Fantasy Advisor

Every fantasy football and baseball player knows the importance of the draft. Leagues have been won and lost during the draft, often held a week or so before the season starts. How a fantasy owner approaches a draft will naturally determine the makeup of their team, so one question should be addressed before anyone is selected. The first thing an owner needs to decide is whether they want to employ a sit-tight strategy, or a wheel-and-deal approach.

If your preference is to not make very many trades and transactions during the season, then you need to be sure to pay attention to the bye weeks in a fantasy football league. In fantasy baseball, a sit-tight owner should avoid drafting more than two players from any one team, because their fantasy squad will be ruined if that team under-performs as a whole, or makes a lot of lineup changes. It also helps if you watch the highlights online or on TV. In college, my roommates and I split a subscription to MLB Extra Innings online but now I have the service through

Every season a few forgotten players make their impact in fantasy football, and the upcoming season will be no different. Finding these hidden gems, these fantasy sleepers can propel your fantasy team to the top of the rankings, and leave the rest of the competition in the dust.

After an injury riddled two years, look for Matthew Stafford to explode. He will likely be easily forgotten among the shuffle of top tier quarterbacks, and while Sam Bradford suffers through his sophomore blues, expect Stafford to Read the rest of this entry »

If there is going to be a 2011 NFL season, it’s never too early for those who love fantasy football to begin to ponder next years perfect team. The thing about fantasy football is that you can only go so far with the franchise quarterback, or the key running back, you also need a great core defense. It doesn’t matter how many yards your RB goes for, if your defense has an off week it’s all going to be for naught. With that in mind, you need to make sure that you Read the rest of this entry »

The top fantasy football quarterbacks next year, assuming that a season is played, should be similar to those from last year. Aaron Rodgers not only won a Super Bowl in 2010, he also set career high numbers and was the best fantasy quarterback. There is no reason to think this young QB will be anything but spectacular again in 2011. Michael Vick, assuming he is healthy, should be second only to Rodgers. Vick is especially dangerous in leagues that give bonuses for TD’s over 50 yards, as Desean Jackson has caught more deep TD’s than any other Read the rest of this entry »

in hopes of avoiding a familiar fate this season.1. Daniel Hudson, SP, Diamondbacks Not the same Mr. Hudson heard alongside Jay-Z on “Young Forever,” despite bursting onto the scene simultaneously, but the young gun made some noise of his own in 2010. Sure, the 2008 5^th round pick out of Old Dominion lacks the pedigree of your Strasburg-types, but going forward few pitchers have shown similar promise at the ripe age of 23. After arriving in Arizona as a part of the Peavy deal, Hudson started 11 games for the Diamondbacks, posting an otherworldly 1.69 ERA through 79.2 innings, while striking out a respectable 70 batters in that span. For the year, Hudson notched an 8-2 record, a 2.45 ERA, 84 Ks, and a 1.00 WHIP in 95.1 innings (all but 1 of his 14 starts came after the break). Batters will certainly adjust as Hudson enters his first full slate as a major league starter, but on the heels of a 14-5 minor league record with a 2.32 ERA, there’s no reason to write the kid off as a one-year wonder. Overall, Hudson is worth a mid-to-early round reach, while leaguemates are preoccupied with the middling, albeit more established, Ted Lillies and John Dankses of the world.2. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pirates There’s still not much to like about the Pirates, but Alvarez offers some semblance of hope for wayward Pittsburgh fans, especially considering the dearth of relevant names manning the hot corner. After a slow start to the year, Alvarez powered 13 HRs and 53 RBIs, while hitting a Costanza-esque .270 in the second half right in that meaty part of the curve, not showing off, not falling behind. Looking ahead to 2011, Alvarez would likely produce serviceable numbers were he a 1^st basemen, limited by an anemic Pirates offense. But the relative scarcity at 3B makes him much hotter commodity, as once you get past the A-Rod/Bautista/Zimmerman plateau there are few, if any, third basemen with more upside. At just 24 years old and entering his first full season as a starter, Alvarez could easily project to 25 HRs this year, with a high-end 35 looming in Stretch Armstrong striking distance. In the spirit of full disclosure, buyers should beware of an alarmingly strikeout rate that could place him dubiously among the league leaders in whiffs.3. Jhoulys Chacin, SP, Rockies 2010 was “Year of the Ubaldo,” particularly through the first 4 months of the season, but Chacin quietly had a praiseworthy season while stuck in Jimenez’s shadow (9-11, 3.28 ERA, 9.04 K/9 and a 1.27 WHIP) . The danger Coors Field presents to pitchers is overrated in the humidor era, as Jimenez effectively proved through better home than road splits. As a result, Chacin, like any Colorado hurler, is criminally undervalued in in the fantasy community. Entering the Rockies’ rotation last May, Chacin delivered a mixed bag of results that culminated in a July move to the bullpen. However, a brief stint in relief seemed to fix Chacin’s inconsistency on the mound. He returned to the rotation in August in top form, compiling a 2.13 ERA and striking out 49 batters over 55 innings in his final 9 appearances. Over his final 8 contests, Chacin allowed no more than 2 earned runs in any start, including 4 of 7 innings or more. Worst case scenario: A sophomore slump that sets Chacin back to an ERA in the mid-high 3′s. Best Case: Chacin joins Ubaldo among the league’s elite to create a formidable 1-2 punch in Colorado for years to come (with De La Rosa serving as a strong 3^rd arm admittedly poor word choice to boot). 4. Mike Stanton, RF, Marlins Read the rest of this entry »

