WAIVER WIRED.....WEEK 6

By FANTASYBOYZ Editor in Chief Corey Bugenhagen

OUR PICKUP OF THE WEEK

Unless you are in a 8 team league your waiver wire is getting pretty thin at this point.  With that being said there are always moves to make and players to grab off the scrap heap.  With some key injuries in Arizona and Tennessee there possible steals out there who could help you right away.  Please use the below list as a guide when perusing the waiver wire.  Our Pickup of the week happens to be William Powell.  WHO you may ask?  Well he is most likely the running back in Arizona who will carry the load for the foreseeable future with news that Ryan Williams is out for the season with surgery slated on his AC shoulder joint. 

Ryan Tannehill - Owned in 5.4% of ESPN Leagues

While the young QB isn't exactly lighting things up yet we see the potential.  He has a strong arm and a quick release to go along with solid accuracy.  He is a guy that could be a solid backup down the stretch.

Worth a look in larger leagues

William Powell - Owned in .1% of ESPN Leagues

Our pickup of the week as Ryan Williams went down for the year and Beanie Wells is out until week 12.  Powell is easily first in line to be the feature back in Arizona for the near future.

Should be owned in all leagues

Jamie Harper - Owned in .1% of ESPN Leagues

With Javon Ringer likely out for the season and Chris Johnson playing horribly bad Harper is a sneaky add and could pay dividends down the line

Worth a look in Larger Leagues

Josh Gordon - Owned in .3% of ESPN Leagues

The talented Supplemental pick of the Browns received his first start last Sunday and produced with a long TD grab.  He could be just what strong armed Brandon Weeden needs to get a jump start on his season.

Should be owned in Larger Leagues


Devery Henderson - Owned in 1.7% of ESPN Leagues

Here comes Henderson yet again.  With Lance Moore and Jimmy Graham hindered by injuries Brees is looking back to his old stand by in Henderson.  With 8 grabs for 100+ yards and a TD Henderson should get increased targets at least for the short term

Should be owned in Larger Leagues

Domenik Hixon - Owned in 17.3% of ESPN Leagues

Hixon is now a starting wide receiver for the NY Giants until Hakeem Nicks returns from injury.  In the pass happy Giant offense you could do much worse than adding Hixon to your roster.

Should be owned in Larger Leagues

View From 122….2012 Outlook

By FantasyBoyz Editor in Chief Corey Bugenhagen

With three preseason games in the books there appears to be panic building in Bills-nation.  Three straight lackluster performances, all resulting in losses has Bills fans wondering if they are in store for yet another losing season.  After 12 years of futility no one could blame them.  While the losses don’t install great confidence my strong outlook for this team and this season is unwavering.  Below are the reasons why I feel this team makes the playoffs.

Dominating Defensive line:

The view looks good from here

The Defensive line underwent a massive transition this off season with the additions of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, not to mention getting Kyle Williams back from injury.  It is clear even in limited action this preseason that unit will be dominate.   Marcel Dareus has been like a bull in a China shop and will be tough to block one on one.  The key here is that all 4 starters are players that warrant extra attention.  Since there is no way an Oline can double team all of them there are going to be match-up advantages on every play.  This bodes well for a young Linebacking and Cornerback core.  

Ability to run the ball:

What is the perfect complement to a shutdown Defense you ask…. A strong running game.  The Bills proved they were more than capable of running the ball at a very high yard per carry rate.  The roster also contains two high end backs in Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller.   The best part is they both can do it all in both the running and passing game.  Add in Tashard Choice as a competent third back and it is clear the Bills will have no problem moving the ball on the ground.

Solid Offensive Line:

Looking at the names that man the Bills offensive line and probably none of them jump off the page at you.  The good news is the roster is filled with talented and very versatile linemen, which is not something that could be said about Bills teams of most of the last 10 plus seasons.   The line is anchored by Center Eric Wood who when healthy is Pro Bowl Caliber. Andy Levitre and Craig Urbick are solid guards who themselves can play multiple line positions.  Left tackle is now manned but stud second round pick Cordy Glenn.  In preseason Glenn has not looked out of place and won the LT position outright.  The Right tackle is still up for grabs between last year’s starter Eric Pears and last years starting LT Chris Hairston.  Either way the winner of that battle will be solid as will the line as a whole.

Strength of Schedule:

The Bills 2012 schedule is littered with very winnable games.  12 of the 16 games are against teams with either a losing schedule or an unsettled QB situation (7 of which with rookie or 1^st year starter).   This bodes well for a team in the Bills that will most certainly bring pressure to the QB. 

