and striking out two. He has an ERA of 34.50. At this point, I've given up all hope in Wang. There are better options out there at pitcher.

Jason Motte – St. Louis Cardinals

Motte was named the closer before the season, and he has not proven worthy of that role. In six innings he has allowed eight hits, and five runs. He has one loss, one blown save, and no saves. There are better options out there on the waiver wire.

Kevin Gregg – Chicago Cubs

Gregg won the closing job before the season started and so far has one save, one loss, and a blown save. In six innings he has given up six hits, four runs, and has an ERA of 6.00. Gregg better step it up if he wants to keep the closing job, because he has competition in Carlos Marmol pushing for the job.

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Fantasy Baseball's Most Undervalued Starting Pitchers

Nick — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:12:54 -0400

Often times when I'm checking my fantasy teams, I like to check out the percentage of leagues a player is owned. When I'm looking at some of my players percentages, I think to myself, "How is this guy only owned in that many leagues?"

With that in mind, I'm going to dedicate this article to a couple of players owned in less than 30 percent of leagues—in ESPN fantasy baseball—that I think should be owned in more.

In no particular order:

Zach Duke, Pittsburgh Pirates

Duke has had two impressive starts this season. His best start came against the Houston Astros when he tossed a complete-game shutout. He allowed just four hits while striking out five and walking two.

After two starts, he is 2-0 with nine strikeouts and an impressive 0.59 ERA. He has breakout potential, but he will provide you with limited strikeouts.

His next start is April 19th against the Braves and is owned in 17.6 percent of ESPN leagues.

Paul Maholm, Pittsburgh Pirates

Maholm got his first win of the season in his last start against the Cincinatti Reds. He went seven innings giving up one run, walking two and striking out three.

In his previous start he went six innings, gave up one run and only struck out one.

As you can tell, he doesn't strike out many batters but he doesn't give up many runs either. Maholm would certainly get more wins if it weren't for the lack of offensive support.

The guy is no fluke and he's definitely underrated. He is owned in 24.5 percent of ESPN leagues.

Kyle Davies, Kansas City Royals

Davies has had two good starts, although, his best was a no decision after he left the game tied. He is 1-0 on the year, with 13 strikeouts, and a 2.13 ERA.

If the Royals' offense can get going, Davies could rate as a sleeper. In his last five starts last season he went 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA, and is off to a solid start in 2009.

Davies is owned in 24.2 percent of ESPN leagues.

Jarrod Washburn, Seattle Mariners

Washburn is 2-0 thus far, picking up a win against the Angels and Twins to start the season. He has eight strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA.

Washburn has the luxury of a good defense and is a fly-ball kind of pitcher, so that only can help him, right?

Washburn is owned in 7.3 percent of ESPN leagues.

Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins

Perkins has had two good starts but no wins to show for them. This comes from not having much offensive support.

In his last start he went eight innings, gave up seven hits, two runs, walked one and struck out four.

However, he did not figure in the win's decision.

In his first start of the 2009 season he went eight innings, surrendered one run on five hits, walked two, and struck out four. Despite the solid performance, Perkins got the loss, but the Twins were shut out on the offensive side.

If he can get some offensive support, Perkins would be a nice start.

Perkins is owned in 4.7 percent of ESPN leagues.

Undervalued Hitters: Fantasy Baseball

Nick — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:29:53 -0400

Often when I'm checking my fantasy teams, I like to check out the percentage of leagues the player is owned in. When I'm looking at some of my players percent owned and I think to myself, "how is this guy only owned in that many leagues?"

So I'm going to dedicate this article to a couple of players owned in less than 30 percent of leagues, in ESPN fantasy baseball, that I think should be owned in more.

In no particular order:

Denard Span

Span was my man crush coming into this season. He hasn't disappointed me going 12 for 38 with a home run, six RBI, three stolen bases, and a .316 average. He has great speed, the main reason why he bats lead off. Don't expect many home runs though, as last year he had six in limited action.

Span is only owned in 19.2 percent of ESPN leagues.

Scott Rolen

Rolen is having a great season, going 14 for 36 with two home runs, with five RBI, and batting .386. Rolen came into the season with a new batting stance to take the stress off of his injured shoulder, and it looks like its working so far. He has only gone hitless in one game this season, an impressive feat.

Rolen is owned in 22.8 percent of ESPN leagues.

