Rookie WR's should not be overlooked

Fantasy Football has evolved. Ever hear someone say that a particular WR is due to breakout because it is his 3rd year in the league? That is a thing of the past. Rookie wideouts are contributing immediately. This season's receiving corp may end up being one of the best in fantasy history for rookies.

Lets start with the guy I rated #1 out of this receiving group.

Michael Crabtree ended his long holdout and played his first NFL game Week 7 vs the Texans. In his first two games of the year Crabtree had an impressive 11 catches for 137 yards. Crabtree already is paying dividends for fantasy owners. With Alex Smith playing pretty well, and the fact that San Fransisco plays in a pretty bad division, Crabtree could be realistically be a solid #2 WR in fantasy formats as early as this season. In dynasty/keeper leagues, there is no doubt in my mind that Crabtree will be an elite WR in this league.

Percy Harvin - Harvin no doubt about is the offensive rookie of the year so far. If your league awards return TDs, Harvin would lead all rookie receivers with 5 TDs. Harvin had his best game of his young career in one of the biggest regular season games in a long time last week vs Green Bay. Harvin has the ability to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Harvin's value right now is borderline #2 WR, more comfortable at #3. He definitely has a lot of chemistry with Brett Favre, and I could see him being very valuable come playoff time. He definitely has high value in keeper/dynasty leagues. My only concern with Harvin is once Favre decides to retire, Minnesota is going to be hurting at QB again. I like Harvin over teammate Sydney Rice only because Harvin can make plays on his own, and Rice needs to rely on the talent at QB.



Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks just recently ended his consecutive TD streak at 4 last week vs the Eagles. Four touchdowns in 6 games this season ranks him tied tops among rookie receivers. Nicks is currently #3 on the Giants depth chart behind Steve Smith and Mario Mannigham. I expect Nicks to jump Manningham eventually because of his sheer size. Nicks is a bigger target, and Manningham is pretty much the same kind of WR that Steve Smith is. In keeper/dynasty leagues I am very high on Hakeem. He has the talent to be a #1 WR in this league.

The Eagles goal the past couple of years has been to rebuild the offense. Give Donovan McNabb one more legit shot at winning a title. They spent two early picks this year to get some more weapons on offense. Missouri's Jeremy Maclin was the 2nd early pick receiver in as many years. (DeSean Jackson being the other) They also added the future at RB with LeSean McCoy.
Maclin started off slow this year, but he has come on as of late. He had a big game vs Tampa in Week 5, (6 rec 142 yds 2 TD) and two decent games the past two weeks vs Washington & New York. Maclin is a borderline #3 WR / Flex option in most leagues down the stretch. Maclin doesn't have the speed that Jackson does, but not many receivers in the league do. Maclin has plenty of upside, and in keeper/dynasty leagues I like Maclin 4th among all the rookies.



Mike Wallace was drafted in the 3rd round by Pittsburgh this year. The Steelers didn't have high expectations for him. Wallace outplayed last years 2nd round pick Limas Sweed and won a spot as the Steelers #3 WR. Wallace has great speed and is the Steelers best deep option. Wallace has even outplayed Santonio Holmes this season. Holmes had a great game on opening night vs the Titans but has been pretty much non existent since then. The Steelers are now a pass first team lead by Ben Roethlisberger. Wallace is a good flex option now and is worth monitoring his progress over the next few weeks. Wallace really shines though in a keeper/dynasty setting. Other then Hakeem Nicks these above WR's have long term QB problems in the future. Hines Ward is near the tail end of his career, and Wallace is ready to step in and make a difference. If Pittsburgh keeps up this pass first type of offense Wallace could be a solid #2 fantasy option in a couple of years.

