FanHouse KellyJohnson

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.

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

Big Apple, we have a problem. And one that could be a major concern in fantasy baseball leagues, too.

Jose Reyes, undoubtedly a top-10 fantasy pick, left Wednesday's game against the Dodgers after aggravating a right calf injury while trying to leg out an infield single. Reyes had missed five straight starts with the injury, and it looks like a trip to the disabled list is a possibility at some point. The Mets can consider alternatives to watching Ramon Martinez twirl his toothpick bat -- like the versatile Mark DeRosa -- but the solution isn't so simple for fantasy owners relying on his speed.

The 26-year-old Rickie Weeks looked to be finally fulfilling the promise of his lofty draft spot (second pick overall in the 2003 draft). He was hitting .272 with 9 home runs, 24 RBI, 2 stolen bases and 28 runs. Now, what appeared to be his breakout campaign has been summarily dismantled on one swing. Weeks tore up his wrist on a swing Sunday and his season is over.

There's no rest for the weary in fantasy baseball, though. Weeks owners must lick their wounds and find a way to recover. A recovery should be possible, considering how little owners probably had to spend on Weeks in their auctions or drafts. The three options are as follows (make sure to check out number three).

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MLB Power Rankings: Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.

It's been a while since a week of baseball was this sad -- we saw the tragic passings of Nick Adenhart, Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych. And without waxing too sentimentally, it's the loss of these men that remind us exactly just how little sports matter in the grand scheme of things. RIP, gentlemen. Power rankings (that feel just a tad inconsequential, to be honest) after the jump.

Once we stumble into the first few weeks of fantasy draft season, we have the luxury of trolling through some average draft position charts (ADP, henceforth). One of the problems is that most of the early-to-mid February drafting is being done by hypothetical fantasy fanatics, so there aren't a ton of skewed averages.

Of course, recently-retired Jeff Kent has found a way to get drafted in 1.6 percent of the leagues on Mock Draft Central (MDC, henceforth), so they're worth a look. We'll use the ADP per position* on MDC for the rest of our analysis here. Most of the guys listed are not to be targeted in shallow to medium-sized leagues, as they are later-round steals for the deepest of fantasy leagues.

*positional ADP in parentheses

Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.

Meet the ...

Biggest offseason losers. At least that's what pessimists will try and tell you, anyway. The Braves -- and new GM Frank Wren -- seemingly made blunder after blunder in 2009, losing Rafael Furcal at the last minute, whiffing on A.J. Burnett, letting John Smoltz walk and failing to land Jake Peavy. But the reality is that Wren actually did a pretty darn good job assembling a talented squad that can certainly compete in the NL East in 2009. Oh, and they'll provide some nice fantasy value as well.

The Oakland Athletics have been the top mentioned team in the Rafael Furcal "sweepstakes," with the Dodgers considered an outside shot to ink the shortstop. No one had really considered the Braves -- especially given their obsession with Jake Peavy -- likely to land the former Atlanta All Star, but that's the word coming from the ATL.

The Braves appear to be on the verge of bringing back shortstop Rafael Furcal, a move that could be the precursor to a trade for a starting pitcher.

FoxSports.com reported early today that Furcal, a free agent and former Braves standout, has agreed to return to Atlanta on a three-year contract that could be announced as soon as he passes a physical. He missed much of last season with back problems.

And there's a really strong chance that this move could signal PEAVY TIME in Atlanta -- it makes either Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar more or less expendable (at least until Raffy gets injured midway through April).

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

It's pretty obvious to any Braves fan that Frank Wren has to do some major retooling this offseason. Atlanta has never been a win-now-at-any-cost type of team, and they shouldn't suddenly become one; but the Braves have a loaded farm system and no major league pitching.

And frankly, there's only so long that you can allow prospects to develop without actually using them to make your team at the big league level better (that's not to say that trading blue chipper Tommy Hanson is acceptable; it's not). But the Braves, by virtue of the Peavy rumor train that's rolled through MLB gossip circles over the past few weeks, are one of the biggest teams to watch over the next few weeks: a new GM gets his chance to make a mark on a team with the chance to return to glory by pulling off a trade with his West Coast counterpart and fitting the pieces to make the Braves stop stinking up the NL East in embarrassingly anti-historical fashion.

I didn't think it was really worth writing up the Greg Norton trade when I saw it "break" this afternoon. After all, if you're a Braves fan and you heard the team made a trade, your immediate thoughts were "Ooooo, I wonder what mid-level starter we grabbed to eat innings" or "Dang! An extra middle infielder to back up Kelly Johnson and Yunel Escobar? I was hoping we could jerk Lillibridge back and forth a little more."

Your thought was probably not "YES! GREG _____ING NORTON! You've done it again, Wren, you sly dog! (/fist pump)" Reports actually have the swap for a PTBNL, but whatever, this team has bigger needs right now.

Smoltz is headed to the bullpen, and the starters are either dirt old, injured or young as mess, and that presents a problem. KJ hasn't been healthy all season and Yunel (who could play second as well) hasn't been a modicum of perfect health either.

So, the big question is, when is the signature Frank Wren trade coming? The guy is a protege of Schuerholz, so shouldn't he be wheeling/dealing/etc and landing the Braves some players that relate to serious roster needs? Answers: Good question, and yes, he should.

Obviously, this early in the year it's tough to pull of a starter; most teams haven't given up on their seasons yet and pitchers will be more expensive. But the Braves probably won't be the only NL East team shopping for pitching, so it doesn't hurt to get a head start.

Apparently content with sitting at 10-9 and third place in the National League East, members of the Atlanta Braves roster have turned their attention to more important matters: the 2008 NFL Draft. Of course, the hometown Falcons have the third pick, and with Jake Long off the board, have been rumored to have interest in any number of players, including Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan, Glenn Dorsey and Chris Long.

A few Braves -- and Charles Howell, III, as well, since he's a Falcons fan -- recently offered up their choices for the number three pick. Jeff Francoeur thinks Matt Ryan or Glenn Dorsey since you "need an impact player" and quarterback and defensive end are the best spots for that. Chipper Jones called for Ryan as well, assuming Jake had been drafted. (He has.) And Kelly Johnson pointed out that Chris Long is the way to go, but if he isn't there, why not take an offensive lineman; if the player "not a stretch [to pick] at 7, I would get him at 3."

But perhaps the strangest pick came from Chucky Three Sticks, who is obviously so beat down by his Falcon fanship that he missed that whole Michael Turner signing:

I've been a Falcons fan for a long time and it's sad to see what's happened to that organization. It's a tough call. I honestly would take Darren McFadden, if he were available. He's too good of a player to pass up. I wouldn't trade the pick.

Now, it's not inconceivable that the Falcons pull trigger on McFadden. He is talented, despite his off field issues, but it also seems a bit redundant with all the money they threw at Turner. The safer bet is that they take Chris Long in the spot or possibly look to trade down with a team that has a greater interest in Ryan or McFadden.