What You Need To Know Before Your Draft...Fantasy Football Edition!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU DRAFT…

Written

As you get closer to entering your 2012-13 Fantasy Football draft, especially with the regular season just some six weeks away, there are some things that you need to remember, even if you’re a savvy manager with loads of fantasy trophies on the shelf! Here are a few to consider:

• Knowing the scoring system

Each league has their own blueprint. Some are very basic and some get a bit more intense. For example, in standard formats, points are awarded for points scored as well as yardage. In other more custom leagues, 6 points are garnered for passing TD’s instead of the more common 4. PPR (points per reception), points for return yardage and for scoring plays which cover more than 40 yards are just a few. Be mindful before selecting your league or you just might be in for a long season..

• Stay active on the waiver wire

If you want an edge in any fantasy league you must pay frequent visits to the waiver wire.  From my own experience, I have the greatest success when, at the end of a season, at least 50-60% of my team were acquired from the waiver pool and not the draft room.  Picking up new additions to your league should come more naturally (and often) in Fantasy Football than in most other sports as the injuries come faster and more furious on the gridiron than on a baseball diamond.  If you’re in multiple leagues, check several times a week to see the moves that other mangers have made. You’ll be surprised how many pickups you can acquire that way.

• Running Back Backups

In a future post, we will give you the names of several key backups/handcuffs to seek out if you were lucky enough to grab a top tier RB. Injuries to this position are more...

READ MORE...

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout

Read More

MLB 1st Half Questions

By: Justin Millar

Who do you believe have been the MVP's of the 1st half?

For the Al, my pick is relatively easy, as I believe Mike Trout has been the best player in baseball since his callup. Despite missing the Angels first 22 games, Trout leads the AL in WAR by half a win. Trout also ranks 1st in a variety of other categories including wRC+, batting average, and wOBA. He also has played arguably the best center field in baseball this year. Apologies to Robinson Cano and Josh Hamilton.

In the NL, I believe the race is much closer with Joey Votto, Andrew McCutchen, Michael Bourn, David Wright, and Ryan Braun all having deserving seasons thus far. Ultimately, I think Votto has been the NL's best player of the 1st half. Despite having half a season left, Votto has already reached the 5 WAR mark. He is on pace to have a historical season. Votto leads baseball in nearly every significant offensive metric OPS, wRC+, and wOBA. You could make an argument for any of the other 4 players I mentioned, but Votto is having a season for the ages. 

Who do you believe have been the Cy Young's of the 1st half?

With apologies to Chris Sale, Jered Weaver, and others, Ill give my hypothetical 1st half AL Cy Young vote to Justin Verlander. He is following up his remarkable 2011 campaign, with another Cy caliber year. Verlander currently leads the AL in innings pitched, which is a notably underrated stat. He also ranks among the leaders in numerous other categories, and is leading a shaky Tigers rotation.

In the NL, I believe Zack Greinke is having the best season. Greinke leads all NL pitchers in WAR, and is striking out over a batter per inning. Despite being a high strikeout guy, Greinke's groundball rate is among the best in the National League, which has caused a reduction in home runs allowed by Greinke. Overall, the NL race is extremely close right now, and you could easily make a case for RA Dickey, Matt Cain, Stephen Strasburg, and others.

Who do you believe have been the top rookies of the 1st half?

In the AL, it's really no contest. Mike Trout has been by far the best rookie in baseball.

The NL is much closer, with Wade Miley currently leading NL rookies in WAR. But I'll give my vote to Bryce Harper. Harper had held his own in the big leagues at the age of 19, and despite missing the 1st month of the season, he has been the Nationals 2nd most productive position player behind only Ian Desmond. 

What has been the biggest surprise of the 1st half?

The 1st half of the 2012 season has been full of surprises, ranging from the Orioles competitiveness to the domination of RA Dickey's knuckleball. For me, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been the biggest surprise so far. Who would've thought they'd be in first place this late in the season? Who knew the pitching staff would be this good? They arguably have baseball's best player in Andrew McCutchen, and they continue to win games despite an offense that ranks 21st in runs scored. They have been baseball's most exciting team, and nobody predicted them to be this good.  It has been a pleasant surprise, and hopefully things continue to look up for Pittsburgh.