Nyjer Morgan

Morgan is another speedy guy. He has three stolen bases so far, along with seven RBI, and a batting average of .400. On Thursday he missed hitting for the cycle only by a home run, going 3-5. Morgan was thought to only have value for his speed, but has shown he can hit too.

Morgan is owned in 25.6 percent of ESPN leagues.

Cristian Guzman

Guzman is hitting .515 this season yet, he is still available in over 70 percent of ESPN leagues. In his last start he went 5-5 with five singles, two RBI, and a stolen base.

Guzman should be owned in more than 26.9 percent of leagues. He has missed the past two games with an injured hamstring but said he expects to be back this week.

Aaron Hill

The Blue Jays' second basemen is hitting .356 this season, including three home runs, 11 RBI, and one stolen base. On Wednesday, Hill went 4-5, with a home run, and three RBI. He currently bats second and should definitely be owned in more leagues.

Hill is available in a little over 80 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Chris Duncan

Let me start off by saying, Duncan has gotten a hit in every game except one this season. Yet, he is only owned in 6.9 percent of ESPN leagues. He is eligible to play first base and outfield. Multiple position eligible players are always more valuable because they can fill in on off days in non-typical positions. Duncan has impressive stats too, so far this year he is 13 for 33 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and a batting average of .394.
Duncan should be owned in way more leagues.

Fantasy Baseball: Three Up, Three Down

Nick — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:18:49 -0400

Up

Brandon Inge

Inge has already knocked in four home runs this season, drove in seven, and swiped a bag. Not bad for a guy who went undrafted in most fantasy drafts. He is eligible at catcher and third base, which boosts his value.

He is owned in 80.1 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, but that is up from the 11.1 he was owned in a week ago. Take a look at Inge if he's available in your league.

Chris Davis

After a horrible 1-22 start, Davis looks like he's getting it together. In the last two games he is 4 for 7 with two home runs, although, he still combines for four strike outs in those two games. He has struck out 14 times this year, which is pretty scary.

He is available in about two percent of ESPN leagues, keep an eye on him.

Nelson Cruz

Cruz has been hot since the beginning of the season. He has amazing power as he already has five home runs including a grand slam. The 28-year-old outfielder has drawn comparisons to Josh Hamilton. I wouldn't say that just yet, but Cruz with him while he's hot (I know, that was pretty lame), maybe even sell high.

He is available in about 14 percent of ESPN leagues. Pick him up right away.

Notable

Scott Rolen

Down

Chris Iannetta

Iannetta is 1-17 on the season with a .059 average. His lone hit was a HR that came in the Rockies first game of the season; he has not gotten a hit since.

I would avoid him at this point until he puts some good games together.

Carlos Guillen

Guillen has also been struggling this season going 5 for 30 with a .167 batting average. He also injured his achilles.

There are better options out there at first or third base. Stay away from Guillen.

Pablo Sandoval

In the last five games, Sandoval is 0-15. On the year he is 5-28 with a batting average of .180. I would hold onto Sandoval because he is likely going to obtain catcher eligibility, which would boost his value.

If he is in waivers in your league, monitor his status, but for now leave him alone.

Notable

Curtis Granderson

Pitching

Up

Zach Duke

Duke's last start was a good one; he tossed a complete game shutout against the Astros. He has won each of his starts and has an awesome ERA of 0.59. He also has nine strike outs on the season.

In previous years his K's weren't all there, but he has been improving, and is on pace for a breakout year. Although, I wouldn't be sold on him just yet. Check him out if you're in a deep league. He is owned in 11 percent of ESPN leagues.

Armando Galarraga

Galarraga had another good performance Wednesday, going six innings, striking out five, and getting the win. He didn't give up any runs, and only surrendered four hits. On the season he has two wins, a nice 0.64 ERA, and 13 K's.

Galarraga is owned in 79.5 percent of ESPN leagues, so pick him up if he's available in your league.

Kyle Lohse

Lohse tossed a complete game shutout against the Astros. He only gave up three hits, two of which came in the ninth inning. Lohse is now 2-0 on the season with eight K's and a 1.13 ERA.

He is owned in 41.5 percent of ESPN leagues which is up 31.8 percent from last week. Scoop him up is he isn't owned in your league.

