When making waiver wire moves at this point in the year, you like to have some sort of comforting reassurance that you know what you’re getting when you pick a guy up. With all the unproven commodities arriving in September, sifting through the names can be aggravating at times because you aren’t quite sure how they’ll perform or how much playing time they’ll even get. That’s why I like to stick with what I know and one of the things I know is that you’re simply not going to find that five-tool fantasy dreamboat that you and everyone else craves. Could you catch lightning in a bottle with a random pick-up? Sure. But your odds of that are probably as good as hitting a lotto jackpot and being able to move out of your mom’s basement and into a command center of your own. Most players that you find available right now have some sort of flaw but are more than capable of contributing in some fashion because they are seeing consistent playing time and have proven where they are most capable. Like these, for example… Read the rest of this entry »

September is almost upon us, which is when my job gets infinitely easier. Luckily, a trade and poor performance from an incumbent has given these interesting lads an opportunity. Hopefully the opportunity is used to perform well and earn some Only league value.

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One of best players of all time is available in nearly 40% of fantasy leagues. Alright, that’s not entirely fair. Alex Rodriguez has performed well in his brief stint this season, but his skills are greatly diminished. Still, based on what he’s done in the past, there’s no reason the 37-year-old should be available in so many leagues. On the opposite end, one youngster is getting his chance to make his mark in the majors. Avisail Garcia has only played 12 games with his new club, but he’s shown signs of life. Both players deserve to be owned more.

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It’s time to dive into the free agent pool to make that last push into a money spot in your deep league. September is fast approaching and that’s when a ton of new options will pop up and make a case for significant playing time.

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Few prospects dominate the majors immediately. Ike Davis and Justin Smoak had so much promise once upon a time, only to see their stars dim in recent years. Coming into the season, Davis was still a somewhat promising player, whose struggled through an early illness in 2012. Smoak had already been written off as a bust. While the struggles continue for Davis, he’s starting showing signs of life after a recent promotion. Smoak is starting to show effectiveness in the majors for the first time in his career. There may still be hope for the former prospects.

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There are just two weeks left in August and then, come September, rosters expand and your league’s waiver wire gets flooded with names filled with potential. But until then, you’re stuck sifting through the same old names, desperately hoping someone catches fire and can help boost your fantasy totals, even if for just a short time. Adding help at the corner infield spot can be a difficult task at this time of year, but it’s certainly not impossible. Read the rest of this entry »

It sometimes takes a while for fantasy owners to buy into surprise performances. There are plenty of reasons for this. For one, smart owners are always preaching sample size, and are willing to be patient on a surprise player before buying in. There’s also the issue of career performance to date. If a player has a career .258/.317/.444 slash line, it’s going to take a lot of convincing for an owner to believe when that player hits .277/.370/.565. Those, coincidentally, happen to be Ryan Raburn’s stats. Based on what he’s done this year, it might be time to start buying in to his performance.

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Third base help is on the way! If you’re like me in my Tout Wars league, you may have been juggling third basemen all season long. I have endured Kevin Youkilis, Luis Valbuena and Lonnie Chisenhall with fingers crossed that Aramis Ramirez does indeed return from the DL this weekend. Now deep league owners have two more options to consider.

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After the Ryan Braun suspension was announced, the most common question I got from ottoneu players was what to do with their $45, $50 or even $60 shares in Braun. No value left this year, but what will he bring to the table next year.

Eno Sarris looked at Braun’s value yesterday, so I’m not going to go down that path. Instead, we are going to take a look at the chain reaction that occurred when Braun was cut in the original ottoneu league, as a bit of a warning of what you should expect should he get cut in your league.

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Injuries can lead to opportunity in fantasy leagues. Talented players may have been cast aside after impatient owners cut bait. Once those players are ready to return to the majors, they become hot commodities on the waiver wire. That’s not always the case when players are rehabbing. If you act early enough on a potentially valuable starter, there’s a chance you can get him on the cheap. Marco Estrada and Jason Vargas may currently be in the middle of their rehab assignments, but both can have value going forward.

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