2012-05-13 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
During the course of any season, successful players utilize their natural abilities and also a bit of luck. The sample size of games played this year is growing large enough to give fantasy owners a better idea of who looks to have a fruitful campaign. On the other hand, the number......
2012-05-06 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The biggest news of this past week was the season-ending injury sustained by Mariano Rivera. The Yankee closer has an ACL tear suffered while shagging flies in batting practice before Thursday's game. Now fantasy owners are flocking for either David Robertson or Rafael Soriano, one......
2012-04-29 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Bryce Harper made the most anticipated major-league debut of the season Saturday night in Los Angeles after being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. Because Harper was so highly touted, he was only a free agent in a small percentage of fantasy leagues. Other players have emerged on t......
2012-04-22 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Last week, we discussed players who began the season surprisingly well. Today we will look at players who are having a tougher time finding success in the early going. Because our sample size remains small, between 12 and 15 games, the caliber of the player dictates whether his sta......
2012-04-15 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Despite the fact that most major league teams have played 5 percent of their games thus far this season, analysts professional and amateur are already making definitive conclusions about the dreadfulness of pitchers Tim Lincecum and Josh Johnson and the last-place Red Sox. Whereas ......
2012-04-08 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Nagging injuries and minor discomfort are commonplace during spring training, but this year has already seen an abnormally high number of injuries to pitchers, specifically closers. Since the middle of March, Ryan Madson of the Reds and Kansas City's Joakim Soria have been los......
2012-03-25 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Relief pitchers, in fantasy baseball as well as the genuine version, get a disproportionate amount of credit for performing at an ordinary level. The save statistic, along with the specialization of relievers, created the need for the present-day fireman, the one-inning closer....
2012-03-18 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The contingent of major league catchers can be broken into three groups. The first includes catchers who fantasy owners want to have on their team. The second is comprised of players who owners will tolerate on their teams. The final group of catchers are those who no owner would t......
2012-03-04 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The first successful appeal of a performance-enhancing drug-related suspension in Major League Baseball has been a source of both controversy and clarity. The details surrounding Ryan Braun's drug test appear complicated and inconsistent, and the entire ordeal has become a polarizi......
2012-02-26 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Of the last 16 World Series played, 12 of the American League representatives have either been the Texas Rangers or come from the American League East. When fantasy owners decide on whom to select as their starting second baseman, they should draw from that same pool. Robinson......
2012-02-19 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Two of the best players in baseball are allegedly moving to the hot corner for 2012, giving the position a much-needed infusion of quality. Consistently one of the thinnest positions in fantasy baseball, third base appears full of over-the-hill former stars and unproven youngsters.......
2012-02-12 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Clayton Kershaw successfully made the transition from potential to legitimacy during 2011, winning the National League's pitching Triple Crown and Cy Young. He also continued a trend of young pitchers quickly becoming the top pitcher in the league. In the last five years, nine......
2012-02-05 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For years, Albert Pujols was the definitive choice at first base for fantasy owners looking to get the best player at that position. Following his worst season as a major leaguer in 2011 at age 31, the newest member of the Los Angeles Angels has lost his position atop the first-bas......
2012-01-29 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Even though the Super Bowl is consistently the biggest sports story of midwinter, if not the entire year, baseball briefly took the spotlight this past week when free agent Prince Fielder finally found a suitor for his skills and signed with the Detroit Tigers.
Fielder was ......
2012-01-22 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Of the estimated 32 million fantasy sports participants in the U.S., as projected by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, many are content to play only fantasy football, or possibly add fantasy baseball to keep busy during the summer. Others, however, have an interest in playing f......
2012-01-15 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Perhaps no better indicator of the recent aerial revolution in the NFL is the plight of the fantasy running back. As teams have begun to pass the ball more often and employ a committee of backfield members instead of a lone rusher, running backs have quickly lost their grip within ......
2012-01-08 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Eight months from now, fantasy owners will gather to select their teams for 2012 with the history-making quarterbacks of the past year fresh in their collective memory. The season just ended can serve as the setting for some valuable fantasy lessons in the wake of unprecedented qua......
2011-12-31 20:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Results at the tight-end position in fantasy football during 2011 were somewhat surprising. The top two tight ends separated themselves from the field by a wide margin and are both in only their second season in the NFL. Conversely, the third-best tight end in 2011 is a 15-year vet......
2011-12-24 20:01:00
DAN MASSEY
After Saturday's games, fantasy football leagues are either just about ready to crown a champion for the year or set the championship game matchup for next week. The majority of owners have no meaningful moves yet to make, so we will take this opportunity to begin the 2011 fantasy ......
2011-12-18 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With the NBA season one week from getting under way, many fantasy leagues are holding drafts this week, now that much of the player movement has settled. With that in mind, here is a 2011-12 fantasy basketball preview.
Guard rankings: 1. Derrick Rose, Bulls; 2. Dwyane Wad......
2011-12-11 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The so-called "second season" of fantasy football begins today in many leagues for those owners lucky enough to advance to the playoffs. At a point where the margin for error in decision-making is nonexistent, a couple of general rules of thumb are worth reviewing. First, do n......
2011-12-04 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The month of November often serves as a decisive period for NFL teams. They either establish themselves as playoff contenders or fall by the wayside. In the same manner, a handful of players have had such poor Novembers that their fantasy owners are concerned about their own playof......
2011-11-27 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The injury bug of 2011 continued during the past week, and the most recent victims have included a number of top-tier running backs. Once again, fantasy owners are left scrambling to replace some of their leading scorers, and options are relatively limited; however, a few longshot ......
2011-11-20 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Week 10 of the NFL season saw a number of starting quarterbacks suffer injuries. Matt Cassel, Matt Schaub and Michael Vick all were hurt, causing fantasy owners to reconsider their needs at the position. The injury to Cassel has the least impact on fantasy owners; Cassel, who ......
2011-11-13 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In most fantasy leagues, the deadline for owners to consummate trades is rapidly approaching. The purpose of a trade at this point of the season can be to bolster a team for the push toward qualifying for the playoffs, to strengthen a team already in good shape for the fantasy post......
2011-11-06 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Almost every week this NFL season, running backs have suffered injuries that cause them to miss games. Today, the following running backs are listed as no better than questionable, and some have already been ruled out: Jahvid Best, Peyton Hillis, Ahmad Bradshaw, Beanie Wells, Josep......
