FanHouse

Fantasy Football Team Preview: Jets

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-03T09:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Draft Advice, 2009 Team Previews

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Offense in transition. With a new head coach along with rookies at quarterback and time-sharing running back, the best work of the Jets' offense will be in 2010 and beyond. They'll look to win with defense and taking care of the football in 2009, and you know that doesn't bode well when it comes to garnering massive amounts of fantasy points.

There are finds to be had on any team, but no Jets should be taken in the first three rounds of your draft -- and that's being conservative.

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Can This Be the Cubs' Turnaround?

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-03T09:00:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Cubs, NL Central

Earlier this week, I joined up with Andrew Johnson and Will Brinson on the inaugural BaseCast to discuss the Cubs' unbelievably disappointing start to the 2009 season. To conclude the segment, I was asked if the Cubs can get things straightened out and win the division. I said that was an easy answer because of the word choice. Of course they can. Had the question been "will they?" I would have said no.

Just two days later, there are plenty of reasons on the horizon to believe they can head into the All-Star break not only in thick of things in the NL Central, but atop it. Wouldn't that be a weird sight -- seeing the Cubs in first place after such a disastrous first half.

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Fantasy Football Risk or Reward: Weighing Injuries and Value

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-03T06:00:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Draft Advice, NFL Injury Report, NFL Value Machine

When one prepares to draft a fantasy football team, myriad criterion should be considered in evaluating who to target, and, likewise, who to avoid. One word bouncing around just as frequently as anything else during said evaluation? Injury. Maybe a guy was injured for several games last season, maybe he suffered a season-ending injury or maybe he's just an injury-prone guy. This affects the value of players on draft day.

Let's check out the value of 10 guys with injury concerns, and judge whether or not they are up to the task for 2009.

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Swarming Bees Delay Astros vs. Padres

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-02T19:02:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Astros, Padres, NL Central, NL West

We've heard of a rain delay in baseball. It happens occasionally -- in fact, it's happened frequently this season. Something you don't quite see so often is the non-traditional, but still quite crowd-pleasing, bee delay.

Thursday afternoon, the Astros entered the ninth inning leading the Padres 6-1. According to the Associated Press, Padres left fielder Kyle Blanks began moving toward the infield during Miguel Tejada's at-bat. After an umpire went out to see what the problem was, all players were pulled off of the field. Stadium security cleared out several sections of fans as well.

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Meet the 2009 Andruw Jones All-Stars

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-02T15:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: AL Central, AL East, AL West, NL Central, NL East, NL West, MLB All-Star Game

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

This coming weekend, Major League Baseball will reveal its 2009 All-Star teams. So what better opportunity than this to run through a list of this season's "Anti-All-Stars." Anti-All-Stars is far too bland a name, though, so we decided to name the team in honor of Andruw Jones. After all, he was the poster child for guys not earning the lucrative contracts bestowed on them last season. We'll sort through each position and find the player who is least helping his team in comparison to expectations -- whether monetary or from management.

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NFL Players Have Fantasy Football Draft

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-02T11:40:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Fantasy Football, NFL Fans

Among the most tired arguments against fantasy football are that people playing it need to "get a girlfriend" or "get a life." First of all, as an avid fantasy football player, I'd like to point out that my wife probably wouldn't appreciate it if I got a girlfriend. Secondly, when seven well-known NFL players play, how can you really question if it's "cool" while comparing it to Dungeons and Dragons? Just get over yourself and try it before knocking it. It's fun.

Mini-rant aside, NFLplayers.com held an 8-team draft last week, pitting Leon Washington, Roy Williams (Cowboys WR), Ronnie Brown, Robbie Gould, Matt Forte, Cato June and DeAngelo Williams against one lucky fan. Let's see how they did.

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Fantasy Football Team Preview: Patriots

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-02T09:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Draft Advice, 2009 Team Previews

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Troops of Tom Brady. Yes, there are plenty of guys on this team who matter -- not sure if you've heard of Randy Moss, for example -- but this season it is all about the health of Tom Brady. He's going to be nearly a year removed from tearing his ACL in 2008 when the season begins. Now that Matt Cassel is gone, the weight of the team of on Brady's shoulders.

Really, the picture here is perfect. There are guys in the background wearing the same uniform, but they are a bit blurry. Brady is front and center, and the focus of the photo.