Looking back at the 2010 Fantasy Football season, as countless Christmases, Chaunukas and Kwanzas will undoubtedly be soured by playoff defeat, or worse yet, in 50 of all cases, falling short of playoff contention entirely, it’s high time to look for a scapegoat at whom to direct such feelings of discontent. After all, you did your homework, you prepared for the draft, you hit the waiver wire all season long, traded players like pilgrims bartering for food, maybe even resorted to a diseased blanket-esque hustle or two, but when the clouds cleared, there you sat, on the receiving end of victorious friend’s shaming phone call. So, who to blame? If you rode out the season with one these so-called “can’t miss” players anywhere near your starting lineup, perhaps your frustrations are justifiedShonn Greene Taken in the first 2 rounds in most drafts, Shonn Greene proved unable to win the starting job outright from LaDanian Tomlinson and was even outperformed by LT over the course of the season. What happened to the running back who carried the ball 25 times per game on the way to tearing up postseason opponents in 2009? Rex Ryan brought in a veteran to help carry the load but ended up destroying the youngster’s confidence, arguably in an effort to vindicate the much criticized signing.Beanie Wells Supposed to take the reins in an increasing run oriented Arizona offense, Wells went down with a preseason injury and missed the opening two games. Thereafter his season never really got on track, reinjuring himself midseason and doing little to warrant any additional looks on upon his return.Jerome Harrison A big time sleeper on draft day as the lead back in Cleveland, he ended the year as LeSean McCoy’s underutilized backup. Harrison did something to lose the faith of Browns boss Eric Mangini and did almost nothing to win the favor of Eagles coach Andy Reid. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Andre Johnson Johnson represents far and away the top receiver going into 2010, having led the league in receiving over each of the past 2 seasons. While Houston’s running game shows signs of uncertainty behind the sudden second year regression of Steve Slaton, there’s no reason to expect any sort of step backwards out of Johnson or the Texans’ vaunted aerial attack.2. Randy Moss So maybe Moss isn’t still the well-oiled 23 touchdown machine we witnessed in 2007, but in a down year among elite wide receivers, Moss still offers arguably the surest bet to post double digit touchdowns and 1,000 receiving yards. Combine Wes Welker’s questionable left knee with Darrelle Revis’ looming contract situation and Randy Moss could be looking at a strangely upward production trajectory for a 33-year-old receiver.3. Calvin Johnson Mired by injury and an inconsistent offense, Megatron didn’t even break the 1,000 yard barrier in 2009. With Matt Stafford entering his second season as starter, the acquisition of pass-catching TE Tony Scheffler and rookie Jahvid Best providing a realistic threat out of the backfield, the stage is set for an authoritative return to glory. Unparalleled in terms of pure talent at the position, Johnson should put up numbers close to his 1,331 yard 12 TD 2008 campaign, with a ceiling as high as 20 touchdowns should offense take off. Read the rest of this entry »