2011-10-30 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Halfway through the fantasy football regular season, some players selected early in fantasy drafts have hardly lived up to expectations. Owners have a few choices with what to do with these underperforming stars: drop them, trade them, bench them or start them. Here are a few examp......
2011-10-23 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The trade deadline in the NFL often comes and goes with little fanfare. This year was certainly different with a handful of trades being consummated, most notably the transaction in which disgruntled former Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer ended up in the silver and black of th......
2011-10-16 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The middle third of the NFL season, when bye weeks commence, has the potential to create difficulties for fantasy owners. The most challenging weeks are those when six teams are off the schedule. Weeks 5, 6, 7 and 8 all have a half-dozen teams with a bye, whereas four teams have by......
2011-10-09 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Through one quarter of the NFL season, the top fantasy scorers at quarterback include players most owners would expect to see: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. An unanticipated entry into the elite tier of fantasy quarterbacks is Carolina's Cam Newton. Newton began the......
2011-10-02 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
This is not the first (nor likely the last) time that the adage "once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, three times is a trend" appears in this column, but it certainly bears repeating after the numerous knee-jerk reactions made around fantasy leagues in response to a bevy of une......
2011-09-25 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Brandon Lloyd caught six passes for 89 yards in Week 1 and gave fantasy owners approximately what they expected from him. A week later, Lloyd was a major reason more than a few fantasy owners lost their Week 2 matchups when he aggravated a groin injury in pregame warm-ups and was n......
2011-09-18 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Week 1 of the NFL season is rarely an opportunity for fantasy owners to draw firm conclusions about the remainder of the year; however, the opening set of games to 2011 has given those owners plenty to ponder. For instance, nobody envisioned a week of the season going by where......
2011-09-04 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The two least valuable positions in fantasy football are kicker and defense. That is not to say that some fantasy tilts won't be decided by kickers and defenses, but their unpredictability makes it difficult to appraise them properly. Owners will want to keep in mind a couple ......
2011-08-28 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Last week, in the preview of wide receivers, we illustrated the degree to which passing has increased in the NFL. A result of this surge has been that nearly every team implements the tight end in the passing game, and fantasy owners have more options at the position. Although......
2011-08-21 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
NFL teams in 2010, on a per-game basis, threw for more yards and had more passing touchdowns than in any other season in the entire history of the NFL. One might conclude, then, that a plethora of first-rate fantasy wide receivers would be available for 2011; however, last year saw......
2011-08-14 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
One of the more difficult matters to determine this fantasy football season is who the first overall draft choice should be. An alternative way of phrasing the question is, "Who is the best fantasy running back?" Adrian Peterson, who has never actually been the leading fantasy......
2011-08-07 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The top handful of fantasy quarterbacks has changed little recently, although there is one new entrant into the upper echelon this year. After his surprising season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Michael Vick joins Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers as the ......
2011-07-31 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With the end of the NFL labor stoppage, football fans across the country are beginning to think about their fantasy teams. We will begin position-by-position previews next week once the free agent frenzy settles down, but in the meantime, let's debunk a few myths of the upcoming se......
2011-07-24 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Typically in late July, fantasy owners are evaluating the effects of the myriad trades that will occur before the July 31 deadline. This year, the combination of a limited availability of players expected to be dealt and the fact that 17 of the 30 teams in the majors were within a ......
2011-07-10 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
This week offers baseball an opportunity to celebrate the triumphs of its leading icons at Tuesday's All-Star Game. Fantasy owners, on the other hand, have had no reason to laud the lack of accomplishments of a handful of perennial All-Stars that are appropriately missing from this year's event. ......
2011-07-03 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Last week, we discussed how the month of June has provided opportunities for fantasy owners to acquire budding talent; today, we examine the effects of two of the major injuries that occurred last month.
Roy Oswalt left his June 23 start with a back injury, and his timetable for returning......
2011-06-26 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The month of June has provided quite a few teams and players with an opportunity to greatly improve their status. The Twins were 17-36 on May 31, but entering play Saturday, they were 32-42 for a 15-6 mark this month. Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder, both rather successful ......
2011-06-19 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The best pitching staff of any team in baseball belongs, by almost universal acclaim, to the Philadelphia Phillies. However, making an unexpected run at .500, the other Pennsylvania team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, has a starting staff that has drawn the attention of fantasy owners....
2011-06-12 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Two of the minor leagues' best players have recently earned promotions to the major leagues, and with their recall are opportunities for fantasy owners either to improve their standing this year or to build for the future. Anthony Rizzo and Mike Moustakas got the call to the P......
2011-06-05 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Yet another Opening Day closer lost his job this week. Kansas City's Joakim Soria was demoted to middle relief as a result of a three-week stretch in which he sported a 1-3 record and converted one of five save opportunities. In a span of nine appearances, he had a 10.80 ERA and a ......
2011-05-29 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
One of baseball's best young stars, San Francisco's Buster Posey, suffered a serious leg injury when he was blocking the plate during Wednesday night's game with the Marlins. Injuries, of course, are part of every fantasy season, and owners are left with scant options when a s......
2011-05-22 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The 2011 baseball season is shaping up to be another year of limited offense. The run supply of 4.16 runs per game is five percent lower than 2010 and the lowest since 1992 when teams scored 4.12 runs a game. This decrease in offense has had little influence on a handful of su......
2011-05-15 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The career of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey has been frustratingly unfruitful since he was the seventh overall pick in the 2004 June amateur draft. He advanced to the majors by 2007 with unrealistically high expectations that remained unfulfilled as he entered 2011 with a 16......
2011-05-08 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Anyone who has taken a course in microeconomics has heard of the term "sunk costs." When fantasy owners are considering what to do with a struggling superstar, the theory regarding sunk costs can be a rationalizing factor in what is often an emotionally driven decision. In eco......
2011-05-01 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Enhanced baseball statistics, often referred to as sabermetrics, allow baseball fans to judge the performance of a player at a deeper level than simply by looking at the common stats. Although fantasy baseball still typically uses the standard stats of home runs, RBIs, run, steals ......
2011-04-24 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Fantasy owners can expect the number of transactions between major league and minor league teams to increase in the next month. Just last week, underwhelming players Brett Cecil of Toronto and Brandon Belt of the Giants were sent down to the minors. Others will be moving in the opp......
