Upton, Burrell, Howell: Trio of Rays Ready To Shine

Injuries have played a key factor in the slow start this season for the Tampa Bay Rays. But as a fantasy owner, you can benefit from those injuries to make a run at your league championship.

Both B.J. Upton and Pat Burrell have gotten off to miserable starts this season with injuries playing a major factor. Upton, however, seems to have finally turned the corner and is starting to hit like everyone expected him to the last few years.

Upton, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, missed all of spring training and it has taken him some time to get back up to speed. His average has been low all year—currently sitting at .218—but he has been hitting at a .271 clip since June 1.

Speed on the bases has never been a problem for Upton. Despite his low average, he is on pace to top last year's stolen base total of 44. He is already 24-for-29 in stolen base attempts, and as his average climbs, so will his opportunities to steal.

Batting lead-off for one of the top offensive teams in the league should generate more steals, runs, and good pitches to hit for Upton. Teams do not want to walk him ahead of the big run producers like Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, and Carl Crawford.

If you find an owner who has grown frustrated with Upton, do not hesitate to make a deal.

Burrell is also finally off the disabled list (neck) and looks to regain his power stroke.

After signing as a free agent this winter, Burrell has struggled at the plate. Whether it is due to switching leagues, moving to DH, or suffering a neck injury remains to be seen.

Whatever the case may be, Burrell has just one homer so far after averaging over 30 the last four years.

After a stint on the DL, assuming of course he is healthy, Burrell should regain the power stroke he has shown his whole career. It's not a stretch to think he'll finish with 20-23 home runs and at least 75 RBI.

There are plenty of leagues where Burrell has been dropped. If he is on your waiver wire, pick him up quickly. If you have an owner who buried him on the bench, now is the time to get him before he starts to hit.

However, my favorite sleeper on the Rays, by far, is J.P. Howell.

I don't understand why it has taken Rays management so long to realize Howell is the best reliever they have had for the last year and a half. Everyone who watches the team can see it, why can't they?

Now that retreads Troy Percival and Jason Isringhausen are out of the picture due to injuries, maybe Howell will finally get his long overdue shot to close.

Manager Joe Maddon still says he will use a closer-by-committee approach, but it's going to be hard to ignore Howell's numbers. He currently has a 1.95 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP, on top of which, batters are only hitting .190 against him.

This is not just a case of a pitcher being off to a good start. Howell posted nearly identical numbers in 2008: 2.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 1.94 BAA.

In both seasons, Howell has also averaged more than one strikeout per inning.

Howell does have two saves (and two wins) since June 1. This is the time to pick him up. He is probably sitting on your waiver wire, so grab him before it is too late.

One draw back to Howell is that he is a lefty, but guys like Billy Wagner, B.J. Ryan, and Brian Fuentes have had pretty good careers as left-handed closers.