By Raymond Ayala

Michael Crabtree – WR 49ers: Crabtree’s two seasons at Texas Tech were nothing short of spectacular. In 2 full seasons, Crabtree collected 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns, and won the Fred Biletnikoff (Award for college footballs top wide receiver) two years in a row. All in all he is a great wide receiver, but the real question is will he had a quarterback to throw to him? The answer is it does not matter. Obviously the CFL-bound Graham Harrell was able to get something out of him, so why couldn’t Shaun Hill or Alex Smith? I predict a big season for Crabtree, finishing in the top 5 in receiving Touchdowns and top 15 in receiving yards. Consider drafting Crabtree before Terrell Owens this year.

Darrius Heyward-Bey – WR Oakland: The Raiders passed on Michael Crabtree, but got themselves a player that can also return kicks. He will not put up the statistical numbers that Crabtree does though, since the Oakland Raiders will look to feature Darren McFadden this season. I expect a season similar to that of Philadelphia Eagles rookie WR Desean Jackson. Heyward-Bey would be a good pick in a league of eight or more teams, but he is nothing more than a 3rd wide receiver at best.

Knowson Moreno – RB Denver: You have to expect a big season out of this kid, with the main reason being there is no big shot quarterback in Denver. Cutler is gone, and Denver is going to be rebuilding this season on the shoulders of Moreno. Correll Buckhalter is Moreno’s only hurdle to climb, and he should be no match for Moreno’s massive power. I expect Moreno to finish the season with over 1,000 yards and more than eight touchdowns. If your looking for a sneaks number two running back, Moreno is your sleeper.

Mark Sanchez – QB NY Jets: Will Sanchez has a Matt Ryan type season, or will it be more like a Joe Flacco type season? That is the question people will be asking themselves, and I am going to go with Flacco-like. The reason being, Sanchez has no receiving weapons whatsoever. Their Wide Receivers are Jerricho Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey. Doesn’t really strike fear in the heart of your opponent. Expect the Jets to have a terrible season, as Sanchez is fed to the wolves in that division. Do not take Sanchez, unless you need a starting quarterback, later on in your draft.

By Steve Nitz

Clay Buchholz deserves to be in Boston’s rotation. He’s a better option than Brad Penny and his 5.02 ERA and a better option than a washed-up John Smoltz.

Some people might think I’m speaking too highly of a guy has started 21 games in the big leagues and had a 6.75 ERA with the Red Sox last season. But Buchholz has tremendous talent, possessing three plus pitches. He’s threw a no-hitter in 2007 and has been great at Class AAA Pawtucket (7-2, 2.36 ERA, 89 K’s in 99 IP). He’s ready to pitch in Boston, but the Red Sox don’t have room for him with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield, Smoltz, and Penny in the rotation.

Boston called him up from Pawtucket to start Friday, where he threw 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out three. But he was sent back down Saturday when Boston activated Jed Lowrie.

So what should fantasy players do with Buchholz? He can certainly be an asset, especially in AL-only leagues, but when will he get a chance again? There is always a chance Boston could trade Penny, or either him or Smoltz could get moved to the bullpen should they keep struggling. But Daisuke Matsuzaka could return to Boston within the next month as well, taking another rotation spot. There is also the chance that the Red Sox could deal Buchholz for a veteran such as Victor Martinez or Roy Halladay, although that is unlikely.

I think that AL-only players should hang on to Buchholz or pick him up, as he could be really good down the stretch and there isn’t going to be anything better on the waiver wire. Mixed leaguers might want to wait until he gets another start.

If the Red Sox wanted to put their best five starters out there, Buchholz would be in the rotation for good.

By Steve Nitz

The other day, I went over some players who have been big surpises so far this season. Today I’m doing the opposite, giving you players who were drafted high, yet have been complete dissapointments. I don’t have the time to list every one, but here are ten of them.

Grady Sizemore-Sizemore was a top 10 pick in drafts, even a top five in a lot of them. But he’s had an injury-plagued season and is currently hitting .238. I expect him to bounce back in the second half though.

Garrett Atkins-Atkins has averaged 25 homers and over 100 RBIs the last three seasons. This season he’s hitting .229 with six homers and 28 RBIs.

Alfonso Soriano-Soriano has a .279 career average, yet he’s hitting .234 this year. His power is down too.