Anthony Gonzalez was expected to have a big fantasy season in his first year as the #2 WR in the juggernaut Colts offense. Gonzalez got hurt, and many were discounting the Colts. Well the Colts stand 8-0 right now and one of the main reasons is 4th round rookie WR Austin Collie. Collie and 2nd year Pierre Garcon have filled in nicely. Collie has 4 TD's this season and has been very impressive over the past 4 games where he has averaged 6 rec 66 yds 1 TD. Peyton Manning likes to spread the ball over the field, and even when Gonzalez comes back from injury Collie will still be targeted. Collie is worth starting right now as a #3 WR/Flex option. In a keeper/dynasty setting Collie is worth holding on to, as an injury to Reggie Wayne or Dallas Clark would provide a huge increase to numbers to someone else. Collie has more receptions and targets then Garcon, so he is the add.

The Chicago Bears haven't had a good receiver in a long long time. They also haven't had a good QB to throw them the ball in almost as long. The Jay Cutler era has begun and it has been a pretty good start for the Bears signal caller. Johnny Knox is currently 3rd on the team in receptions and leads the Bears in TDs with 4. (3 rec, 1 KOR) Devin Hester has solidified himself as the #1 option in the passing game. The #2 WR is up for grabs between Knox and Cutler's former college teammate Earl Bennett. I like Knox a little more then Bennett for the future though. Cutler to Chicago is probably two years too late, as the once dominant defense is mediocre. Chicago is going to be behind a lot which is great for fantasy owners. Knox is a speedster and is worth starting now as a bye week filler or when the Bears have a favorable matchup. In keeper/dynasty leagues Knox is definitely worth a roster shot.


Tennessee drafted a WR in the 1st round, the first time they have drafted a WR in the 1st round since drafting Kevin Dyson before Randy Moss in the 1998 draft. Kenny Britt had a good start to his rookie season, but has been pretty much a ghost since his big game in Jacksonville Week 4. Britt is worth stashing on your bench if you have a deep bench. The Titans have the best RB in the AFC and possibly NFL in Chris Johnson, and it looks like they have gotten back to old Titans football the past two weeks which means less opportunities for their WRs. Britt is a big redzone target at 6'3 and has above average speed.

Some of the other rookie WR's that have been playing well this year include Mohamed Massaquoi who is Cleveland's #1. Oakland's Louis Murphy leads all Oakland WR's in catches, and is the only WR to catch a TD through Week 9. Julian Edelman of the Patriots has had some nice games as well this year averaging almost 5 receptions per game. Sammie Stroughter of the Bucs & Mike Thomas of the Jags have also played well this year.

One WR you will not see on this list is the first overall receiver taken in the 2009 NFL draft Darrius Heyward-Bey of the Raiders. DHB has been a colossal bust so far only hauling in a measily 5 catches this season. This is why the Raiders will be picking in the top 10 yet again next year.

0-3? Your Fantasy Season is not over

Getting pummeled in your fantasy league?

In one of my leagues there is a 0-3 team with the 3rd highest amount of points in the league. In another one of my leagues, there is a team that is 3-0 and he is 9th overall in scoring. Luck can definitely be a factor in fantasy sports, but if you don't want to just rely on luck here are some tips to help you out.

Free Agents
Know the rules of your league. Is it a free for all, or is it done based on a waivers system. (My ideal options on setting up a league) A waiver system is obviously the way to go, but waiver order is important. You don't want to waste a waiver pick on a bye week TE,K,DEF. You can pick up those positions later in the week. Save your waiver spot for one of the elite positions like RB. If you saved your waiver position this week, you could have landed Glen Coffee who has a very soft matchup this week vs the Rams. In a free for all system, it benefits the player who is attentive. When Frank Gore gets carted off the field, an astute owner would make the move immediately and pick up the backup.

Look at more then just statistics
Perfect Example, Joe Flacco is having a nice fantasy year so far with 839 yards 6 TD, 2 INT in 3 games. He is rated 5th among fantasy QB's right now. Is he a top 5 fantasy QB? Absolutely not. LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE Baltimore played the two worst teams in the AFC in Cleveland & Kansas City. Don't be tricked into trading a QB like Donovan McNabb for Flacco because of the hot start. These numbers will even out in the long run, and Baltimore runs more than any team in the NFL.

