Fantasy Player's Edge

June 10, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Chone Figgins started a rehab assignment yesterday
that will run through tomorrow. If all goes well he'll
rejoin the Angels at home on Friday vs. Atlanta.

Chipper Jones is nursing a small tear in his right quad
and could be reserved until the Angels series as well.

Jacoby Ellsbury's wrist is improving. He took BP at
Fenway yesterday and if there is no residual soreness
should be able to play today. Check the box at 6pm
EST to be certain that he's active.

Rickie Weeks has been sitting since Saturday with a
knee problem and after being examined in Milwaukee
yesterday was placed on the DL with a sprain.

Ryan Church was also put on the DL almost 2 weeks
after suffering a concussion. He tried coming back
last week but was never quite right.

Gary Sheffield will take BP today and is optimistic
that he's making progress. The worry with Sheff
are with his shoulders although this trip to the DL
was due to a strained oblique. If he's a free agent
he might be worth a pick up and stash until he
returns.

Michael Young has added a strained groin to his list
of injuries which also includes a broken fingertip. He
is going to try to play tonight. Texas plays in Kansas
City at 8:05 EST so check in prior to gametime.

Jerry Hairston Jr, fractured his left thumb on the
bases last night and will miss 2-4 weeks. Paul
Janish will fill in until Jeff Keppinger is ready to
return from a broken kneecap which could be as
early as next week. If you need SS help the time
to grab Kepp is now.

Bobby Crosby sprained an ankle and had to leave
Sunday's contest with the Angels. The extent of this
injury is not yet known.

Much to the chagrin of Dodgers OF owners Andruw
Jones rehab is ahead of schedule and he could return
to muddle LA's OF rotation by mid-July.

The Cards got mixed news regarding SP's Wellemeyer
and Wainwright. Wellemeyer will miss his start but is
scheduled to pitch over the weekend while Wainwright
was placed on the DL.

Troy Percival will pitch a simulated inning today and
if it's all good he's likely to return from the DL when
eligible on Friday.

Huston Street came up lame on Sunday with a groin
injury. There's no word yet on the extent of the injury
but it's the type of thing that disables closers. There is
no clear cut replacement on the A's roster but it's likely
that Embree, Foulke, Calero and Gaudin are in the mix.
If you're a Street owner be prepared to handcuff the
best option as more news is made available.

Chad Cordero is scheduled to throw a bullpen session
on Wednesday. He's planning on staying in Florida for
a couple of weeks which will include a rehab assignment
and he could return to the Nationals bullpen by the end
of June. Jon Rauch has a firm grasp of the closer's job
so it will be very interesting to see if Acta messes with
success or has Cordero assume the set up role.

500. That's the number of innings used that would
keep you on track to deploy maximum innings (1250)
over the course of the season in Rotisserie. A number
significantly above or below should be a call to action.

Interleague play begins next Friday. Plan for it as DH's
for the Yankees, Red Sox, Texas, Minnesota, Oakland
and Kansas City could miss some or all of the weekend's
action. Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui owners may be
the most impacted by the loss of the DH. With Ortiz out
and the other clubs not having a fantasy stud at DH the
impact of mixed league play should be minimal on fantasy
offenses.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Ubaldo Jimenez- pitches better at home for the Rockies and has
a good matchup with the San Francisco Giants coming for a visit.
0-1, 2.60/1.10 over 17 innings.

Paul Byrd- back at home vs. a favored opponent. 10-3, 3.50/1.19
over 116 frames against the Twins.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Adam Jones- a rather auspicious start for this highly regarded
young player. He's been a superstar, however, against Jon
Lester. 5/7 with 2 swipes.

Lastings Milledge- another young fantasy "sleeper" who has
struggled this season. 4/7, an extra base hit and a steal vs.
Ian Snell.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Jermaine Dye (start)- Nate's nemesis. 13/32, 11 extras, 5 jacks
and 9 ribeyes against Robertson.

