By Zack Cimini

 notjustagame23@gmail.com

Acquiring a name from the Tampa Bay Rays wouldn’t seem like a strong idea. Their team has been horrid from the plate. An abrupt retirement from Manny Ramirez figures to drop their capabilities even more. Tampa Bay, tried blending in a mix of the older veteran players with youth. That idea has now come to a screeching halt. If they’re going to build it’s going to come from their own in-house talent.

Currently only owned by 30% of fantasy leagues, Sam Fuld has been quite impressive. He is obviously not going to hit for power. At the small size of 5’10 and 185 pounds, he is just someone the Rays want to get on base. He’s showing the discipline at the plate to make his coaching staff believe in him. Thus far he is batting .313, and already stolen six bags.

Streakiness in any sport is bound to happen. Fuld’s shown that a good day with his bat, or team is going to translate exponentially in his stats. April 7^th, he was able to get on base twice with a hit and a walk. The green light was given to him and he was able to get three steals. In the back from death game for the entire Rays squad against the Boston Red Sox, Fuld nearly hit the cycle. Cranking out two doubles and a home run.

Tampa Bay isn’t going to be a despot, which is scary for any league owner. Don’t sleep on picking Fuld up now though. The team will show enough offense to help Fuld utilize his speed on bases. Remember Evan Longoria should be back in in ten to fourteen days. At this early stage in the year, most owners should be getting a feel for their team and not panicking. Still the likelihood of having that gut feeling that you need to dispense a certain player is there. Make that move and bring up Fuld.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Lack of depth was supposed to be the outcome from the vast amount of trades the Orlando Magic have done this year. Has it shown? Not necessarily. The Magic haven’t changed their game plan. They run and gun threes and force feed Dwight Howard. They’re style of play alone keeps them in games for the most part. That has a lot to do with how well numerous athletes can shoot the long ball.

Problems with depth were pin pointed at center. Behind Dwight Howard for the last several years was Marcin Gortat, and they also had 6’10 forward Rashard Lewis. Ryan Anderson hardly received minutes, but it’s beginning to look like the Magic needed to find him minutes. Over the last month or so you can see that he is in the flow of the offense and his team is searching for him. It’s tough to cover a 6’10 big man that’s agile. Anderson is just that. He is able to find his spots on the perimeter and be wide open for the most part.

That could be why he is gunning up between five and seven threes a game. A stat most coaches would frown upon from their big man. Anderson though is shooting the three point shot at near 40%. He does the little things as well. He’ll attack the glass and get some put backs when the Magic go with a small guard lineup. Which they have had to do for stretches.

For the Magic to have post season success it’s going to come from an unfound young talent. It won’t be veterans Jason Richardson, Jameer Nelson, and definitely not Gilbert Arenas. Turkoglu has shown his age, even though he typically raises his game in the playoffs. Anderson is comparable to Channing Frye but a tad bit higher in terms of talent. If he can transfer his forty percent three point shooting with this veteran cast into the playoffs, watch out.

From a fantasy standpoint, Anderson will deserve a shot to be drafted next season in later rounds. His minutes won’t peak above the thirty minutes a game mark, but he gets enough done with his minutes. With Turkoglu on the decline who knows how his minutes will fare. There’s tremendous upside for Anderson and he should be on all fantasy radars as a potential steal in next years drafts. Remember he came out of college in 2008 from California early, and won’t be 23 until next month.

notjustagame23@gmail.com

A fantasy manager dealing with their pitcher rotation is a weekly process. Hopefully your league utilizes proper amounts of DL spots to secure valued pitchers hurt. If not it can be even more of a merry go round process with working the waiver wire. Flocking to the wire is just a natural progression for competitive fantasy baseball owners. Great value can be found early on. For the most part though early success doesn’t materialize for the entire year. Here are some guys that you can take a look at for the short term, and see how long they stretch out on your roster.

Jon Rauch, RP, 44% Owned-

Saves are a priority in any league. Rauch currently is playing the lead closer for the Blue Jays, as Frank Francisco sits out with injury. Rauch delivered last year with 21 saves for Minnesota, but it is highly unlikely he’ll hold onto the role. He already has a loss, and an unimpressive ERA of 4.15.

Chris Narveson, Milwaukee Brewers, SP– 28% Owned-

Narveson has made the most of starting out the 2011 year on proper tracking. He is at the backend of the Brewers rotation, but performing as a pitcher with a strong agenda. In two starts this year he has pitched extremely well. Including nine strikeouts while giving up only one walk, in an April 9^th win vs. the Chicago Cubs. His next couple of starts will be key to see if he is truly worthy of picking up. Narveson has truly been pitching well since after the All Star break last season.