Here are some players I recommend targeting

QB - Matt Schaub
Schaub's big day in week 2 vs Tennessee was no joke. Kevin Walter is finally healthy and already paying dividends and Houston's schedule over the next five weeks is cake. (vs Oakland, at Arizona, at Cincinnati, vs San Fransisco, at Buffalo)

RB - Fred Jackson
The return of Marshawn Lynch might scare off some Fred Jackson owners, and you might be able to get him at a discount. Jackson is still going to get a lot of work in Buffalo and only Tim Hightower has more receptions then Jackson, so if you are in a PPR league, Jackson is a good bargain. (I also like Steve Slaton as well for same above reasons as Schaub)

WR - Eddie Royal
Royal has been pre-maturely dumped in too many fantasy leagues. Royal is the perfect receiver in Josh McDaniels offense. I am not going to go out and spend a lot in a trade for him, but if he was dropped in your league or you can get him for cheap in a trade, it is worth the gamble as he has huge upside considering his numbers last year.




Players I am looking to move in a trade

QB - Joe Flacco for the reasons mentioned above.

RB - Pierre Thomas
New Orleans offense might be great, but they have a pretty rough stretch coming up. (Jets, Giants, Miami) If this isn't enough Mike Bell should be returning from injury as well and if you think Bell doesn't get a share of the carries then you are fooling yourself. Lynell Hamilton stole a goal line carry from Thomas this past Sunday. The same will happen in the future with Bell as he runs better between the tackles. If New Orleans runs 22 times a game, 8 of those carries will be Reggie Bush's, that leaves 14 carries. Even if Pierre gets all 14 of those carries at a generous 5 yards per pop, that is only 70 yds, and he has little value in a PPR league.

WR - Santana Moss
I do not like Santana Moss at all, and after a 10 rec 178 yd 1 TD performance against the Lions this past Sunday, his value is at an all time high. I have been burned by Santana Moss too many times in the past, and the fact that Jason Campbell is one of the worst QB's in the league doesn't help him either.

That's it for this week.

If you have a fantasy related question email me at beaz@xtremedynasty.com

Great fantasy regular season spoiled

The dreams of a fantasy championship by the KungFu Pandas in one of my baseball dynasty leagues came to a bitter end last night. The mighty Pandas were the cream of the crop in the league posting a regular season record of 213-128-11. A nice .621 win percentage, and a 21 game cushion between 1st and 2nd place.

The Pandas made a bunch of key late season trades mortgaging some of the future for a shot at a title this season by adding vets like Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, Raul Ibanez, Randy Wolf & Kevin Millwood. Most of these were great moves and the Pandas were lined deep in #1 starting pitchers and one of the nastiest lineups in the league.

My team, the 5th seed in the league and one of the unluckiest teams with injuries this season had to play KFP in the 2nd round of the playoffs. My injuries this year consisted of Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Quentin, Edinson Volquez, and Kevin Slowey to name a few. I basically had written myself off starting the week, so much that I even asked the other owner for a "chop" where the losing team would get their buy in back. KFP kindly agreed, even though most likely it would not benefit him.

His team consisted of Pablo Sandoval, Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Robinson Cano, Mark Reynolds, Matt Kemp, Zack Greinke, King Felix, and Adam Wainwright just to name a few of his elite players.

I battled the entire week, and thanks to a 30 IP pitch requirement I was able to snag Losses,Saves,ERA,WHIP,K/9. (5 of 8 pitching categories) without having to pitch anyone on the weekend. I started the day on Sunday close in HRs,RBI's,K's & within striking distance in .AVG. I had to win 3 of these categories to get to win 8-8 as Yahoo default and our current tie-breaker for the year was ERA. I had a great day hitting on Sunday (batted over .400 for the day) and KFP had an off day, and I made up the ground needed to put me in the drivers seat 8-8 going into Sunday night's contest.

