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You know football is here when rankings start coming out.  They are the lifeblood of fantasy drafts.  Without them, we are a disorganized mess that throws out players at the wrong time, or players that have already been drafted.  We need them.  They complete us.  All hail the rankings.  Our rankings will be updated when appropriate and will always be available for view by clicking the “Football Rankings” tab above.  Side notes from Howard and I will be included when relevant.  Player movement up or down on the list will be color coded.  Red for down, green for up.  We did not do kickers or defense/special teams.  Keith says:  $1 for any old kicker, and if it ain’t the Bears defense, $2 at most.  Enjoy. (more…)

So that time of year has come where keeper-leaguers are looking at their rosters wondering which of their guys are worthy of keeping.  What some GMs, if not most, don’t really understand is that the price at which you would have to keep them is the primary issue.  You will talk to some GMs and they will say, “But he hit 25 Hrs at SS, hes a no brainer!”.  Well thats fine unless it is going to cost you $38 to keep him.  There are keepers, there are bargains, and there are keepers that are bargains.  Knowing the difference between them can save you a bunch of cash.  The goal obviously is to obtain as many keepers that are bargains as you can from year to year.  This will maximize your cash, while still giving you talent to build a winning team around.  Over the next few days I’ll go over all the positions in order to highlight the guys you should be focusing on when making these decisions.

Catcher-  A thin position at the top, but after that a lot of the same.  Martin and Martinezare really the only two no-brainers at this position.  Having either one offers you a real advantage over the majority of the league which is thinking, “I’ll get two cheap catchers since they don’t really matter anyway.”  Hey, they could be right.  A smart GM could find two quality guys with upside for relatively little money.  Catchers are beat on all year long, so it is true that it is a dangerous position to invest heavily in.  But if you can get one of these two guys for a reasonable price they can pay real dividends.  The next group at catcher can be tempting.  Mauer, McCann, Posada have all been kept in the past, and all have the potential to render same kind of value that the top group does.  I’ll tell ya, at least one of them will.  The trick is not to pay the same price as you would have to in order to get Martin or Martinez.  If you see the top tier as having  a 90% chance of putting up the numbers you expect, then this group is closer to 75%.  So pay accordingly.  There are a bunch of sleepers that we will get into in later articles, but for keeper purposes, these are the guys that really matter.

1B-  This position is tricky.  There is a lot of upside and power is a sexy thing that can draw a GM into taking chances on upside.  It also sucks to get caught without at least one real power guy that you can depend on for 35ish Hrs or more.  My top tier consists of Pujols, Fielder, Howard, Teixeira, Berkman, andMorneau.  There are certainly other guys that have the potential to join that group based on what they have done in the past, but these are the guys worth the big bucks.  Big power with a high percentage chance to do what you think they will.  Certainly, the second tier also can put up great numbers, and I’m sure that some of them will outshine some of the top tier in the coming year.  I would not, however, pay the same for; Pena, Konerko, D.Lee, A. Gonzalez, or Delgado.  Whether it is age, inconsistency, or injury problems, they all have significantly lesser chance to put up top tier stats.  If you can keep them for cheap, then go right ahead.  But if you paid for Konerko or Delgado based on their numbers when at their prime you should let them go and try to get them cheaper in the draft.

I will be going over the rest of the positions over the next few days.  Feel free to post comments and opinions on these players and what you think are their chances of producing at keeper type levels.

Ok, folks.  As you know, Howard and I participated in our first draft of the year on Sunday.  Although it is not that deep a league with only 12 teams, it could give you some insight as to which sleepers have been outted, or which quality players are slipping.  You would be surprised at how similar the percentages are of like-minded GMs from league to league.  12 Teams, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, C, CI, MI, 2-UTL, 5 OF, 3SP, 3RP, 3P.  Standard 5×5 with weekly lineup changes. (more…)

When I was looking at the outfield last season, there was a noticeable “thinness” about it. You had infielders making the transition to the outfield thus limiting the number of actual guys out there available at the position. You also had quite a number of platoon situations which cut into the total as well. 2007 doesn’t look to be any different. You’ve got even more platoon situations popping up and still a significant migration from the infield. So what to do? It’s simple… (more…)

Maybe it’s the day I’m having today or maybe it really is the lack of new blood at the position, but if you’ve read my latest installment at Addict Fantasy Sports, then you already know how un-enthusiastic I am about the hot corner again (2 years in a row now…jeez). Again, don’t get me wrong….plenty of talent. But it’s talent I’ve seen before. Yes, even the super-hyped Alex Gordon. (more…)

Remember the old days when it was always A-Rod, Tejada, Nomar, Jeter and then everyone else? Getting a little bit better these days huh? If you’ve checked out my column this week on Addict Fantasy Sports, you’ll know that the good thing about shortstop this year, is that you’ve got options. You can grab a top one fairly early (super early will be worth it for one in particular), or you can wait a little while, build yourself up at some of the other positions, and still grab a quality player in the middle to later rounds. These are options you haven’t had for some time, so don’t waste them by blowing it too early. Here’s a look at the rankings as I see them… (more…)

As I said in my article on Addict Fantasy Sports, second base this year is a lot like the catchers were last year. Since the departure of Alfonso Soriano from the position, second base has become all about Chase Utley. Other second baseman are considered afterthoughts sometimes. But one thing to take notice of is that like the catchers from last year behind Victor Martinez, some of them can make the jump into the first tier. So who’s going to be the next Joe Mauer or Brian McCann for for this position? Here’s a look at how I rank them… (more…)

Mmmmm good. Power, power and more power. It’s what makes the fantasy world go ’round. Sure, in the real world it’s pitching that wins championships, but show me one team that’s ever won a fantasy championship without having strong power. Highly unlikely.
Quick and simple, you need atleast one (if not 2 or 3) rock solid power guy; the guy that’s going to knock in 35+ HR with 120 RBI. And there’s no better place to look than first base. (more…)

While it may very well be the thinnest position out there in the fantasy world, filling your catcher position(s) on draft day shouldn’t be too difficult and shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg either. While there is a very distinct upper echelon in the position, you must note that the dropoff in talent and run production isn’t as dramatic as it is at other spots on the diamond. (more…)