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Waiver Wire Pick Ups: Trade Pieces or Trash?

When going through a long season of fantasy baseball you inevitably will receive bad trade offers. Some trade offers are more offensive than others. None more so than when someone offers you a recent waiver wire pickup as a key piece in a trade. There are exceptions to this rule (big time prospects like Yasiel Puig and Wil Myers, or guys who were prematurely dropped such as Jason Heyward or Josh Hamilton), but most of the time you will be offered names like Jedd Lowrie and James Loney. (Sigh!)

I feel like sites should have built-in controls where GMs can’t offer waiver pick ups with out a two week waiting period. Maybe a little disclaimer next to the players name that says he was picked up on this date. Like a freshness label on a bottle of beer. It would be like a little scarlet letter that would eventually wear off after certain amount of time. This would relieve a lot of aggravation as well as help inexperienced GMs save a little face.

While two weeks might be a nice start, the real waiting period for seeing if a waiver pick up is truly a trade asset is right around six weeks. The six week sample size is enough to weed out the occasional hot stretch for a veteran hitter and soft schedule for a pitcher. For example Vernon Wells started out on fire (.300 6 HR and .910 OPS in April) and was widely picked up in 12 and 14 team leagues after week 2. He has since gone back to his late career ways (hitting around .230 and popping out constantly) and can be seen on your local waiver wires. While experienced fantasy baseball players knew this was just a streaking player other GMs actually tried to capitalize on his hot start and offer him in trades around their leagues.

The subsequent message board and social media ridicule after a bad trade is offered should be enough to discourage naive GMs, but some seem to be immune to these tactics. They plug away week after week picking up the Jhoulys Chacins and Ricky Nolascos of the fantasy baseball world and think they can turn them into Cole Hamels and Doug Fisters through trades. God bless their tiny little brains and their efforts, but something has to be done.

I try to chalk it up to naivete or ignorance, but stupidity shouldn’t be ruled out. The topper of these bad offers was recently brought up during a Twitter conversation with @fantasytrade411, when he was venting about a GM actually offering him someone he had just dropped! I can’t say this has ever happened to me, but if I did receive an offer for one of my cast offs a day after dropping him my eyebrows may jump clear off my forehead.

Even with prized prospects I don’t generally offer them in trades until they have played at least a few weeks in the bigs. I don’t want to burn any bridges with other GMs if the prospect doesn’t at least stay in the bigs for an extended showing. Plus I would rather know if I am in possession of a stud before I sell a player. With rookies the six week waiting period would be ideal. You need four to six weeks to see if the league makes adjustments to the player or if the player is able to make adjustments to the league. (Didi Gregorius a perfect example) Jackie Bradley Jr. had many GMs jumping the gun when he got off to a fast start with the Red Sox in April after he surprisingly made the big club out of spring training. If you were unlucky enough to trade for him, chalk it up to a lesson learned.

You can never sell too high for a recent call up, and Puig is a perfect example. His value couldn’t be higher right now and selling is a must. I recently made a trade that netted me Chris Davis, Desmond Jennings, Cole Hamels, and Chris Sale. My side of the trade was centered around Puig, and included Kyle Seager, Patrick Corbin, the versatile Todd Frazier, and Justin Masterson. While my haul may seem a little one sided, it is not the most I have seen traded for the Cuban phenom. I have seen dinged up stars such as Bryce Harper, Matt Kemp, and even Roto golden boy Ryan Braun sent packing for Puig. While all of these scenarios are slightly ludicrous and reactionary, you can see the value people see in Puig’s unique talents.

Veterans picked up off the waiver wire are a completely different story. Most GMs like myself will pick up and ride a streaking player, but never think about trading him because the value just wouldn’t be there. It takes a few months of a veteran playing well above his career numbers before he attains any trade value. James Loney, Jedd Lowrie, and Michael Young have all had some hot stretches, but you wouldn’t see me trying to trade for any of them. I might lose my mind completely if I get offered Matt Joyce for Jason Heyward again in my deep league.

(I need at least another month of Heyward struggles before I entertain that one.)

If I offered another GM the hot hitting Adam Lind in a trade right now, what would he be worth? He’s 29 and has hit 35 homers in a season before, but he has always been unable to consistently hit lefties. He most likely won’t be able to touch his 2009 numbers again in his career. Even though he is hitting .350 and will hit over 25 homers he would barely fetch me a light hitting Eric Hosmer in a trade right now.

The real swings in trade value come when former top prospects seem to turn a corner. They can go from waiver wire riders to trade untouchables in less than half a season. Carlos Gomez and Chris Davis flipped the switch last year, and Dominic Brown seems to have unleashed his full potential this year. Just a few weeks into the season Brown could be seen on the waiver wire, but with his unbelievable May you would be lucky to get him in a trade for Jay Bruce. Could you imagine those words being said on draft day? “I’ll trade you Jay Bruce for Dominic Brown.”

I can’t wait to see what Wil Myers will command in a trade if he goes deep in his first game with the Rays. Without even taking a swing I can already see GMs trading Rios or Cruz for him. If he gets off to a fast start it could be Beltran or Holiday. And if he even comes close to Puig’s start the sky is the limit.

The New York Giants’ latest version of “Thunder and Lightning”
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The New York Giants’ latest version of “Thunder and Lightning”

Fantasy Football

The New York Giants’ latest version of “Thunder and Lightning”

The New York Giants have a great tradition at the running back position. From Joe Morris to Ahmad Bradshaw the position has been both solid on the field and in the world of fantasy football. Some Giants running backs stood taller among their peers than others. Morris was arguably the best fantasy football running back from 1985 to 1986 as he posted 280.8 points and 264.9 points during those two monster seasons, but measured up at only 5-foot-7. In 1985, Morris finished third in overall fantasy points at running back to brand names Marcus Allen and Roger Craig. In 1986 Morris was the last Giants running back to finish the season as the No. 1 fantasy running back as he scored more fantasy points than the likes of Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, and Curt Warner.

Bradshaw has been solid, but not spectacular during his tenure as injuries to his ankles and feet and a focus on running back by committee have hindered his overall numbers. This year the Giants backfield is in flux as Bradshaw will now be running the ball for the Indianapolis Colts and the two holdovers are relatively inexperienced.

David Wilson, the New York Giants’ first-round pick in 2012, has been given the first chance at being the starter, according to reports. Opportunity governs value as much as ability when it comes to fantasy football. There is no use debating if a player can rush for 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns if he is only going to get half the carries. With the departure of Bradshaw, Wilson’s stock can be seen as on the rise, while the presence of touchdown vulture Andre Brown must temper expectations. Wilson excites Giants’ fans as well as fantasy football pros with his breakaway speed and athletic prowess, but his reputation for fumbling and limited experience in the passing game are causes for concern. If he lives up to his C.J. Spiller comparisons fantasy football GMs who are lucky enough to own him will be doing back flips right along with him this year. If he is in a true time share without goal-line carries or ends up on the sidelines because of fumbles and poor pass protection than all of our excitement will be for naught.

Andre Brown is almost as green as Wilson despite being five years older. After being drafted in the fourth round out of N.C. State, Brown blew out his Achilles tendon during his first summer with the Giants. It has taken Brown a long time to stick on an NFL roster after his initial injury, but it looks like he found a home in New York. The Giants thought enough of him to bring him back into the fold on their Super Bowl run in 2011 and stood by him after he was suspended in the early part of 2012. Brown showed he can be an effective feature back when he was forced to carry the load against the Carolina Panther last season. He ran 20 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns when the Giants needed him the most. While he is not as explosive as he was in college, he is a better running back than when he came into the league. He shows good feet in the hole, while showing excellent vision. He also runs with a patient hard-nosed style that makes for a great compliment to the explosive Wilson.

The Giants have a nice recent history with using the running back by committee approach. Thunder and Lightning was coined when the Giants featured Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber during the 2000 season and continued all the way until 2011 when Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs took turns battering defenses. While Brown doesn’t roll in to defenses as hard Jacobs used to, Wilson is the fastest to man the Lightning part of the backfield since Barber. Running back by committee with two backs can be a scary thing to a fantasy GM, but it’s better than when the committee is split three ways as the Giants did in 2008 with Derrick Ward, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

The Giants currently have a lot of unknowns behind this year’s version of Thunder and Lightning. Ryan Torain has never been able to make it through an NFL season healthy and Da’Rel Scott and Michael Cox are going to be battling it out on special teams to make the roster. The lack of an experienced proven commodity as a third running back is a concern as a fan of the Giants. As a fantasy GM I look at that as a plus for both Wilson and Brown. I expect the Giants to look for an experienced running back after teams make their cuts, but I don’t expect the Giants plans to change much unless Wilson or Brown don’t perform well in the preseason.

The biggest thing to happen to the Giants’ running backs fantasy potential so far in the preseason was when fullback Henry Hynoski went down to a knee injury. Without going into the numbers and really breaking down statistically how important Hynoski was to the Giants running backs last year, I think we can all agree that the Giants’ backs find a lot more running room when Hynoski is in the lineup. Hynoski is expected back around Week 1, but these recovery timetables are averages and not everyone recovers as quickly. The Giants checking in on the recently released Vonta Leach shows how much they believe that a dominant fullback is a key to their running game.

While Leach will surely sign with a team that has more cap room, the Giants will focus on getting Hynoski ready for the season and hope that Bear Pascoecan do his best Hynoski impression. The Giants offensive line was bolstered by this year’s first-round pick Justin Pugh and the re-signing of Will Beattyand Kevin Boothe in the offseason. The age and overall effectiveness is a little bit of a concern when discussing long-time Giants David Diehl and Chris Snee, but their knowledge and seasoning should be assets. David Baas has been an average center, but is not the dynamic run-blocker and athlete the best running teams seem to have manning the position. Baas and Snee’s injuries also made finding a versatile young lineman a priority in this year’s draft. With the addition of Pugh and the stability that Beatty and Boothe provide, I expect the Giants to be better up front this year.