KFP just needed to tie me in just 1 category and he had Adam Wainwright starting where he was only a few hundredths of a point off in WHIP. His other main player was Albert Pujols who just needed 2 RBI's to tie me. Luckily both players fell short of what they needed and I won the matchup.

No matter what happens in the championship game, taking down this monster of a team and playing spoilers is sometimes more rewarding then collecting the hardware.

Huge Dynasty League Trade

Today, two owners in one of my Dynasty NFL leagues pulled off a monster of a deal. I will breakdown the deal, and provide my analysis on it.

Scoring: standard scoring, but 1/2 PPR
Starters: 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 Flex, and there is a HUGE bench

Team A trades

QB - Mark Sanchez
RB - Matt Forte
RB - Cadillac Williams
WR - Braylon Edwards
Def - Miami

Team B trades

QB - Matt Ryan
RB - Ray Rice
RB - LeRon McClain
WR - Roddy White
WR - Sidney Rice

Some notes on current rosters of these two teams.

Team A: Started Jake Delhomme at QB last week, and Sanchez & Jamarcus Russell are his only other QB's.

Team B: Has Aaron Rodgers as his starting QB.

QB

Ryan vs Sanchez - This is actually closer then people might think it is, especially after a pretty good opening day performance by Mark Sanchez. Ryan I have rated as the 10th best QB to start off a dynasty league with. I am really high on Ryan as I was proven wrong about him last year. The only downside to Ryan is that Atlanta is a running team, and his opportunities for TD's might be limited. The downside to Sanchez is he doesn't have the weapons that Matt Ryan has with Michael Turner, Roddy White & Tony Gonzalez. Team B doesn't need Matt Ryan though. He is just a dust collector on Team B's bench.

RB
Rice/McClain vs Forte/Cadillac - This is why this trade is possible as Team B adds Matt Forte who I have ranked 5th among RB's to start off a dynasty with. Forte is added to this team who already has Adrian Peterson. Definitely the top 1-2 punch in the league for sure. Ray Rice I only had ranked 20th, but right now I would probably push him up to around 12 overall. Cadillac Williams gives Team B another option at the flex position as well. I am not sold on Cadillac despite a very impressive performance against the Cowboys in Week 1. I like Derrick Ward probably a little bit better in a PPR league, but Cadillac is definitely an upgrade over McClain.

WR/Def
Edwards/Miami Def vs R.White/S.Rice - I got Roddy ranked 5th among WR's to start out a dynasty with, and Braylon at #13. Braylon Edwards though is a wildcard, because if he ever gets out of his funk and puts numbers up near to what he had 2 seasons ago, he could actually out perform White. I doubt this would happen, but Braylon does have talent. Team B is a Miami fan and getting their defense for young Sidney Rice is just a throw in. Rice does have a lot of talent, but he has yet to show it consistently in the NFL.

Final Analysis
So if you break it down, in these 3 categories. Team A wins in 2 of the 3 in talent returning back to his team by position, but and HUGE BUT, Team B does not need Matt Ryan, and Mark Sanchez is just a rookie and can end up better then Matt Ryan. Take that with getting a RB who is one of only a few RB's in this league who get their teams majority of the carries in Forte. McClain is going to steal goal line carries from Rice. Forte will still get his, plus he is a good receiving weapon as well.

I am also not a big fan of having QB/WR combo's, only in rare circumstances. (Brady/Moss for example) If Atlanta has a rough matchup one week, not only are you going to get screwed with your QB, but your top WR as well. This however is not the case with Team A as he now has 3 of the top 5 WR's in the league. Roddy is actually his 3rd best option behind Fitz & Megatron. WOW. I still am not a big fan of having a combo like this though.

In my opinion we have a clear cut winner in this deal, and that is Team B. This is as of right now, of course anything can change in the great world of the NFL.

