Exciting News: Moving to TopTeamFantasy.com

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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Bourn to be Wild: Impact of the Tribe Signing Michael Bourn

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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By: Russell Shaffer

Disclaimer: I was born (or should I now say Bourn?) and raised 45 minutes south of Cleveland and am a lifelong Indians fan. Despite my obvious bias, I believe I can restrain myself to offer objective analysis of the Tribe’s offseason and its fantasy impact.

It was awesome!

Okay, perhaps a little homerism just came out there but you have to agree what Cleveland General Manager Mark Shapiro pulled off this winter was nothing short of amazing. The Indians have effectively turned over a roster that was contending at the All-Star Break and then suffered a historic August collapse to finish with 94 losses. The final Hot Stove product as Spring Training opens is a clubhouse and fan base full of optimism and a lot of fantasy value now calling the Lake Erie shore home.

Monday’s signing of Michael Bourn is the exclamation point on what was already a surprising and productive offseason that now has to be seen as only second to Toronto in terms of potential impact.

You Mocking Me? Practice Makes Perfect for Draft Day

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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By: Russell Shaffer

Let me start by saying your draft is not the end all, be all indicator of how your fantasy fortunes will fall. A good draft doesn’t automatically predict that you will win a championship any more than a lousy initial haul means you’ll be phoning it in by mid-season. Trust me, after 12 years of playing fantasy I’ve been on the plus and minus side of draft day results and I’ve both driven a virtual juggernaut into the ground and rode a giant dog all the way to a championship.

A lot of other things – including how well you comb the free agent list, your choosiness when using your waiver priority and the shrewdness of your trades – play just as big a part of your overall roster management as the draft itself.

Bradshaw Cut Opens Door for Wilson

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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By: Russell Shaffer

February roster cuts in the NFL are nothing new, and the league’s story-starved reporters typically do a decent job not overplaying a move’s relevance in a post-Super Bowl content wasteland. That’s because most of these cuts are salary cap motivated reductions of overpaid offensive or defensive lineman or linebackers and defensive backs who do not fit a new coach’s scheme. Occasionally you’ll see an aging QB or fringe WR be shown the door, but for the most part these types of post-season shufflings have little impact on fantasy leagues.

Then along comes news last week the New York Giants decided to cut ties with starting RB Ahmad Bradshaw and his reported $2.7M cap figure for 2013. Despite being a major contributor on two Super Bowl championship teams and amassing a very respectable 1,050 rushing yards in 14 games in 2012, when you stop and assess this move it really should have come as no surprise.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 16

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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In Week 10, when Isaiah Thomas was renamed the started for the Kings, we urged you to pick him up. Over the next 6 weeks, the ride has been anything but smooth, but IT2 is no longer just a hot pickup he is a must own player. Still available in 43% of leagues, Thomas has played at least 33 minutes in each of his last 5 games, and has taken the league by storm with insane averages of 19.4 points, 3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.8 threes, and is even getting to the line almost 6 times per game. If he's still available in your league, stop reading this article right away and go add him before anyone else does. Make sure you come back and read the rest though, there's some good stuff here!

Isaiah Thomas is now a must own fantasy player

The following players will not be discussed here because they are already owned in too many leagues, but should be owned: Byron Mullens, Andrea Bargnani, Danny Granger, Earl Clark, Nate Robinson and Jerryd Bayless

Now let’s take a look at the rest of the hot fantasy basketball pickups for Week 16.

Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings - SS

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We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

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The top 25 fantasy baseball shortstops are presented here for standard 5×5 Rotisserie leagues (R/HR/RBI/AVG/SB and W/ERA/WHIP/K/SV). To better understand the difference between the SS options, the players are divided into tiers. For example, while Jose Reyes, Starlin Castro and Ben Zobrist are ranked 3 through 5, the drop off between Reyes and Castro is much less than between Castro and Zobrist. 1B and 2B rankings are also available for your viewing pleasure.

Oldies but Goodies: Five Aging Stars with Fantasy Upside

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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By: Russell Shaffer

Fantasy baseball, just like the MLB, is all about assembling the most productive team possible. But unless you play in a keeper or salary cap league, that’s about where the similarities begin and end.

Age makes a big difference in real-life baseball when it comes to contract length and cost and assessing whether a player is trending up or fading into the sunset. In a standard single-season 5x5 rotisserie league, however, age should be irrelevant. What difference does it make whether your fantasy SS hits .316 with 15 HR and 58 RBI and is age 38 or 25? None at all!

Rudy Gay Traded to the Raptors

We had heard rumors about Rudy for months, but after the Grizzlies shed some cap space by trading away forward Marreese Speights, guard Wayne Ellington and guard Josh Selby to the Cavs just a few weeks back, it looked like the they might keep their core four of Mike Conley,  Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol together for one last postseason run.