Brian Fuentes, Oakland A’s, RP- 52% Owned-

Save opportunities weren’t expected to be in quantities for the Oakland A’s. The young team though looks like they could be a team on the rise. Fuentes already has three recorded saves. All coming in a span of four days. Fuentes has great value in the short term while Andrew Bailey recovers from his forearm strain.

Matt Harrison, Texas Rangers, SP- 37% Owned-

Another young pitcher off to a fabulous start. Teams still don’t have the full scouting report on Harrison. As he gets more starts and teams are able to get a full read on him, it’ll be interesting to see how he responds. For now though, you can’t discount his first two starts of the year. His ERA is 1.29. He has went seven innings in both starts giving up minimal hits.

Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles, SP- 38% Owned-

Buck Showalter thrives on getting the most out of his pitching staff. Jeremy Guthrie finally seems to be performing to the level expected from him, and Britton is proving to be a solid discovery. Much like Harrison, Britton is widely available in leagues until he shows a couple more solid outings. He doesn’t overpower batters with strikeouts, but finds a way to get outs with patience on the mound. How will he react to a poor inning, or multiple back to back tough outings?

By Vidur Malik

 notjustagame23@gmail.com

San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs have been struggling lately and might lose the top spot in the West by season’s end, but they’re the kind of team that won’t be affected in the postseason by regular-season issues. If Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and the solid role players around them stay healthy, the Spurs could very well be hoisting another trophy in June.

Los Angeles Lakers – If the Spurs do indeed lose the No. 1 seed by playoff time, it will probably go to the Lakers. They’ve got all the tools to accomplish a three-peat. Their size is a huge advantage on offense and defense, they’ve got athleticism and experience in the backcourt and Kobe Bryant has willed his team to victory so many times before that it would almost be surprising not to see him in the Finals.

Dallas Mavericks – Time is winding down for Dirk Nowitzki to win a ring. The players around him can score, rebound and play defense, making the Mavs a well-rounded team. Dallas will have to contend with teams like the Spurs, Lakers and Thunder before they can think about getting out of the West, so this postseason will be as tough as any other for Nowitzki and the Mavs.

Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder are one of the teams of the future, and they’ll make things interesting in the playoffs, but they won’t get too far. If the season ended today they would be playing the Denver Nuggets in the first round, which is a winnable series, but there’s still too much talent and playoff experience for the Thunder to deal with.

Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets will probably enter the postseason with the most momentum of any team in the league, but that doesn’t mean much when the playoffs start. Don’t expect Denver to make it out of the first round. They’ll give Oklahoma City a good fight, but the Nuggets will make another first round exit this year.

New Orleans Hornets – Losing David West for the season was a tough loss for the Hornets, who, if they will be playing the Lakers in the first round, might be able to steal a few games because of Chris Paul’s leadership and the talented role players the team has around him.

Portland Trail Blazers – If they play the Lakers in the first round, as they would based on current standings, the Blazers could play a competitive series. LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace and the young Blazers have the energy to win at least a few games in the first round, and though they’ll probably leave the playoffs early, they can push their opponent out of their comfort zone and expose some weaknesses.

Memphis Grizzlies – The Grizzlies aren’t going to give the Spurs any trouble in the first round, but they do have the pieces to be a playoff team for a long time. They’ve got size in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, a proven scorer in Rudy Gay, and solid players at the guard and forward spots.

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls – The Bulls have been an elite team the entire season, and will stay in that category for a while. Derrick Rose has grown into a leader and a superstar, and has the drive to push his team far into the playoffs. They’re still too young to get past teams like the Boston Celtics, but this team will make noise in the East for a long time.

Boston Celtics – Though the Bulls and Heat are higher seeds, the Celtics still have more championship experience than those teams and should never be counted out. No one would be surprised if the Celtics knocked off the Bulls and advanced to the Finals behind the leadership of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. The shock of losing Kendrick Perkins would all but disappear if Boston went back to the Finals this year.

Miami Heat – Everyone’s least-favorite team has the potential to make it to the Finals, but the Heat could also have a tough time just getting out of the first round. As of now, they would be playing the New York Knicks, a team with its own superstar issues. These teams have made for some dramatic matchups and storylines, and the Heat will probably win an exciting first-round series and go on to make more drama.