Notable

Clayton Kershaw

Down

Kevin Slowey

Slowey got blown up again on Tuesday giving up 13 hits and five runs, while receiving the loss. He walked one and only struck out two in five innings. He was coming off another bad start where he gave up five runs and nine hits, but got the win because of good offensive support. He is 1-1 on the season with an ERA of 7.94.

Don't give up on Slowey just yet. Wait to see if he settles down. Until then be cautious when starting him.

Scott Baker

Making his first start of the season, fresh off the DL, Baker got roughed up in only four innings of work. Baker gave up six runs, four of which were home runs, walked two, and struck out three.

I think Baker will eventually get it together, as I said he is fresh off the DL, give him time.

Chien Ming Wang

Wang has been absolutely destroyed in his two starts this year. In his last start against the Rays, he lasted one inning, giving up six hits, eight runs, and walking three. In his start before that he lasted three innings, giving up nine hits, seven runs, while walking three. Wang has one K on the season with a brutal ERA of 28.93.

I would advise for you to avoid Wang. There has got to be a better option out there.

Notable

Fausto Carmona

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MLB Fantasy Three Up Three Down: Week One

Nick — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:36:18 -0400

Nyjer Morgan, OF, Pirates

Nyjer went 3-5 with two RBI and a stolen base in Monday's win against the St. Louis Cardinals. Morgan is competing for the starting left field spot, while he is also batting leadoff. If you need steals check him out. He also has a little pop.

He is only owned in 1.8 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Emilio Bonifacio, 2B, Marlins

Bonifacio went 4-5 with one home run (inside-the-park), two RBI, four runs, and three stolen bases against the Washington Nationals on Monday.

Bonifacio has amazing speed, as you can tell by the inside-the-park home run and three stolen bases. Give the guy a look; he is owned in 3.1 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Felipe Lopez, 2B, D-Backs

Lopez went 2-4 with two home runs, two RBI, two runs, and one walk on Opening Day. Lopez was reffered to as a "sleeper" by quite a few "experts" this season. Looks like those experts might have been right? Shocker.

Anyway, check if Lopez is availible in your league; he's owned in 83.4 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.

Keep an eye on:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Rangers
Kevin Millwood, SP, Rangers
Adam Lind, OF, Blue Jays

Down

Jason Motte, RP, Cardinals

Motte got his first save opportunity Monday and against the Pirates and blew it, giving up four hits and four runs in the ninth inning. He doesn't have much experience, and the same could be said for job security now. Avoid Motte until he proves he can handle the closing role.

Aaron Cook, SP, Rockies

Cook surrendered six runs on seven hits in only two innings in Monday's loss to the D-Backs. I wasn't very high on him coming in to the year, and this does not help his cause. His next start is against the Philadelphia Phillies. I would avoid him at all costs.

Chris Davis, 1B, Rangers

Coming into this baseball season, I was very high on Davis, as were a lot of others. Davis went 0-4 with two strikeouts Monday. For a guy that only had success half the season last year, this is not a good sign. Is this a fluke? Hold on to him, of course, but monitor him.

Also avoid:
Ramon Hernandez, C, Reds
Placido Polanco, 2B, Tigers
Carlos Guillen, 3B, Tigers

This article is also featured on www.thesportspa.blogspot.com

My Five New Mancrushes from Last Football Season

Nick — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:07:20 -0400

Here is a list of my newly developed man crushes from last football season.

Tashard Choice

Choice was drafted in the fourth round of last years draft, three rounds earlier we had taken Felix Jones. After the pick was made, I didn't think much of him, saying to myself, just a guy that will be a non-factor, only on the roster for depth.

Through the first 11 games of the season Choice was basically a non-factor, to be fair he was backing up Barber and Jones.

He was still adjusting to the NFL level of play as well. After losing Marion Barber and Felix Jones to injury, Choice stepped up and solidified himself as a starter. Through the last few weeks of the season he really impressed me. He looked like he was the only player on the team that actually wanted to play football.

Against the Steelers' No. 1 defense, he recorded, 88 yards on 23 carries and five catches for 78 yards. His next two performances were very impressive as well, against the Giants he ran the ball nine times for 91 yards and a touchdown while adding four catches for 52 yards.

Followed by a 90-yard performance on 17 carries adding a touchdown and seven catches for 25 yards against the Ravens. That's three solid performances against three solid defenses.

Hopefully, Dallas turns into a run heavy team. With Jones and Choice, Barber's career just got longer. Congrats Tashard! You are now a member of Nick Allen's highly sought mancrush list.