Jimmy Rollins-It’s hard to believe this guy won the NL MVP just two seasons ago. His numbers are a far cry from 2007.

Manny Ramirez-He’s been good when he’s in the lineup and should have a great second half, but his suspension hurt his owners the first half.

Josh Hamilton-He’s been on the DL and is only hitting .243 when he’s in the lineup. Will he bounce back in the second half or was last season a fluke?

Brandon Webb-Webb was one of the first pitchers taken on draft day, yet he’s only made one start all year due to a shoulder injury.

Cole Hamels-Unlike Webb, Hamels has been pitching, he just hasn’t been very good. Last year’s NLCS and World Series MVP only has five wins and a 4.87 ERA. It wouldn’t surpise me to see him bounce back in the second half though.

Russell Martin-It’s hard to believe this guy went from hitting .293 with 19 homers, 87 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases in 2007 to .258 with only two homers and 27 RBIs so far this year. He won’t be one of the first catchers taken next year, that’s for sure.

Chris Young (Arizona)-Young is just one dissapointment on a team full of them. All of his numbers are way down, and he’s below the mendoza line at .196.

The first half 2009 brought surprises in all shapes and sizes.

There was Raul Ibanez’s resurgence and Milton Bradley’s regression. But among teams, almost nothing caught more people off guard than Seattle remaining in contention at the All-Star Break.

There have been no surprises from nine-time All-Star Ichiro. Since arriving in American in 2001, Ichiro has been the epitome of consistency. He has hit at least .300 with at least 200 hits, 30 steals and 20 doubles in all eight of his seasons. He is in no danger of breaking any of those streaks this season.

With a team that stunning, production must be coming from more unexpected areas than Ichiro and the Mariners have their fair share.

Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, first baseman Russell Branyan and closer David Aardsma find themselves key pieces of their team for the first time ever.

Branyan, a journeyman with 210 minor league home runs, hit the All-Star Break just two home runs behind Carlos Pena for the top AL spot. Aardsma’s 20 first half saves rank fifth in the league and Gutierrez has been one of the most productive players in the last month.

In most leagues Gutierrez is still available on the waiver wire, but Branyan and Aardsma are widely owned. But which of the three big Seattle surprises will keep producing in the second half?

In 12 seasons, Branyan has only played something approximating a full year twice, and he hasn’t played in more than 95 games since 2002. It’s a small sample size, but in 2001 and 2002 his All-Star Break splits were close to even. But, curiously, his BABIP went up in the second half of both seasons. Since he already has a BABIP of .335 this year, that trend seems unlikely to continue.

Branyan’s power is for real, but that .279 average is not. Add in his unnaturally high home run/fly ball percentage of 22.8 and there’s a recipe for a drop-off.

After being acquired as a part of the three-way deal that sent J.J. Putz to New York, Gutierrez started slowly. He has since started hitting the ball much better, improving his batting average each month. It’s difficult to tell how much of that improvement has been based on luck and how much better Gutierrez is actually hitting the ball.

His BABIP has also increased each month, reaching the astronomical level of .425 in July. He doesn’t help much with steals or home runs and doesn’t walk often. If he’s to be a productive fantasy player he has to keep his average up, something that is possible, but was never seen in his
four years in Cleveland.

Gutierrez will continue to play every day because of his superb defense, and that peace of mind seems to have helped him swing the bat more consistently. But if you’re a prospective owner, a close watch is advised.
By Ted Cahill

Of the three surprises, Aardsma is the safest long-term bet. He has taken advantage of the opportunity to close after Brandon Morrow proved ineffective in the role. In 11 innings during June, Aardsma did not allow a run, while striking out 20 batters. He held opponents to a .139 average and only walked four hitters. He seems to be finally showing the talent that led San Francisco to make him their first round pick in 2003.

Aardsma won’t be easy to snare in a trade and if you own him, hold on for the second half. The only concern with his continued success is that he will set a new career high for innings around the middle of August. If he can withstand the increased work load, Aardsma should continue to produce for fantasy owners and the Mariners.

