Author Archives: dpalmer

Miguel Cabrera Now the Best Player in Fantasy Baseball

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On Tuesday night, the fantasy baseball world was flipped on its head. Prince Fielder, one of the prized free agents in this year’s class, signed a 9 year, $214 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. This sent shockwaves through the fantasy baseball community, but not for the reasons you might think. Prince Fielder is sure to be a force in the Tigers lineup, but this story is not about him; it’s about Miguel Cabrera. Miguel Cabrera is one of the most prolific hitters in baseball, a consistent .300 batter with about 35 home runs and over 100 runs batted in every season. Fantasy baseball owners have always dreamed of Miguel Cabrera returning to his old position of third base, a position he grew out of just a few years into his career. Now that wish will be granted. With the addition of Prince Fielder, who will reportedly play first base, Cabrera will have to find a new position. That position will be third base. In fantasy baseball, first base is a relatively deep position, with many of the best offensive players in the league calling first base home. Even still, Cabrera’s numbers were the best at his position. Now he will be moving to third base, an extremely thin position in fantasy baseball. Should Cabrera move to third base, he will instantly become not only the best third baseman in fantasy baseball, but the best player. While this isn’t a done deal yet, it is likely to happen.

Even if Cabrera didn’t move to third base, he would still be the new number one overall player in fantasyland. Over the course of his entire career, Miguel Cabrera has never had protection in the lineup. Playing in a weak lineup, pitchers are able to pitch around him and essentially let the next guy hurt them. That is not an option anymore. With a 40 homerun hitter in Fielder behind him, teams will now be forced to pitch to Cabrera, and he is poised to be in for the best fantasy baseball seasons of his career. A season within the realm of a .340 average with 50 homeruns and 125 runs batted in is now a distinct possibility, and that’s just scary. The big winner in the Prince Fielder signing is Miguel Cabrera and his fantasy owners, who are now in for the best production of Cabrera’s career. Jump on the bandwagon now, and be sure to choose Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder on your daily fantasy baseball teams this season right here on FanSaloon.com.

Conference Championship Fantasy Preview – Running Backs

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As we all know, the NFL has become a passing league. While the emphasis has shifted towards the quarterback, we have still witnessed the emergence of a crop of very talented running backs, each of which can be the key to keeping the success of their respective offenses. The starting tailbacks of the teams lucky enough to still remain in the NFL playoffs are primed to make a fantasy football impact on Sunday.

This week’s defenses may be especially hard on the running game. Sunday’s slate of games features the top two rushing defenses in all of football, the 49ers and Ravens respectively. For the Giants and Patriots offenses that must face these stellar defenses, they must turn their sights even more to throwing the football, rather than carrying it. These defenses have proven all season that any attempts to beat them on the ground are destined for failure, so any runners facing these seemingly unstoppable defenses are in for a rough day. Despite this, there is still hope for the remaining teams to utilize their running backs in the passing game, and which ever player can best assist his quarterback as a receiver is likely to be the most successful fantasy running back this weekend.

1. Ray Rice – Ray Rice has been a fantasy force this season. Almost quietly, Rice has racked up 1,364 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns this season, good for 2nd best in the NFL, trailing only Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew. This week he is faced with the challenge of beating the New England Patriots, a team with obvious holes on all defensive fronts. As you may remember, Ray Rice was dominant the last time these two teams met in the playoffs, gashing the Patriots for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 22 carries. While in no way do I expect a repeat performance, his previous successes against this defense and in the playoffs should not be overlooked. The Ravens offense is very much centered on their running game, but it may not be so on Sunday. Because of the high scoring nature of the New England offense, even a valiant effort on the part of the Baltimore defense will likely result in a high scoring affair. Should this be the case, the Ravens will look to have Joe Flacco try and win it through the air. As with most teams, the situation will determine how many touches Ray Rice is allotted. Should the Ravens be forced to come back from a multiple possession deficit, they will be forced to rely on the arm of Joe Flacco to put up points, and not the legs of Rice. However, if put in the position to hold a lead and run the clock, Rice will be heavily featured. You can also expect Rice to be the go-to guy in the red zone and other short yardage situations. While everyone knows how dangerous Ray Rice can be as a runner, many do not realize how skilled he is as a receiver. This season, Rice had 76 receptions for 704 yards and 3 touchdowns, unheard of numbers for a running back. Even more shocking is the fact that Rice led the entire Ravens offense in receptions by a wide margin. The next closest reception total was amassed by wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who’s 57 catches fell 19 short of Ray Rice’s mark. Rice also led all Ravens players in targets with a whopping 105, one more than the aforementioned Boldin. Expect Ray Rice to be active in the passing game as he has been all season. The combination of Rice’s distinction of being the best running back remaining in the playoffs as well as having the most favorable matchup makes him the clear choice to stand out of the fantasy running back crowd on Sunday.