Factoring in a healthy Hakeem Nicks, a motivated Victor Cruz, and an emerging Rueben Randle in the passing game, the Giants should be facing less defenses featuring eight men in the box. The lack of having that safety in the box should mean more easy yards for whoever is toting the rock for the Giants. With Mike Pope coaching up Brandon Myers and Adrien Robinsonthe Giants’ tight ends should be able to help in the running game.

The outlook for the running game is dependent on so many factors that banking on previous success is not the easiest thing to do. With coaching changes, free agency and injuries fantasy fortunes can change from minute to minute. Luckily the Giants reliance on a balanced offense and Kevin Gilbride’s continued presence bode well for any Giants’ running back’s fantasy potential. I expect big things from David Wilson in the future, but not necessarily this year. I think Brown will be a forced handcuff for most GMs who draft Wilson, but I don’t expect him to take over the featured back role. When teams feature a running back by committee the better running back doesn’t necessarily become the better fantasy back and this could be the case for the Giants this year. I have Wilson ranked as my 18th overall Fantasy running back in non-keeper, non PPR, and conventional scoring leagues as of right now while I have Brown down in the late 30s.

Wilson will be drafted anywhere from the low end of the third round to the fifth round in most 12-team conventional scoring leagues. Brown will be drafted as a handcuff after the 10th round based on all the information currently available. Brown may end up outscoring Wilson this year, but Wilson has way too much potential to not be looked at as RB2 material with upside. I personally don’t believe that you must draft a running back’s handcuff as it is a negative way to look at the fantasy draft. I only draft a handcuff if the value of the player’s potential is greater than the available players at the spot I am drafting him. If I don’t draft two running backs early and need to fill my RB2 spot in the fifth round I will be more than happy to come away with Wilson.

This article originally appeared at www.bigblueview.com on Friday June 14th, 2013.

Don’t Set It and Forget It

Fantasy baseball is not a “set it and forget it” endeavor. You don’t draft a team and send it out into the world without having to constantly tinker with it. You may have three different players play second base for you in any given month while also having a different frontline starter based on that particular week’s matchups. If we listed all the closers that will inevitably be jumping in and out of our rosters we could be here all day.

Setting your lineup is a lot like playing the stock market. You can only ignore the trends for so long until you miss the boat. Whether it be buying, selling, dropping or picking up players, you have to look at all the available information in a timely manner. Being aware of the vital statistics can make a stock or a free agent a must buy or a player on your roster an instant drop.

Sometimes a player is just getting extremely lucky and his statistics are heading for a correction. I am trying to avoid stepping into these bear-traps, but it can be difficult to differentiate between luck and player turning a corner. You may get burned by not checking his BAPIP (batting average on balls in play) or his FB/GB statistics. Luckily, there are so many resources for today’s fantasy GM’s that weren’t available just a few years ago. I can go to a multitude of sites to see all the vital statistics and more while even the free apps from sites like Yahoo break down the basic statistics over time periods. I can notice a player is hot while watching a series on TV, check my phone and see he is hitting .350 this month and then go to any site to see if his power is coming as well.

Too many GM’s treat their lineups like they are mutual funds or pensions. They buy in and either through laziness or ineptitude let them twist in the wind. While they spend their nights catching up on Breaking Bad and old reruns of South Park (Editor’s Note: there is nothing wrong with watching either of these shows), their lineups go through ups and downs not seen since Enron. You offer them a trade and they literally have to check the site to see who is on their roster.

I, on the other hand, tend to be overly attentive, almost to the detriment of my free time (hmmm, maybe that is why I’m only on Season 2 of Breaking Bad). I tend to tinker constantly as I check my lineups key statistics and try and maximize every week in my head to head league. I read every article possible on would-be call-ups so that I can try to solve some of my team’s issues without trying to trade. If I am lagging early in the week in stolen bases I will put Starling Marte or Brett Gardner into my lineup. If I am behind in runs scored, then Matt Carpenter will start at almost any position. Power is tougher to find coming off the bench, but I may have just recently found a few gems.

The fact that my league is position specific for outfield has been a real challenge. Right field has been considerably shallow and I have been forced to play Carpenter or Adrian Gonzalez there while I have Corey Hart stashed on the DL. If I played Gonzalez in RF, then I suffer at first base, and vice-versa. Then along came a Cuban defector named Yasiel Puig. You may have heard of him. He has exploded on the scene and solidified my line-up with his power and speed.

I know what you’re saying – hold your horses buddy. It’s okay to get excited, but let’s not pretend he’s the second coming. But what if he is the next Mike Trout or Bryce Harper? It would be like adding a top 10 pick in the middle of the season for nothing. How can you not get over-excited? I know I am having trouble tempering my excitement and evaluating his current worth.

He could be a blip on the screen of my season or he could be guy to put me over the top. We will all have to wait and see. Many of my colleagues have been saying to sell high as we have all seen players do this before only to crash back down to earth, or worse, to the minors. I even polled a few fantasy gurus to see what Puig was being traded for and names like Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton were mentioned. I would jump at the chance to acquire any of those guys, but that is not what is being offered to me at this point. On the other hand, I am playing the wait and see game. I am doing the old “I came with nothing and I’ll leave with nothing if God will’s it.” I just don’t know if I can live with trading him for a marginal player if he goes on to play at even half of what he is currently showing.

There is a ton of risk with what I am doing as the Dodgers looked to have a full outfield with Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier when the year began. Crawford and Kemp are currently on the DL, and Ethier has struggled for most of the season including getting benched before Puig was called up. I am banking on Puig making it impossible to send him back down with his play on the field. He was signed to a huge free agent contract so he is not one of these rookies whose service time is an issue and he has been setting records with every base hit. He is electrifying a fan base that needed to wake up and probably hasn’t been this excited about a player since Fernandomania was running wild 30 years ago. He also has gone from batting leadoff to batting fourth after only a week. He has already arguably shown more potential in one week in the big leagues then Ethier has in seven years with the Dodgers.

Puig is not the only streaking player who has joined my team recently. Adam Lind’s current form couldn’t be ignored as he hit over .400 over the last month and is even forcing his way into the lineup against lefties. When the Blue Jays were forced to give up the DH in National League parks they decided to play Edwin Encarnacion at third base so that they could play Lind at first base to keep his hot bat in the lineup. I know he probably won’t stay hot for long, but if I can get a productive month out of him then I am ahead of the game. If there was a timeline for my lineup at first base it would read Gonzalez-Carpenter-Loney-and now Lind. It might not be as easy as drafting Prince Fielder and trotting him out week after week, but if I end up winning the title it will be that much sweeter with all the hard work I put in.

This article originally was featured at www.FantasyJudgment.com

Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are a Fantasy Football Dynamic Duo

The importance of drafting a Wide Receiver high in fantasy drafts has never been lower. With the NFL making rule changes every time you turn around. The defense has never been more at a disadvantage. Quarterbacks are free to pick apart toothless secondaries and rack up numbers that have never been seen in the modern game, while defenses have to play Roger Goodell’s version of flag football. The game is safer for the receiver, but almost impossible for a defensive back.

The reason I have the wide receiver position as a low draft priority is not because of a lack of production, but the exact opposite. There is production everywhere. Wide receivers can step up off the streets and became productive fantasy receivers. Just look at Danario Alexander and Cecil Shorts III last year. Alexander was a balky knee free agent who found his way into many fantasy lineups while Shorts III was a small school (Mount Union) after thought that played at an elite level for a number of games last year. Alexander averaged 92.5 yards and .833 TDs from week 9 to week 14 when he became the only reliable target for Phillip Rivers in San Diego. Shorts III averaged 90 yards and .625 TDs from weeks 7 through 15 when he finally became a full time starter for the Jaguars. For comparisons sake A J Green who finished as one of the top fantasy wide receivers last year and is projected in my top 6 this year averaged 84.375 yards and .6875 TDs over the course of 16 games. It just goes to show you that production can come from anywhere in the draft or on the waiver wire when it comes to the wide receiver position.

NFL teams used to have one fantasy relevant receiver, but now some teams feature as many as three high-round draftable wide receivers. The addition ofWes Welker in Denver makes for a great competition for targets between him, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. While many teams feature fantasy stud bookends like the Giants, some teams still sadly have no sure fire fantasy starters such as the NY Jets, and the Oakland Raiders, but these are the exceptions to the rule.

I currently only have six wide receivers as my clear cut WR1s and 20 others as low-end WR1 to WR2 status. That’s 26 wide receivers who are virtually interchangeable. There are draft tiers within the 26, but overall it’s hard to separate the masses. I have never seen a list that screamed at me to wait more than this year’s wide receivers list. I have a few wide receivers that could make a charge up to top 3 statuses with improved play either by themselves or by their quarterbacks. Larry Fitzgerald could make the leap back up to elite if Carson Palmer resembles the guy we knew in Cincinnati and falls in love with Fitzgerald as a target. While Dez Bryant closed out last season like a man on fire and could continue his maturation into becoming a top 3 fantasy wide receiver. Last, but certainly not least, is Roto-darling Julio Jones. Jones has been trumpeted as the next Calvin Johnson for two years now, but the presence of Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez always make his targets and production less than expected. (Not to mention his balky hamstrings)

We, as Giants fans, are living in a golden age of fantasy wide receiver relevance. We have two wide receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruzwho could easily play up to WR1 status and at worst are excellent WR2 options. The only draw-back for a lot of us is “Giant fan draft bias” in a lot of our leagues. What I mean by “Giant fan draft bias” is we may have to reach a little during the draft to get our Giants’ wide receivers as there are usually a few fans of the Giants in our local in-person drafted leagues. Reaching a little for Hakeem Nicks over say Vincent Jackson is not a big deal. Nicks or Jackson could and should play to WR1 status and you might as well have a Giant to root for doubly on Sundays. But taking Victor Cruz over Calvin Johnson may be a mortal sin. I have to check on that, but I’m pretty sure.

