Fantasy Player's Edge

June 17, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Travis Hafner is not ready for a rehab assignment as he
struggles with shoulder weakness. There's no timetable
for his return to game action.

Lance Berkman sat out Sunday with a sore leg. With an
off day yesterday it's anticipated that Lance will return
this evening.

Eric Byrnes should begin a rehab assignment this week
and will rejoin Arizona no later than Monday the 23rd.

Troy Tulowitzki will begin a rehab assignment today at
Triple A Colorado. He hopes to return over the weekend.

David Ortiz had the cast removed from his wrist and
replaced by a splint. Papi will be able to do some range
of motion exercises which could hasten his return to
active duty. No timetable has been offered.

Xavier Nady had an MRI on his shoulder yesterday
that revealed a sprain. He may be able to avoid a
trip to the DL but will miss the games against the
White Sox while management decides his fate.

Ryan Church is finally recovering from a concussion
he received from Yunel Escobar's knee while running
the bases. He should return in time for the June 23rd
Mets homestand vs. the Mariners.

Brad Penny had a clean MRI but will miss his turn on
Friday. He could still land on the DL.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had a solid start for Pawtucket going
5 innings allowing 2 earned on 4 whip with 5 k's. There's
no word on whether he'll be called up or take one more
turn in Triple A.

Francisco Liriano was outstanding once again for Triple
A Rochester. He recorded a win going 7.1 innings while
allowing 2 earned, 5 whip with 5 k's vs. Louisville. He
should be called up by the Twins soon.

Mike Gonzalez has pitched well in his rehab assignment.
His surgically repaired elbow has held up nicely and he'll
certainly have an opportunity to close games for Atlanta
when he's recalled on Wednesday. If you are in need of
saves Gonzalez would be a sensible acquisition today.

Chien-Ming Wang has a partially torn tendon in his foot
and will be out of action for at least 2 months. He's not
worth stashing so it might make sense to drop him for a
young arm like Floyd, Garza, Masterson or JoJo Reyes.

Bartolo Colon left his start last night after 4 innings with
a stiff back.

Interleague play continues next week. Plan for it as DH's
for the Red Sox, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City
and the A's could miss some or all of the early week's action.
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.

Darrell Rasner- is a much better pitcher at home and faces
the light hitting Padres for the 1st time. 2-1, 1.71/.95 with
14 k's in 21 frames at Yankees Stadium this year.

Kyle Kendrick- has never faced the Red Sox but home
cooking means everything to this guy. 10-2, 3.72/1.22
over 100 innings lifetime in Philadelphia.


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

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

Felipe Lopez- faced Livan plenty when he was in the
National League. 10/25 with 4 steals vs. Hernandez.

Jason Michaels- saw Buehrle frequently while Jason
was with the Tribe. 10/29, 3 extras, 2 jacks and 4 rbi.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Todd Helton (start)- makes the "start" list for a 2nd day
running. 5/14, 3 mults, 2 blasts and 3 rbi against Byrd.

Ken Griffey (start)- limited exposure to Chad Billingsley
but fared well in that appearance. 2/5 with an rbi.


Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only

Vlad Guerrero (sit)- thought that he was through with
Johan Santana when he switched leagues. No such luck
Vlad. 3/16 with 3 k's.

Ray Durham (sit)- considers Tigers lefty Kenny Rogers
his worst nightmare. 8/53 with 13 k's.


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

Carlos Silva (stream)- L 4.2ip/3e/6w/4k

Willie Taveras (spot)- 0/3

Jose Vidro (spot)- 0/4

Todd Helton (start)- 1/4

Kelly Johnson (start)- 0/2, 2 runs

Mark Teixeira (sit)- 0/5, rbi

Luis Castillo (sit)- 2/4, run, 2 rbi


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--0--2--0--.235/-0-0--8--7.37--1.23---1
-------OP--6--2--6--0--.375/-0-0--7--3.00--1.00---6

Offense: Lineups:

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

^B.Molina---------- ^Napoli
^Teixeira-----------^Fielder
^Roberts-----------^Hudson
^Braun-------------^Beltre
^Escobar-----------^Peralta
^Griffey------------^Francoeur
^C. Young----------^Rowand
^Kemp------------ ^Hart
^Figgins-----------^Howard
---------------------Markakis
---------------------Theriot


------PE------//-----OP
4/17-2-0-2-0 //6/16-6-2-6-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

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

Harang--------------Verlander
Shields--------------Sabathia
Weaver-------------Bedard
Cain---------------- Marcum
Harden------------^Billingsley
^F. Cordero------- ^Lidge
^Saito-------------^Valverde
^Fuentes----------^Jones
^Wood------------ ^Rauch
Martinez------------O. Perez
^Morrow
^Olson


-----PE--------//------OP
0W/0S, 7.1-6-9-8//0W/0S, 6-2-6-7 (W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(4/17) - OP (6/16)
Weekly Totals- ERA (6/(7.1/9) - OP ERA (2/(6/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (9/7.1) - OP WHIP (6/6) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE---7-----OP----7

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

Daily Activity:

PE Gomez(drop)/Olson-Mon
PE Olson(drop)/Rasner-Tues

Strategy: Garrett Olson was used for Darrell Rasner on
Wednesday to give PE a one start advantage for the week.
PE closers are the key to this week as OP has 4 solid closers
and a better than average rotation so saves will be the key
to controlling the pitching points. If pitching goes according
to plan PE will use the flex position for a spot play Thursday
on offense and return to streaming on Friday if necessary.

Game Keys: Week 12 began with an abbreviated schedule
of 5 MLB games and OP Howard's 2 run jack. Ryan would
finish the night at 3/5 with 2 homers and 4 rbi. Seemingly,
PE trails every week early on in the offensive categories.
OP was able to maximize the 4 active players on offense
getting a 6/16 with 6 runs, 6 rbi and the 2 homers. PE
was abysmal going 4/17 with only 2 runs and 2 rbi. OP
Verlander pitched well but had a no decision where PE
Weaver pitched poorly and was tagged with a loss. Only
PE spot closer Morrow's perfect inning with 3 k's made
the evening tolerable. Neither team had a save. OP has
forged a 6-1 lead heading into Tuesday with each team
having 1 SP and PE sporting 5 closers to 4 for OP. Both
teams should have a full dance card on offense.


Final Thoughts:

PE remains in 3rd place 4.5 points out of 1st and 1 out of
2nd place with the regular season half over.

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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