2011-04-17 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The biggest news around baseball the past week has been the sudden drug-related retirement of Manny Ramirez and the injury to 2010 American League MVP Josh Hamilton, who will miss six to eight weeks with a broken arm. The absence of Hamilton hurts fantasy owners more than ManRam's shameful e......
2011-04-03 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Every year, a handful of players start the season as free agents in many leagues before becoming impact fantasy players during the campaign. Once these players begin to perform well, owners scramble for their services. With the number of injuries that have occurred since draft day,......
2011-03-27 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Relief pitchers, specifically closers, are once again the topic of the final installment of a fantasy baseball preview. The reason that the closer is the ultimate position to undergo analysis is that it is the most difficult to predict and the easiest in which an owner can find a s......
2011-03-20 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The most fitting determinant of when to draft a certain player in any fantasy sport is the concept of marginal value. When an owner has an option to draft one particular player in one round, or a player of similar worth in the next round, it is often advisable to wait until la......
2011-03-13 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The 2011 baseball season is unique from the last few campaigns in fantasy rankings of third basemen. The difference this year is that Alex Rodriguez, who has manned the hot corner for the Yankees since 2004, is no longer the best third baseman in the game. That title can now be bes......
2011-03-06 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Hanley Ramirez, like many shortstops, has been known to steal a few bases. What distinguishes the Marlin shortstop from his peers is the power that complements his speed. Because of this combination, Ramirez tops the 2011 fantasy rankings at shortstop. Over the last four seaso......
2011-02-27 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Finding a reliable second baseman can be a challenge for fantasy owners because of the inconsistent performance of the players at the keystone sack. For example, in the last three years, 13 different second basemen have hit 20 or more home runs in a season, but only four have done ......
2011-02-20 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The crop of fantasy outfielders for 2011 appears thinner than in recent seasons. Injuries took a toll on some of the better outfielders in the game last year, and seemingly fewer outfielders excel in multiple statistical categories. It can be difficult to determine a consensus top ......
2011-02-13 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The first-base position is typically full of fantasy talent, and this season is no different. Despite the depth, the first basemen of 2011 fill owners with slightly less confidence than in recent seasons. A number of players had sub-par performances in 2010, others missed much of the year with in......
2011-02-06 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For many participants in fantasy sports, there are only two seasons — football and baseball. As one of those seasons culminates today in Dallas with Super Bowl XLV, attention will soon turn to the other sport when pitchers and catchers report in the next week. Baseball p......
2011-01-30 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Although the NBA Finals are still almost five months away, the regular season has only 10 weeks remaining. Consequently, fantasy basketball owners need to think about solidifying their team for the stretch drive. Owners in head-to-head scoring leagues have perhaps six weeks be......
2011-01-23 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The NBA is always full of young talent. Sometimes, as in the case of Blake Griffin, it takes very little seasoning in the pros for a player to become a star. In most cases, however, players in their early 20s often take a couple of years to blossom. When these players begin to figu......
2011-01-16 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For fans rapt in fascination with the NFL playoffs, lost may be the facts that the NBA season is nearly halfway complete and that fantasy basketball is entering its apex of activity. A number of available fantasy basketball free agents have had impressive first halves, even though ......
2011-01-09 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Entering this season, tight ends were becoming focal parts of more NFL offenses and presumably more valuable parts of fantasy lineups. Unfortunately for owners who relied on tight ends, the position regressed greatly from 2009 to 2010. Part of the reason for this decline in ti......
2011-01-02 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Success in fantasy football is often determined by the mid-round draft choices that have exceptional seasons. No position saw more output from those expected to be in the middle tier of players than the wide receivers. Equally surprising was how disappointing the performances were ......
2010-12-26 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Oftentimes, a fantasy football team's success can be determined more by its in-season acquisitions than by its preseason draft selections. Few seasons demonstrate this more than the 2010 crop of quarterbacks. Many of the best fantasy options, specifically Philadelphia's Michael Vic......
2010-12-19 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With the fantasy playoffs at hand and few significant moves able to be made any longer this season, we will begin our year in review of fantasy football and start with the running backs. Almost every year, there is a clearly outstanding running back, a rusher that is constantl......
2010-12-12 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Once every few years the question comes up. Does Peyton Manning ever belong on the bench in fantasy football? Given his sub-par play in Weeks 11 through 13, Manning turned a decision that is usually a no-brainer into a cause of hesitation for many owners. Just a few of those o......
2010-12-05 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
During the games of Week 12, two injuries — one serious, one not as severe — exemplified how quickly a fantasy team's playoff fortunes can take a drastic turn for the worse. Frank Gore suffered a fractured hip in Monday night's laugher over the Cardinals, and Adrian Pet......
2010-11-28 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Last week, we looked at a few wide receivers that can give fantasy teams a boost going into the playoffs. Now, we will look at quarterbacks and running backs in order to highlight players worth adding for the fantasy postseason and others who deserve a spot on the bench during the stretch drive....
2010-11-21 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The Miami Dolphins had a forgettable performance during Thursday night's 16-0 whitewashing at the hands of the Chicago Bears. During what was a terrible showing for the Miami offense, the contest actually gave fantasy owners a potentially valuable Dolphin receiver down the stretch.......
2010-11-14 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With the fantasy football playoffs only a month away, owners on the cusp of grabbing a final playoff spot need to evaluate their normal starting lineups to determine whether their regulars are capable of scoring enough points over the next four or five weeks to secure a playoff ber......
2010-11-07 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The Minnesota Vikings finally tired of receiver Randy Moss' antics this past week and cut him just a month after they acquired him from the equally impatient New England Patriots. Now that the Tennessee Titans have claimed him off of waivers, fantasy owners have to determine not on......
2010-10-31 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Week 7 of the NFL season became a showcase for a number of players that had been fantasy afterthoughts to emerge as potentially useful commodities going forward. The player that did the most for his fantasy stock last Sunday was Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson. His 1......
2010-10-24 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The NBA season tips off this week, and the majority of fantasy basketball drafts will be held in the next few days. Here is a quick fantasy preview of the upcoming NBA season.
Guard rankings: 1. Chris Paul, Hornets; 2. Deron Williams, Jazz; 3. Kobe......
2010-10-17 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Every year sees highly rated players struggle to meet the expectations of fantasy owners. This week, as a number of those players enjoy their bye weeks, owners will have a chance to reevaluate the worth of underperforming stars. Once the most coveted receiver in fantasy footba......