Giant fan fantasy GMs have had a long drought at the wide receiver position, as far as having a clear cut WR1 to draft and root for. Plaxico Burress was a high end WR2 in his heyday with the Giants while Steve Smith was a WR1 in PPR leagues during the 2009 season. Amani Toomer had a nice run as a WR2 from 1999 to 2003 as he averaged 1,169 yards receiving and 6.5 touchdowns, but only threatened WR1 status once. Toomer’s 2002 season of 1,343 yards receiving and 8 TDs was the standard of New York Giants fantasy receiver production before the current dynamic duo.

Just to prove a point let’s have a trivia question.

Question: Which decade saw more Giants’ 1,000-yard wide receivers (and who were they) the ’80s or ’90s? Answer provided at the bottom.

While Burress could be counted on for touchdowns and Smith for receptions, no one could combine the overall receiver skills that both Nicks and Cruz possess. They can both challenge the 100-reception plateau and should easily reach 1000 yards. They can score from anywhere on the field and both could make a run at the league lead in touchdowns. The emergence of Rueben Randle as a third receiver and the additions of Brandon Myers and Louis Murphy should also free up Nicks and Cruz to become even more valuable moving forward. Not to mention they are both vying for lucrative long term contracts.

Nicks played as mostly a decoy last year as foot and knee issues held up his production (692 yards and 3 TDs). Cruz was forced to carry the load and showed some inconsistency in his game as he had some drops (fourth in the league with 12) and frustrating play. Mike Francesa recently intimated that Cruz had lost a step while speaking on his radio show, but I did not see that when I watched the film. I saw a team that was not able to free up their weapon on enough occasions as Nicks was injured and Hixon was playing on two bad knees. Ramses Barden received the same attention from secondaries as he did in free-agency, none, when he was forced into the lineup. This lack of a secondary option forced Cruz into facing double and triple teams and bracket coverage in many games. Cruz and Nicks should be hungry as they are both in contract years and could push the Giants passing game to heights never before reached.

Not since Homer Jones during the 1967 season have the Giants had the No. 1 overall fantasy wide receiver. That drought could easily come to an end if the Giants fire on all cylinders this season. The best part is it could be Cruz or Nicks who makes the leap to league leader and we, as Giants’ fans and fantasy GMs, can reap the benefits. Barring injuries and contract holdouts I project Victor Cruz to post 1,280 receiving yards with 9 touchdowns and Hakeem Nicks to go for 1,330 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. I like both in the third to fourth round in most redraft formats. If you can get Nicks in the top of the fifth round count yourself lucky and ahead of the game as his injury history might see his stock fall.

You can follow me on twitter @coachesser or contact me on my Facebook page CoachEsser’s Playbook with any questions or comments. You can also go to my website, www.coachesser.com, to see my latest rankings and articles on fantasy sports. My first pre-season rankings will be up on July 1st as I wait for mini-camps and OTAs to come to a close.

Trivia Answer: The 1980s had two Giants receivers hit the 1,000-yard mark as Earnest Gray had 1,139 yards in 1983 and Lionel Manuel had 1,029 in 1988. Amani Toomer was the only Giant to catch passes for more than 1,000 yards during the 1990s when in 1999 he had 1,183 yards receiving.

This article originally appeared at www.BigBlueView.com on Friday June 7th, 2013

Don’t Drink The Sand

The perception of starting pitching depth on a fantasy baseball team is the same mirage that exists with respect to depth at running back in fantasy football leagues. You are always one pitch or one carry away from being in a bind. With pitchers, it could be age and frailty such as with Andy Pettitte and Jake Peavy. Or perhaps it is flawed mechanics that have caused your fantasy ace, Stephen Strasburg, to start drawing comparisons to Mark Prior. From forearm tightness to sore shoulders, fantasy GMs are constantly trying to avoid season-ending injuries to their starting pitchers. On the other hand, running backs are just a few fumbles or a lethal hit away from being relegated to the bench. The mere sight of your player on the week’s injury report will send many GM’s running to the waiver wire. In the end, GM’s who thought they had plenty of depth at the position realize how shallow their rosters really are.

Coming into this fantasy baseball season, the best advice I received was to grab as many quality starting pitchers as possible. Sure, draft the great position players early but make sure I stockpile as many arms as I could because you never know when injuries may occur. I heeded this advice throughout the season thus far and picked up additional quality starting pitching even though I thought I had sufficient depth at the position to start the year. I drafted Adam Wainwright, Max Scherzer, Jake Peavy, Brandon Morrow, Julio Teheran, Andy Pettitte, Jason Hammel, and Dan Haren. I quickly dropped Hammel and Haren for Shelby Miller and Justin Masterson. I then dropped Pettitte for Patrick Corbin as I didn’t want another injury prone starter in my rotation.

We all knew Peavy was eventually going to be on the disabled list…we just didn’t know when. Drafting Peavy was the equivalent of drafting Ryan Mathews or Darren McFadden in a fantasy football league. Doing either of these things requires you back them up with quality options. Peavy had been performing well up until his last two outings. I was relieved it was an injury (non-displaced rib fracture) and not ineffectiveness that caused his recent poor outings.

Well, the dreaded time has come for many fantasy owners including myself. While I lost Peavy to the DL, he was not alone. Johnny Cueto, Stephen Strasburg and Brendon Morrow were also placed on the disabled list. Morrow’s DL stint is a blessing after the way he has pitched. But for Cueto, he just recently came back and started to look like his old self. However, Strasburg is the one that scares me the most. He was likely drafted very high and was counted on to perform at an almost Verlander/Kershaw level. That hasn’t happened up to date and now he is injured again. I’m pretty sure GM’s are cursing at themselves watching Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki tearing it up while Strasburg is on the mend.

I am happy to roll out my rotation week after week and try and weather this injury storm. I am reluctant to trade my pitching because this is what can happen. I may think I’m six deep at quality starters, but I’m always one pitch, batted ball, or slip in the shower away from combing the waiver wire.

This article was originally featured at www.FantasyJudgment.com

A Reactionary Tale

Patience is the name of the game when waiting for a top draft pick to play up to their potential. While MLB teams try to boost their prospects’ confidence with long stays in hitter-friendly minor league destinations or playing them in low pressure situations in the big leagues, fantasy GM’s are not afforded such luxuries. We do not have the ability to drop our struggling draft picks in the batting order or send them to the minors to work it out (hey Ike Davis, I’m talking to you). We can only banish them to our bench and hope they eventually play themselves back into our good graces.

A lot of GMs are demonstrating the patience of a two year old while waiting for their players to get back on track. I have seen last year’s NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey actually come across the waiver wire in one of my leagues. While Dickey’s WHIP is not what it was with the Mets last year (1.31 vs. 1.05), his strikeout rate has been getting better over his last few starts. I think the adjustments to switching leagues, as well as early season injuries, have gotten Dickey off to his rocky start. Who knew knuckleballers could suffer minor injuries that affect their statistics? If Dickey can cut down on the walks and stay healthy he can make it back to the top of a fantasy rotation.

Julio Teheran was every experts’ pick to be the next big thing coming out of spring training. While Matt Harvey and Shelby Miller have performed like fantasy studs to start the year Teheran has slowly built up a little steam. He showed poor command and little fantasy value as he started the year cold. He started the year with a whimper as he shelled by the lowly Cubs. He was able to escape without a loss thanks to the Upton brothers and Carlos Marmol, but his next few starts were not much better. He has slowly worked his way back to fantasy relevance ever since. His 9.00 ERA has come down to 3.99 and his record is a respectable 3-1. His 5.4/9 K rate and 1.35 WHIP show that he is not yet a fantasy star as many predicted, but if his current form continues he could be a nice pitcher to have on your roster (especially when he faces the offensively-challenged Mets and Marlins within the division).

Whenever I look at a surprise name on the waiver-wire I am reminded of a fantasy football all time blunder in one of my fantasy football leagues. The year was 2001 and everyone and their mother were looking for the next Terrell Davis to take them to the championship. Priest Holmes had moved from the world champion Baltimore Ravens to the Kansas City Chiefs and looked like he could be a nice RB2 if he was given a chance. After week two of the NFL season Holmes had a combined 51 yards rushing with zero touchdowns. A very good friend jettisoned him to the waiver-wire and the rest is history. Holmes rushed for over 1,500 yards with 600 yards receiving to go along with ten touchdowns. He went from a waiver-wire refugee to a fantasy football stud.

I refuse to be the next guy to drop a future fantasy MVP before the season even heats up. I saw my friend desperately try to make up for his big mistake, eventually trading for Holmes a few years later just so he could put that miss-step behind him. I will place Josh Hamilton and B.J. Upton right where they belong, sitting next to each other on my bench while I weather the storm with the Jason Kubel’s and Dominic Brown’s of the world. Just because your guys go through a cold streak or are at the top of Yahoo’s most dropped charts doesn’t mean you have to panic. Just try to be patient and think of Priest Holmes running into the end zone for someone else’s team.

This article was originally posted at www.FantasyJudgment.com

Position Versatility and Needs

Oh how I miss the straight forwardness of fantasy football positions. If you lose a wide receiver to an injury you pick up another wide receiver. No fuss no muss, as they say. I wonder if it was always that easy. Can you imagine if NFL teams today were using their running backs the way the NY Giants used Frank Gifford back in the day. I could see it now – Adrian Peterson being used at QB, RB, WR and TE all in the same game? (he actually might put up better numbers than Christian Ponder). The Steelers tried to confuse opposing defenses and fantasy GMs alike in the 1990’s when they introduced Kordell “Slash” Stewart to the world. Stewart was a wide receiver…no wait, he was running-back…oh wait, he was a quarterback. Depending on what was allowed in a 1990’s fantasy football league, he was playing at different positions on some other GM’s team.

Fantasy baseball is a completely different animal with players qualifying at multiple positions and picking up new positions all the time. Different sites have players qualified at different positions with different criteria as to how they obtain eligibility. The positional flexibility can be maddening or it can be the key to success, especially if you have daily lineup changes as one of my leagues employs.

The best thing I did post-draft was pick up players who could qualify all over the field as injury protection. I drafted Todd Frazier (1B,3B,LF) to be my poor man’s Allen Craig (LF,RF,1B). I also picked up Matt Carpenter (1B,2B,3B,RF) and Jed Lowrie (2B,SS) to back up all over the infield. They were supposed to be spot starters and short-term injury fill-ins, but Frazier and Carpenter have spent a lot of time in my starting lineup. (Frazier not so much lately).