2. Frank Gore – Gore, the second best back still playing, has had a rollercoaster season. Fantasy football owners have had to suffer through his streaks of poor performances while also enjoying his many triumphs. Despite his inconsistency, Frank Gore finished the season ranking 6th in rushing yardage with 1,211, while also adding 8 rushing touchdowns. While he has been sufficiently effective over the past few weeks, he must now try to sustain his success against a ravaging Giants defense. Like the Patriots defense, New York’s squad has been very susceptible to the passing game this season, while doing a much better job of stopping the ground game. The Giants defense has been playing with new life since the tail end of the regular season, and it is very much on the shoulders of Frank Gore to carry the load for the 49ers. In order for Alex Smith to have success against this defense, Gore must be able to efficiently get up the field and allow Smith to take advantage of the play action pass. Should he be successful, the Niners will have a great chance to win the game. While this is not a great matchup for Gore, fantasy owners can have peace of mind in knowing that he will be very much an integral part of San Francisco’s offense in the week ahead.

3. Ahmad Bradshaw/Brandon Jacobs – I was faced with a tough decision in choosing which backfield I believe will have the most success on Sunday. The matchup could not be any worse for New York’s running backs. In fact, a matchup with this season’s 49ers defense is one of the scariest matchups in history for any running back as San Francisco’s front seven is in the midst of perhaps the most dominant season any defense has ever had at stopping the run. After not allowing a single rushing touchdown through their first 14 games of the season, the Niners fell just short of tying the single season record of only 2 rushing scores allowed, they finished with 3. Led by linebacker Patrick Willis, the 49ers defense only allowed 1,236 rushing yards, tops in the NFL. This prolific defense has made an impact equaled to that of a dominant shutdown cornerback, completely neutralizing any running back who has dared to test their prowess. With that in mind, I would never predict a rushing score for any opposing running back, though I believe there is a chance we may see one this week. While the committee of Bradshaw and Jacobs has been among the hottest in recent weeks, playing any Giants rusher against a historic defense such as this is taking a huge gamble that more than likely will not pay off, fantasy owners beware.

4. Benjarvus Green-Ellis/Danny Woodhead – You may be asking yourself how I can possibly rank this committee behind that of the Giants after gushing about the magnitude of San Francisco’s dominance. There are 3 key factors that make the New England backfield my choice to be utterly non-existent in fantasy football this Conference Championship weekend. The first factor from which I have based my decision around is the Ravens defense. While they have been overshadowed by the stellar unit in San Francisco, Baltimore’s rushing defense has been as impressive as any outside the Bay Area. Finishing 2nd in the NFL in yards allowed and tied for 6th in rushing touchdowns allowed, the Ravens defense has been the best in the AFC this season. Opposing running backs have been unable to muster up much, finishing with a mere 3.5 yards per carry; their average yards allowed of 3.5 tied none other than the 49ers for 1st in the NFL. My second factor in making my decision is the nature of the Patriots offense. Everyone knows that Tom Brady runs the show in New England, and because of that, no running back will get enough carries to matter in fantasy leagues unless they can break through for a touchdown. Aside from that, Bill Belichick is only matched by Washington’s Mike Shanahan as being the most frustrating coach for fantasy football running backs. Both of these great coaches like to mix and match their running backs, splitting carries between multiple players each week. The absolute unpredictable nature of these coaches is the best to avoid, as you never know who is going to have the most carries on a given day. The last factor in choosing Jacobs and Bradshaw over New England’s committee is that the Giants rushers are just flat out better players. No running back on the Patriots roster can match the production of Bradshaw or Jacobs under usual circumstances, so in this situation I simply chose the more productive runners. Running backs on the Patriots should always be avoided in fantasy football, and this week is no exception. Unless one of these players can punch one in for a score, don’t expect any production this week from any New England rushers.

NFL Conference Championship Fantasy Football Preview – Quarterbacks

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After another wild weekend of football, we are now left with 4 teams. Making up those 4 championship-calibur rosters are some elite fantasy performers. Throughout the course of the week, I will be analyzing the fantasy football players at each position who are most likely to make an impact on this Conference Championship weekend for those of you participating in fantasy football leagues here at FanSaloon.com.
When looking at the quarterback position, it is evident that two players seem to separate themselves from the bunch, while the other two tend to be less consistant. Even though the more unreliable passers are facing the more suspect defenses, I still must give the nod the elite players at the position.