 

All in all the offseason upgrades and schedule filled with winnable games I see the Bills as a clear bet to finally break that 12 year playoff hiatus and bring some excitement back to Western New York in December.  Nothing is a given of course but the people out there with a sky is falling mentality due to preseason need to take a step back and a couple deep breaths.

MLB CHEATSHEET..........STARTERS

By Fantasy Boyz Editor in Chief Corey Bugenhagen                   

Verlander will do it again in 2012

Today the Fantasy Boyz are focusing on starting pitching.  In many leagues the pitching position is neglected.  The Fantasy Boyz want to make sure that our readers don't make this same mistake.  We feel the best rosters are ones that are well rounded.  While most leagues do favor hitting overall a team that forgets to add quality arms is not one that will succeed.  The Starters are much like Outfielders in the sense that there is so much quality out there.  Our rankings slate how we will pick in our upcoming drafts. 

The top ten is easy lead by Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw and Roy Halladay but you make your money in the middle rounds.  Guys like Tommy Hanson, Josh Johnson, and Adam Wainwright will carry your pitching categories and won't cost you a top 2 selection.  Yes we know Johnson and Wainwright are coming off major injury.  Well the Fantasy Boyz are risk takers and we aren't afraid to add talent to our roster.  We hope you follow suit

Sleepers:
Ian Kennedy - Possibility of putting up Cy Young #s

Derek Holland - High Velocity and will get more innings with the loss of CJ Wilson

Andy Pettitte  - Mark our words Pettitte will be an important member of the Yankees rotation in 2012

Steer Clear:
Ubaldo Jimenez - Hasn't been the same since first half of 2010

Michael Pineda - Will he be able to handle the Bronx pressure?  Let someone else find out

Jordan Zimmerman - We want production before we add him to our team

MLB CHEATSHEET..........THIRD BASE

LONGO will be dominant in 2012

By Fantasy Boyz Editor in Chief Corey Bugenhagen


Unlike our past two rankings the Third Base position is chalk full of solid players.  We feel the position is ten deep with difference making players.  We have no issue whatsoever with waiting on a third baseman while gobbling up other weaker positions.  The cream of the third base crop is Evan Longoria, followed closely by Mega Masher Jose Bautista.  Either player would look great in your everyday lineup, but we like Longo just a bit better as he has it all.  Barring injury he is a possible top 5 guy overall.


SLEEPER CANDIDATES:
Brett Lawrie -  This young gun is full of talent and was lights out in his stint with the Jays last season.


Pablo Sandoval - He has Lasik in the off season and was already coming off a fine season.

Mike Moustakas - Lit it up at the end of last season and is unquestioned starting third baseman in KC.

STEER CLEAR:
Mark Reynolds - Is an all or nothing guy.  Kills you in strikeouts and average but doesn't even drive in all that many runs.


Chase Headley - Weak hitter and injury prone.

Manning to be released......Sad ending to a great run

Thanks Peyton

By Fantasy Boys Editor in Chief Corey Bugenhagen           

Word out of Indianapolis that Peyton Manning is to be released Wednesday.  While this should be a shock to no one it does signify the end of one of the greatest runs of one player with one team in NFL history.  It also puts the career of one of the greatest fantasy performers of all time in serious jeopardy.  Manning has helped win countless owners fantasy football immortality.  His release and unsure future are the sad reality that nothing lasts forever.  Sure Manning may go the way of Joe Montana and ends on a high note but 4 neck surgeries in the last year and a half just doesn't sound good to us.  Seeing Manning under center for the Jets, or Redskins makes me sick to my tummy.   Fantasy owners and NFL fans alike owe a great amount of gratitude to Peyton Manning for his work on Sundays.  It has been a great run.  Good luck in the future.

MLB CHEAT SHEET.........SHORTSTOP

By Fantasy Boyz Editor in Chief Corey Bugenhagen

TULO wants you to want him

Today's Fantasy Boyz rankings focuses on Shortstops, another position that is low on high end talent.  There is a clear big three in Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes, and Hanley Ramirez.  After those players the drop off is substantial.  The next grouping is filled with some young guns in Starlin Castro, and Elvis Andrus as well as some wily veterans in Jimmy Rollins and Captain Derek Jeter.  In the exact same situation as Second Base if you don't get one of the top tier guys we advocate waiting to the mid rounds and fill out the rest of your lineup.  You could do much worse than grabbing a guy like Jhonny Peralta and beefing up the rest of your lineup and staff.  Keep an eye on a guy like Asdrubal Cabrera.  He finally put together a breakout season after a couple years of waiting on that talent.  While he isn't on the same level as a Tulo or Ramirez he is of the same mold and can be plugged into any lineup on a daily basis with great production.  We expect him to put together a similar year to 2011.

For any direct questions please contact us directly on Twitter at @coreyb3p or @dbystrak