I was getting lucky avoiding the injury bug considering I have Evan Longoria as one of my cornerstones. I was finally stung when Ian Kinsler hit the DL and faced a decision as to who would be his replacement. I could go to the waiver wire and pick up his likely replacement in Jurickson Profar (the Rangers’ and MLB’s No. 1 prospect), fill the gap from within with the likes of Kyle Seager or Matt Carpenter, or go to the waiver wire and pick up a streaking player at a different position.

Profar was the most intriguing choice. He is a big time prospect who could perform his way into staying on with the big league club. If Profar handles second base well, he may even force Kinsler to shift to an outfield position or first base. I looked at his position eligibility in my Yahoo league and realized he will be stuck as a utility player at least for his first five starts with the Rangers. With Kinsler due back in two weeks and Ron Washington being non-committal to Profar playing every day, he became less of an option.

My in-house options were nice with Seager and Carpenter, but with the loss of Kinsler I was going to hurt in HR’s and SB’s with either player. Carpenter has been raking, but is not a threat to steal and has very limited HR potential. His batting average and OPS are comparable to Kinsler’s and he is a slight improvement in runs scored. Seager has been in a little bit of a slump, (batting .227 over the last two weeks) but still has a good chance to put up decent 2B numbers batting third for Seattle. However, neither will solve a power potential problem.

Last but not least is Brandon Belt. (AUTHOR’S NOTE: We would be talking about Mitch Moreland and his power statistics if Kinsler had been placed on the DL just a bit sooner. Moreland was scooped up just two days before Kinsler went on the DL and will be hitting 30 homers for another GM). Belt was finally going to play up to his lofty potential this season as he was hitting homeruns and driving in runs in bunches during spring training, but he began the season in a slump. I drafted him projecting that he would break out with 30 homers and steal bases in the double digits, but I quickly pulled the plug on his season when it looked as if Bruce Bochy was giving up on him. Bochy was batting him eighth in a National League lineup and sitting him against most lefthanders again.

I kept an eye on Belt after I dropped him just to make sure he wouldn’t break out for another GM. My current first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, is sporting a high batting average (.319) and driving in runs (29), but his power numbers look to be headed in the wrong direction (just four homeruns). Gonzalez has eligibility in RF and could be an upgrade out there for me while I wait on Corey Hart and Josh Reddick to heal. So I had to turn my attention to a streaking player with power potential at first base. Belt had turned it on over the last month with a .301 batting average with six homeruns, 17 RBI, and a .961 OPS. I could no longer ignore his resurgence and neither could Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy. Bochy moved Belt back up to sixth in the order and I slid Belt into my lineup last Monday night. Belt came through with a 4 for 5 night with a homerun and four runs scored. Not a bad start for Belt and definitely worth a few pats on the back for this old eagle eye.

this article is also featured at www.FantasyJudgment.com in a weekly diary series.

Bad Trades = Cell Phone Voicemails (How to ignore and discourage both)

Is there anything more annoying than a terrible trade offer in one of your fantasy leagues? The only thing comparable would be voicemails on my cell phone. I avoid responding to both out of sheer principle.

One has become an epidemic since I last played fantasy baseball in the 1990’s. The other is a dinosaur that should be avoidable with all of the easier ways to say “hello” or to see how I am doing. Hasn’t anyone ever heard of even trades, email, text messages, Google chat, or even Facebook messenger?

Bad trade offers were much tougher to even attempt when everything was done face to face or over the phone. If someone offered me Edward Mujica for Troy Tulowitski in a bar, I could at least make them buy me a beer for having to listen to that nonsense. If they tried that over the phone, I could actually hang up and let them know how offended I was. But now sitting behind a keyboard, fantasy GMs have no conscience when sending out their offers.

I understand the impulse to ask for the ridiculous. You never know unless you ask. But the anonymity of the computer age has made leagues almost unbearable. A fellow GM offered me two waiver pick ups (who should still be on the waiver wire BTW) for my best starting pitcher. He then got offended when I didn’t answer back in a timely manner.

I’m sorry I didn’t know I was holding up his attempt at league domination by not responding to the crap currently in my inbox. I have even got the halfhearted messages explaining to me how this awful trade makes my team better. Really? A fourth closer for the number one fantasy shortstop is my ticket to a championship? Who knew? I guess all that work I do breaking down numbers and trying to make my team the best it can be is all for nothing. I should just have this guy put together my team and the league championship is all mine.

I could have instantly rejected the idiotic trade offer, but I chose to avoid it like the long-winded drunken catch-up voice mail from my old college buddy currently blinking away on my cell phone. I am keeping both for posterity. The next time I see someone from my league, I will whip open my phone and say “look at this!” Can you believe he actually tried that? Then we will try and one up each other with all the bad offer stories we have from our multiple leagues.

I guess it goes to show that there is a feeling out process when joining a new league. People don’t know each other all that well and feel like they need to try and see who the sucker is. I understand that we all have made terrible trades when we first started playing fantasy sports. Mine was trading Jerome Bettis for Reggie Rivers (the man who took over for Barry Sanders) when I was introduced to fantasy football. I have never forgiven myself and have never done business with that GM again. That was almost 15 years ago and it still stings like it was yesterday.

Luckily nowadays, newbies to fantasy sports are protected by league votes and impartial commissioners. If both are in cahoots, you can even go to an arbitrator to try and reach a resolution. I know if there was a problem in my league we would immediately go to fantasyjudgment.com and let someone outside of the situation rule on a league controversy.

You didn’t have that back in 1999. All you could do was complain to an uncaring bartender at your local watering hole and learn from your mistakes. I don’t know which I prefer; the old face to face handshake deals or the faceless emails. Both have their pro’s and con’s, but I think I miss sealing a trade over a nice tall Yuengling Lager.

2013 NFL Draft Recap

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Round 1, Pick 7 (7): Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina
Round 2, Pick 13 (45) (from Chargers): Kevin Minter, LB, Louisiana State
Round 3, Pick 7 (69): Tyrann Mathieu, CB, Louisiana State
Round 4, Pick 6 (103): Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
Round 4, Pick 19 (116) (from Giants): Earl Watford, OG, James Madison
Round 5, Pick 7 (140): Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford
Round 6, Pick 6 (174): Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
Round 6, Pick 19 (187) (from Giants): Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson
Round 7, Pick 13 (219) (from Panthers through Raiders): D.C. Jefferson, TE, Rutgers

The Arizona Cardinals selected a guard with the 7th overall pick in this year’s draft. While Jonathan Cooper was probably the best player left on their board, it was still a guard in the top ten. Cooper proved to be extremely athletic while manning the offensive line for the Tar Heels, as he paved the way for the dynamic Giovani Bernard. He played at a svelte 285 and showed a tremendous ability to down field block, while also excelling in pass protection. In the NFL he will most likely have to play around the 310 threshold to be able to anchor against bigger and stronger defensive linemen. The running backs selected by the Cardinals in rounds 5 and 6 could end up being their RBBC of the future. Stepfan Taylor has proven to be a tough inside the tackle runner with a nose for the goal line while playing for Stanford. Andre Ellington was once considered to be the second or third best running back prospect going into the draft process, but slid on mediocre combine and pro-day numbers. However, he showed the ability to get to the edge and break away once at the second level when breaking down Clemson’s game film. Ryan Swope will be a nice special teamer and fill-in receiver, but should not threaten the lineup. D.C. Jefferson will most likely be a practice team player, as he still needs to learn the nuances of playing tight end.

ATLANTA FALCONS

Round 1, Pick 22 (22) (from Redskins though Rams): Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
Round 2, Pick 28 (60): Robert Alford, CB, Southeast Louisiana
Round 4, Pick 30 (127): Malliciah Goodman, DE, Clemson
Round 4, Pick 36 (133) (Compensatory Selection): Levine Toilolo, TE, Stanford
Round 5, Pick 20 (153) (from Bears): Stansly Maponga, DE, Texas Christian
Round 7, Pick 37 (243) (Compensatory Selection): Kemal Ishmael, DB, Central Florida
Round 7, Pick 38 (244) (Compensatory Selection): Zeke Motta, SS, Notre Dame
Round 7, Pick 43 (249) (Compensatory Selection): Sean Renfree, QB, Duke

The Falcons concentrated on defense in this year’s draft. Anyone who saw their second half collapse against the 49ers during the NFC Championship game will agree that they chose a wise approach. The Falcons chose Levine Toilolo (TE-Stanford) in the fourth round. Toilolo is an interesting TE prospect, especially when he is used in the Red-Zone. He is tall and athletic with tremendous skills in the air, and used those skills to post up safeties and defensive backs while playing in the PAC-12. He will not be a deep seam threat or run away from defenders, but should be a decent in line blocker. He will most likely be used as another end-zone threat to compliment the aging Tony Gonzalez.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Round 1, Pick 32 (32): Matt Elam, S, Florida
Round 2, Pick 24 (56) (from Seahawks): Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
Round 3, Pick 32 (94): Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern State
Round 4, Pick 32 (129): John Simon, DE, Ohio State
Round 4, Pick 33 (130) (Compensatory Selection): Kyle Juszczyk, FB, Harvard
Round 5, Pick 35 (168) (Compensatory Selection): Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin
Round 6, Pick 32 (200): Kapron Lewis-Moore, DE, Notre Dame
Round 6, Pick 35 (203) (Compensatory Selection): Ryan Jensen, OT, Colorado State-Pueblo
Round 7, Pick 32 (238): Aaron Mellette, WR, Elon
Round 7, Pick 41 (247) (Compensatory Selection): Marc Anthony, CB, California

The world champion Baltimore Ravens had to reload on defense with this year’s draft. They might have made up for the losses of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis with their first two draft picks in 2013. Matt Elam, the Ravens’ first rounder, is a true centerfielder who has great range and shows good instincts in the passing game. He is a bit undersized at just under 5’10” tall, but should be able to play bigger with his anticipation and leaping ability. Arthur Brown, the Ravens’ second round pick, will benefit greatly from playing behind a massive defensive-line and will show why he was a favorite of draft blogs leading up to the draft. If Kyle Juszczyk wins the opening day FB job, expect the running game to take some time to gel.