However, in the past few days talks had heated up again with the Raptors emerging as the most likely destination. The only obstacle was finding a landing spot for Jose Calderon since the Grizzlies had no need for another PG. Enter Detroit.

Don't Sleep on the NL West: 2013 Fantasy Sleepers

By: Russell Shaffer

While most of America is sleeping, summer nights on the West Coast find some pretty good baseball going largely unwatched except by those in the Pacific Time Zone or the most diehard seamheads. When the National League West does manage to grab some headlines, it’s usually for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ free spending ways or the San Francisco Giants’ mini dynasty of two World Series titles in three years.

What falls below the fold is a wealth of fantasy goodness going on in baseball outposts like Arizona, Colorado and San Diego. To casual fans, these aren’t much more than the places Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and (until recently) Justin Upton play, and the place where Adrian Gonzalez inexplicably used to hit 30 HR a year.

A closer look by the savvy fantasy player uncovers a number of compelling sleepers toiling away with the Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies just waiting for you to snatch them up in the mid-to-late rounds of your draft while your opponents are busy stockpiling big name has-beens and unproven prospects.

The following list of unheralded yet productive fantasy sleepers coming out of the NL West’s smaller markets could help your 2013 fantasy dreams come true.

Six Fantasy Storylines to Watch on Super Sunday

By: Russell Shaffer

I must admit I am a little fuzzy when it comes to the NFL’s ridiculous trademark restrictions regarding the official name of this Sunday’s big game, so for the prudent protection of this website and myself I will hereby call it The Harbaugh Bowl.

Regardless of what you call it, you can’t overlook the fact this game is chock full of intriguing storylines. Never mind that the showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers (and their coaches John and Jim Harbaugh) marks the first sibling coaching rivalry in the game’s illustrious history, there are ample subplots to follow. Like the fact the 49ers benched starter Alex Smith – the QB who took them to the NFC Championship Game last year – in favor of an unproven second-year scrambler out of Nevada. Or that the Ravens are making the big game in the same season legendary owner Art Modell passed away and that they boldly fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron only 1.5 months ago.

And oh yeah, did you hear Ray Lewis is retiring?

If all these subplots along with the overhyped commercials and the opportunity to see if Beyoncé gives the halftime show the lip-sync treatment aren't enough to get you to tune in, consider these six fantasy storylines playing out at the culmination of the 2012 season that could have a major impacts on 2013 fantasy leagues.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups – Week 14

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We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

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By Brian Cho
Staff Fantasy Basketball Writer

It was announced on Sunday afternoon that Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL. Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa and Jason Terry will have to fill in for Rondo’s absence in the backcourt. All of them are worth a hard look with their minutes and hopefully their production to increase. As of now Avery Bradley is starting point guard and Courtney Lee will start at shooting guard, but keep in mind that nothing is set in stone.

On Sunday, the biggest beneficiary was actually Paul Pierce (a player we discussed as a buy low just last week), who did a lot of the ball handling, finishing with a triple-double of 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. The four players mentioned above all played between 26 and 32 minutes, and none really distanced themselves from the pack. The Celtics will most likely make some moves before the trade deadline especially if their backcourt doesn’t meet expectations. Let’s take a look at each of these players and the rest of this week’s hot pick ups (Feel free to also check out recent Pickups columns for Week 13, Week 12 and Six Players to Buy Low): 

Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings - 2B

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The top 25 fantasy baseball second basemen are presented here for standard 5x5 Rotisserie leagues (R/HR/RBI/AVG/SB and W/ERA/WHIP/K/SV). To better understand the difference between the 2B options, the players are divided into tiers. For example, while Dustin Pedroia, Jason Kipnis and Brandon Phillips are ranked 3 through 5, the drop off between Pedroia and Kipnis is much less than between Kipnis and Phillips. First basemen rankings are also released and can be viewed here.

Second base is known as a shallow position which can be illustrated by only three players that have second basemen eligibility this season finished among the top 50 players in 2012. Robinson Cano is clearly the "belle of the ball" at 2B, and is easily a top 10 player for 2013.

However, second base is laden with other good options if you aren't able to grab Cano:

Get ‘Em While You Can – Six Players to Buy Low

Trading in fantasy sports is all about maximizing value. It's the most fun part of the game, but also the most difficult to master. A well-timed trade, acquiring a player for less than he's worth, could easily make the difference between winning and losing your league. Here are some players that are worth targeting while their values are depressed.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 13

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We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

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On Friday night, Lou Williams tore his ACL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season. While it's a terrible injury for Lou and his fantasy owners, there are a number of Hawks that stand to benefit from the additional opportunity.

On Saturday night, rather than moving Devin Harris into the starting lineup to replace Lou, the Hawks opted to go with a bigger lineup starting Teague, Korver, Smith, Horford and Pachulia. Devin Harris got banged up on Saturday night, but had been averaging 16 points and 2.3 threes in his last 3 games. Harris missed Monday's game, and has been injury prone in his career, so it's unlikely he will be back for a little while.