2010-10-10 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The most difficult part of this time of year for fantasy owners is finding suitable replacements for their players that are on a bye week. Although owners will have to dip a little deeper into the wide-receiver pool, looking at year-to-date consistency instead of trying to create t......
2010-10-03 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Week 4 of the NFL season is the first slate of games to include byes for teams. As owners adjust their lineups to compensate for byes, one position that they often try to fill is that of tight end. A deep position has gotten even deeper, and many bye-week alternatives are available......
2010-09-26 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The two least popular men in fantasy football right now may very well be Todd Haley and Rex Ryan. The head coaches of the Chiefs and Jets, respectively, have irritated fantasy football owners with their unwillingness to turn over the ground game completely to their reputed starting......
2010-09-19 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
One of the biggest stories in Week 1 of the NFL was the number of serious injuries that occurred to star players, with Ryan Grant's being certainly the most significant from a fantasy standpoint. Drafted as some owners' No. 1 back, Grant lasted all of about 25 minutes before suffer......
2010-09-12 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Thursday night's opener between the Saints and Vikings notwithstanding, today is the first full day of the NFL and fantasy football seasons. Even though many different ownership strategies can end in success, there are some rules of thumb that all fantasy owners should follow as th......
2010-09-05 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With many fantasy drafts having already been conducted, a number of potential impact fantasy players remain as free agents in a majority of leagues. Owners that have some extra space on the bench as the year begins will want to keep these sleepers in mind. For the second conse......
2010-08-29 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Throughout the course of the fantasy football season, owners will surely win or lose a game or two because of a great performance by a kicker or defense. That this situation is bound to occur does not give credence to owners selecting either of these positions before the last few rounds of the dr......
2010-08-22 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The best tight end of the last six years is once again the best tight end for 2010. Antonio Gates recently turned 30 and seems to constantly be battling injuries; however, he has not missed a game since 2005 and his production has been amazingly consistent. In the last six seasons, Gates has five......
2010-08-15 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Although the NFL has become a more pass-happy league in the last decade, finding a star wide receiver is not necessarily an easy task. In the last three seasons, there have been an average of 20 receivers who eclipse 1,000 yards per year. The goal of the fantasy owner is to nab at least two of th......
2010-08-01 00:07:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With pro football training camps underway and the first exhibition game just a week away, fantasy football leagues are quickly forming for the coming NFL season. The initial two rounds of fantasy drafts are typically filled with running backs, so the 2010 draft analysis begins in the backfield....
2010-07-25 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The New York Mets have rebounded nicely from last year's disastrous campaign, and they are contending for a playoff spot in the National League. One of the major reasons for the Mets' resurgence is also one of the more overlooked players in fantasy baseball. Angel Pagan has been a co......
2010-07-18 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The big news in baseball before the recent All-Star break was the trade for Cliff Lee by the Texas Rangers. That the AL West leaders now have a bona fide ace makes them a legitimate threat to advance in October, but Lee is not the most successful Texas hurler of late. Tommy Hunter made his s......
2010-07-11 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
One of the starting outfielders for the National League in Tuesday's All-Star Game is also one of the most disappointing players of the last two months. Ryan Braun has been mired in an eight-week slump that has his fantasy owners feeling unfulfilled. Back on Mother's Day, the Milwauk......
2010-07-04 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The month of July annually provides the most fluidity to major league rosters. Teams in contention for the playoffs deal for reinforcements; squads content to wait for the future attempt to bolster their prospects by sending away high-priced stars. The moves from now until July 31's trade dea......
2010-06-27 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In mid-May the Tampa Bay Rays cut loose former Phillie Pat Burrell, potentially ending his career. Only 33 years old, Burrell clearly could not make it as what is typically the last entry in a slugger's résumé: American League designated hitter. Six weeks later, Burrell is in a ......
2010-06-20 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
One of the more surprising teams in baseball this year is the Cincinnati Reds. Sitting at 37-31 entering Saturday's game in Seattle, the Reds sit a mere half-game behind the favored St. Louis Cardinals. Consequently, many Cincinnati players are becoming valued fantasy commodities. Owners......
2010-06-13 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Patient owners that drafted Stephen Strasburg in March finally got their reward. The Washington rookie had a remarkable showing in his major league debut, striking out 14, walking none and earning a win for the Nationals. Strasburg, however, is not the only player that required his fantasy o......
2010-06-06 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
You have no doubt heard that Armando Galarraga's masterpiece Wednesday night would have been baseball's third perfect game in a mere 24 days. Umpire Jim Joyce's error in judgment aside, the hot topic for analysts has been the lack of the offense in baseball. Yet, if this is the 21st c......
2010-05-30 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Seeing a pitcher undergo season-ending surgery is more and more common. Ailing pitchers are willing to miss a year or more of action in order to endure the surgery and return to action presumably stronger than before. Because of their prolonged absences from the diamond, many of these pitchers fa......
2010-05-23 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For much of this young baseball season, fantasy owners have been counting down the days until minor league phenomenon Stephen Strasburg breaks into the majors. While Strasburg has been dominating the hitters in the Double-A Eastern League and, more recently, the Class AAA International League, an......
2010-05-16 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Just over three weeks ago, Detroit Tiger Brennan Boesch made his major league debut. He went 2-for-4 with a double against the Texas Rangers. Boesch has not stopped hitting since his entry into the Tiger lineup. In his first 17 career games, Boesch has hits in 14 of them. The rookie outfield......
2010-05-09 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Starlin Castro is supposedly the shortstop of the future for the Cubs, yet the 20-year-old was recalled from Class-AA Tennessee on Thursday and made his major league debut on Friday. His initial performance makes him appear to be the shortstop of today for Chicago. Castro would have been a g......
2010-05-02 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Through the first month of the season, a number of pitchers have begun the year surprisingly well. Some of these hurlers are potential fantasy finds, whereas others are frauds that are likely to regress. Using advanced statistics helps differentiate the genuine talents from those benefiting from ......
2010-04-25 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Do not let Milwaukee's 20-0 whitewashing of the Pirates on Thursday fool you; scoring so far this season is down from last year. Through games on Friday, 2,265 runs have been scored in 248 games, for an average of 9.133 runs per game. Through the first 242 games of 2009 (April 24), a total of......
2010-04-18 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Just a fortnight into the season, five Opening-Day closers have blown two saves apiece, and four teams have already changed their ninth-inning men. Injury has forced managers' hands in some other cases. The fantasy market is now rife with new and emerging closing candidates. North of the......
