Wow. Scour that waiver wire and it’s slim pickins out there, for sure. Trying to find some legitimate help can be a daunting task, especially if you’re looking to pick someone up for an extended period of time. So you’ve got to find the door where opportunity is knocking the loudest. Here are two guys who may not actually be Mr. Right, but can at least be Mr. Right-Now. Read the rest of this entry »
Sifting through your waiver wire can be a daunting task at this time of year. I mean, let’s face it…unless your league has such a limited bench or no DL spots to use, the majority of guys left out on the wire are there for a reason. Some can’t hit, some can’t run, some don’t play regularly, whatever their faults may be, the bottom line is that they are sitting there because no one else wants them. And very few of them have the ability to stay in your lineup on any kind of permanent basis if you do happen to grab one. So rather than just arbitrarily find you a moderately warm body to insert into your lineup for some indeterminable amount of time, let’s talk about two guys whose current performance and presence on the wire make them a hot topic amongst emails received over the past two weeks. Read the rest of this entry »
Per usual on Mondays, here is the latest news on some of the American League outfield eligible players.
Bullish:
Colby Rasmus – As noted in the comment section of my last AL OF Tiered Update Ranking, Rasmus decided to go on a tear as soon as I dropped him down to tier eight. Over the past 14 days, Rasmus has a .320 average, three home runs, 10 runs and even eight RBI’s. The RBI production is surprising because over that same 14 day time span, he has hit from the number two spot eight out of twelve games. Rasmus has broken broken my heart in the past, but I might get sucked in his tools yet again. He is only owned in 40% of Yahoo! and 67% of ESPN leagues, go grab him while he is hot. Read the rest of this entry »
Currently, I am playing in seven different roto leagues and if there is a common thread to be found in each one, it’s that just a handful of stolen bases can vault a number of teams up in the standings by an average of five points. Unless you’re sitting at the top of the stolen base category or sitting in last by a ridiculously large margin, a boost in steals could mean the difference between languishing in the bottom third of your league standings and competing for the championship. Here are a pair of outfielders who just might be able to help… Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re a little light in the speed department, then a couple of situations have opened up that might interest you. If you’re in an NL-only league, then my apologies. Feel free to move along. Nothing left to see here. But if you’re in an AL-only or mixed league, then these guys just might be able to help you out. Read the rest of this entry »
When an organization decides to give a player an opportunity to play every day and take over a starting position, fantasy owners need to stand up and take notice. Especially if the player qualifies at a position that is either thing to begin with or has been decimated by injuries through these first two months of the season. Here are two prime examples that are likely sitting on your waiver wire just waiting to be claimed.
Josh Bell, ARI |3B| Ownership: ESPN – 0.5% Yahoo – 1.0%
Right on the heels of my last Kicking Rocks piece which clamored for Bell’s call-up, the Diamondbacks finally said enough to the Cody Ransom/Ryan Roberts platoon they had working the hot corner this season. With little or no legitimate production at the position, it made perfect sense for the team to give Bell a shot, if not for anything but to at least just kick the tires and see what they had. It’s not like things could get worse, right?
When building your supporting cast, finding a few breakthrough candidates is paramount to your success. Hopefully your studs perform as they should and your late round sleepers find a way to outshine their draft positions, but on the chance that something goes awry, having some middle round breakthroughs could be the difference between winning your league and being an also-ran. Drafting Orioles center fielder Adam Jones would be a great place to start.
When news broke that 39 year old, lefty slugger Raul Ibanez was signing with the Yankees, his ADP took a significant jump. In fact, he jumped nearly 35 picks (3 rounds in a 12-team league), going from 21st round bench help to 18th round possible fifth or sixth outfielder. But while there still may be something left in the tank, Ibanez won’t be an everyday player. He might make for an acceptable option in deep AL-only leagues but for mixed leagues, he’ll better serve you on the “plug and play” level.
It’s time to start bringing back all those “shriveling testicles” and “Manny being Mary” jokes again, folks, as the always enthralling Manny Ramirez has signed a minor league deal with the Oakland A’s and has himself, not only an invitation to spring training, but a new opportunity to return to the major leagues. There are certainly a boatload of questions surrounding this move, but as we look into them all, the one question that I have for you is — would you draft Manny for your fantasy team?
We’ve spent so much time on these Would You Rathers with respect to keeper leagues that it’s time we threw some out for those that re-draft each year. Taking long term benefits out of the way, which player would you rather draft this season — Yoenis Cespedes or Bryce Harper?