Got a fantasy related question? Have a trade offer and need an opinion? E-mail me at beaz@xtremedynasty.com

Week 1 Fantasy Rundown

As Week 1 concludes tonight, it is time to take a look at the fantasy winners & losers of week 1, and give you some tips for the rest of the season. I will exclude the obvious. (Brees, AD, Delhomme)

QB

Winner: Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens picked apart a weak Kansas City secondary on Sunday. Flacco's line of 307 yds 3 TD, 1 Int was the 3rd best among QB's this week. Don't expect numbers like this from Flacco going forward. Baltimore ran the ball more than any NFL team in the league last year, by a good amount as well. This is Baltimore Ravens football. Flacco will never be a franchise type QB you want in fantasy, so now is the perfect time to test his value.

Loser: Matt Schaub looked lost against the Jets on Sunday. New Head Coach Rex Ryan's defensive scheme was brilliant. Schaub struggled, Slaton struggled, and so did Andre Johnson. It was just a lousy day. I still like Schaub going forward though, so don't sell him short.



RB

Winner: Thomas Jones was written off by many going into this season. Jones silenced those critics, at least for week 1 with a nice 107 yard game with 2 scores on 20 carries. Leon Washington had 15 carries himself, and I expect this to be the norm going forward for the Jets. If you can move Jones do so, especially in a dynasty setting.

Loser: Michael Turner had a pretty disappointing game against the Dolphins. 65 total yards is hardly what you expect from a player you are taken in the top five in a draft. You will not be able to trade for Turner now, but they play Carolina & New England next. Two more sub par performances and you may be able to steal him from a frustrated owner.





WR

Winner: Patrick Crayton's stat line is a lot better then is acutal performance was this week. 4 rec 135 yds 1 td. Crayton was wide open due to blown coverage pretty much on all of his receptions. Crayton may have value to some people as a 3rd WR or Flex starter on a bye week, but I personally don't like him. Dallas will run the ball more this year, and Jason Witten & Roy Williams are higher on the food chain.

Loser: Braylon Edwards line of 1 rec for 12 yards was pretty weak considering the weakness of the Vikings defense is their secondary. I don't think we will see the 16 TD Braylon of old any time soon, but I wouldn't sell him short either. He is a definite hold right now, but if he doesn't get things going after the Bengals game, you might want to reserve a spot on the bench for him.

Got a fantasy related question? e-mail me at beaz@xtremedynasty.com

2009 - NFL Playoff Predictions

Well, if you have been following my season previews, it is now officially go time to make my 2009 Super Bowl pick.

AFC
To review, the break down in each division, click below.
AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West

The seeds

1. Pittsburgh 12-4
2. San Diego 12-4
3. New England 12-4
4. Tennessee 11-5
5. Baltimore 10-6
6. Houston 10-6

Wildcard Weekend
(3) New England vs (6) Houston
The story book season for the Texans is over here as Tom Brady and the Patriots are just too much offensively for the Texans to handle. I expect a blowout in this one. The Texans will be back though. New England 38 Houston 14

(4) Tennessee vs (5) Baltimore
This is definitely the matchup the Titans do not want to see in the 1st round of the playoffs, but last year was a learnig experience. A healthy Chris Johnson will be the difference in this close contest. Tennessee 17 Baltimore 13

Divisional Round

(1) Pittsburgh vs (4) Tennessee
Tennessee lost the week 1 opener when they pretty much dominated the entire game. Pittsburgh is not an easy place to win in the winter, but I am calling for the upset here as I think the Titans are better. Tennessee 23 Pittsburgh 20

(2) San Diego vs (3) New England
This will be one hell of a game. I think San Diego's defense is the difference here as I think they will be borderline top 5 this year, and offensively they can put up points with the best of them. San Diego 27 New England 17

Conference Championship

(2) San Diego vs (4) Tennessee
Another familiar opponent for Tennessee. A rematch from a game played on Christmas night, and the Chargers knocked out the Titans 2 years ago in the playoffs. I think Phillip Rivers is the difference here and the Chargers advance to the Super Bowl
San Diego 23 Tennessee 14