2010-04-11 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
A 21-year-old Jeff Francoeur broke into the lineup of his hometown Atlanta Braves in July 2005. Instantly, he met success and wound up third in the Rookie of the Year balloting despite playing in only 70 games. He validated himself in 2006, hitting 29 home runs and driving in 103 runs. From there......
2010-04-04 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Year in and year out, a player with next to no major league experience becomes a valuable fantasy commodity. Owners who get an edge on which rookies will be worthwhile additions reap good rewards for little cost. Oftentimes, rookies do not find their way onto fantasy rosters until after the ......
2010-03-28 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The most fickle of all positions in fantasy baseball is that of relief pitcher or, more specifically, the closer. No other position has as many useful talents available on the fantasy free-agent market throughout the season. Injuries and the instability of many teams' bullpens cause managers ......
2010-03-21 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Nearing the culmination of the position-by-position preview of the fantasy baseball season, we come across the catchers. One of the best players in baseball is a catcher, but elite backstops are a relatively obscure bunch. Joe Mauer is by far the class of the catching position. He has three ......
2010-03-14 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Depending on the position eligibility requirement of a given fantasy baseball league, third base could be either a very deep position or one that appears relatively devoid of talent. The reason for this seeming contradiction is that many of the most productive third basemen play or will play the ......
2010-03-07 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In case it went unnoticed, it is worth mentioning that 2009 was the greatest year for power-hitting out of the second-base position in the history of baseball. Last season, four second basemen hit 30 or more home runs and nine trotted around the bases at least 20 times. No other previous sea......
2010-02-28 00:00:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Determining which outfielders to select for a fantasy baseball team can be a difficult process. The best combination of power and speed can be found in the outfield (outfielders have accounted for 60 percent of the 20-20 seasons in the last three years), yet this versatility makes it difficult fo......
2010-02-21 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
A couple of years ago, it appeared as if some of the most complete players in baseball were turning up at the shortstop position. In hindsight, only 10 primary shortstops have had an adjusted OPS of 100 (the barometer for an average level of offensive prowess) over the last three seasons. Th......
2010-02-14 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In fantasy baseball drafts, the first round is full of owners selecting their first basemen. First base is the premier power position, and probably five of the top dozen players in the upcoming year are first basemen. The discussion about the best first baseman is a short one: Albert Pujols ......
2010-02-07 00:00:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Later this week, after the hubbub of the Super Bowl has faded, is an opportune time to start mentally preparing for fantasy baseball. Pitchers and catchers begin reporting to their various Grapefruit and Cactus League locales in the middle to end of next week; therefore, let us begin the 2010 fan......
2010-01-31 00:00:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Often the most valuable players in fantasy basketball are forwards. They can score, rebound and block. They shoot well from the floor, if not from the line. They even create steals. Forwards draw the most attention from fantasy owners, leaving many quality guards up for grabs. Luke Ridnour n......
2010-01-24 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
When Yao Ming came to the NBA back in 2002, the move generated headlines the world over. Despite the fact that he was neither born in the United States nor played college here, he was a household name. Eight years after the 7-foot-6 pioneer's foray into American hoops, the pool of internation......
2010-01-17 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Over the last few weeks, we have reviewed who the best players were in the 2009 fantasy football season at each position. Chances are that the owners who triumphed in fantasy leagues this fall had a handful of the top performers but distinguished themselves with excellent supplementary players....
2010-01-10 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
As far as first-round picks go, Vernon Davis was running the risk of being one of the biggest busts in recent draft history. Chosen as the sixth overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft, Davis averaged 34 receptions, 377 yards and three touchdowns a year through his first three seasons. Consequently, o......
2010-01-03 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
One of the more common verbal salvos launched during fantasy football drafts occurs immediately after Wes Welker is selected. During 2007 and 2008, Welker's ability to haul in an inordinate number of passes had increased his value in point-per-reception leagues but kept him merely above avera......
2009-12-27 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Figuring to be a year in which there would be a changing of the guard at the running back position, 2009 did not disappoint. Three of the elite running backs are in no more than their third year in the league; a fourth has only four years under his belt. Leading the way in this new corps of ......
2009-12-20 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Although 2009 may go down in the books as the Year of Chris Johnson should he surpass Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 rushing yards in a season, the current campaign has been one in which the deepest talent has come under center. Therefore, the retrospective of the season will commence under......
2009-12-13 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Though it might be too late for some fantasy owners, those that commence the playoffs next week or that will advance in the fantasy postseason in spite of his Thursday night performance have to seriously consider the option of benching Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the remainder of t......
2009-12-06 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With the fantasy playoffs growing ever closer, owners need to prepare their teams for their entire postseason run. Although fantasy owners ought not overlook any of their preliminary playoff games, proactively preparing for late-round playoff games is imperative. Most fantasy football league......
2009-11-29 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In Week 12 of the football season, many fantasy football owners are starting to turn their attention toward the fantasy playoffs, which typically start in either Week 14 or Week 15. With little margin for error in the fantasy postseason, an injury can completely derail a team's hopes. Th......
2009-11-15 00:02:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
A number of players are putting up good numbers this year, but the depth of above-average showings and the absence of record-breaking paces have led to very few enviable fantasy players and even fewer players who ensure fantasy victory on a weekly basis. The parity in performances causes many fan......
2009-11-08 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Halfway through 2009, the Houston Texans are in line for a wild-card playoff spot. The success in the standings had paralleled triumphs from the Texan players in fantasy football until the events of Week 8 threw the prospects of a number of Houston players up in the air. Steve Slaton has had......
2009-11-01 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The hottest commodity in fantasy football right now is a player that does not even start for his own team. Owners in nearly 60 percent of leagues acquired New York Jet Shonn Greene this past week in the aftermath of his 144-yard, two-score performance against the lowly Raiders. Greene was a ......
2009-10-25 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
It seems not long ago that Kobe Bryant was winning his first Shaq-less title and that Phil Jackson was carving his name in the annals of coaching greatness as the Lakers defeated the Magic in the NBA Finals, yet the pro hoops season and fantasy basketball drafts are quickly approaching. Here......
2009-10-18 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In the early goings of the NFL season, the decisions that face fantasy owners often revolve around determining whether a play is good or bad. Roughly one-third of the way through the campaign, owners should have a relatively good idea of what players are prone to good performances and who is look......
