Kuzul

Last week, two of my three “Buy Low” picks, Carlos Gomez (10-for-18, HR, 3B in last week) and Homer Bailey (8 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 10 K in last start), came through while the third, Ike Davis, finally broke out on Friday with a two-homer game. One of my “Sell High” picks, Barry Zito (2.2 IP, 9 ER, 8 H), also made me look pretty smart in my first week of this feature.   Just in case last week wasn’t a fluke, here’s some advice for next week  …   Sell High J.P. Arencibia, C, Toronto Blue Jays  His six homers and 11 runs batted in this month shouldn’t be much of a surprise. He had eight homers and 19 runs batted in last May and also hit six more long balls in July.  The other months when he’s not red-hot, however, are when you need to ...

In fantasy football, it’s usually a good idea to own both a team’s starting running back and his backup. If the starter gets hurt, you won’t have to scour the waiver wire for someone else you know will get regular carries. You already have him.  Depending on your league, you may have the ability to stash guys on your bench that don’t necessarily have a lot of value, but could potentially be the best option available if the inevitable happens and one of your key players gets injured. Here are a few must-have replacements in-waiting …   Devin Mesoraco, C, Cincinnati Reds Keeping Mesoraco on your bench and hoping manager Dusty Baker starts giving him more time than Ryan Hanigan might end up being very frustrating. Baker does love Hanigan and isn’t one to trust a young catcher like Mesoraco with his pitching staff. Don’t blame Baker, though. Hanigan is one ...

In this day and age where most pitchers can’t go a few years, much less one, without having some sort of elbow or shoulder trouble pop up, it’s very difficult to decide which ones are more at risk than others.  While reading Will Carroll’s “Under the Knife” column can certainly help you determine the injury risk for many players, another factor in play is the inconsistency that can occur from year to year with many pitchers. Who could’ve guessed that Tim Lincecum or Ricky Romero would be two of the biggest fantasy baseball busts in 2012? Both pitchers, especially Lincecum, had a track record of success and consistency. Lincecum was in his age-28 season while Romero was only 27. Both have continued to struggle this spring, and Romero was just optioned to the minors Tuesday. So which top-of-the-rotation pitchers should you stay away from in 2013? Who’s the next Lincecum ...

Shortly after creating MLBDepthCharts.com, I quickly realized just how important it was for fantasy baseball players to find the guy who was “next in line” for saves. Even if it’s just to give the regular closer a break after a few consecutive days of work, saves are valuable for fantasy geeks.  A closer’s job is rarely on solid ground from one game to the next. Despite what else happens throughout the game, a blown save is not something that’s taken lightly in the media or by fans because it’s almost always directly correlated with the final result of the game.  Even the best closers in the game will be scrutinized if they blow three or four saves in a month. If you’re not the best closer in the game and you blow a save or two over the span of a few games, the pressure builds as the next unsuccessful ...

Here's my early top-60 listing of outfielders heading into exhibition play, with an emphasis on 5x5 roto leagues. This position will likely produce baseball's largest number of four- and five-category studs by season's end. But that star power still cannot obscure the uncertainty of taking inexperienced young players or injury-riddled veterans later in the draft, or household names that will invariably fall short of last year's amped-up stats. Hopefully, this listing will eliminate some of the draft-day doubt and consternation that come with the territory. Especially with leagues that require five starters at the position. Enjoy the show!Begin Slideshow

The following countdown details my early top 35 first basemen heading into exhibition play, with an emphasis on 5x5 roto leagues. Generally speaking, I favor power-average-speed guys over one-dimensional sluggers who rely on their immense but sporadic power to get through a given season. I'm also a sucker for positional versatility, which may explain why Joe Mauer, Buster Posey and Victor Martinez warrant special mention here. Enjoy the show!Begin Slideshow