NFC
To review, the break down in each division, click below.
NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, NFC West


The seeds

1. NY Giants 11-5
2. New Orleans 10-6
3. Minnesota 10-6
4. Seattle 9-7
5. Dallas 10-6
6. Green Bay 9-7

Wildcard Weekend

(3) Minnesota vs (6) Green Bay
You couldn't have scripted this any better, and I am calling the upset in round 1, as Favre loses to the Packers in his last game as pro. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense too much here. Green Bay 31 Minnesota 7


(4) Seattle vs (5) Dallas
A very familiar playoff matchup. We all know what happened last time these two teams met in the playoffs. 24 teams have won a playoff game since the Cowboys last won a playoff game back in 1996. We can finally put that stat to a rest here.
Dallas 25 Seattle 20

Divisonal Round

(1) NY Giants vs (6) Green Bay
Two upsets in the 1st round of the playoffs in the NFC, but the #6 seed gets no love here as I see the Giants dominating the Packers at home. Brandon Jacobs & Ahmad Bradshaw are too much in this one. NY Giants 30 Green Bay 13

(2) New Orleans vs. (5) Dallas
I really think that losing T.O in the offseason will be the best thing to happen to this Dallas team. New Orleans is still one dimensional, and I think Dallas has too much on the ground, and force Brees into some bad picks. Dallas 24 New Orleans 21

Championship Round

(1) NY Giants vs (5) Dallas
Many people will be on the Dallas bandwagon here, as you will hear it is so hard for one team to beat another 3 times in one season. (yes, giants sweep reg season) I just like the Giants a lot more especially at home. NY Giants 19 Dallas 13

Super Bowl

(1) San Diego Chargers vs (1) NY Giants
In ten years we will be looking back at the 2004 NFL QB class as one of the best ever when it comes to championships. Big Ben has 2, Eli has 1, and now Phillip Rivers will join this class of Super Bowl winners as the Chargers get it done. I think the "X" factor is Tomlinson, and I think he is out to prove to the world that he isn't washed up. San Diego 28 NY Giants 24

MLB Dynasty League - Grab these guys now

In a Baseball dynasty? Out of the playoffs? Moving onto football already? Slow down real quick for a moment. I'm as excited for the football season as you. But a good GM will always evalute his roster and look to improve for the following year. A ton of talent has made its way into the big leagues lately and lets take a quick look at some you might wanna target and ditch some old dead weight. The guys listed might be already owned in the league you're in. If they are keep reading we might find you a gem or two heading into next season. I'm not going to bother listing the Laporta / Maybin / Escobar / Buchholz / Bumgarner / Coghlan / Beckham / Feliz if these guys are not owned why not take a shot on them right now? I'm assuming we have to go a little deeper so lets do it. I'm going to list these by posistion not ranked in anyway as like I said you need to fill out your team for next year based on needs. Lets get started

Starting Pitchers

Wade Davis- Tampa Bay Rays. This 24 yr old comes in with an ERA of 3.40 from Durham this year but has all the tools to become a front of the rotation starter. Pitching for the Rays will always help his cause as well if looking for wins and keeping the losses down. In his 1st start in the big leagues against the Tigers last week he went 7 innings only giving up 3 hits 1 walk and 1 ER to go along with 9K's.

Brian Duensing- Twins This 26 yr old rookie has gotten his 1st shot at the bigs and has been called up for a little while due to injuries. Strangely in Triple A he was sporting a 4.66 ERA but over the last month in the bigs he is sporting a respectable 3.45 ERA and a K/9 of 7.53. Again why not take the shot on the youngster?