2009-10-11 00:05:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Unlike its summertime counterpart, football rarely incorporates significant roster changes once the season begins. This week, however, two newsworthy personnel moves affected a trio of teams. Fantasy owners likewise need to re-evaluate the impact of the myriad players directly and indirectly conc......
2009-10-04 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Although it seems as if the NFL season just began, teams are already getting time off. The bye weeks in the NFL begin today with four teams getting a respite before a 13-week stretch to end the season. For this and each of the following six weeks, fantasy owners will be playing some of their benc......
2009-09-27 00:05:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Another week of the NFL season, another week of surprises. Tom Brady passed for 216 yards with no touchdowns. Elite receivers Reggie Wayne and Randy Moss combined for seven receptions and a mere 61 yards. The embargo against Steve Slaton, Brandon Jacobs and Matt Forte toting a football across the......
2009-09-20 00:07:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In any particular week in the NFL season, a handful of players will have what will end up being their best game of the entire year. Week 1 is no different; however, stellar performances in the initial week of the campaign tend to carry more weight among fantasy owners. Drew Brees and A......
2009-09-06 00:08:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With the NFL preseason now complete and the regular season about to get under way, the vast majority of fantasy football leagues have held their drafts. Even though the quality of players selected drops off significantly after the halfway point of the draft, a handful of late-round alternatives or u...
2009-08-30 00:11:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Normally, advice in fantasy columns comes in the form of what players to take and whom to avoid. Analysis of each of these players is meaningful because offensive players provide the majority of the scoring in fantasy football. The most effective evaluation of players revolves around margina......
2009-08-23 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The gold standard at tight end for the last decade has been and continues to be Tony Gonzalez. At age 33 and playing for someone other than the Chiefs for the first time in his career, Gonzalez is coming off one of his finest seasons. The lone bright spot of a dismal Kansas City squad, Gonzalez had ...
2009-08-09 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The running back position is always full of surprises. Because running backs are typically the best scoring options in fantasy football, being able to identify low-risk performers, to pinpoint breakthrough candidates and to insure injury risks are all keys to successful fantasy backfields. Adri......
2009-08-02 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
As August starts, America turns its collective attention from its erstwhile pastime to its present obsession. Training camps for NFL teams are now underway, and fantasy (and not to mention real-life) football is on the horizon. Fantasy owners that have not started to mentally prepare for their ......
2009-07-26 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Over the course of a 162-game schedule, baseball players are prone to feeling the effects of the six-month grind, altering the makeup of late-season games compared to earlier games. Analyzing the trends in the second half of the season will help fantasy owners down the homestretch. One thing th......
2009-07-19 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Every couple of years a player makes it to the majors and enjoys unbridled success for a short period of time. Phillies fans will no doubt remember Ricky Jordan's rookie campaign of 1988, when he hit home runs in each of his first two games en route to finishing the season with 11 homers in......
2009-07-12 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Last year at this time, San Francisco Giant first baseman Pablo Sandoval was catching for the Double-A Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League. Currently, the very same "Kung Fu Panda" is ripping National League pitching asunder with a .331 average and 14 home runs. Sandoval recen......
2009-07-05 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The rosters for next Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St. Louis will be announced today. Now, therefore, is an opportune time to review the fantasy all-stars of the first half of the year. These players may not necessarily have the best statistics at their respective positions, b...
2009-06-28 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Conventional wisdom says that the best way to succeed in fantasy baseball is to stay ahead of the curve - to pick up players before they have a breakthrough and to drop players before they start performing poorly. This approach is typically effective, yet it is often difficult to execute without the...
2009-06-21 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Two of the best players in fantasy baseball this year recently suffered from the same malady. Both Raul Ibanez and Roy Halladay found themselves on the disabled list this week with groin injuries. Neither of these players is completely replaceable, but short-term alternatives are available. One......
2009-06-14 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
You have no doubt read about Stephen Strasburg, the supposed once-in-a-generation phenom out of San Diego State, whom the Nationals selected with the first overall pick of the June amateur draft Tuesday. Fantasy owners have eagerly joined the throng of followers, thinking that Strasburg embodie......
2009-06-07 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Randy Johnson made news this week when he claimed his 300th victory in a win over Washington. Wins are often the bottom-line determinant of success in baseball. Fantasy owners, especially in the first half of the year, tend to have a skewed view of the importance of wins for their fantasy pitching s...
2009-05-31 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
It is not uncommon to read in this column about the unpredictability of relief pitchers. No other position has seen as many top-tier players have drastically disappointing results in 2009. Five pitchers in the top ten of numerous preseason closer rankings — Brad Lidge, Joakim Soria, Jose ......
2009-05-24 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
On Sept. 25, 2007, Dontrelle Willis walked off the mound in Miami after eight innings pitched. Willis was a 4-2 winner that day over the Chicago Cubs. As it turns out, not only would that day mark Willis' last home start as a member of the Florida Marlins (he was traded to Detroit along with Mig...
2009-05-17 00:03:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
A recent No. 1 overall selection in baseball's amateur draft started this season in the minor leagues even though he finished 2008 in the majors. Hailing from an SEC school in Tennessee, he earned a promotion back to the big leagues this week. Although this sounds like it could be future Ra......
2009-05-10 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In my preseason preview of fantasy catchers, I warned that drafting a catcher with consistent offensive prowess is not often an easy task. That seems to be true thus far in the 2009 baseball season with many top-tier catchers being unproductive. Fantasy owners have probably endured some level o......
2009-05-03 00:08:00
Dan Massey
Because of the World Baseball Classic, the 2009 baseball season started about a week later than in recent years. That still hasn't stopped players like Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena and Ian Kinsler from putting up gaudy numbers through the end of April. Other players, though, ......
2009-04-26 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Two weeks ago, the advice in this column was not to react too quickly because of a particularly hot or cold start. Now that three weeks of the baseball season are in the books, fantasy owners have more evidence on which to make decisions. A handful of early slumpers have yet to emerge from thei......
2009-04-19 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
During fantasy drafts before the 2008 season, one of the hotter mid-round commodities was straight-from-the-Japanese-League Kosuke Fukudome of the Chicago Cubs. Unfortunately for those owners that drafted the 31-year-old rookie, last year was an unmitigated disaster for Fukudome. He batted .258 with...
