We've already given a single post to each of the seemingly most relevant fantasy football impact players from the NFL Draft -- we say seemingly because bust-hood is always a possibility in this business -- but those are by no means the only players who might matter in this coming season. With that in mind, here are the rest of the guys who's impact will be felt:
LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles (Round 2): If you end up with Brian Westbrook, you absolutely must have McCoy. The shifty stud from Pittsburgh is exactly the type of back Westbrook is, which means he can thrive in this offense.
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 ... Team full of question marks and limited fantasy options. Some nights you might find yourself wondering what packs more punch: the first six batters in the Nationals lineup or a six-pack of Natty Lites. Right before Spring Training, the Nationals secured a legitimate power hitter in Adam Dunn, acquired Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham from the Marlins and took a shot on the ever-enigmatic Daniel Cabrera. But even with the arrivals, this is a ragtag group when it comes to fantasy value, but at least it all comes at a very cheap price.
Let's get the obvious out of the way first: the Nationals are not a good baseball team. We knew that would be the case coming into the season. What seems clear after another devastating day for the club, is that they're also a pretty unlucky bunch.
Ryan Zimmerman is already out for most of the rest of the season with a tear in his labrum. Before Tuesday night's game against the Angels, Washington announced that first baseman Nick Johnson will miss the rest of 2008 with a wrist injury. Then pitcher Shawn Hill was torched for eight runs (six earned) by the Halos in three innings. Hill, looked physically broken down and has pitched with forearm pain all season. It was decided immediately after the game he would go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for a re-evaluation of his arm, an ominous decision considering his lengthy history of arm trouble.
If you're keeping score at home, the Nats have lost the cornerstone in their grand franchise rebuilding effort (Zimmerman), the player who led the team in VORP in 2006, the last time he was healthy for a full season (Johnson) and they might lose the pitcher who led all Washington starters in VORP last year (Hill). They already have the second fewest wins in the majors, and things are probably going to get worse. You almost have to feel bad for them.
It's never a good sign your team's VP of player development compares your rotation unfavorably to the group he's assembled to take the hill in AAA. That's just what Nationals VP of player development Bob Boone did yesterday, however, after Tim Redding left his start with back pain. John Patterson's release and Shawn Hill's injuries already left the team short or arms but Boone's feeling pretty chuffed nonetheless.
"The first thing you noticed when we took over here was, 'Oh, my God. We've got this mishmash. We've got to get younger, but better. Now, we've got guys with big arms that we're going to have to release, guys that we never would've released two years ago. And that's a really good sign."
Just as a reminder, the Nats finished 10th in the NL in runs allowed last season and Odalis Perez, who's bettered a league-average ERA twice in a nine-year career, was the only notable addition to the staff. He'll be starting Opening Day, quite a rise from the unemployment line in one month's time and a big reason to wonder if Boone hasn't been drinking just a bit too much of his own Kool-Aid.
The Nats shouldn't be rushing prospects to the big leagues for a losing season but even good teams would find it odd to equate releasing big arms with positive progress. Patterson may never get back to what he was after two years of injuries but why not find that out before releasing him?
Mike Bacsik is very close to being called up to the major leagues to pitch for the Washington Nationals. But if I was Bacsik, I wouldn't leave the house. You see, the whole reason Bacsik is on his way to the show is because practically every other Nationals starter has fallen to injury. First is was John Patterson. Then Shawn Hill. Jerome Williams came off the DL on the 15th to only last two innings before returning.
And now it's Jason Bergmann, who recently came within six outs of throwing a no-hitter, is on now the disabled list with inflammation in his throwing elbow. So that's four-fifths of his rotation, in addition to Ryan Wagner and Luis Ayala, on the DL. Your starting rotation is now Matt Chico, Jason Simontacchi, Levale Speigner, and Bacsik. Yet this team, amazingly, has won five out of six.
We wondered what was in the Wheaties of the Nationals pitching ... now we know: elbow inflammation. Don't eat those Wheaties, Mike.