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Madison Bumgarner Too Good for Minors

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-01T15:00:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: MLB Kids Are Alright

These Kids Are Alright is FanHouse's look at minor league prospects who could have a fantasy impact in the near future.

We've discussed Madison Bumgarner before, but the assumption has always been that he was a future prospect, slated to make the majors sometime during the 2010 season. I mean, he's only 19 years old for God's sake. Yet, as the Giants look to be a legitimate playoff threat, this kid is just tearing up the minors. He started the season in Class A, where he made hitters look stupid for five games (1.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 23 K, 4 BB in 24 1/3 innings). So he was promoted to Double-A and the numbers are almost as staggering.

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Roto Rush: Here Comes Beckham

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-01T13:50:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

In yesterday's Rush, we mentioned that Gordon Beckham is heating up and that the power would come. As if right on cue, he posted a 4-2-3-2 line in the box score. That is 4 at-bats, 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI, for those box score challenged. One of the hits was a home run. Beckham went through some predictable growing pains when he was first called up the majors, but he's since raised his on-base percentage to .353. His OPS is 1.396 in his last five games. It's time to keep your eyes on him in all fantasy leagues. There's a reason he was in the majors less than a year after he was drafted.

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Fantasy Football Team Preview: Dolphins

Matt Snyder — 2009-07-01T09:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Draft Advice, 2009 Team Previews

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Team who invented the Wildcat formation! Cue all sorts of zeal from the dramatic broadcasters. Of course, the formation has actually been around for decades, we just hadn't seen a ton of usage in the NFL until the Dolphins seemed to perfect it -- peaking with Ronnie Brown's ridiculous game against the Patriots.

The Dolphins have a careful quarterback, two solid runners, a good, young receiving corps, and have added a great all-around athlete via draft. It might be tough to predict who is going to consistency amass yardage, but we know one thing: They are going to be fun to watch.

Play FREE Fantasy Football at Fleaflicker | FanHouse Position Rankings

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Jeff Samardzija Recalled to Join Cubs

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-30T16:35:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Cubs, NL Central, MLB Transactions, Minor Leagues

The Cubs continue to make minor tweaks to their roster as they cling to relevancy in the NL Central race. After recalling Kevin Hart and Sam Fuld in the past few days, relief pitcher Jeff Samardzija was brought back to the big leagues Tuesday. He'll replace Jose Ascanio in the bullpen.

Samardzija, the highly popular pitcher who once played wide receiver for Notre Dame's football team, came onto the scene with a solid rookie season in 2008. He worked 26 times and compiled a 2.28 ERA. Earlier this year, though, Samardzija had a rough go at the major league level. In five outings, his ERA was a large 8.10.

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Carlos Beltran, Mets Get Good News

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-30T15:05:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Mets, NL East, MLB Injuries

Mets fans, you can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Monday night, we passed along the information that Carlos Beltran was visiting a specialist -- and outlined the worst-possible-scenario: Beltran missing the rest of the season. Instead, he's been diagnosed with just a bone bruise, as the team originally believed.

Beltran's choice of doctor raised eyebrows, considering he visited a well-known micro-fracture surgeon, Dr. Richard Steadman. Still, Steadman examined Beltran and determined he just needs to stay off his feet. He did push back the timetable for Beltran's return to after the All-Star break.

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Roto Rush: Encouraging Start by Harden

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-30T14:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: MLB Injury Report, MLB Locking Your Lineup, MLB Waiver Wire

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Heading into 2009, here's what we thought we knew about Rich Harden: Absolutely lights out stuff, but can't be counted on to stay healthy consistently. In 2008, he went 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 181 strikeouts in 148 innings. Those are elite numbers on a per-start basis. The problem, of course, is that he only made 25 starts. In 2007, he had a 2.45 ERA, but only pitched 25 2/3 innings.

Until Monday night, 2009 had been quite surprising from the 27-year-old right-hander.

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Chris Cooley Burns a Dead Cow, Blogs About the Experience

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-29T23:20:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East

In "news" sure to get someone's panties in a bunch, Chris Cooley posted an interesting, we'll say, entry on his personal blog recently. Apparently on his land in Wyoming, the Redskins tight end stumbled upon a cow carcass. Naturally, he and his cohorts set the already-deceased animal on fire to "get rid of it." Cooley has teased a video of the fire, but it's not yet posted. Update: He has decided to not post the video.