The following countdown touts my best early guess of the top 20 starting pitchers heading into fantasy drafts for 2013.(Stats compiled through Sept. 13.)This off-the-cuff brainstorm may be rooted in hard numbers, but it's also a soft measurement of where the market currently stands and where it'll be in mid-to-late March.For all we know, young guns like Dylan Bundy (Orioles), Jake Odorizzi (Royals), Matt Harvey (Mets), Gerrit Cole (Pirates), Trevor Bauer (Diamondbacks) or teen prodigy Jose Fernandez (Marlins) could somehow force their way into the next countdown, thanks to a stupendous spring.But at this point, I prefer to lean on the following cast of savvy veterans, which includes a 23-year-old lefty who's primed for a big jump next season.Enjoy the show!Begin Slideshow

With the fantasy-trade deadlines coming up this week or next (I have four red-letter dates this Friday), it's time for owners to make one last pitch for baseball's elite categorical contributors.AccuScore, a company that specializes in thorough game simulations, has made a few on-the-fly revisions to its seasonal projections.These 50 starting pitchers, based on AccuScore projections (not mine), will register at least 55 strikeouts from this point forward (Aug. 7-Sept. 30): Part I1. CC Sabathia, Yankees—772. Justin Verlander, Tigers—753. Yu Darvish, Rangers—754. Cole Hamels, Phillies—725. Gio Gonzalez, Nationals—686. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals—687. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers—688. Lance Lynn, Cardinals—679. Roy Halladay, Phillies—6710. James Shields, Rays—6711. Felix Hernandez, Mariners—6712. Cliff Lee, Phillies—6713. Marco Estrada, Brewers—6714. Yovani Gallardo, Brewers—6715. Francisco Liriano, White Sox—6616. Madison Bumgarner, Giants—6517. Zack Greinke, Angels—6518. Tim Lincecum, Giants—6519. Matt Cain, Giants—6520. Mat Latos, Reds—6421. Jered Weaver, Angels—6422. Jeff Samardzija, Cubs—6323. David Price, Rays—6324. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals—6325. Erik Bedard, Pirates—63 Part II26. Felix Doubront, Red ...

With the fantasy trade deadlines coming up this week and next (I have four red-letter dates this Friday), it's time for owners to make one last pitch for baseball's elite categorical contributors.AccuScore, a company that specializes in thorough game simulations, has made a few on-the-fly revisions to its seasonal projections.These 46 hitters, based on AccuScore projections (not mine), will register at least nine home runs from this point forward (Aug. 7-Sept. 30):Part I1. Adam Dunn, White Sox—142. Ryan Braun, Brewers—133. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers—134. Curtis Granderson, Yankees—125. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs—126. Josh Hamilton, Rangers—127. Albert Pujols, Angels—128. Mark Trumbo, Angels—129. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays—1210. Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays—1211. Matt Kemp, Dodgers—1112. Mark Teixeira, Yankees—1113. Paul Konerko, White Sox—1114. Josh Willingham, Twins—1115. Corey Hart, Brewers—1116. Prince Fielder, Tigers—1117. Mike Trout, Angels—1018. David Ortiz, Red Sox—1019. Robinson Cano, Yankees—1020. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins—1021. Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies—1022. Jay Bruce, Reds—1023. Adam LaRoche, Nationals—10Part II24. Trevor Plouffe, Twins—1025. ...

The following slideshow touts Fantasyland's All-Star team for the month of June.To clarify, the 27-man listing only honors statistics from the 30-day window for June and does not necessarily reflect a player's status from April, May or the preseason.The competition among outfielders and the corner infield spots was particularly intense.And yet, this should hardly mollify the embedded masses crying foul over alleged snubs involving Brandon Phillips, David Price, David Ortiz, Mark Trumbo, Colby Rasmus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jason Kubel, Juan Pierre, Ben Revere, Josh Johnson, Wade Miley, Justin Verlander, Ryan Vogelsong, Scott Diamond, Clay Buchholz, Jonathan Broxton, Ernesto Frieri and Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster (not enough strikeouts), among others.Enjoy the show!Begin Slideshow