BUFFALO BILLS

Round 1, Pick 16 (16) (from Rams): E.J. Manuel, QB Florida State
Round 2, Pick 9 (41): Robert Woods, WR, Southern California
Round 2, Pick 14 (46) (from Rams): Kiko Alonso, LB, Oregon
Round 3, Pick 16 (78) (from Rams): Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas
Round 4, Pick 8 (105): Duke Williams, FS, Nevada
Round 5, Pick 10 (143): Johnathan Meeks, S, Clemson
Round 6, Pick 9 (177): Dustin Hopkins, PK, Florida State
Round 7, Pick 16 (222) (from Rams): Chris Gragg, TE, Arkansas

The Buffalo Bills may be kicking themselves for allowing Tavon Austin to land in St. Louis with the Rams. Rookie head coach Doug Marrone was put in a difficult spot when he was forced to look for a franchise QB in this year’s draft. The 2013 draft class did not have any clear cut can’t miss franchise quarterbacks the way the 2012 draft did. The Bills should have moved even further back in the first round if they were always going to take E.J. Manuel with their first pick. While he has great measurables (6’5”-237-4.7 forty), he is extremely inconsistent and definitely an unfinished product. I would not expect him to crack the top 20 fantasy QB range if he is forced to play early. If he does win the job, expect eight in the box against the Bills’ running game and reduced numbers for all their pass catchers. Robert Woods, the Bills’ second round pick, is going to be a plug and play possession receiver in the NFL and shouldn’t take away from Stevie Johnson’s numbers. If anything, with his smooth route running and consistent hands, the Bills will be able to extend their possessions with him being a third down conversion waiting to happen. Marquise Goodwin, the Bills’ third round pick, is a burner who hasn’t shown enough when given the chance at Texas. If he develops some receiver skills he could become a good deep target. (think poor man’s Chris Givens)

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Round 1, Pick 14 (14): Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
Round 2, Pick 12 (44): Kawaan Short, DT, Purdue
Round 4, Pick 11 (108): Edmund Kugbila, OG, Valdosta State
Round 5, Pick 15 (148): A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
Round 6, Pick 14 (182): Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon

Ron Rivera and the Panthers went to the defensive side of the ball with this draft. Luke Kuechly owes the Panthers’ brass a steak dinner for providing all that beef in front of him. Star Lotulelei and Kawaan Short should make playing middle linebacker an enjoyable experience for last year’s defensive rookie of the year. Edmund Kugbila is a huge guard who will need some time to develop. He never played above Division II and needs a lot of coaching to make the leap to the pros. Kenjon Barner could end up being a really nice change of pace back for the Panthers but shouldn’t be on the fantasy radar just yet.

CHICAGO BEARS

Round 1, Pick 20 (20): Kyle Long, OG, Oregon
Round 2, Pick 18 (50): Jon Bostic, LB, Florida
Round 4, Pick 20 (117): Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers
Round 5, Pick 30 (163) (from Falcons): Jordan Mills, OT, Louisiana Tech
Round 6, Pick 20 (188): Cornelius Washington, LB, Georgia
Round 7, Pick 30 (236) (from Falcons): Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

The Chicago Bears took Kyle Long (of the Howie Long Clan) to help keep Jay Cutler upright throughout the 2013 season. He projects as a RT with guard flexibility, and may even develop into a blind side protector. He has excellent measurables and played at high level while with the Oregon Ducks. He should immediately help Matt Forte and the Bears’ offense in the running game, and should hold up well in the passing game wherever they decide to play him. He did have a history of off-the-field issues while in JUCO that hopefully are a thing of the past. The rest of their draft was used to replenish their aging defense. Jon Bostic is an NFL ready MLB and Khaseem Greene will help on special teams and contribute at the WLB position. Marquess Wilson in round 7 is a complete gamble on a kid with NFL ready skills, but issues that most teams shied away from.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Round 1, Pick 21 (21): Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
Round 2, Pick 5 (37) (from Raiders): Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina
Round 2, Pick 21 (53): Margus Hunt, DE, Southern Methodist
Round 3, Pick 22 (84): Shawn Williams, SS, Georgia
Round 4, Pick 21 (118): Sean Porter, LB, Texas A&M
Round 5, Pick 23 (156): Tanner Hawkinson, OT, Kansas
Round 6, Pick 22 (190): Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska
Round 6, Pick 29 (197) (from Patriots): Cobi Hamilton, WR, Arkansas
Round 7, Pick 34 (240) (Compensatory Selection): Reid Fragel, OT, Ohio State
Round 7, Pick 45 (251) (Compensatory Selection): T.J. Johnson, C, South Carolina

The Cincinnati Bengals had a very nice draft, both in value and in need. Tyler Eifert, the Bengals’ first round pick, is a perfect complement to their passing attack and will team with Jermaine Gresham to make a very formidable TE duo. Eifert should be a late round TE2 with some TE1 potential if Gresham goes down with an injury. Giovani Bernard is the best change of pace back in this year’s draft. He is explosive with a good center of gravity, and shows nice skills in the passing game. He is a threat to score any time he touches the ball and most likely will see time returning kicks early on. I don’t think the Bengals would draft a back this high without him figuring big time into their long term plans. I definitely see Bernard eventually becoming the feature back down the road. I really like him as a late round keeper or dynasty league pick. I don’t see a lot of upside with Rex Burkhead. He has good pass-protection skills and has nice hands, but his injury history and lack of speed will most likely keep him from having any NFL impact.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Round 1, Pick 6 (6): Barkevious Mingo, DE, Louisiana State
Round 3, Pick 6 (68): Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State
Round 6, Pick 7 (175): Jamoris Slaughter, SS, Notre Dame
Round 7, Pick 11 (217) (from Dolphins): Armonty Bryant, DE, East Central (Okla.)
Round 7, Pick 21 (227) (from Bengals through 49ers): Garrett Gilkey, OT, Chadron State

The Browns are a mess and this draft will most likely go down as waste. Barkevious Mingo, the Browns’ first round pick, has real pass-rushing skills, but did not hold up well against the run in the SEC. The rest of the Browns’ draft was used on roster fillers. The problems facing their embattled owner, Jimmy Haslam, clearly worked their way to the draft room. Mingo will be a good Pro, but they had too many needs to draft him where they did. A trade back to recoup some picks would have gone a long way to solidifying this roster. Josh Gordon, who was taken in last year’s supplemental draft, is the one caveat to my critique. He basically was this year’s second round pick, and has a year of NFL coaching under his belt. He showed he has first round potential last season, and will most likely be their number one receiver entering camp.

DALLAS COWBOYS

Round 1, Pick 31 (31) (from 49ers): Travis Frederick, C, Wisconsin
Round 2, Pick 15 (47): Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
Round 3, Pick 12 (74) (from Panthers through 49ers): Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
Round 3, Pick 18 (80): J.J. Wilcox, FS, Georgia Southern
Round 4, Pick 17 (114): B.W. Webb, CB, William & Mary
Round 5, Pick 18 (151): Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
Round 6, Pick 17 (185): DeVonte Holloman, LB, South Carolina

The Dallas Cowboys took the draft’s top Center in the first round, but really didn’t take advantage of their draft’s potential. They traded back with the 49ers from 18 to 31 and passed on a lot of quality players. (Shariff Floyd and Eric Reid just to name a few) At 31 they could have taken Matt Elam to solidify their safety position, but reached with Frederick. I truly believe they would have been better off waiting until the second round to select Frederick, while using the 18th overall pick to bolster other holes in their lineup. Gavin Escobar, the Cowboys’ second round pick, has great hands and showed at San Diego St. that he can make some plays down the field. On the bad side, he has not shown even the slightest potential to be an inline blocker. He is not Jason Witten’s heir apparent, but could be a nice running mate. Terrance Williams is an interesting pick, and could eventually push Miles Austin out the door in Dallas. Joseph Randle will be Jerry Jones’ new object of fascination. Jones will tout him as the perfect backup to Demarco Murray and wax poetic that he is Murray’s perfect complement, but Randle was at best a late round roster filler, nothing more. With Murray’s injury history you will still be forced to keep an eye on Randle if you draft Murray in your fantasy league, but don’t expect the same numbers if he has to tote the rock.

DENVER BRONCOS

Round 1, Pick 28 (28): Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina
Round 2, Pick 26 (58): Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
Round 3, Pick 28 (90): Kayvon Webster, CB, South Florida
Round 5, Pick 13 (146) (from Dolphins through Packers): Quanterus Smith, DE, Western Kentucky
Round 5, Pick 28 (161): Tavarres King, WR, Georgia
Round 6, Pick 5 (173) (from Eagles through Browns, 49ers and Packers): Vinston Painter, OT, Virginia Tech
Round 7, Pick 28 (234): Zac Dysert, QB, Miami (Ohio)

The Broncos took a space eater in Sylvester Williams with their first round pick, and he should help Von Miller rack up big sack totals as he pushes the pocket. The Broncos then took Montee Ball in the second round and everyone in fantasy football land had to take notice. Ball was a scoring machine in college, and showed surprising skills in the passing game. His only drawbacks are the amount of caries he had in college (over 900), and some concussion injuries that are always a red flag for me. I think he will be very productive during his rookie year, but I wouldn’t place him as high as most fantasy gurus, because of the amount of mileage on those legs.

