The Reds 9-0 trouncing of the Cubs on Wednesday was the coming out party for one super prospect, Joey Votto, and the continued domination of another, Edinson Volquez. These two highly touted super prospects are putting their talent on display.

This week's Clearing The bases column touches on everything from NL Player of the Week Matt Kemp rewarding fantasy owners to Roger Clemens tabloid tales. Read the full article at www.TheFantasySportsForum.com

An excellent analysis of the wide receivers with the potential to have the highest fantasy impact.

We're now a month into the baseball season and it's time to scan the rosters of the teams in your league to find some underachieving stars who can be acquired on the cheap. The strategy is to find a vulnerable owner who is tired of carrying the dead weight of such a player, and whose stats are bringing down the rest of his team. Not all owners are impatient or have a quick trigger finger on making deals, but if you look hard enough you'll find at least one - and all it takes is one. This owner has likely become frustrated and is probably looking to "shake things up". If you have something he likes, then you'll be able to acquire an established talent for a bargain. Below is a list of some players at every position who have had a terrible April, but could get close to posting their customary numbers. Many of these players have a level of risk attached to them for various reasons, but if the value exchange is right for you in a deal - and there is a fit within your team - then the upside should top the potential downside. Read the list of players here: http://www.thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php?ID=271

A recap on the selections of every team from round one of the NFL Draft.

All Out Blitz: First Round Draft Needs



By George Kurtz, The Fantasy Sports Forum.com



The NFL Draft is almost here. Let us take a look at the main needs for each team and who the next big star will be.

1. Miami Dolphins: They have already signed OT Jake Long. That takes some drama out of the draft now, doesn't it? Rumor has it they will trade DE Jason Taylor for a mid to late first round pick. Don't see them getting that high of a pick for Taylor, since teams could just keep the pick and draft a DE.

2. St. Louis Rams: They are currently on the clock but have been told by the NFL not to start negotiating with anyone. You would think with all the problems they have on defense that they will grab DT Glenn Dorsey.



Read the rest at: http://thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php?ID=264

The Fantasy Sports Forum.com

Every season we see plenty of closers who start the season in that role, but don't finish there. The start of this season will be no different and the clock is already ticking on several closers in the NL who do not have a very firm hold on their job. Since the closer position is probably the most scrutinized, it's natural that this topic would lead to a poll, suggested by an owner in one of my leagues. So from a poll, a roundtable debate was created.

Question:

Which closer will be the first to lose his job?

Choices:

Trevor Hoffman, Kerry Wood, Eric Gagne, Takashi Saito, or Brandon Lyon.

Read full article at: The Fantasy Sports Forum.com

By George Kurtz, The Fantasy Sports Forum.com



One thing I like to do at work is peruse various sports chat rooms and see what everyone is talking about. One topic I've seen mentioned quite often this week is the use of instant replay in baseball.

I would be a big fan of the limited use of instant replay. Let's face it, the time has come. I know all you baseball purists will hate the idea, but if we have the technology to get the call right, than that is what we should do, especially for home runs.

I'm not saying we use it for every call and give the managers a couple of challenges per game like the NFL, but to employ it the way the NHL does. You have a few officials watching all the games, when they see a close call or when the umpires ask them to look at a replay, they do so. It's infuriating to see an umpire miss a home run call that everyone looking at a replay can tell was wrong. The argument would be that it would delay the game further. This is actually not true. The umpires spend time huddling trying to get the call right, and no matter which way they rule, you know an argument is coming, going to replay would eliminate the need for all of this, therefore the time spent would be about the same.

As for the human element that would be taken out of the game, who cares. I want the calls to be correct; I don't feel any better because we all make mistakes. If the call can be made correctly by technology, than let's do it. At the very least, baseball should experiment with it in the minor leagues and/or spring training. I would even think about using QuesTech to call balls and strikes, but that's an argument for another day.



How many of you Dodger fans or Matt Kemp owners want to strangle Joe Torre right about now?



For all of you owners that are panicking about some of your top players not producing - Tulowitzki, Fielder, Sheffield, Ortiz, Cano, Thome, Mauer, Ordonez, Reyes, Soriano, and Dunn - relax, it's only mid April. You have to wait for the weather to warm up before some of your hitters will.



Randy Johnson needs 16 wins to reach 300 for his career. Not sure he can afford his defense/bullpen to blow many more wins if he wants to achieve that goal during the 2008 season.



Atlanta is down to their third closer after Peter Moylan was placed on the DL. Manny Acosta is next in line to get saves for the Braves.

Read the rest of this article here:

http://www.thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php?ID=258

Sean Avery's antics in game 3 of the Rangers-Devils series caused substantial controversy - something the Rangers disruptive winger seems to be good at doing. The NHL reponded with unprecedented swiftness and applied a rule change going forward. Was Avery innovative or was he being "unsportsmanlike" as the NHL ruled, or just plain irritating?

