“Positional Purgatory” is where we would say shortstops are going in fantasy. A group of fading stars is giving way to emerging youngsters, but very few of either kind can be viewed as real difference makers. Beyond the top three, there’s not a ton of speed or power in the group, leaving fantasy owners with a bunch of 10 HR-10 SB types and little else.

If a player is to break that ordinary mold and excel in either power or speed categories, a toll will be taken on at least one other category. Cleveland’s Jhonny Peralta has considerable pop, hitting .276-23-89-103 in 2008, but will be hard-pressed to break the .270 average mark once again. Ryan Theriot is a virtual lock to hit .300 and steal 25 bases, but has zero power and doesn’t drive in any runs. Read more »

Drafting outfielders can be a tricky task. At the least, an owner must have three competent starters, which creates challenging depth issues. Seeking a balance between strength and weakness in your outfield also leads to discrepancies in how you go about building the rest of your team. No matter your approach, how and when to address your outfield will be at the heart of a good draft strategy.

Plan to build a strong pitching staff? Draft a great outfielder high, take balanced pitchers, and target underrated hitters later in the draft. Want to build a Murderer’s Row lineup? Go Holliday, Ludwick and Beltran and lock in your league’s deepest, most talented outfield. Have five starting outfielders to draft? Adding excellent No. 4 and No. 5 outfielders can give you a big-time edge on your opponents. Read more »

It is Week 5 in fantasy football and chances and time to get an objective evaluation on how your team will perform this season. For some of you, however, fantasy football just does not quite feed your craving. Bored of adjusting your lineups just once a week? Lack of free agent activity not enough of a challenge? If you live for the daily waiver wire pickups, constant lineup adjusting, and buying peanuts and cracker jacks, then you are already counting down the days until fantasy baseball 2009 kicks off.

In the meantime, we are here to bring you some early previews for the 2009 season. The “Fast Forward to ‘09” series has already given you inside analysis on who to acquire at the second base and starting pitcher positions as well as keepers and this year’s rookies. We now shift across the diamond to third base, which appears to be a loaded position once again.  Read more »

It used to be, that you could get away with drafting your starting second baseman fairly low in your league. However, in today’s game, there are just too many studs at second to pass up if you are looking to have success in your league.

If you look around the league, you just might notice that some of the top run producers and highly touted fantasy players are at second base. The numbers are increasing steadily with each coming year and it probably wouldn’t hurt to pay close attention to your pre-draft second base rankings. Read more »

Chances are, keeper league decisions don’t have to be made for at least a few months. But, it never hurts to feed into the obsession and take a look now while information is fresh. Scratch out a preliminary list, then either add to or subtract from it as Spring Training 2009 approaches.

Simultaneously looking backward and forward are keys in keeper leagues, as projecting future results requires elements of both. The players carried over into 2009 build a fantasy team’s foundation, so making proper choices is imperative. The foundation has to be sturdy enough to stand strong through 2010 and beyond, but also has to be competitive right now. It’s a delicate balance. Read more »

When February gives way to March, sports fans begin to think of the madness that comes with the month ahead. But, the NCAA Tournament is not the only sport that has fans excited. The turning of the calendar also signals that baseball season, and more importantly fantasy baseball season, is once again on the horizon.

“Pitchers and  catchers reporting” rings like music in the ears of baseball fans. At that point, just like every Major League team believes they have a shot to win a World Series, all fantasy owners still believe they’ve got a shot at a championship. Read more »

Some say the sophomore slump is a myth, but a documented list of players has suffered its full effects.

Just ask Eric Hinske. Coming off a rookie season in which he won the American League Rookie of the Year award with 24 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 99 runs, Hinske faded into relative mediocrity and never played at the same level. Past award winners Dontrelle Willis, Jason Jennings, Angel Berroa and Bobby Crosby have equally suffered from this tragic disease.

With the 2008 Major League Baseball season coming to a close this weekend, fantasy owners, specifically keeper leaguers, can start to think about 2009. This season’s exceptionally deep rookie class will give owners several second-year players to consider as keepers and early draftees next season. Read more »