1. Eli Manning – While Tom Brady is perhaps the better quarterback of the two, I give Eli the slight edge because of a slightly better matchup. While San Francisco’s defense has been tumultuous, they simply have not been as good as Baltimore’s. The Ravens defense allowed the 4th fewest passing yards this season, the Niners defense finished 16th. The 49ers have been far more proficient at creating turnovers with 23, which is good for 2nd best in the NFL. At the same time, the Ravens have had an easier time at getting pressure on the quarterback, registering 48 sacks on the year for the 3rd best total of all teams. The most telling statistic to me is the passing touchdowns allowed. While San Fran’s stout defense finished a respectable 6th on the list this season with 20 passing touchdowns allowed, there was no better defense at not allowing scores through the air than that of the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore only allowed an amazing 11 passing touchdowns this season, nearly half of the already impressive 20 touchdowns which the 49’ers gave up. Aside from the matchup, Manning has been in a groove as of late, passing for 607 yards and 6 touchdowns with only 1 interception thus far in the postseason. Look for Eli Manning to continue his career year with another great performance and possibly propel both the Giants and your fantasy football teams to the promise land.

2. Tom Brady – More of a 1A than a 2 on this list, Tom Brady has been arguably the hottest player over his last few games, putting up very impressive numbers. After his incredible 6 touchdown performance against Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, many fantasy owners would probably put him at the top of this list, but you should possibly calm your expectations. If you are anticipating a repeat performance of last week’s rout, you are sorely mistaken. As I said earlier, Baltimore allowed the 4th fewest passing yards in the league this season, as well as the least passing touchdowns of all defenses in the NFL. Even more important than their ability to limit the opposing quarterback’s production is their ability to get to the quarterback. After compiling 48 sacks in the regular season, expect Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, and the rest of the Ravens pass rush to get into the backfield and attack Brady early and often this weekend. While Brady should put up a respectable performance in this AFC Championship match-up, beware of Baltimore’s dangerous defense when banking on Brady as your fantasy football quarterback this week.

3. Joe Flacco – This week, Flacco has the opportunity to prove himself against one of the league’s worst pass defenses, the 2nd worst pass defense to be exact. New England has allowed an atrocious 4,703 yards and 26 touchdowns, good for 31st and 22nd in the NFL respectively. For the Ravens to have any chance to take down the Patriots this weekend, Flacco will have to step up in a big way. Even with this seemingly perfect match-up, I am still not “Wacco for Flacco”. After finishing the season a mere 18th in the NFL with an 80.9 passer rating, I am not confident of Flacco’s ability to take advantage of this susceptible secondary. The one notable strength of the Patriots pass defense is their ability to cause interceptions. New England had a whopping 23 interceptions this season, 2nd best in the league. The only thing holding Joe Flacco back from improving as a passer is his decision making, and if he doesn’t improve on that this weekend, the Patriots will take advantage of that. Joe Flacco is the highest upside start at quarterback in fantasy football this weekend; just don’t be surprised if he comes up short.

4. Alex Smith – Clearly the worst choice for fantasy football this week in my opinion is Smith. While he looked great last weekend, I fear his and the 49ers magical season may be coming to an end this weekend. It was as feel good story of sorts to see Alex Smith have a solid showing last week against a weak Saints defense, but that simply cannot be expected again this week. The Giants defense has been red hot as of late. Though finishing 4th worst among NFL defenses in yards allowed this season, just ahead of New Orleans, what sets New York’s defense apart is their seemingly unstoppable pass rush. After taking down the opposing quarterback 48 times this season, 3rd best amongst all teams in the NFL, the Giants defense is primed to attack Alex Smith mercilessly this coming week. The G-Men have also been solid at intercepting the football, tying for 6th best in the league with 20. The key this week for Alex Smith is the success of his running back, Frank Gore. If Gore can succeed in finding holes against Big Blue’s talented defensive line, Alex Smith will have the opportunity to utilize the play action pass. Even if that happens, I simply do not like Smith this week as a fantasy football quarterback.

Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda Fantasy Baseball Implications

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This week, a deal was struck between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners which sent Michael Pineda and Jose Campos to the Big Apple for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. The two sides immediately improved their most pressing needs. This trade is very significant, as it has an impact not only on this fantasy baseball season, but for many to come.