We're only into the second week of the season, but fantasy owners who drafted Eric Gagne are starting to worry that their investment is in jeapordy. So what do you to when you want to protect your investment? You buy insurance. In this case, the insurance policy goes by two names - David Riske and Derrick Turnbow, two former closers who are currently pitching in setup roles for the Brewers, but are also waiting in the wings if Gagne reverts to the player who got rocked in almost every outing with Boston last season. He has already blown two saves so far this season, so the grumblings about him heading toward another implosion are not unwarranted. There have been reports from Milwaukee that the velocity on his fastball has been hovering in the high eighties. That is in stark contrast to the player who was once a dominant closer for the Dodgers and humming fastballs by hitters at close to 100 mph. Here is the 2008 statistical look at all three pitchers:

Read the full article at: http://www.thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php?ID=255

NFL College Draft Projections



ROUND 2

By Gary Hartman, The Fantasy Sports Forum.com

32. Miami Dolphins- Gosder Cherilus OT, Boston College

The Dolphins can use that O-Line centerpiece and get a steal in Cherilus here.

33. St. Louis Rams- Brandon Flowers CB, Va Tech

The Rams can really use depth and youth at corner.

34. Atlanta Falcons- Joe Flacco QB, Delaware

They get their QB that they are extremely high on, to be their future starter.

35. Kansas City Chiefs- Sam Baker OT, USC

Get the 1st rd talent OT they are looking for.

36. New York Jets- Lawrence Jackson DE, USC

A big steal here for the Jets, as they get the big time pass rusher they desperately need.

37. Atlanta Falcons- Kentwan Balmer DT, UNC

Need someone to stuff the run and Balmer is a huge, talented body.

38. Baltimore Ravens- Tracy Porter CB, Indiana

Need that corner that will eventually replace the Rolle and McCalister.

39. San Francisco 49er's- Early Doucet WR, LSU

A bit of a reach, but they really need wide outs and he is next best avaliable.

40. New Orleans Saints- Pat Sims DT, Auburn

Really, really need a DT and get a great player here.

41. Buffalo Bills- Terrell Thomas CB, USC

Versatile secondary player that can bring a some youth and talent to the position.

42. Denver Broncos- Dre Moore DT, Maryland

Have no standout tackles, only some mediocre ones and some projects.

Read the rest of this draft list at: http://thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php?ID=251

Here are the draft projections for picks 1 - 31 for the upcoming NFL draft.

See the predicted order of finish for teams in the NL and our wildcard and pennant picks in this week's Clearing The Bases column.

This week's Risers & Decliners lists the players who have had their stock rise in value by emerging as winners from their spring training position battles. Conversely, you'll also find the players with declining stock, due to loss of their starting job, ineffectiveness or injury.

Free Agent Trends - Week 1

Article From: FantasyBaseballGeeks.com

CATCHER

Most Added - This is a roll call for trendy sleeper picks at the catcher position. Geovany Soto has been gaining experience in the Cubs farm system since 2001 at age 18. Now at 25 he is in possession of the catching duties full time at Wrigley. He has 20 HR power and could have his first full season rival Brian McCann 's breakout in 2006. Draft him as a Top 10 C with upside. J.R. Towles is another young backstop with considerable tools and immediate value. Owners have taken notice and are salivating over his speed potential as he could swipe double digits in 2008. In Houston, Towles will become a staple and you should be drafting him at the end of the Top 10 catchers in mixed formats.

Most Dropped - Johnny Estrada is not a viable option for any fantasy squad in any fantasy format. If you are in a 15 team mixed league requiring two catchers he is still not an option. His right elbow tendonitis should not be the reason he is being dropped - the fact that he has no value even when healthy should be the cause of this downtrend.

FIRST BASE

Most Added - Guess the secret is out. James Loney and Joey Votto are no longer unknown commodities in fantasy baseball. Loney is a burgeoning star and should produce big returns immediately. He has solid power and should linger around .300 in the BA department. Joe Torre has a stud bat to watch mature into a Top 10 1B. Joey Votto on the other hand has to deal with the stubborn and stuck in his ways Dusty Baker in Cinci that could stunt his growth. The Reds have a history of limited patience with young players as was evidenced with Edwin Encarnacion last season. Baker might sneak Scott Hatteberg into the lineup and any slump by Votto could spell a platoon. Votto is the Reds future and should be given the job in my opinion. He also has flashed a good amount of speed in the minors swiping 24 bases in 2006.

Most Dropped - Dmitri Young had a pretty decent season in 2007 posting a .319 BA and eating (I mean winning) the Comeback Player of the Year Award in the NL. Nick Johnson will be reclaiming the 1B job, but seems likely to slip on a banana peal in the coming weeks and be out for about 6 months. Either way neither Nick nor Dmitri should be in your lineup.

Read full article at: http://thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php?ID=228