What has been the biggest disappointment of the 1st half?

The biggest disappointment for me, has easily been the Detroit Tigers. They have been playing better of late, but are still 4 games behind the White Sox in the loss column. Largely picked as a preseason favorite to make the post season, Detroit has many weaknesses, and I really don't know if they will be able to win their division in the end. Their lack of acknowledgement to defense has seriously hindered them, and injuries have rattled the rotation. The offense has also proved to not be as good as we thought. Despite having 3 of the AL's best hitters in Miguel Cabrera, Austin Jackson, and Prince Fielder, the lineup is incredibly thin. It's hard to see Detroit as a serious threat when they are starting Delmon Young, Brennan Boesch, Ramon Santiago, and Quintin Berry on a regular basis.

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootoutso 

Read More

Andrew McCutchen: The Heart of the Pittsburgh Pirates

By: Justin Millar

When asked the question, "which one player would you pick to be on your team for the next decade?" a short group of about 10 players come to mind, such as budding young superstars Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, dominating stars that are just hitting their primes such as Matt Kemp or Troy Tulowitzki, or a rising ace like Clayton Kershaw or Stephen Strasburg. But what about Andrew McCutchen? He is just 25 and has been worth over 15 wins since he was called up in 2009. The casual fan may not be so familiar with McCutchen, probably because he plays for a Pittsburgh Pirates team that last made the playoffs in 1992, 2 decades ago! Maybe some aren't familiar with him because he isn't a 30+ home run basher or someone who can steal 50 bases. It could be that McCutchen isn't considered a "sexy" player by baseball standards. He doesn't have that 80 grade tool or a flashy persona. The fact is, McCutchen is one of the best players in the game today, and he likely will be for another decade or so.


McCutchen was drafted by the Pirates with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft, and quickly tore up the minors. He was consistently considered one of the top prospects in the game, and he flashed potential plus tools in all 5 categories. He reached the majors in June of 2009, and quickly became a bright spot for a struggling franchise. In just 108 games, he posted a 3.5 WAR and a 121 OPS+. He continued his pace through the 2010 season, his first full year in the majors. He essentially replicated his 2009 numbers, albeit over a full season. His OPS+ (121), BA (.286), and OBP (.365) were exactly the same as the year before. He also showed signs of things to come. He followed up a poor defensive 2009 season with a solid 2010 season, and he looked like a future plus centerfielder. His strikeout rate dropped, and he was impressive on the base paths going 33 for 43 for a 77% success rate.
 

McCutchen is the heart of the offense on a surprisingly contending Pirates team.

McCutchen took a large step forward in 2011, earning his first All-star game bid. He improved his walk rate, and finally demonstrated his power potential. He slugged .456 with 23 homers, each being full season highs. He also posted a new career best with a 128 OPS+ and 5.7 WAR. McCutchen's average dropped significantly to .259 mostly due to a low BABIP, an increased strikeout rate, and a second half that was lackluster compared to his first. He still was able to post a .364 OBP though. His real growth came defensively in 2011. He finally became an above average centerfielder, posting a +5 defensive runs saved. It appears to be that McCutchen has become a true 5 tool talent who has yet to hit his peak. He is above average to plus in his arm, defense, and run tools. An above average centerfielder is extremely valuable, and when you consider his offensive upside, he becomes an extremely attractive commodity. He has plus hit and power tools and should settle into being a .290/.375/.500 type player with 30-30 potential.

Now in his age 25 season, he is proving to be even better. He is in the top 10 in the NL in home runs (6th), runs scored (7), batting average (1st), slugging (2nd), and OPS (2nd). ZiPS projects McCutchen to finish 2012 with a .328/.393/.554 slash line to go along with 27 home runs, 96 RBIs, 104 runs scored, 26 steals, and a 6.7 WAR. Now, ZiPS is notably conservative, so McCutchen very well could end up exceeding their projections. Not too shabby for a kid who won't be 26 until October.