2009-04-05 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The Major League Baseball season commences this evening, with the Phillies and the Braves squaring off. In the next couple of days, every other team will have also started playing. Despite all of the teams being in action, there are still a number of worthwhile fantasy players who are beginning the ...
2009-03-29 00:06:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
At this point in the spring, many fantasy baseball owners have already partaken in their draft festivities. Upon reflecting of said draft, a rueful reaction by an owner toward a particular selection is not uncommon. Regardless of whether there is already dead weight on rosters, a handful of fantasy ...
2009-03-22 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The last two positions to analyze from a fantasy perspective are those positions that owners typically draft somewhat later in the draft. The talent in the catcher pool is relatively thin, and the reliability of many closers is suspect. Because of the physical toll that catching delivers, findi......
2009-03-15 00:05:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Some of the biggest offseason news included starting pitchers. The New York Yankees acquired two coveted free-agent moundsmen, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Jake Peavy was the subject of rumor after rumor of impending trade. Johan Santana made headlines when his status for Opening Day came under que...
2009-03-08 00:08:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The fantasy baseball outfielders bring quite a bit of uncertainty to the table, so the wisest owners will make sure that they draft reliable players ahead of some of the riskier ones. Manny Ramirez was torrid after a midseason trade to Los Angeles last year, and he recently re-signed with the D......
2009-03-01 00:05:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For the past three years, no second baseman has performed better than Philadelphia's Chase Utley. Yet when word of his November hip surgery spread, his superiority at the keystone sack was less important than his prognosis for the 2009 season. Utley has allayed those concerns, taking battin......
2009-02-22 00:08:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
As we continue our journey through the infield, we arrive at shortstop, a position that can provide fantasy owners with stolen bases, home runs or batting average. In fact, the top player at shortstop will sustain owners in all three of those categories. Hanley Ramirez is quite possibly the thi......
2009-02-15 00:10:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For a number of years, third base has been a relatively thin position for fantasy production. Many third base rankings include players like Kevin Youkilis, Jorge Cantu, Aubrey Huff and Chris Davis, players who are not true third baseman and are unlikely to play there much this year. Of those who wil...
2009-02-08 00:09:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Fantasy baseball leagues are starting to form, draft dates are being established and spring training is approaching rapidly. For those fantasy owners who are beginning to direct their attention to the upcoming season, we will commence our draft preview at the premier power position, first base....
2009-02-01 00:01:00
Dan Massey
Today, of course, is the most grandiose day in the landscape of American sport. The Super Bowl, regardless of the competing teams, is the biggest moment on the sports calendar. Even relative passersby tune to watch the game. Unfortunately, because of the excitement of Super Sunday, the followin......
2009-01-25 00:08:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The halfway point of the NBA season is around the time that first-year players begin to become comfortable with play at the highest level. Some rookies, such as Chicago's Derrick Rose and Memphis' O.J. Mayo, have been performing at a relatively high level all year; others are just starting t...
2009-01-18 00:06:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
As is often the case, many NBA stars are unable to perform to their full potential this year because of debilitating injuries. The extended loss of these players certainly hurts fantasy owners. Fortunately, the replacements for these players have played quite well when given the chance. A numbe......
2009-01-11 00:07:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For the ardent fantasy sports owner, the months of January and February can be a bit of a letdown. The fantasy football season has ended, yet fantasy baseball is still a couple months away. Some fantasy players have been participating in fantasy hockey or fantasy basketball leagues during the l......
2009-01-04 00:07:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
With the completion of the NFL regular season, this will be our last glance back at 2008 from a fantasy perspective. The position to review today is tight end. Undoubtedly, the best tight end this past season was Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez. The 32-year-old veteran was one of the few bright......
2008-12-28 00:08:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Years from now, fantasy football owners will look at the 2008 season as the changing of the guard at running back. The best backs from the past few years — LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and Brian Westbrook — are decreasingly productive and will be 30 years old by the end of next sea...
2008-12-21 00:09:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
As we continue our look back at the season that is nearly over, we will examine how quarterbacks have fared this year. The quarterbacking corps took a hit on opening day when Tom Brady tore up his knee against Kansas City. Brady is far from the only quarterback to suffer injury this year. Carso......
2008-12-14 00:09:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Oftentimes fantasy football analysis is a forward-looking conjecture, yet owners can learn quite a bit by viewing the season retrospectively. Owners who are not currently managing a team in the playoffs can use their free time to perform a valuable examination of the 2008 season as it winds down....
2008-12-07 00:06:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The biggest NFL news this past week, as you are well aware, is that of the accidental firearm-related injury Plaxico Burress imposed on his own thigh. Now that it appears doubtful that he will play for the remainder of the season, fantasy owners have an opportunity to make the best out of a bad situ...
2008-11-30 00:05:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
As the fantasy football season wears on, owners must fight the temptation to become unnecessarily upset with star players. A perfect example is that of Randy Moss, who many fantasy owners drafted in the first round. Because Moss has failed to duplicate last year's lofty performance, he was ......
2008-11-23 00:08:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Many fantasy football leagues start the playoffs in the next two weeks, with the remaining leagues waiting until Week 15 to begin the fantasy postseason. Oftentimes, fantasy leagues put a moratorium on roster additions once the playoffs commence. Because an injury late in the season can derail ......
2008-11-16 00:09:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The position that racks up the most points in fantasy football is quarterback, and having a signal caller that consistently posts good totals is imperative down the stretch of the fantasy football season. On Thursday night, Matt Cassel torched the Jets for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Cassel......
2008-11-09 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, reportedly has been considering extending the regular season to 18 games and shortening the exhibition season to just two games. The loudest argument against such a move, and the one that has the biggest fantasy impact, is the number of injuries that will occu...
2008-11-02 00:09:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
Week 9 marks the midpoint of the NFL season. For fantasy football it means that the playoff push is at hand, with about a month until the fantasy postseason begins. There are still a few good players who are either fantasy free agents or on many fantasy benches who will help owners down the hom......
2008-10-26 00:07:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
As the season progresses, filling in the last spot or two in starting fantasy football lineups can be difficult. Some fantasy owners have had all their players come back from byes and face the dilemma of a surplus of qualified personnel. Other owners have had injuries ravage their rosters, requiring...
2008-10-19 00:04:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
In the middle of October, many fantasy owners are focused on guiding their fantasy football teams. With the baseball playoffs also under way, the start of the NBA season can sneak up on many owners. The ball goes up in the air in just over a week, and many fantasy drafts will be held soon. The ......