Roddy White

White showed flashes of greatness in the 2007 season with QB's like Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, and Chris Redman. After the Falcons drafting Matt Ryan in last years draft, his stock rose.

I nabbed him in my fantasy football draft in the sixth round. His first few weeks were mediocre then he went off, five catches for 119 yards and a 70 yard touchdown, this performance was followed by 10 other solid performances.

He was the main reason for my 9-4 record and championship. Plus his name is Sharrod, Shaarrroddd, catchy, huh? That only helps his cause.

Orlando Scandrick

Scandrick was drafted by the Cowboys in last years draft. He was taken in the fifth round out of Boise St. He was definitely not a "household" name when we took him but he was a good corner for us last year and he's still developing.

My mancrush could grow if he does better this year with a larger role now that Henry and Pacman are gone. Boise State's turf is called, "smurf turf" which I think is pretty cool, that helped Scandrick get on the list.

Pierre Thomas

In my fantasy league last year I was a Reggie Bush owner. Bush was doing pretty good for me until he got hurt. That's when I scooped up Pierre, I rode his successes all the way into the playoffs through the championship. Championship week against the Bears, he ran for 87 yards and a touchdown while adding a receiving touchdown.

I actually started off the year hating Pierre. He was vulturing Bush's touchdowns. But, now he's one of my mancrushes. His birthday is December 18th, three days before mine, coincidence? I think so.

Michael Turner

After Pierre's success, I guess people had bigger crushes on him then me. After the season was over, I was offered Michael Turner for Thomas and V-Jax, that made my mancrush on Pierre grow. He was able to help me snag Michael Turner cheap, so thats cool I guess. Oh and Turner had an awesome year. So now he's a mancrush.

Congratulations to every player lucky enough to make this list.

Overlooked Fantasy Baseball Players Worth a Roster Spot

Nick — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:15:34 -0400

With some players already being placed on the DL, such as BJ Upton, Ichiro Suzuki, Scott Baker, Alex Rodriguez, Joe Mauer, and Troy Glaus, there are some fantasy owners in need of a decent replacement.

I have constructed a list of a few guys that I feel are worthy of a roster spot, either as a fill in, or a guy you can rely on the majority of the year.

Billy Butler, 1B, Royals

I'm pretty high on this guy, he is first base and DH eligible, so he has added value in DH leagues. He's only 23 years old and has a lot of upside, so if he's available in a deep keeper league I'd scoop him up. Otherwise I say he is a decent start. Last year he hit 11 home runs in 443 at bats while driving in 55 runs. Look for him to improve this year. Butler is owned in 10.9 percent of leagues.

Denard Span, OF, Twins

Last year he hit .294, scored 70 runs, hit six home runs, drove in 47 runs, and stole 18 bases in only 347 at bats. He will be batting lead-off while shifting throughout all the out field spots. Span is one of my top sleepers this year, he is owned in 8.5 percent of leagues.

Rick Porcello, SP, Tigers

Porcello is set to make his major league debut April 9 against the Blue Jays. He is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, but he is only owned in 5.5 percent of leagues. Either pick him up and stash him away or keep your eyes on him.

Ryan Spilborghs, OF, Rockies

Spilborghs is a cheap source of power and speed, in limited action last year he hit six home runs and stole seven bases, while hitting .313. He has potential for a 10/10 season, he goes undrafted in most drafts, and is owned in 19 percent of leagues, scoop him up if you can.

Chris Getz, 2B, White Sox

Getz will be batting second to start the season but may move to lead-off pending the success of the current leadoff guy, Dewayne Wise. Getz is another guy with 10/10 potential. He has decent power and speed. Getz is owned in 6.9 percent of leagues.

Ian Stewart, 3B, Rockies

Right now Stewart is only 3B-eligible in most leagues, but he will be playing 2B and he will also be getting time in OF. Last year he hit 10 home runs and drove in 41 runs; he's another cheap source of power. He needs to improve on his strikeouts. Stewart is a swinger (baseball talk, people) so he's going to strike out, but had shown improvement last year. He is owned in eight percent of leagues, and is worth a look.

Jordan Schafer, OF, Braves

Last year Schafer tested positive for HGH and served a 50 game suspension. Despite that I really like him this year. He has the speed and the power, he is playing tonight I'd pick him up and give him a shot. Schafer is owned in 6.9 percent of leagues.