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout

Read More

MLB Power Rankings: Week 15

It was a big week in baseball, as we head into the All Star break. Texas and New York have asserted themselves as the best in baseball, and the Pirates are showing they could be for real. Meanwhile, the Phillies, Red Sox, and Giants continued to slide.

Power Rankings

Current		Team	Previous
	1	Texas Rangers	1
	Joe Nathan has allowed just 3 runs since the start of May.
	2	New York Yankees	2
	Robinson Cano will captain the AL home run derby squad on Monday, but could he also be in line for the MVP? He ranks 2nd only to Mike Trout in WAR in the American League.
	3	Washington Nationals +1	4
	The Nationals pitching staff ranks 1st in baseball with a 3.19 ERA.
	4	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim -1	3
	Since starting off 6-14, the Angels are an incredible 42-24, good for a .636 winning percentage.
	5	Chicago White Sox +2	7
	Jake Peavy was finally named to the All Star game yesterday, replacing CJ Wilson who is out with blisters. Peavy is enjoying a nice career renaissance.
	6	Cincinatti Reds	6
	The Reds sit just 1 game behind the Pirates. Joey Votto finished the first half with 35 doubles, the most by a Red before the all-star break ever.
	7	Pittsburgh Pirates +7	14
	The Pirates currently have the 4th best record in all of baseball, despite ranking 29th in baseball in on base percentage.
	8	Atlanta Braves +3	11
	The Braves outfield trio of Michael Bourn, Jason Heyward, and Martin Prado currently rank 3rd, 7th, and 8th in the NL in wins above replacement.
	9	Los Angeles Dodgers +3	12
	The Dodgers have regained the NL West lead, but are still struggling to score runs. They have only scored more than 4 runs once since a June 22nd loss to the Angels.
	10	St. Louis Cardinals	10
	Despite giving up 5 or more runs in each of his last 3 starts, Lance Lynn returned on Thursday to throw 6 shutout innings.
	11	New York Mets -2	9
	The Mets just don't seem to give up. They currently sit a half game behind Atlanta for the 2nd Wild Card spot.
	12	San Francisco Giants -7	5
	The Giants have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games and now sit half a game back from the Dodgers in the NL West. It also doesn't help that Tim Lincecum continues to struggle. Could he be moved to the bullpen, and be used as some sort of 130 inning relief ace?

	13	Tampa Bay Rays	13
	The Rays offense took another hit as outfielder Matthew Joyce landed on the 15-day DL. Joyce has an .899 OPS in 62 games this season.

	14	Baltimore Orioles +1	15
	The Orioles have cooled off in recent weeks, but still have a .5 game lead over the Rays for the 2nd wild card spot.
	15	Boston Red Sox -7	8
	Some good news for Red Sox fans: David Ortiz is enjoying his best season since 2007 when he finished 4th in AL MVP balloting.
	16	Detroit Tigers +2	18
	The Tigers are finally above .500 as they have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games.
	17	Cleveland Indians +2	19
	Cleveland's rotation is easily one of the worst in the majors. Justin Masterson leads the rotation with a 4.40 ERA.
	18	Toronto Blue Jays -2	16
	Blue Jays 2012 first round pick, Marcus Stroman has officially been moved to the bullpen for 2012. Could we see him in Toronto sometime this year?
	19	Oakland Athletics +2	21
	The Athletics are sitting at .500 as they head into the break, but are still 8.5 back from the Rangers and 5 from the Angels.
	20	Arizona Diamondbacks -3	17
	There have been numerous reports that the D-backs are willing to trade star outfielder Justin Upton. Despite the reports, the D-backs have been playing well as of late and are just 1 game below .500.
	21	Miami Marlins +1	22
	The Giancarlo Stanton injury is bad news for Miami fans. This also means that Miami will have no representatives playing in this years all-star game.
	22	Milwaukee Brewers -2	20
	Zack Greinke currently leads all NL pitchers in WAR. He is also one of only 2 pitchers to start back to back games this season. The other being CJ Wilson.
	23	Kansas City Royals +1	24
	Despite having the 7th best team batting average, the Royals rank just 21st in runs scored this season.