Worth monitoring Brian Matusz / Brett Cecil / Michael Bowden / Carlos Carrasco / Gio Gonzalez / Tim Stauffer / Matt Latos / Bud Norris



First Basemen
Kyle Blanks - Padres 6'6" 270 lbs? 23 years old. He is currently on the DL and out for the year. But again we are looking ahead to next year. Looking to add
some pop with a high OBP? Over his minor career posted close to a 400 OBP.
After him all is pretty quiet on the 1B front currently. But a ton of talent possibly ready to make an impact next year. Worth monitoring going forward
Lars Anderson / Justin Smoak / Kila Kaaihue / Brandon Allen

2nd Basemen

Ryan Roberts - Diamondbacks Has taken a while for the 29 year old to get his shot but the trade of Felipe Lopez has currently opened the way for Ryan. Since he has become the everyday 2B he has been hitting over .360 the 3rd highest in league
during that time while showing some pop 5 Hr's.

Eric Young Jr - Rockies Need some steals next year possibly from a middle infielder? Look no further following in is fathers shoes he has been a consistent 300 hitter in
the minors with little pop but very dangerous on the bases and could be leading MLB in steals soon.

Worth monitoring Adrian Cardenas / Everth Cabrera / Nick Noonan

Shortstop
Brendan Ryan StL Cards This 27 year old has been know primarily for his remarkable defense but taking a closer look we will notice over the last month a BA over .325 with an OBP close to .400. Another guy who has taken a while to possibly get an everyday gig but maybe he takes it and runs with it. Worth a shot in what is known as the shallowest positition in fantasy baseball

Everth Cabrera - Padres Now this 22 year old rookie has been up roughly half the season and is not owned in many leagues. During that time he has shown a great ability to steal bases with 21 steals while being caught 4 tmes and hitting around .260. Again remember shallow positition but got to love the young upside

Worth monitoring Cliff Pennington / Tim Beckham / Carlos Triunfel

Third Basemen
Ryan Rayburn - Tigers this 28 year old in another shallow positition whats not to like with Rayburn? He should have enough starts to be elligible for your league next year at 3B though has mostly been used in the OF currently. Over the last month hitting over .350 with a .400 OBP with 5 homruns not bad for a guy mostly under the radar

A very shallow pool here currently as well but worth monitoring for sure Mat Gamel / Matt Dominguez / Pedro Alvarez / James Darnell /

Catcher
Catcher this is primarily a loaded posititon worth monitoring and grabbing one of these guys if still can. We can seem them all soon and should all have an impact next year. I will list these in my rankings for them
Buster Posey / Carlos Santana / Tyler Flowers / Jesus Montero / Alex Avila / Josh Thole



Outfield
Finally a deep posititon. Anyone who has ever played in a softball beer league knows. You can hit and run but not really the best glove and not a big enough target for 1b? No problem head to the outfield for now. Obviously some great defensive players in the OF but some truth to this AKA Manny Ramirez. Now back to the list

Seth Smith - Rockies Currently not an everyday player but getting closer. Over the last month hitting close to .375 with .445 OBP with 6 Hr's and 18 Rbis. How can you keep this soon to be 27 year old out of the lineup?

Julio Borbon - Rangers This 23 year old has been on fire and has taken under 2 years to make it to the big leagues this year. He appears to be a stud on the rise and a 5 tool player. The major concern with him would be where is he going to play with an already loaded Rangers Outfield?

With so much depth available in the outfield the rest of the list is going on a monitor list. Some are currrently in the big leagues and some should be here soon.
Jason Heyward / Franklin Guiterrez / Johnny Gomes / Angel Pagan / Drew Stubbs / Travis Snider / Carlos Gonzalez / Matt Diaz / Desmond Jennings / Michael Taylor / Dustin Ackley

That should be enough to get some young talent into your team for now. Again remember these guys for the most part are prospects. Anything can happen. But would you rather carry an Aubrey Huff right now or take a shot on the next big thing? That is the question we have to ask ourselves as the GM of our dynasty team.

written by fantasy guru Jamie

got a fantasy related question, email me at beaz@xtremedynasty.com