The Yankees struggled mightily last year, with glaring holes in their starting rotation that most likely cost them a chance at a championship. They hope to have filled that void with the addition of Michael Pineda. Pineda, who last season was named to the American League All-Star team in just his rookie season, is poised to bring his big talent to the big city. While slowing down towards the end of the season, Pineda was among the best starters in the entire league in the first half (great for fantasy owners as well). Even with his late struggles, he still finished with an impressive 3.74 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 171 innings pitched. While he is incredibly talented, the move from pitcher-friendly Safeco Field to Yankee Stadium may prove problematic. Fantasy owners can expect a lot more runs to be scored against Pineda, as Yankee Stadium yielded the 6th most runs of any park in the league as compared to Safeco Field, which finished 26th. While the dimensions of the respective fields played a part in those numbers, the more significant effect was caused by the divisions which both clubs are in. While in Seattle Pineda only had to face the dangerous Rangers as well as the less imposing Angels and Athletics. He will now have to go up against the lineups of the Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles in a more hitter friendly environment. Add all of those factors with the obvious risk of a sophomore slump, and you are looking at key fantasy totals such as ERA and WHIP to drop across the board. The one category where fantasy owners can expect an improvement is his wins totals. The Yanks offense is sure to provide plenty of run support which the mediocre Mariners offense could not. All in all, Michael Pineda will still be a valuable fantasy baseball commodity this season; just don’t expect him to be quite as dominant.

On the other end of the trade, slugger Jesus Montero will be an instant contributor to the Mariners offense. Seattle may try to play Montero at catcher initially, but the baseball world has come to the consensus that Montero does not have what it takes to work behind the plate. He is one of a few players, such as David Ortiz, who’s best position is hitter. Luckily for the Mariners, the American league provides a DH position which he can call home. Expect Montero to follow in the footsteps of former Mariners great Edgar Martinez as a career designated-hitter. As for his fantasy value next year, it is most likely to take a hit as well for the same reasons as Michael Pineda’s. Seattle is a very tough place to hit, especially for power. Jesus will simply not have the power potential playing in Seattle that he did playing in New York. While he will now likely see everyday at bats in the middle of the lineup, without much protection behind him, teams will be able to pitch around Montero and let his lesser talented teammates try to hurt them. Because of his inability to play a position and his lack of talent around him, as well as the poor hitting environment he has been thrust into, Jesus Montero will only have value in deeper leagues next fantasy baseball season.

Which side won this trade is yet to be determined, but we will get the chance to begin watching these two phenoms in their new homes next season, and hopefully in your fantasy baseball lineups as well.

Ryan Madson Joins The New Look Cincinnati Reds

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In the latest of a flurry of moves by Walt Jocketty, the Cincinnati Reds and closer Ryan Madson have agreed to terms on a one year deal. The contract, which is believed to be in the $10 million range, is far short of the rumored 4-year offer Madson’s agent Scott Boras had been looking for. The now former Phillies closer was close to resigning with the team before talks broke down in November. Philadelphia decided to go in a different direction, signing Jonathan Papelbon to a 4-year, $50 million contract.

While Ryan Madson had an impressive season last year, especially for you fantasy baseball owners, I’m still not convinced of his merit as a closer. While he has seemed to improve as of late, Madson has long been seen as a higher end reliever who can’t quite handle the pressure of being a closer. Over the course of his 8 full seasons, the 6’6” righty has converted 52 save opportunities while blowing 26 such opportunities. Being that over the course of his career he has failed to close 1 out of every 3 attempts, he does not seem to have the intangibles needed to be a successful major league closer. His career 3.60 ERA is very solid and regardless of his prior difficulties, Ryan Madson has proven throughout his career that he is one of the better relief pitchers in the National League.

It has been a very busy off-season for the Reds. Coming into free agency, it was clear that Cincinnati goal was to improve their pitching staff, and they have certainly done that. After acquiring left-handed reliever Sean Marshall from the rival Cubs, the Reds made arguably the biggest trade of the off-season, sending struggling starter Edison Volquez and 3 premier prospects to the San Diego Padres for Mat Latos. The 24 year old Latos dazzled in his rookie season, posting an impressive 2.92 ERA along with 189 strikeouts, only to see his numbers regress slightly in his second season. Regardless of his struggles last year, Mat Latos is considered one of the most promising and electric young arms in the game, and come next season look for him to be rejuvenated and post solid fantasy points on his new team.

With the additions of Ryan Madson, Sean Marshall and Mat Latos, the new look Reds are sure to make a splash next fantasy baseball season, and I don’t think they’re done yet.