DETROIT LIONS

Round 1, Pick 5 (5): Ziggy Ansah, DE, Brigham Young
Round 2, Pick 4 (36): Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State
Round 3, Pick 3 (65): Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky
Round 4, Pick 35 (132) (Compensatory Selection): Davin Taylor, DE, South Carolina
Round 5, Pick 32 (165) (from Ravens and Seahawks): Sam Martin, P, Appalachian State
Round 6, Pick 3 (171): Corey Fuller, WR, Virginia Tech
Round 6, Pick 31 (199) (from Ravens through Seahawks): Theo Riddick, RB, Notre Dame
Round 7, Pick 5 (211): Michael Williams, TE, Alabama
Round 7, Pick 39 (245) (Compensatory Selection): Brandon Hepburn, LB, Florida A&M

The Lions concentrated the early part of their draft on defense, but took a road grater guard in the third round. The addition of Warford may be the key to the Lions’ running backs becoming more than an afterthought. Larry Warford moves people, plain and simple. He touches you and you disappear He may not have the pass protection skills down pat yet, but he will really help the Lions become a more well-rounded offensive team.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Round 1, Pick 26 (26): Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
Round 2, Pick 29 (61) (from 49ers): Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
Round 4, Pick 12 (109) (from Saints through Dolphins): David Bakhtiari, OT, Colorado
Round 4, Pick 25 (122): J.C. Tretter, OT, Cornell
Round 4, Pick 28 (125) (from Broncos): Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
Round 5, Pick 26 (159): Micah Hyde, CB, Iowa
Round 5, Pick 34 (167) (Compensatory Selection): Josh Boyd, DE, Mississippi State
Round 6, Pick 25 (193): Nate Palmer, LB, Illinois State
Round 7, Pick 10 (216) (from Titans through 49ers): Charles Johnson, WR, Grand Valley State
Round 7, Pick 18 (224) (from Cowboys through Dolphins): Kevin Dorsey, WR, Maryland
Round 7, Pick 26 (232): Sam Barrington, LB, South Florida

The Green Bay Packers took a defensive lineman in the first round, to help keep blockers off of Clay Mathews and BJ Raji. Round two is where Eddie Lacy’s draft slide finally ended, and fantasy football fans around the country rejoiced. Lacy has great feet and excellent vision and should immediately become the Packers’ featured back. If Lacy’s toe really is an issue, then Johnathan Franklin is a nice insurance policy in round 4. I expect Lacy to finally be the back that eats into some of Aaron Rodger’s fantasy numbers. If all goes according to plan there will be plenty of production to go around.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Round 1, Pick 27 (27): DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
Round 2, Pick 25 (57): D.J. Swearinger, SS, South Carolina
Round 3, Pick 27 (89): Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina
Round 3, Pick 33 (95) (Compensatory Selection): Sam Montgomery, DE, Louisiana State
Round 4, Pick 27 (124): Trevardo Williams, DE, Connecticut
Round 6, Pick 8 (176) (from Titans through Vikings, Cardinals and Raiders): David Quessenberry, OT, San Jose State
Round 6, Pick 27 (195): Alan Bonner, WR, Jacksonville State
Round 6, Pick 30 (198) (from Falcons through Rams): Chris Jones, DT, Bowling Green
Round 6, Pick 33 (201) (Compensatory Selection): Ryan Griffin, TE, Connecticut

The Houston Texans selected DeAndre Hopkins in the first round to immediately come in and start opposite Andre Johnson. The Texans’ wide receiver 2 position has long been a wasteland for fantasy football GMs. This pick may be the answer for the Texans and fantasy GMs. DeAndre Hopkins has big play ability, and penchant for taking over games. He made the vaunted defense of LSU look like any other ACC defense when he decided to take over in the second half of their bowl game. I still think the Texans will be a run first, run second, and maybe even run third team, but Hopkins will get his fair share of play-action big plays.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Round 1, Pick 24 (24): Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
Round 3, Pick 24 (86): Hugh Thornton, OG, Illinois
Round 4, Pick 24 (121): Khaled Holmes, C, Southern California
Round 5, Pick 6 (139) (from Browns): Montori Hughes, DT, Tennessee-Martin
Round 6, Pick 24 (192): John Boyett, SS, Oregon
Round 7, Pick 24 (230): Kerwynn Williams, RB, Utah State
Round 7, Pick 48 (254) (Compensatory Selection): Justice Cunningham, TE, South Carolina

The Colts looked to Defense and keeping Andrew Lucky upright with their first few picks and probably came out okay, but no home-runs here. Unless you are talking about more time in the pocket for Andrew Luck put up huge fantasy numbers. I definately think Luck jumps into the top 8 must start fantasy quarterbacks this year.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Round 1, Pick 2 (2): Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
Round 2, Pick 1 (33): Johnathan Cyprien, S, Florida International
Round 3, Pick 2 (64): Dwayne Gratz, CB, Connecticut
Round 4, Pick 4 (101) (from Eagles): Ace Sanders, WR, South Carolina
Round 5, Pick 2 (135): Denard Robinson, WR, Michigan
Round 6, Pick 1 (169): Josh Evans, FS, Florida
Round 7, Pick 2 (208): Jeremy Harris, CB, New Mexico State
Round 7, Pick 4 (210) (from Eagles): Demetrius McCray, CB, Appalachian State

The Jaguar’s first round pick, Luke Joeckel, will be a perennial pro-bowler and should bring some Tony Boselli comparisons out of the back of the closet. He was 1A or 1B in many teams’ minds and will be an anchor for a suffering franchise. I think this pick will boost Maurice Jones-Drew’s numbers and make either Blaine Gabbert or Chad Henne very happy. More time for Jaguar’s QBs means more downfield plays for Cecil Shorts III or Justin Blackmon. (when Blackmon returns from his four game suspension)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Round 1, Pick 1 (1): Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
Round 3, Pick 1 (63): Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati
Round 3, Pick 34 (96) (Compensatory Selection): Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas
Round 4, Pick 2 (99): Nico Johnson, LB, Alabama
Round 5, Pick 1 (134): Sanders Commings, CB, Georgia
Round 6, Pick 2 (170): Eric Kush, C, California (Pa.)
Round 6, Pick 36 (204) (Compensatory Selection): Braden Wilson, FB, Kansas State
Round 7, Pick 1 (207): Mike Catapano, DE, Princeton

The Chiefs took the very big and very nasty Eric Fisher with the first overall pick. While most pundits exclaimed that the Chiefs needed to move Brandon Albert before taking another tackle, the Chiefs chose to bookend their offensive line with two beasts. I am sure the Chiefs would have moved Albert for the right price, but with nothing enticing them, he stayed put. Jamal Charles and Alex Smith ended up benefiting from the dry trade market and should reap the benefits this coming year. Fisher played against lesser competition in college, but proved at the senior bowl that he can dominate at any level. Jamal Charles will be able to go left or right at will, while also benefiting from Andy Reid’s use of the RB position in the passing game. Charles is a solid top six pick with top three upside if he gets his hands on the ball in the passing game.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Round 1, Pick 3 (3) (from Raiders): Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon
Round 2, Pick 22 (54) (from Colts): Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
Round 3, Pick 15 (77): Dallas Thomas, OT, Tennessee
Round 3, Pick 31 (93) (from 49ers through Packers): Will Davis, CB, Utah State
Round 4, Pick 7 (104) (from Browns): Jelani Jenkins, LB, Florida
Round 4, Pick 9 (106) (from Jets through Saints): Dion Sims, TE, Michigan State
Round 5, Pick 31 (164) (from 49ers through Browns): Mike Gillislee, RB, Florida
Round 5, Pick 33 (166) (Compensatory Selection): Caleb Sturgis, PK, Florida
Round 7, Pick 44 (250) (Compensatory Selection): Don Jones, SS, Arkansas State

The Dolphins traded up and surprised everyone by drafting a defensive end/OLB with the third pick in the draft. Everyone and their mother thought the Dolphins were going to take Lane Johnson with the third pick, but chose to take Dion Jordan to chase Tom Brady around in the AFC East. With the Dolphins’ recent signing of Tyson Clabo (for a very affordable 3.5 Million) they essentially upgraded both spots. Dion Sims, the Dolphins’ second fourth round pick, has a ton of potential, but should not be considered in this year’s fantasy drafts. He most likely will evolve into a low-end TE2 down the road.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Round 1, Pick 23 (23): Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
Round 1, Pick 25 (25) (from Seahawks): Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
Round 1, Pick 29 (29) (from Patriots): Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
Round 4, Pick 23 (120): Gerald Hodges, LB, Penn State
Round 5, Pick 22 (155): Jeff Locke, P, UCLA
Round 6, Pick 28 (196) (from Broncos through Eagles and Buccaneers): Jeff Baca, OG, UCLA
Round 7, Pick 7 (213) (from Cardinals): Michael Mauti, LB, Penn State
Round 7, Pick 8 (214) (from Bills through Seahawks): Travis Bond, OG, North Carolina
Round 7, Pick 23 (229) (from Vikings through Patriots and Buccaneers): Everett Dawkins, DT, Florida State

The Minnesota Vikings looked to be concentrating on the defensive side of the ball as they used their first two picks in the draft on Shariff Floyd DT-Florida and Xavier Rhodes CB-Florida St, but threw everyone for a loop with a late first round trade to take Cordarrelle Patterson WR-Tennessee with a pick originally owned by New England. While both Floyd and Rhodes have big time potential and should help the Vikings defense for years to come, I will focus on the Vikings’ third first round pick Cordarrelle Patterson and his potential fantasy value. Patterson was a Juco transfer at Tennessee and exploded on the scene in the SEC. His electric returns and his run after the catch abilities immediately had his name jumping up draft boards. As the season went on he showed that his route-running and concentration were concerns. He would round off routes and not recognize deep safeties on quite a few occasions. Patterson’s hands were a big knock as he went through the draft process. He proved to be a body catcher that does not utilize his hands nearly enough. His agility and speed are downright jaw-dropping, and should make the growing pains worth it for the Vikings. If he can be coached up on route-running and using his hands to high-point the football, we could have an even more talented version of Torrey Smith on our hands.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Round 2, Pick 20 (52) (from Vikings): Jamie Collins, LB, Southern Miss Round 2, Pick 27 (59): Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
Round 3, Pick 21 (83) (from Vikings): Ryan Logan, CB, Rutgers
Round 3, Pick 29 (91): Duron Harmon, S, Rutgers
Round 4, Pick 5 (102) (from Lions through Vikings): Josh Boyce, WR, Texas Christian
Round 7, Pick 20 (226) (from Bears through Buccaneers): Michael Buchanan, DE, Illinois
Round 7, Pick 29 (235): Steve Beauharnais, LB, Rutgers