These are a few guys I have high hopes for this year. There are probably safer options out there, but these guys have tremendous upside. Take a look at them for your team, as I did.

*percentage owned was found using ESPN's fantasy baseball system*

Jason Smith Should Be A Lion

Nick — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:06:51 -0400

I'm not sure if any of you have heard, but, the Lions are reportedly taking Jason Smith with the top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. If this is true, the Lions are making the right move, and I'll tell you why Jason Smith over Matthew Stafford is the right choice.

First round quarterbacks becoming a bust is very common, to list a few:

Ryan Leaf

Leaf was drafted second overall by the San Diego Chargers in 1998. He ended up playing for four different teams before retiring at the age of 26. He retired with 3,666 yards, 14 touchdowns, 36 interceptions, and a passer rating of 50.0. Leaf is regarded as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

Akili Smith

Smith was drafted third overall in the 1999 NFL draft by the Bengals. He played with three different teams before heading to NFL Europa to play for the Frankfurt Galaxy, then, the Canadian Football league with the Calgary Stampeders. He finished his NFL career with five touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 2,431 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 49.4.

Tim Couch

Couch was drafted first overall by the Browns in 1999. He played for three NFL teams and the British Columbia Lions. Couch reportedly took anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. In the five seasons he played in he accumulated 64 touchdowns, 67 interceptions, 11,131 yards, and a quarterback rating of 75.1.

Cade McNown

McNown was drafted 12th overall by the Bears. He played for three NFL teams, he struggled in his first few seasons, ending his career as a backup. His NFL career ended with 16 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 3,111 yards, and a quarterback rating of 67.7.

Jim Druckenmiller

Druckenmiller was drafted 26th overall by the 49ers. He played for three NFL teams and also had short lived XFL and AFL stints. He finished his NFL career with one touchdown, four interceptions, 239 yards, and a quarterback rating of 29.2.

I'm not saying that Stafford is going to be a bust, but even so called "experts" thought Leaf was going to have a better career then Peyton Manning.

Along with the busts, there is also a handful of late round or even undrafted gems:

Tony Romo

Romo went undrafted in the 2003 NFL draft and was then picked up by the Cowboys. After taking over the starting role in 2006, he has made two Pro Bowls and has thrown 81 touchdowns, 46 interceptions, 10,562 yards. He has a quarterback rating of 94.7.

Matt Cassel

Cassel was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. After Brady went down in week one, Matt Cassel took over and led the Patriots to an 11-5 record, recording these stats in the process—23 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 3,946 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 88.2.

Tom Brady

Brady was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Brady has three super bowl rings, two super bowl MVP's awards, he has gone to four Pro Bowls, thrown 50 touchdowns in a NFL season (NFL record), the largest touchdown to interception difference plus-42 (NFL record), 28 game winning drives, a 21 game win streak, one NFL MVP award, and an Offensive Player of the Year award. Brady also led the Patriots to a 16-0 record in 2007. He currently has 197 touchdowns, 86 interceptions, 26,446 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 92.9.

Kurt Warner

Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL draft. He has won two NFL MVP awards and a Super Bowl MVP award, which he won with the Rams. He is statistically the second most accurate quarterback in NFL history. He recently resigned with the Cardinals and led them to the Super Bowl.

Tyler Thigpen

Thigpen was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Vikings. After being acquired by the Chiefs, he found his way to the starting role after their starting quarterback had gone down with injuries. Thigpen emerged as a good starter, throwing for 18 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 2,649 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 76.0 in 14 games. For some reason, the Chiefs just traded for Cassel. Thigpen, trade?

Why take a quarterback in the first round, when you could take one in a later round? A late-round quarterback will have to work harder to make the team, and they don't have very high expectations.

I believe the Lions should take Smith because the Lions already have a young quarterback in Drew Stanton that they should give a shot. They should slowly work him into the offense this year. If he succeeds, give him the starting job. If he plays horribly, there will be some great quarterbacks in the draft next year like Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, and Tim Tebow.

If you take Stafford, who do you have to protect him? The Lions gave up 52 sacks last year, which was the second most in the league. In order to have a successful passing attack you need to have a successful offensive line. If you don't give your quarterback enough time to make reads and throw the ball, the resulting play is likely to be an interception or a sack.

Clearly, Smith is the better pick for Detroit.