7. Frank Gore Gore is an unquestioned lead back, though trapped in an inconsistent Niners offense his production is all but a sure thing. Mike Singletary is as unpredictable as they come as a head coach, equally likely to go 4-wide for an entire game or pound the ball up the gut. The potential is there for a big year, but a flop is equally likely.8. Cedric Benson Once written off as a waiver wire outcast, Benson had a career resurgence as “The Man” in a ground-oriented Cincy offense. Sure the arrival of big name WRs might scare away some owners, but the Bengals are a running team, and if healthy Benson will be sure to produce.9. Rashard Mendenhall For the first time in a long time, the Steelers enter the season without Willie Parker on the roster, a welcome change for Mendenhall believers. When given opportunity, Mendenhall shined last year amassing over 1,100 yards and 7 TDs, after only getting 7 carries through the first 3 weeks. Barring injury, Mendenhall should see major increases across the board in his first full-season as starter. Make what you will of the Roethlisberger absence. It could mean more carries, but at the same time, few defenses fear the wrath of Byron Leftwich. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Chris Johnson Overlooked by many drafters a year ago with LenDale White hawking 16 TDs in 2008, Johnson exploded to become only the 5^th 2,000 yard rusher in NFL history. No one’s overlooking him this year.2. Adrian Peterson Purple Jesus actually had somewhat of a down year by his standards in 2009. Still, Peterson scored 18 times even with Favre having a career year. Favre is one year older and unlikely to repeat his show-stealing performance, but will certainly be dangerous enough to keep defenses honest.3. Ray Rice The 2008 Tennessee Titans might as well be the 2009 Baltimore Ravens, with Willis McGahee serving as the resident LenDale White, a soon-to-be irrelevant afterthought. Contributing through the ground and passing game, even if Rice doesn’t match Johnson’s prolific 2009 season, he should improve on his already formidable fantasy presence a year ago. Read the rest of this entry »

Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions, Reasonably picked as early as Round 4:Look for the Lions to surprise a few people in 2010, with Jahvid Best serving as possibly the biggest impact newcomer in the NFL. Last year’s incumbent starter Kevin Smith will most likely start the season injured, coming off a season ending ACL tear, meaning Best could easily win the starting job outright in his absence. Even when he returns, there is no guarantee Smith will be at 100 effectiveness. Best is likely the far more talented back, even with both players at full strength, and head coach Jim Schwarz can already be heard gushing over Best’s college highlight reel. Best will likely be inconsistent as a rookie, both new to the league and behind an inconsistent Lions’ O-line, but he is sure to reel off big plays and will likely see far more touches than his current Average Draft Position would indicate. A conservative comparison out of this admittedly optimistic camp would be a DeSean Jackson type rookie season.Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs, Reasonably picked as early as round 8:It remains to be seen whether McCluster will be available as a running back or wide receiver in most fantasy formats, as the rookie out of Ole Miss is more likely to contribute out of the slot for the Chiefs. With limited offensive talent available split wide in Kansas City, McCluster could play a Welker-esque role as Scott Pioli tries to rebuild the Patriots offense with Matt Cassel at the helm. Likely to contribute in the return game as well, McCluster could provide at least a Reggie Bush level of production in his first year, though widely available several rounds later than Bush in most drafts. Read the rest of this entry »