My first reaction to this was, "Oh great, now a bunch of people are going to be all up in arms about how disgusting this was." Frankly, I am surprised he posted it on the Internet, what with all the wackos around who will stir up controversy over just about anything nowadays. I guess he doesn't care if it does ignite controversy, so kudos to him for that.

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Beltran Injury News Could Get Worse

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-29T21:45:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Mets, NL East, MLB Injuries

As if the Mets needed to deal with more bad news this season Carlos Beltran is now going to visit a specialist. Beltran was in the midst of an All-Star season when he injured his right knee. Right now, all we know is that Beltran has a bone bruise under his knee.

The possibly worrisome news is the fact that Beltran is visiting Dr. Richard Steadman, who performs micro-fracture surgeries. If Beltran does, in fact, have or develop a micro-fracture in the knee area, that's even bigger trouble than his current DL stint. Judging from what we've seen in baseball and other sports, and the fact that we're almost in July, micro-fracture surgery would probably end Beltran's season. We can't get ahead of ourselves just yet, though.

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Jason Bay Aces US Citizenship Exam

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-26T22:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Red Sox, AL East

Less than a week from now, Jason Bay will officially become a U.S. Citizen. He won't be abandoning his Canadian roots, though, as the Red Sox left fielder plans on maintaining citizenship to both countries (a.k.a. dual citizenship). July 2 is the exact date when Bay will become a member of the American family. The 30-year-old Bay was born and raised in Canada, but has been in the United States since heading off to college in 1997.

But that stuff is all boring. Let's get down the nitty gritty. The entrance exam. Bay was given 100 questions to study, a list from which he'd be given 10. He only needed to get six correct to qualify for citizenship. Here's a sample of four questions (thanks, WEEI Sports):

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Nady Out For Season; 2010 in Question

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-26T22:00:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Yankees, AL East, MLB Injuries

Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady has been on the shelf since April 14. He was recently playing in Triple-A on a minor league rehab assignment when he suffered a huge setback and had to pull himself from the game. It appears the injury was devastating. He'll be forced to undergo Tommy John surgery, which normally takes at least one calendar year to heal; sometimes more. This means Nady likely won't be ready until about July of 2010.

The Yankees have been using Nick Swisher in right field most of the time with Nady out, so they'll likely continue to do so. They haven't exactly struggled offensively without him, as evidenced by the comments made by manager Joe Girardi.

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Infantile Shock Jock Harasses Jennifer Capriati With On-Air Questions

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-26T21:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Media Watch

Jennifer Capriati, the 33-year-old retired tennis player who won three Grand Slam events, headlined a Wimbeldon event in New York City with Jim Courier this past week. Thus, when she was invited to appear on WFAN's 'Boomer and Carton' radio show in New York, she probably assumed the line of questioning would involve Wimbledon, her tennis career or the event.

Silly her. Capriati obviously didn't know the reputation of Craig Carton, the co-host opposite former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason. Carton plays the role of a sex-mongering 14-year-old any chance he gets, and his jabbing at all things sexual with Capriati was no different.

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Sidney Ponson Failed WBC Drug Test

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-26T19:30:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Royals, AL Central, World Baseball Classic

Thursday we passed along the news that Geovany Soto had tested positive for marijuana during the World Baseball Classic this past spring. Just one day later, another positive result from the WBC round of testing has been revealed. Sidney Ponson, the embattled 32-year-old righty who pitched for the Netherlands, also tested positive for a banned substance.

It wasn't the mellow Mary Jane that Ponson was partaking in, though. Nope, he tested positive for phentermine, a stimulant. Like Soto, he'll avoid punishment from Major League Baseball and face a two-year ban from international play.

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Milton Bradley Departs Stadium Early After Confrontation With Lou Piniella

Matt Snyder — 2009-06-26T18:25:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Cubs, NL Central

I guess the Milton Bradley haters are all going to be basking in all their glory now. According to a report on Chicagosports.com, Bradley was taking out some frustration on the Gatorade cooler in the Cubs dugout when approached by his manager, Lou Piniella. Apparently the two exchanged "angry words" and Bradley was removed from the game.

In news much more disconcerting, though, Bradley was seen in street clothes leaving the stadium and is now gone from the premises. You might recall Sammy Sosa left Wrigley Field during the last game of the 2004 season and it was the last time he ever played for the Cubs. The Bradley situation will obviously conclude differently, because the Cubs signed him to a three-year contract this offseason and likely can't get a good return on him via trade.

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