2008-10-12 00:11:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
For years, the common philosophy was to draft running backs in each of the first two rounds of the fantasy football draft. Because of the widespread success of quarterbacks and wide receivers last season, many fantasy owners changed their strategies this year and drafted running backs with less freq...
2008-10-05 00:12:00
DAN MASSEY, Fantasy Sports
The nature of fantasy football is such that the focus of owners is mostly on the games that happen on Sunday and Monday. Therefore, fantasy owners often neglect to analyze players the weeks immediately before and after their byes. The Week 4 bye has helped the Seahawks get healthy, most noticea......
2008-09-28 00:12:00
DAN MASSEY
The dangerous part about the beginning of the fantasy football season is the degree to which one week affects a player's year-to-date statistics. Owners who can best distinguish between the anomalies and the harbingers in these stellar one-week performances will position themselves well for the rest...
2008-09-21 00:11:00
DAN MASSEY
Carson Palmer cannot be this bad. Or can he? Commonly drafted in the first three or four rounds, Palmer has been simply atrocious this year. Through two games, he has completed less than 50 percent of his passes. He has yet to throw a touchdown, but his passes have found the waiting hands of a ......
2008-09-14 00:14:00
DAN MASSEY
If fantasy owners learned anything in the initial week of the 2008 NFL regular season, it is that there is no such thing as a certainty. Willie Parker enters Week 2 with more rushing touchdowns in 2008 than he had in all of 2007. Matt Ryan showed no signs of nerves or confusion in starting his ......
2008-09-07 00:10:00
DAN MASSEY
Just because fantasy football drafts have been completed and the NFL season is officially under way, a fantasy owner's work is not done. There will be many free-agent acquisitions to make in the early portion of the 2008 football season. Below are players, undrafted in a majority of leagues, tha...
2008-08-31 00:12:00
DAN MASSEY
Kicker and defense are not necessarily the two least important positions in fantasy football; they are merely the two most unpredictable. That is the reason that draft picks related to these positions should occur close to the end of a fantasy draft. Some fantasy owners will elect to select two......
2008-08-24 00:06:00
DAN MASSEY
Antonio Gates has fantasy owners running for the hills because of a turf-toe injury he suffered last season. On the surface, Gates' injury last year did not slow him down much. After all, he scored nine touchdowns and put up better numbers in 2007 than he did in 2006. In fact, his yardage total ...
2008-08-17 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Entering the 2007 fantasy football draft, many owners decided to look the other way went it came to a certain wide receiver. A receiver coming off a year with only three touchdowns. A receiver who had averaged a mundane 775 yards per season over the previous three years. Owners willing to take ......
2008-08-10 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Every year, one player makes a fantasy football team nearly unbeatable. In 2005, it was Shaun Alexander. The following year, it was LaDainian Tomlinson. Most recently, it was Tom Brady, who had arguably the greatest statistical season under center of any man in the history of professional football....
2008-08-03 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Oftentimes, having the No. 1 selection in a fantasy football draft is a boon; this year, it will be relatively more burdensome. There are two players, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, that are worthy of being selected first, but both come with risks. Because both players are running backs, t...
2008-07-27 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
At the end of July every year, major league teams in contention for the playoffs attempt to fill voids in their roster. As the final one-third of the fantasy baseball season beckons, fantasy owners should also explore opportunities to satisfy openings in their rosters. Whereas teams in the majo......
2008-07-20 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Josh Hamilton's display at the Home Run Derby on Monday stood out as one of the more memorable moments of the season. Viewers of the Derby not only saw a great performance but also noticed that Hamilton had a few Rangers teammates on hand. Milton Bradley, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young all deser......
2008-07-13 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Over the course of the next two and a half weeks, major-league teams will determine if they have a chance to make a run for the playoffs. Teams in contention will try to bolster their rosters before the July 31 trade deadline. Other squads will look to the future. Aside from keeper leagues, fan......
2008-07-06 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Voting for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game ended at the end of the day Wednesday, and the rosters will be announced at 2 p.m. today for next week's game. A number of players have earned spots on a hypothetical Fantasy All-Star team, comprised of those who have played substantially above......
2008-06-29 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
The Colorado Rockies made an improbable run to the World Series last year, helped in large part by rookie Troy Tulowitzki. Colorado has struggled mightily in 2008, and that malady has not escaped its young shortstop. Many fantasy owners mistakenly used Tulowitzki's one altitude-enriched season ......
2008-06-22 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Remember J.J. Hardy? Last year at this time, the Milwaukee shortstop was hitting .285 with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs. Hurt by a subsequent 36-game stretch with one homer and 14 RBIs, Hardy finished the season with a .277 average, 26 homers and 80 ribbies. That was a career year for Hardy, who is......
2008-06-15 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
In the past two weeks, the Detroit Tigers have lost two starting pitchers. The blessing in disguise, for both the Tigers and fantasy owners, is that their best pitcher will now be in the starting rotation on a full-time basis. Jeremy Bonderman is done for the year after suffering from a blood c......
2008-06-08 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Fantasy owners who drafted Chipper Jones to play third base are more than content with their production at the position. Elsewhere in the majors, disappointments have been common at the hot corner. Throughout the year, Hank Blalock, then Chone Figgins and, most recently, Ryan Zimmerman have all......
2008-06-01 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
On May 25, 2007, the Milwaukee Brewers promoted Ryan Braun from Triple-A Nashville to the majors. Braun went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year. Almost a year to the day later, May 27, 2008, the Cincinnati Reds sent for their heralded minor-leaguer, Jay Bruce. Bruce hit .364 ......
2008-05-25 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Nobody expected the Florida Marlins to be leading the National League East in late May. A little over a quarter of the way through the season, the Marlins could be a mirage, yet they recently swept a three-game series from the Arizona Diamondbacks, beating both Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. ......
2008-05-18 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
As the baseball season progresses, fantasy owners can follow fewer and fewer avenues toward consistently good free agents. When the free-agent pool appears shallow, owners can get a boost by using players only during certain conditions. The easiest manner in which a fantasy owner can manipulate......
2008-05-11 00:01:00
DAN MASSEY
Joey Votto hit three home runs Wednesday for the Cincinnati Reds against the visiting Chicago Cubs. After a game like this, many fantasy owners start double-guessing themselves for roster moves. For instance, ESPN.com's featured online comment o......