	24	Minnesota Twins +3	27
	Joe Mauer might be having one of the more underrated seasons of anybody this year, particularly by a former MVP. Mauer leads the AL in OBP and has a 141 OPS+. He is also on pace to hit double digit home runs for the first time since his 2009 MVP campaign.

	25	Philadelphia Phillies -2	23
	Just how bad can it get for Philadelphia? They currently sit 14 games out of 1st in the NL East and have lost 10 of their last 11 games. The return of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard may be what the Phillies need to start winning again.
	26	Seattle Mariners -1	25
	At the age of 38, Ichiro Suzuki is in the midst of his worst season as a big leaguer. He is hitting .261, but his OBP sits at only .288.
	27	San Diego Padres +3	30
	Padres fans don't have much to cheer for these days, but they do have some hope. Yasmani Grandal combined to hit 4 home runs in his first 6 games in the big leagues this past week.
	28	Chicago Cubs +1	29
	Ryan Dempster hasn't allowed a run in his last 27 innings pitched. He should be a valuable commodity as we near the July 31st trade deadline.
	29	Colorado Rockies -1	28
	The Rockies offense has been one of the 5 best in baseball this season, but their pitching ranks last in nearly every statistical category. They've reached the point where you can't just blame Coors Field for their troubles.
	30	Houston Astros -4	26
	Houston is on a horrendous 1-11 stretch. Bad pitching has been their undoing as their staff ranks 27th in the majors in ERA. The team has also allowed at least 5 runs in 6 of their last dozen games.

Biggest Jump: Pittsburgh Pirates +7

Biggest Drop: San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox -7

You can follow Justin Millar on twitter at @justinmillar1, or email him atJustinmillar1@gmail.com. Comment below to join the discussion.

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout

Read More

Fantasy Baseball: Week #15

Written By Fantasy Furnace

As we get set to approach the final third of the fantasy regular season, as well as the All-Star break 7/9 through 7/12, there is a virtual plethora of adds that are certain to help your leagues in several areas. Team owners should consider picking up the ones below before the break on Monday. Lets get right to them...

1. Alexi Amarista-2B-Padres- Since taking over the 2B duties from Logan Forsythe who had been struggling at the plate, the 23 year old who was picked up from the Angels earlier in the season, has given the usually anemic Padres offense a real boost. Amarista has started the last seven games at second base and has gone 11-30 (.366) with 3 home runs, 9 RBI, 7 runs scored, and 1 SB. What's more impressive is that four of those seven games have been multi-hit ones! Take a flier out on the little guy (5'8" 150 lbs.) in 12+ leagues. In N.L. only leagues he's a must add. Amarista is available in 90% of leagues.

2. Tyler Colvin-1B/OF-Rockies- This 26 year old former 1st round pick of the Chicago Cubs is probably one of the best kept secrets in all of 'fantasyland'. Colvin is just 2 years removed from hitting 20 homers with the Cubs in just 358 AB's. If he continues to play regularly he'll be on pace to reach a career high 30 HR. In just 180 AB so far this season, he is batting .311 with 26 runs scored, 13 HR, 40 RBI to go along with a SLG % of .644 which rivals Albert Pujols' career SLG % mark of .609! Colvin has also hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games; (he was used as a pinch hitter in the lone hitless game). And oh, he also is the only player in MLB to hit two home runs off of fireballer Steven Strassburg...in one game! The mind boggles as he is only owned in 30% of leagues. We recommend him as a 'Must Add' in all leagues.

#21 Rockies Tyler Colvin homers in last Tuesday's game against the Cardinals. He is the Furnace's week #15 "Must Add". Photo: Dilip Vishwanat - Getty Images

3. Norichika Aoki-OF-Brewers- If you have a need for speed and a consistent high batting average, (think Ichiro), then this 30 year old rookie could help your team. Aoki is batting .303 through 75 games this season, has scored 35 runs and has 11 stolen bases; 4 in one game back on June 23rd against...

READ MORE...

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout

Read More