The New England Patriots took a pass rusher in Jamie Collins with their first pick in the second round and followed that up with Aaron Dobson WR-Marshall. Dobson was a sleeper favorite of many draft pundits as he has a great size to speed ratio (6’3” 4.55 Forty) and good burst off the line of scrimmage. He runs routes well and shows good body control when fighting for the ball in the air. His blocking is above average and should help Steven Ridley and the other Patriots backs break longer runs. Josh Boyce, the Patriots’ fourth round pick, could be a draft day find, as his play was hampered by all the problems TCU had at the QB position. Look for Boyce to have fantasy relevance next year.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Round 1, Pick 15 (15): Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
Round 3, Pick 13 (75): Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Round 3, Pick 20 (from Bears through Dolphins) (82): John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
Round 5, Pick 11 (144): Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
Round 6, Pick 15 (183): Rufus Johnson, DE, Tarleton State

The Saints concentrated on the defensive side of the ball as they had a huge need to upgrade the safety position. Their first round pick Kenny Vaccaro should be able to step right in to the Saints’ secondary and make a difference. Terron Armstead, The Saints’ third round pick, has a lot of upside, but is very green. He could end up being the third best tackle in this draft, if he develops the right way.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Round 1, Pick 19 (19): Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse
Round 2, Pick 17 (49): Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
Round 3, Pick 19 (81): Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M
Round 4, Pick 19 (110) (from Chargers through Cardinals): Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
Round 5, Pick 19 (152): Cooper Taylor, S, Richmond
Round 7, Pick 19 (225): Eric Herman, OG, Ohio
Round 7, Pick 47 (253) (Compensatory Selection): Michael Cox, RB, Massachusetts

The Giants finally drafted an Offensive lineman in the first round to help their aging group up front. Justin Pugh will be a very good Pro, but probably projects better as a guard or center than outside at tackle. I have seen his game film and came away impressed. He moves really well with a good center of gravity. He uses very good technique to make up for his short arms and less than ideal strength when anchoring against a bull-rush or drop stepping to cut off a speed rusher. The Giants then used the next two picks to draft on more bodies for their defensive line. Both, Johnathan Hankins and Demontre Moore, were widely regarded as first round picks leading up to the draft process. Both fell off first round mock drafts as teams put them under the microscope. Hankins has a soft physique, but plays with a nice motor and quick first step. He should provide a good 1 technique tandem with Linval Joseph. To help the Giants stop the running games of their NFC East rivals. Moore had a ton of production while at Texas A&M and looked to be the next Von Miller. Rumors of his immaturity and questions about his work ethic kept him from being a first round pick. Ryan Nassib, the Giants fourth round pick, could become trade bait if he shows well in the preseason and in relief appearances. Nassib was rumored to be going in the first or second round, and heavily linked to the Bills. So getting him in the fourth round was definately good value.

NEW YORK JETS

Round 1, Pick 9 (9): Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
Round 1, Pick 13 (13) (from Buccaneers): Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
Round 2, Pick 7 (39): Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
Round 3, Pick 10 (72): Brian Winters, OT, Kent State
Round 5, Pick 8 (141): Oday Aboushi, OT, Virginia
Round 6, Pick 10 (178): William Campbell, DT, Michigan
Round 7, Pick 9 (215): Tommy Bohanon, FB, Wake Forest

The NY Jets drafted two very good defensive players in the first round, but made their biggest splash by taking Geno Smith in the second round. Geno Smith looked to be a lock first rounder when he was carving up the Big 12 with both his arm and his legs, but something happened on the way to the draft. Teams were turned off by his diva attitude and his lack of pro style experience. Rumors were constantly coming out that he “ wasn’t a leader”or “he wasn’t a classroom guy”. Most of the time these rumors are just smoke screens trying to drive a prospects draft stock down, but this time they were right. I believe he has a lot of talent, and can be an excellent NFL QB with plenty of fantasy potential. He showed a strong enough arm, and very good touch while at West Virginia, but primarily played out of the shotgun and didn’t drop back at all. He did show excellent anticipation and coverage reads when dissecting an opponents defense, which bodes well for the next level. His fantasy potential takes a dive when you look at what the Jets have, as far as talent, on offense. The cupboard is pretty bare and he would be better off holding a clipboard until they restock. He could be a nice QB2 next year, but this should definately be a wait and see.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Round 1, Pick 12 (12) (from Dolphins): D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston
Round 2, Pick 10 (42) (from Dolphins): Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State
Round 3, Pick 4 (66): Sio Moore, LB, Connecticut
Round 4, Pick 15 (112): Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
Round 6, Pick 4 (172): Nick Kasa, TE, Colorado
Round 6, Pick 13 (181) (from Buccaneers): Latavius Murray, RB, Central Florida
Round 6, Pick 16 (184) (from Rams through Texans): Mychal Rivera, TE, Tennessee
Round 6, Pick 37 (205) (Compensatory Selection): Stacy McGee, DT, Oklahoma
Round 7, Pick 3 (209): Brice Butler, WR, San Diego State
Round 7, Pick 27 (233) (from Texans): David Bass, DE, Missouri Western

The Oakland Raiders selected a very good cover corner in D.J. Hayden with their first round pick. Then took a very raw offensive tackle in Menelik Watson with their second round pick. Sio Moore, the Raiders’ third round pick, will be a very good pro right away. He can play all three linebacker positions and will be a contributor on special teams.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Round 1, Pick 4 (4): Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
Round 2, Pick 3 (35): Zach Ertz, TE Stanford
Round 3, Pick 5 (67): Bennie Logan, DT, Louisiana State
Round 4, Pick 1 (98) (from Jaguars): Matt Barkley, QB, Southern California
Round 5, Pick 3 (136): Earl Wolff, SS, N.C. State
Round 7, Pick 6 (212) (from Browns): Joe Kruger, DE, Utah
Round 7, Pick 12 (218) (from Buccaneers): Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State
Round 7, Pick 33 (239) (Compensatory Selection): David King, DE, Oklahoma

The Philadelphia Eagles selected tackle Lane Johnson from Oklahoma in the first round of this year’s draft. Lane Johnson is relatively new to the position of tackle and will benefit from playing along side Jason Peters and Todd Herremans. Chip Kelly will find he has a lot to work with if Jason Peters comes back healthy from a torn Achilles. With Peters, Todd Herremans(also recovering from a major injury) bumping inside to guard and Lane Jonson at right tackle the Eagles have the makings of a dominant line. The Eagles drafted Zach Ertz with their second round pick. Ertz will be a high end TE2 by the end of the year and could be a low end TE1 if Brent Celek gets injured. Matt Barkley will be a nice trade chip for the Eagles if his shoulder can regain its former strength, and he shows well in the preseason.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Round 1, Pick 17 (17): Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia
Round 2, Pick 16 (48): Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
Round 3, Pick 17 (79): Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State
Round 4, Pick 14 (111) (from Dolphins through Browns): Shamarko Thomas, SS, Syracuse
Round 4, Pick 18 (115): Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
Round 5, Pick 17 (150): Terry Hawthorne, CB, Illinois
Round 6, Pick 18 (186): Justin Brown, WR, Oklahoma
Round 6, Pick 38 (206) (Compensatory Selection): Vince Williams, LB, Florida State
Round 7, Pick 17 (223): Nick Williams, DT, Samford

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a type. Better or worse they are often the easiest team to predict during a draft and this year was no different. Jarvis Jones, the Steelers’ first round pick, always looked like he would be headed to the Steel City and he should fit in perfectly. He has a great motor and processes polished pass-rushing moves. He will more than fill the void left by James Harrison’s departure. Le’Veon Bell may remind some, at first glance, of Jerome Bettis, but he is more of stand straight up runner than head down battering ram. He has good feet and vision and is instantly the best option at RB for the Steelers. I didn’t love the direction the Steelers took in the running game last year under Todd Haley, but Bell may be the answer Haley was looking for. Bell will definitely be a solid RB2 by week three in most fantasy leagues. Markus Wheaton is a very nice receiver who will play early and often if he picks up the offense quickly. If an injury hits the receiving corps he could be a deeper league find.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Round 1, Pick 11 (11): D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
Round 2, Pick 6 (38) (from Cardinals): Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
Round 3, Pick 14 (76): Keenan Allen, WR, California
Round 5, Pick 12 (145): Steve Williams, CB, California
Round 6, Pick 11 (179): Tourek Williams, DE, Florida International
Round 7, Pick 15 (221): Brad Sorensen, QB, Southern Utah

The San Diego “Super” Chargers addressed a big need with their first round pick by selecting D.J. Fluker. Fluker was a battering ram at the University of Alabama paving the way for Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson while also doing a nice job of keeping his quarterback clean. He suffers against speed rushers and gets over his toes a little too often, but should make Ryan Mathews’ owners very happy as he caves in his side of the line on running plays. The Chargers drafted Keenan Allen WR-CAL in the third round and hope he can recover from a knee injury to show the burst and route running he showed on game film. Fluker’s addition will make many fantasy GMs reconsider the oft-injured Ryan Mathews as a low end RB1. I know I might gamble on him again. Did I just say that?!!