Early Fantasy Baseball Rankings - 1B

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In fantasy baseball, first base is a very important position to fill because so much of your team's power will come from that position. However, it's also a very deep position. In 2012, 9 of the top 50 hitters and 20 of the top 100 had 1B eligibility. Therefore, if your team has a corner infield position, try to draft two quality 1B (3B is a much shallower position).

The top 25 fantasy baseball first basemen for 2013 are presented here. To better understand the difference between the first base options, the players are divided into tiers. For example, while Joey Votto, Prince Fielder and Edwin Encarnacion are ranked 2 through 4, the dropoff between Votto and Fielder is much less than between Fielder and Encarnacion.

Early 2013 Fantasy Football Rankings

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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With the fantasy football season still fresh in our minds, it's the perfect opportunity to look at the top 60 players for the 2013 season. Individual position rankings with a few more players listed can be consulted as well for QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs.

There are a few takeaways from the rankings:

• QB is extremely deep and therefore, there is not much need to spend a high pick on a QB, I'd much rather wait and grab a guy like Stafford, Luck or Ryan later and spend the early pick locking up an elite RB.
• WR is also extremely deep, which is why there are only 4 WRs ranked within the top 22 players. It's a much bigger priority for me to grab a couple elite RBs and wait to grab a bunch of reliable WR2.
• TE completely fall off a cliff after Gronk and Graham. Hernandez and Witten are both pretty decent value picks if they fall to the 5th or 6th rounds, but in most leagues, I'll likely be waiting on TE until the final few rounds and grab a few high upside guys. Every year there are a bunch of TEs that come out of nowhere and have a lot of fantasy value so there is little point to spend mid-round picks on guys like Gresham, Pitta, Rudolph, or Olsen.

Hot Fantasy Basketball Pickups - Week 12

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

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By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

We are nearly halfway through the 2012-13 NBA season and there have been some very interesting story lines over the past few weeks. The Lakers keep losing (though they beat the Cavs on Sunday) and might not make the playoffs, while the Boston Celtics are continuing their surge to get back into the mix, winning their last five games. However, the biggest headline was on January 9, 2013 when reports went viral stating that Kevin Love re-fractured his third and fourth metacarpal in his right hand. With the Love Machine out for at least eight to ten weeks, the Wolves need to rely on their other forwards, Derrick Williams and Dante Cunningham.

Many of the players discussed in recent pickups columns (Week 9, Week 10, and the discussion of the Lakers injuries and Scott Skiles firing) are still available in a lot of leagues so check those articles out as well.

Now, let's check out some hot pickups for this week.

Fantasy Thoughts: Lakers Bigs, Scott Skiles Fired

By Brian Cho
Fantasy Basketball Staff Writer

Over the past couple days, the two biggest stories in the fantasy basketball world has been the injuries to the Lakers' big men, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, and the firing of Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles.

Dwight Howard left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury, which was later revealed to be a torn labrum and would be missing at least a week of action. (It was later reported, that it might not actually be torn but regardless there isn't a timetable for his return) Pau Gasol got hit in the face and suffered a concussion. He hasn't passed his concussion tests yet and will be tested again on Thursday to determine if he will be able to return to action on Friday.

Fantasy basketball owners rejoiced as one of the most frustrating coaches (because his rotations are so unpredictable), Bucks coach Scott Skiles, was fired and replaced with interim coach Jim Boylan.

Early 2013 Quarterback Rankings

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We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

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The Early 2013 Fantasy Football Rankings were presented in an earlier post. Here, the individual ranks for the QB position are outlined. For additional position rankings the early 2013 RB, WR and TE rankings can be consulted.

Early 2013 Running Back Rankings

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

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The Early 2013 Fantasy Football Rankings were presented in an earlier post. Here, the individual ranks for the RB position are outlined. For additional position rankings the early 2013 QB, WR and TE rankings can be consulted.

Early 2013 Wide Receiver Rankings

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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The Early 2013 Fantasy Football Rankings were presented in an earlier post. Here, the individual ranks for the WR position are outlined. For additional position rankings the early 2013 QB, RB, and TE rankings can be consulted.

Early 2013 Tight End Rankings

Hey all you loyal followers!
We have launched a brand new website TopTeamFantasy in which we will be providing the same advice and analysis you have come to love, just from a bigger and better source!

The site is equipped with fourms (so you can all ask questions about your fantasy teams), as well as scoreboards, news and articles from our growing group of fantasy writers. We are hoping to continue serving you all from that new website!

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The Early 2013 Fantasy Football Rankings were presented in an earlier post. Here, the individual ranks for the TE position are outlined. For additional position rankings the early 2013 QB, RB and WR rankings can be consulted.