By now, you’ve already drafted your fantasy team(s) and have set your lineup(s) for Opening Day. (Happy Opening Day, by the way!)
While some sites make lazy claims by promoting top 100 players as breakout candidates, I choose to dig much deeper. Heck, I’ve seen Drew Stubbs flagged as a 2011 breakout performer on several occasions.
How can a guy who hit 22 HRs and stole 30 bags last year be dubbed a future fantasy star? He’s already a top-50 player in my mind. He’s already risen from the depths of the waiver wire, just as I had predicted he would at this time last year…
There are many different effective strategies when it comes to drafting starting pitchers. Some will hoard the top talents in the year after the year of the pitcher, while others will rely on weekly spot-starts. Both approaches work, but I have employed a much different scheme in recent seasons:
Ideally, you own just one or two reliable starters. They must maintain a consistently low ERA (preferably no higher than 3.50—3.75) and WHIP (Carl Pavano was a great example last year). Strikeouts aren’t important…
Unlike third base and shortstop this year, outfield is extremely deep. In 2010, the average top-40 fantasy outfielder hit 22 homers, stole 20 base, scored 88 runs, knocked in 82 RBIs and hit .285. This speaks volumes to the depth of the position.
While first- and second-round talents such as Braun, Crawford, CarGo, Holliday and Kemp are exciting to own, you’re probably better off filling your infield spots early in the draft.
The likes of Alex Rios, Jacoby Ellsbury, Drew Stubbs, Ichiro Suzuki, Andre Ethier, Jay Bruce, Hunter Pence and Nick Markakis can all be drafted much later in the draft, and offer valuable production. Here’s the top 30…
Shortstop has become a very difficult position to fill. It offers very little power, made evident by the fact that only four shortstops hit 20 or more home runs last year. If you’re looking for steals, however, this is where you find ‘em. Twenty five shortstops racked up double-digit totals last season, including seven who stole 20-plus.
There’s a steep drop off after Ramirez and Tulowitzki, although Reyes could re-join the elite ranks given a full season in the lineup. Derek Jeter should bounce-back from a career-worst season, while rising stars such as Ian Desmond and Starlin Castro bring hope to fantasy managers in the later rounds…
Third base has become surprisingly thin in recent seasons. While the elite players (Wright, Longoria and perhaps even Rodriguez, Youkilis and Zimmerman) offer fantastic production, the rest of the group offers nothing but questions.
Kevin Youkilis doesn’t have third base eligibility yet, but he’s worth the wait. After a week or two (depending on what site you play on), he’s the fourth-best player at the position.
Expected bounce-back seasons from Aramis Ramirez, Mark Reynolds and Pablo Sandoval could lend some depth to the hot corner by season’s end. An emerging Pedro Alvarez won’t hurt, either…
Thursday, March 31, 2011
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