Orlando Magic – The Magic don’t have the experience to make it out of the second round of the East, but there’s no doubting their talent. Dwight Howard is the most dominant post player in the game, and he’s surrounded by good shooters and playmakers, but the team doesn’t have the experience or explosiveness to compete with the Celtics, Bulls or Heat for a seven game series.

Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks are slated to play the Magic as the East’s No. 5 seed, and just like the 2010 postseason, they’ll probably be eliminated by Orlando. The Hawks have been hovering around the above-average category in the East, and with their youth, they’ll probably stay there for a while.

New York Knicks – The Knicks have made headlines, but they won’t make it to May. Since the Carmelo Anthony trade, New York has been streaky, going on winning and losing streaks without showing much consistency. It will take a while before Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and the Knicks develop a chemistry that can make them legitimate contenders.

Philadelphia 76ers – The 76ers are a young team with guards that can score. That could mean one win against the Celtics in the first round, but not much else. If the core of Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and players like Louis Williams and Jrue Holiday stick around, the Sixers should be a consistent playoff team.

Indiana Pacers – There’s enough size and talent on the Pacers to think that they could make things interesting as the No. 8 seed, but they’ll make an early exit from the playoffs after returning to the postseason for the first time in five years.

By Greg Dillard

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Heading into the 2010 offseason, everyone knew the free agent market would not only be focused on ace lefthander Cliff Lee, but two All- Star outfielders as well.

Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford hit the free agent market with high expectations, and both outfielders struck gold with big paychecks and new homes.

After four above average seasons in Philadelphia, Werth entered free agency looking for big money. However, no one expected the Washington Nationals to be players in the Werth sweepstakes. $126 million and seven years later, Werth now calls the nation’s capital and Nationals Park home. There are several precautions before drafting Werth to serve as your middle of the order, right fielder.

First and foremost, Werth bolted Philly, but remains in the ultra competitive National League East. With almost no protection in the Nationals’ lineup, Werth will face the Marlins, Braves, Mets, and Phillies almost 20 times each every year. Clearly, there is an abundance of strong pitching in this division with Ricky Nolasco, Javier Vasquez, Johan Santana, and Mike Pelfrey in the division. Then there’s the all star rotation in Philly that consists of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels.

Facing elite pitching day in and day out won’t be easy for Werth and the Nats. Werth was never the go to go in the extremely powerful Philadelphia lineup, and it will be interesting to see if he can deal with being the “big bat” for Washington.

Then there’s Crawford who despite being courted by the Yankees and Angels, signed a seven year, 142 million dollar deal with the Red Sox. Similar to Werth, Crawford remains in a division that is loaded with talented pitching, but Fenway Park and Boston’s potent lineup make the difference.

Boston manager Terry Francona will most likely choose to bat Crawford third in his lineup, with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia in front of him. Those two will provide plenty of RBI chances given their speed and ability to get on base. Most importantly, newly acquired first basemen Adrian Gonzalez will bat cleanup after Crawford. Talk about good protection. Opposing pitchers won’t want Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Crawford on the base paths with Gonzales stepping into the batter’s box.

With his speed, power, and the talent surrounding him, Crawford is poised for a big season in Boston. He is a sure bet for your fantasy outfield.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Thus far one of the biggest fantasy disappointments two months in has to be Justin Upton. Here is a guy that many believed to be a top first round fantasy talent. Yet he has struggled to get on base and his batting averaged has not reached higher than .269. What gives? Part of it could be blamed on the Diamondbacks lineup that has been inconsistent for run production which obviously means limited hits.

Upton’s supposed to be the catalyst to this team though and is one of the main reasons they’re slumping in last place. The season is young and maybe Upton’s June will get him going before the All Star break. He has a long ways to go and needs to work on his patience at the plate. Mark Reynolds seems to be rubbing off on him in the wrong way. Upton already has twenty four games with multi strikeouts.

There’s no question Upton can get it turned on. Maybe his two home runs in the last four Diamondbacks games will get him going. Blasting a few usually does the trick. If not we question if Upton will dig out of it this year. A young player on a struggling team can tend to lose grips and focus pretty quick. We already know Upton takes each bat appearance to heart, as witnessed to his self talk with his baseball bat last year. Currently you’d have to label him as a big first round disappointment in fantasy drafts. His skill set though makes him very hard to give up on. Ride him out and hope he will battle out of his slumping start. It only takes a series or two tear to get a guy like Upton revived and rolling.