By Zack Cimini

Marshall talent wise is one of the best receivers in the game, but continues to hurt his image in several ways. His latest issue happened to be on his appearance on the NFL Network. He responded to most questions in proper manner, saying that his agent is handling all present issues. When it came to reporting to training camp, he stated he will be there because he doesn’t want to get fined daily. On top of it he said Denver wants him there on the 27th when injured players and rookies are too report. Only a few questions later in regards to his off-season hip surgery, he went on to say that he is fine. Just days earlier he was doing 360 and windmill dunks. Wow, Brandon way to put yourself out there as an injured player. This is the kind of nonsense that may be the number one reason why the Broncos don’t want to pay you based off of your stats. Smarten up and do your job.

Impact: While this just continues to show Marshall’s issues, he is still a young and talented receiver. With Kyle Orton being his quarterback an obvious decline in caught balls will happen. Don’t rule Marshall out completely for touchdowns and big plays though. Orton can deliver the football and Marshall will continue to be the main target as a strong, big, and physical receiver.

By Zack Cimini

It’s safe to assume that the speculation of the Brett Favre saga will soon be ended. He’ll be sporting a new look for the second year in a row, this time in purple. Divisional rivals will be his former team and sports conversation will continue to be hyped around his play and actions. Lets not forget this time last year Favre couldn’t control where he landed. The Packers kept his choices limited and didn’t want to see him in the NFC. In reality Favre’s top choice last year was Minnesota and now he is assured of controlling his own destiny. The Jets left the door open for Favre by releasing him as a retired player. All of Favre’s razzle of I’m done, I’m done, we all knew was his indecision that he has every year after football season. Once the draft came around the itch was back.

Welcoming Favre back into the league as a Minnesota Viking will have more advantages by far than his situation last year with the Jets. Favre would have ultimate weapons to his disposal. In New York, Thomas Jones did have a career year but many factors led to Favre and the Jets decline as the season wore on. One of the main reasons of course was Favre’s ailing shoulder. Like in years past, Favre would not allow it to sideline him and he tried to play through it. If his name wasn’t Brett Favre he would have likely been sat for the better of the team. Instead a sure lock playoff berth went down the drain. We all knew the images of Favre giving away throws to the Miami Dolphins wasn’t going to be his last image as an NFL quarterback.

Up to the mid portion of last season Favre was performing beyond expectations. The team was riding high at 8-3 and many were favoring them to be the AFC representatives for the Super Bowl. That quick wave fell with four of five losses, and was a true emotional ride for Favre. His decision to leave the game was a majority decided on his shoulder. He didn’t want to have surgery on it and knew he would have to go through with it to be back in the NFL. Talks lured him into having it diagnosed and for the love of the game he decided to go through with it.

Images of him testing out his arm with local high schoolers in Mississippi have filled mini highlight clips all over sports networks. When he transitions back to the ultimate gridiron will his body fatigue and break down like it did last year?

When July 30th comes along and Favre has his press conference announcing his official return, the plan that Brad Childress has will be set. Favre will come in and know his role. To be that signal caller that the Vikings needed last year which cost them against advancing versus the Eagles. To be in that position again, Favre needs to do exactly what Tavaris Jackson did except exponentially three to four times better. Handing the ball off to Adrian Peterson is the recipe for success. Teams cannot stop him and even Jackson was able to feed off of his performance’s with big pass plays through play action and mixing the play calls.

That’s where the Jets wore down Favre. Many a games Favre threw the football between 35 and 40 times (4 times over 40). That’s a lot to ask of your quarterback, especially a 39 year old. Cold weather situations at home and on the road in the AFC East didn’t help either. Loosening up that body and staying fluid in rhythm throughout the game becomes that much more difficult. Favre is Favre though and the way he has played the game the last 18 seasons isn’t going to change. The same (no he didn’t) throws will be there as well as his precision bullet throws.

As far as a fantasy quarterback, he should be a suitable strong fill in occasional starter. Meaning he is officially a designated bench quarterback in any fantasy football league. Whether your in an 8, 10, or 12 team league there are a plethora of stronger candidates that should fill out an 8-12 team starter league. Now 14, depending on the way you fill out your draft Favre could be a teetering starter. By no means should you expect any consistency from him and that’s not what a fantasy owner wants to hear. His erraticness in the statistical category was unreal last season.

Just based on last season he had five games without throwing a touchdown pass, and another five where he only threw a single touchdown pass. Yet he threw for his career high of six against the Cardinals. Our advice is to enjoy Favre’s whirlwind storybook return but not from a fantasy football perspective.