Jeff Kent (start)- based on this guy, Maddox would be out of
baseball by now. 29/85, 11 mults, 5 clouts and 13 rbi.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Jeremy Hermida (sit)- fantasy's perennial "this is going to be
the year" is in tough today. 1/12 with 6 k's vs. Myers.

Nick Swisher (sit)- came alive on Sunday and Monday but drops
dead again on Tuesday. 2/21 with 6 k's against Robertson.


Studs and Duds: (a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Glen Perkins (stream)- ND 5.1ip/3e/8w/3k

Mike Mussina (stream)- ND 8ip/2e/7w/3k

Jerry Hairston Jr. (spot)- 1/1, run, 2 steals - injured

Brandon Inge (spot)- 0/3

Ken Griffey (start)- 1/4, 600th homer, 2 rbi

Michael Cuddyer (start)- 2/3, run, 3 rbi

Jason Bay (sit)- 0/4

Cliff Lee (sit)- W 5ip/2e/8w/5k


How To: (this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)


Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 11: Tuesday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

-------PE--2--1--7--0--.360/-1-0-7--1.23--1.36---3
-------OP--9--2--4--1--.410/-0-2-1--0.00--0.86---7

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina----------^Mauer
^Teixeira----------^Kotchman
^Roberts-----------^Kinsler
^Braun-------------^Reynolds
^Escobar-----------^H. Ramirez
^Griffey------------^Murphy
^C. Young----------^Guerrero
^Kemp--------------Damon
^Gomez------------^C.Lee
Figgins (DL)---------Iwamura
Casilla--------------^S. Drew
---------------------Winn
---------------------Church
---------------------Byrnes (DL)


------PE------//-----OP
9/25-2-1-7-0 //16/39-9-2-4-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang--------------Halladay
^Shields-------------S. Olsen
^Weaver-----------^Owings
Cain-----------------Jurrjens
Harden--------------Chamberlain
^F. Cordero--------^Hoffman
^Saito--------------^Soria
^Fuentes-----------^B. Wilson
^Wood
Martinez


-----PE--------//------OP
1W/0S, 7.1-1-10-7//0W/2S, 2.1-0-2-1 (W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(9/25) - OP (16/39)
Weekly Totals- ERA (1/(7.1/9) - OP ERA (0/(2.1/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (10/7.1) - OP WHIP (2/2.1) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---8-----OP----6

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.

Daily Activity:

PE Cuddyer(drop)/Jimenez-Tue


Strategy: Cuddyer was dropped this morning for Ubaldo
Jimenez. Casilla has been retained but may be used today
as well for an additional streamer. OP will have 8 active on
offense for Thursday unless a spot play is picked up to cover
1B. PE has a full dance card for Thursday but is concerned
about the Kemp suspension. PE can ill afford to give any AB's
away as OP already has 14 more thanks to having 3 extra
hitters on Monday. PE intends to play for every pitching point
and will use selective streaming in an effort to accomplish the
objective of taking all 5. PE has Weaver and Shields, who are
unfortunately matched up tonight, going against OP Owings.
PE's 4 closers will face OP's three. Both squads should be all
in on offense.


Game Keys: The OP offense and pitching had an extra edge
yesterday due to having 3 more hitters and 1 additional closer.
OP made the 14 AB surplus and plus one closer pay dividends
going 16/39 with 9 runs, 2 homers, 4 rbi, a stolen base and 2
saves. PE spot play Cuddyer kept the team in the match with
3 rbi and coupled with Griffey's 2 run jack actually allowed PE
to lead in RBI by 3. The most troubling elements of last night's
action were that OP holds a commanding leads in Runs by 7
and Saves by 2. Matt Cain did get a W. OP has a 7-3 advantage
as both squads are at full strength tonight offensively. PE has
2 SP's in one game vs. OP Owings who faces the Mets on the
road.


Final Thoughts:

PE remains in 3rd place 6 points out of 1st and 1.5 out of 2nd place
heading into week 11 which is the midway mark of the 2008 Head
to Head regular season.

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.


All Done!

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