After giving up his third home run of the game in the Mets' 6-2 loss to the Nationals earlier today, Orlando Hernandez's next pitch in the sixth inning ran up and in on Shawn Hill, nailing him in his hand/forearm area.
Without much hesitation, the home plate ump ejected El Duque from the game. A little unwarranted, if you ask me.
You could see right after Hernandez plunked Hill he raised his hand up as if to say: "Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to do that." And, by the way he pleaded with the ump, you get the picture he was just having a bad day on the mound and didn't have any intention of throwing at Hill. Also, this graf from the AP wrap seems to indicate it was nothing more than a mistake.
Once El Duque retreated to the bench, he climbed to the top step of the dugout and spoke calmly to Hill, who was standing on first base. Shaking his head and gesturing with his hands, Hernandez (1-1) appeared to be explaining that he had no intention of plunking Hill and couldn't understand why he was tossed. Hill appeared satisfied.
Again, to me, this was just a pitcher having one atrocious day on the hill. Talk about kicking a dude when he's down.
No, I'm not going to completely write off the Nationals after two games.
Five? Ten? Maybe. Not two ... that would just be silly.
But not only is the Nationals' starting rotation threatening to mathematically eliminate them by June (Shawn Hill was barely better than John Patterson in a 9-3 loss to the Marlins tonight), but at this rate they may not have enough to field a team by July. First, Cristian Guzman and Nook Logan get hurt on Opening Day (both were placed on the disabled list), but Ronnie Belliard came perilously close to joining them. You wouldn't believe how:
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, standing in foul territory near the batting cage. Belliard never saw the wayward, 100-foot throw from rookie catcher Jesus Flores that was intended for Brian Schneider. It was several feet off the mark and caught Belliard flush on the left temple He immediately fell to the ground. Manager Manny Acta yelled out, "Trainer! Trainer!" and all eyes turned toward Belliard, fearing something serious had happened. Fortunately, he was all right. Woozy, but all right.
Good news for a team that could use all the good news it could get. But back to the starting pitching, it's one thing to give up thousands of hits to Miguel Cabrera (who's hitting .714) and Josh Willingham (three hits on Tuesday), but when the pitcher gets a couple of hits and an RBI, there's problems. Scott Olsen got the job done with the bat, and pitched relatively well despite five walks, taking a shutout into the sixth.
This time Astacio was signed out of a different sense of desperation -- the thought that the Nationals may have a real problem putting major league pitchers out on the mound on a regular basis in 2007. And say what you will about Astacio. He is a major league pitcher, albeit a 37-year-old who, at this stage, is not very good.
I guess from that, we can forget about that whole "every team has hope in spring training" thing, eh?
Not to rehash old decisions and bring back inner pain, but you think some people within the Nats' organization are regretting not pulling the trigger on a trade involving Alfonso Soriano last season when they had the chance? Maybe then they wouldn't have a problem "putting major league pitchers out on the mound on a regular basis." Instead, you have Pedro Astacio: The Sequel.
We've already given a single post to each of the seemingly most relevant fantasy football impact players from the NFL Draft -- we say seemingly because bust-hood is always a possibility in this business -- but those are by no means the only players who might matter in this coming season. With that in mind, here are the rest of the guys who's impact will be felt: 
Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in 
It's never a good sign your team's VP of player development compares your rotation unfavorably to the group he's assembled to take the hill in AAA. That's just what Nationals VP of player development Bob Boone 
Mike Bacsik is very close to being called up to the major leagues to pitch for the Washington Nationals. But if I was Bacsik, I wouldn't leave the house. You see, the whole reason Bacsik is on his way to the show is because practically every other Nationals starter has fallen to injury. First is was John Patterson. Then Shawn Hill. Jerome Williams came off the DL on the 15th to only last two innings before returning. 
After giving up his third home run of the game in the Mets' 6-2 loss to the Nationals earlier today, Orlando Hernandez's next pitch in the sixth inning ran up and in on Shawn Hill, nailing him in his hand/forearm area.
No, I'm not going to completely write off the Nationals after two games.
Between John Patterson, the resurgent Shawn Hill, and the 