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Round 1, Pick 18 (18): Eric Reid, S, Louisiana State
Round 2, Pick 8 (40) (from Titans): Tank Carradine, DE, Florida State
Round 2, Pick 23 (55) (from Packers): Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
Round 3, Pick 26 (88) (from Packers): Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn
Round 4, Pick 31 (128): Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
Round 4, Pick 34 (131) (Compensatory Selection): Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
Round 5, Pick 24 (157) (from Colts): Quinton Dial, DE, Alabama
Round 6, Pick 12 (180) (from Dolphins): Nick Moody, LB, Florida State
Round 7, Pick 31 (237): B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida
Round 7, Pick 40 (246) (Compensatory Selection): Carter Bykowski, OT, Iowa State
Round 7, Pick 46 (252) (Compensatory Selection): Marcus Cooper, CB, Rutgers

The 49ers concentrated on defense early in the draft, but found two future fantasy contributors in the fourth round when they selected Quinton Patton WR-La Tech and Marcus Lattimore RB-South Carolina. Patton is a good route runner who could push for slot catches and be a nice deeper league fill in if the 49ers suffer some injuries. Marcus Lattimore was going to be the next Adrian Peterson before multiple knee injuries derailed him at South Carolina. If he is able to make a full recovery he could be the heir to Frank Gore’s featured back throne. Personally, I will take a flier on Lattimore as a keeper for next season, but don’t expect anything this year.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Round 2, Pick 30 (62) (from Ravens): Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
Round 3, Pick 25 (87): Jordan Hill, DT, Penn State
Round 4, Pick 26 (123): Chris Harper, WR, Kansas State
Round 5, Pick 4 (137) (from Lions): Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama
Round 5, Pick 5 (138) (from Raiders): Tharold Simon, CB, Louisiana State
Round 5, Pick 25 (158): Luke Wilson, TE, Rice
Round 6, Pick 26 (194): Spencer Ware, RB, Louisiana State
Round 7, Pick 14 (220) (from Saints): Ryan Seymour, OG, Vanderbilt
Round 7, Pick 25 (231): Ty Powell, DE, Harding
Round 7, Pick 35 (241) (Compensatory Selection): Jared Smith, DT, New Hampshire
Round 7, Pick 36 (242) (Compensatory Selection): Michael Bowie, OT, NE Oklahoma State

The Seattle Seahawks have a roster full of talent and were able to draft players that fit into their system, rather than reach for need. Christine Michael was easily one of the most talented backs in this draft, but slid on injury and character concerns. If he can stay healthy he could leapfrog Robert Turbin on the depth chart and be the beneficiary of an injury to Marshawn Lynch. Luke Wilson TE-Rice could be nice player in this offense and I expect him to challenge Zach Miller for starting tight-end duties by next year.

ST. LOUIS RAMS

Round 1, Pick 8 (8) (from Bills): Tavon Austin, WR West Virginia
Round 1, Pick 30 (30) (from Falcons): Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
Round 3, Pick 9 (71): (from Bills): T.J. McDonald, FS, Southern California
Round 3, Pick 30 (92) (from Falcons): Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
Round 4, Pick 16 (113): Barrett Jones, OG, Alabama
Round 5, Pick 16 (149): Brandon McGee, CB, Miami
Round 5, Pick 27 (160) (from Texans): Zac Stacy, RB Vanderbilt

The St. Louis Rams selected the most explosive weapon in this year’s draft when they took Tavon Austin with the eighth overall pick. Austin is quick in and out of cuts and shows breakaway speed whenever he gets in the open-field. Depending on how the Rams choose to use him this year, he could very well be a high upside WR2 in most fantasy league formats. The Rams selected Stedman Bailey WR-West Virginia in the third round and he will likely feature as the first sub in 4WR sets. He is a very nice addition to a Rams’ passing attack that has seen a complete offseason overhaul.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Round 2, Pick 11 (43): Johnathan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
Round 3, Pick 11 (73): Mike Glennon, QB, N.C. State
Round 4, Pick 3 (100) (from Raiders): Akeem Spence, DT, Illinois
Round 4, Pick 29 (126) (from Patriots): William Gholston, DE, Michigan State
Round 5, Pick 14 (147): Steven Means, DE, Buffalo
Round 6, Pick 21 (189) (from Vikings): Mike James, RB, Miami

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Mike Glennon in the second round to push Josh Freeman. If Freeman doesn’t step up his game expect Glennon to be throwing the ball downfield to Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams. Freeman has the keys to a Cadillac, with the talent on this Buccaneers’offense, but he’s been running it like an old Chevy beater. I put Freeman in the same boat as Jake Locker. It’s time sink or swim fellas. Just don’t let them sink your championship dreams.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Round 1, Pick 10 (10): Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama
Round 2, Pick 2 (34) (from Chiefs through 49ers): Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
Round 3, Pick 8 (70): Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut
Round 3, Pick 35 (97) (Compensatory Selection): Zaviar Gooden, LB, Missouri
Round 4, Pick 10 (107): Brian Schwenke, C, California
Round 5, Pick 9 (142): Lavar Edwards, DE, Louisiana State
Round 6, Pick 34 (202) (Compensatory Selection): Khalid Wooten, CB, Nevada
Round 7, Pick 42 (248) (Compensatory Selection): Daimion Stafford, SS, Nebraska

The Tennessee Titans solidified their interior offensive line in this year’s draft when they selected Chance Warmack OG-Alabama in the first round and Brian Schwenke C-Cal with their fourth round selection. Chris Johnson should have no excuses for not finding any running room with these two added to the offensive line. The draft pick of Justin Hunter WR-Tennessee seems like an indictment of someone in the Titan’s current receiving corps. Is he the replacement for Kenny Britt? Is Nate Washington headed out the door? Are the Titans down on last year’s draft pick, Kendall Wright? Expect Washington to be cut post June 1^st. Jake Locker is the one who will really have no place to hide, if he doesn’t make a big leap forward this year. Locker was a late round fantasy guru favorite heading into last season, but was most likely the first QB put on the waiver wire. His accuracy is a big question mark, but his athleticism will keep giving him chances. If he doesn’t make strides this year expect a regime change and a new QB in town.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Round 2, Pick 19 (51): David Amerson, CB, N.C. State
Round 3, Pick 23 (85): Jordan Reed, TE, Florida
Round 4, Pick 22 (119): Philip Thomas, SS, Fresno State
Round 5, Pick 21 (154): Chris Thompson, RB, Florida State
Round 5, Pick 29 (162) (from Patriots): Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State
Round 6, Pick 23 (191): Bacarri Rambo, SS, Georgia
Round 7, Pick 22 (228): Jawan Jamison, RB, Rutgers

The Washington Redskins didn’t have a pick until the second round, and used it on David Amerson CB-NC State. Amerson was projected as a top ten talent heading into this college football season, but he played his way out of the first round. He has all the measurable and ball skills to make him the top corner in the draft, but was continually beat deep this year on double moves. His technique was poor and he had become greedy for interceptions after leading the country the year before. Opposing offenses saw the blood in the water and continually made him look bad. If he works on his fundamentals there is no reason he can’t be the best corner from this draft. Jordan Reed TE-Florida will be a nice complimentary piece, but shouldn’t crack fantasy rosters. Running backs Chris Thompson and Jawan Jamison will push Roy Helu and Evan Royster for roster spots, while contributing very little in fantasy value.

The Challenge of Running Into Hot Fantasy Baseball Players

It appears that my luck (or lack thereof) has followed me from fantasy football into fantasy baseball. I feel I drafted a very solid team, but my early season results have been nothing to write home about. I drafted Ryan Braun with the third overall pick and he has been as good as advertised. Braun is a fantasy stud who can carry a fantasy team throughout the year. My infield is very solid with the likes of Adrian Gonzalez, Ian Kinsler and Evan Longoria. Besides Braun, my outfield consists of some late round gems such as Dexter Fowler and Starling Marte. My top starting pitchers are Adam Wainwright, Max Scherzer, and Jake Peavy. But my closers have been a mixed bag. Sergio Romo has been excellent thus far, but Joel Hanrahan seemingly has lost his closing duties to the reinvigorated Andrew Bailey in Boston.

While trying to figure out why my team was not dominating in the early going, I quickly found some players to blame. I missed the boat towards the end of the draft with selections such as Brandon Belt and Aaron Hicks who were quickly sacrificed to the waiver wire. In hindsight, I really regret picking Brandon Morrow over Jon Lester. I also rue the day of my gamble on Corey Hart’s injured knee and not targeting a solid right fielder earlier in the draft. Hart’s placement on the 60-day DL has forced me to play Adrian Gonzalez in right field and start one of my bench players (Todd Frazier and Matt Carpenter) at first base. I am losing significant power numbers when Carpenter is slotted at First Base as opposed to filling in at other positions periodically.

Before the draft, I targeted Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Moore but missed out on them by a pick or two. I have been scrambling to make up for missing out on both players ever since. That is probably why I reached for Belt and reluctantly took Brandon Morrow during the draft. I blame my poor time management for drafting Morrow, as I was down to the final five seconds on the draft clock.

Despite those shortcomings, I have made some quality early season pick-ups such as Jed Lowrie and Kyle Seager to partially offset those draft day mistakes. I even took a flier on Mark Teixeira who was dropped after the draft. Hopefully he does come back and can fill my all-important first base slot. He and Hart are stashed on my DL waiting to be utilized in June (fingers crossed). I also picked up Jose Valverde to fill the closer slot vacated by Hanrahan, and Shelby Miller to add some strike out power to my pitching staff.

Being honest with myself, I really cannot blame my team for some of my early season losses. Instead, I had the misfortune of playing against some players who produced extraordinary results. Two that come to mind are Carlos Gonzales who battered and abused the Mets, as well as Mike Napoli when he was doing his best Tony Conigliaro impression. I swear, the Green Monster is a magnet for that guy. I watched him rain double after double off that little league fence with the bases seemingly always loaded. Then incredibly, I was up against Anibal Sanchez last week when he decided to set a Tigers’ record of 17 strikeouts in one game.

Weeks like that reminded me of some fantasy football weeks your quarterback throws for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in the early game, only to be outdone by Drew Brees and his videogame-like numbers later in the day. Or if Chris Johnson (that would be CJ2K of the Tennessee Titans and not the pasty third baseman on the Braves) finally breaks out for you with a 100-yard day and a touchdown only to be outscored by Adrian Peterson during one of his record-breaking romps. I guess I didn’t realize that this type of misfortune also applied in fantasy baseball.

However, running into a couple of hot teams and players during the early part of the season is not going to get me off my game. I am going to stick to my strategy of playing match-ups and making some shrewd moves on the waiver wire. I will not hit the panic button and make a bad trade just to just to get a shaky closer or retread first baseman. After all, the fantasy baseball season is long and my luck is bound to even out. Right? Right???