My Mock Draft Top 5 Picks

Nick — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:24:24 -0400

The 2009 NFL draft is approaching, everyone is wondering who will land where including myself. I've been working on my mock draft for a couple days and have locked down my top 5 picks, which are still subject to change, nothing is really set in stone until more information comes out regarding the prospects. This is what I have so far.

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Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings: The Best Trade in NFL History

Nick — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:41:14 -0400

The best trade in NFL history in my eyes was when the Dallas Cowboys traded Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings. This trade was epic.

For the Cowboys, of course.

In 1989, at the peak of Walker's NFL career, the Cowboys sent Herschel Walker to the Vikings for five players and six draft picks.

The players were LB Jesse Solomon, DB Isiac Holt, RB Darrin Nelson, LB David Howard, and DE Alex Stewart.

The picks turned into players such as Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, and Darren Woodson.

Emmitt Smith is one of the greatest, if not the best running back in NFL history. He is the all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. His 175 total touchdowns rank him second all-time behind Jerry Rice (207.)

He is one of four players in NFL history to eclipse 21,000 yards. He is also one of the two non-kickers to score over 1,000 points in his career.

Emmitt holds many other records. He is also in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, and will soon be in the Hall of Fame.

Darren Woodson was selected to five pro bowls, and was named all-pro four times. He is the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler with 1,350 career tackles.

Walker played two years for the Vikings and never surpassed 1,000 rushing yards. He went on to play for the Eagles and then the Giants before being re-acquired by the Cowboys.

In my opinion that is one of the best trades in NFL history, and one that built the Cowboys' dynasty of the 90s.

Dallas Cowboys Offseason Thus Far

Nick — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:09:51 -0400

Jerry Jones, known as the Fascist Dictator down in Big D, is at it again.

Making controversial decisions that leave us as Cowboy fans wondering what he's doing. So in this article I'm going to break down our offseason thus far.

The release of Terrell Owens took me by surprise, I didn't think Jerry had the stones to do so. The fact is, Owens was tearing the locker room apart; he has the talent but can't keep his mouth shut. The biggest winner of this move is Tony Romo; now he won't have to worry about getting T.O. the ball to keep him happy. Roy Williams stock has also gone way up. I'll give Jerry a thumbs up for this.

The release of Roy Williams (the safety) was a move we had to get done. I was sick of seeing him out on the field; he can't hit anymore, nor can he cover a tight end. He missed the majority of the 2008 season with an arm injury, accumulating six tackles in two games. This move freed up about $2 million of salary cap space in 2009. I'll give Jerry another thumbs up.

The Roy Williams release triggered the move of the Cowboys signing former Jaguars safety, Gerald Sensabaugh, to a one-year deal. The fact that we might lose Kieth Davis also contributed to this signing. Sensabaugh managed to record more tackles and interceptions combined then Kieth Davis and Roy Williams (Davis and Williams: 45 tackles, 0 interceptions; Sensabaugh: 82 tackles, 4 interceptions). I will be interested in seeing how he performs next year with Ken Hamlin. I will give Jerry another thumbs up.

Kieth Brooking, the cheaper alternative to Ray Lewis, also had showed signs last year that he couldn't cover tight ends very well, most notably Steve Spach in the playoffs. Should do good for us playing two downs at a time. He is the younger and faster version of Ray Lewis. Brooking out-performed Zach Thomas last year, who we lost to free agency. Another thumbs up for Jerry.

Igor Olshansky, former defensive end of the San Diego Chargers, should be a good replacement for Chris Canty who signed with the New York Giants. Olshansky is not as good as Canty in my mind, but is not a bad replacement for a position we needed to address. Another thumbs up.

Here is my most hated move of the offseason: the trade for Jon Kitna. We traded a very underrated corner back in Anthony Henry for an old, washed up Jon Kitna. Defensive back is another position of need; I don't see why we traded Henry. CB depth is important and we of all teams should know that. The reason I hate this trade the most is, a couple years ago, when Kitna called out Terrence Newman, Newman said Kitna should hope he doesn't get called for a blitz. This all led to a huge DeMarcus ware hit on Kitna. This move doesn't sound good to me. I would've rather had Rex Grossman who we could have picked up. Definitely a thumbs down.

Overall, I say we've had a decent offseason so far, I look forward to the NFL draft, even though we lack most of our draft picks.