Fantasy Sports

Weekly fantasy baseball league news: Howard heating up for struggling Phillies

8/8/2010

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While his team is fighting to stay in the playoff race, Philadelphia Phillies All-Star first baseman Ryan Howard has been doing some serious damage for his squad and weekly fantasy baseball league owners in the last few weeks. His recent surge shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering what Howard has accomplished since 2006. In the last four years, Howard has averaged 50 home runs, 143 runs batted in and 102 runs scored per season.

While he usually doesn't provide much help to weekly fantasy baseball league owners in terms of average and stolen bases, he is still one of the overall fantasy producers in the game. In 2009, he ranked about 10th in fantasy rankings among all hitters. With his recent hot streak, Howard has moved into the top 15 this year.

The 30-year-old first sacker has had to carry a lot on his big shoulders this year. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins has missed 46 games this season due to injuries while second baseman Chase Utley is currently on the shelf with a thumb injury. Utely has missed 20 games and won't be back in the lineup until September. The middle infielders have been a big part of Howard's success in the last few years. With Rollins and Utley hitting in front of Howard, the first baseman has had plenty of prime opportunities to drive in runs.

While his team has struggled to a 24-31 record in the last 55 games, Howard has done his best to keep the two-time defending National League champions in contention. In addition to his usual strong power numbers, Howard has recently been helping weekly fantasy league baseball owners with a strong batting average as well. Over the last three seasons, Howard has hit just under .270. Since June 1st, Howard is hitting over .320. In June, he hit .320 with 7 home runs, 22 runs batted in and 23 runs scored.

This month, Howard is hitting .323 with 6 home runs, 19 runs batted in and 8 runs scored. In his last ten games, he has clubbed 6 home runs with 14 runs batted in. With Utley out of the lineup and some other hitters scuffling, Howard has stepped up when his club has needed him most. Howard now leads the league in runs batted in with 74. Weekly fantasy baseball league owners will certainly try to ride Howard's hot bat for awhile.

Ryan Howard is the type of player who could single-handedly win you a Daily Fantasy baseball league, he is that dangerous. Head over to the home of daily fantasy leagues www.fantasyfactor.com and get into the action today.
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Reliever Best Bets for Daily Fantasy Baseball Leagues

6/9/2010

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The only thing harder to find than a catcher who doesn’t ruin your fantasy numbers is a solid reliever that you can count on game after game. The real teams that have books of scouting reports and a committee of able bodies have enough trouble; it’s even harder when all you have is a computer and some statistics. That’s why it’s always important to keep an eye on who’s hot in the bullpens right now for your Daily Fantasy Baseball League.
  • Jose Valverde, Detroit. Valverde has been the definition of lights out this season. What’s not to like? He’s sporting a .42 ERA, with 11 saves and just one home run allowed in 21 innings. He pitches in non-save situations more than most closers, but if you have him and another reliable closer, you should be in good shape.
  • Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles. LA does so many things well; the movies are hits, the women are beautiful, and the closers are dominant. So it’s not surprising that the Dodgers have yet another big time closer in Jonathan Broxton. He has the fifth-most strikeouts of any reliever in the bigs (actually a surprisingly low number for him) and a microscopic 1.07 ERA. Oh, and he’s playing on one of the hottest teams in baseball, one that frequently comes through with walk-off wins. If Joe Torre keeps putting him in for the ninth inning in any close game, he’ll start adding some useful win totals to his overall value. The Dodgers didn’t perform well out of the gate but are surging now; expect his numbers only to improve along with the team…he lead the MLB with 12 saves in the month of May.
  • Matt Belisle, Colorado. People who continue to shy away from Colorado pitchers are straight-up out of the loop at this point. It’s not 1998- balls aren’t flying out of any park as much any more (how many perfect games and no-hitters have we had this year?) and Colorado has taken a number of steps to keep balls in the yard. So owners who have the stones to put reliever Matt Belisle on their roster have been rewarded with some impressive stats. His ERA for the season is just over 2.00, and it was half of that in the month of May. He’s not the official closer, but Manny Corpas hasn’t been other-wordly this year, so it’s a definite possibility. If you need holds or just a smaller ERA, Belisle is as hot as anyone in baseball and a great fit for your daily fantasy baseball league.
  • Heath Bell, San Diego. Bell is the model for closers in today’s game. He’s big, he throws hard, and no one scores on him. I mean, no one. His ERA is among the lowest in baseball (1.13) and he has 14 saves in 24 appearances. He strikes out a bunch of people, he plays for a division-leading club, he’s even got a great baseball name. You can’t go wrong with Heath Bell, and you won’t have to pay Mariano Rivera- or Jonathan Papelbon-esque prices to get him.
  • Brian Wilson, San Francisco. What is it with these NL West relievers? Maybe it’s something in the water out west, but it’s hard to find a bad apple in the bunch (oh, wait, except for everyone in Arizona’s pen. We’ll just ignore them.) Wilson’s personality is as weird as his breaking pitches, and batters just haven’t been able to get a good feel for him. He’s one of the brightest young stars of San Francisco’s post-Bonds era and has a number of good years ahead of him. His numbers are very comparable to Broxton’s, and you likely can get him on your roster without giving up your left leg. Wilson is a solid addition to any bullpen. And finally…
  • Mariano Rivera, New York. Look, you know he’s good, he knows he’s good, the batters know he’s good, the whole world knows he’s good. Sure, he’s getting on in years, but his cutter is still breathtaking and he still plays for the Yankees. You’ll pay top dollar for close-to-top production, but at the end of the day, he’s Mariano Freaking Rivera. If you’re in a one-day league, take him against any light-hitting team and he’ll likely pay off. In longer leagues, pair him with another top-10 closer and you’ll rarely lose the saves or ERA stat. Just do it.
Are you ready to dominate your Daily Fantasy Baseball League? Head over to www.fantasyfactor.com now and join in on the fastest growing Daily Fantasy sports site today.
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Daily Fantasy baseball League Young Pitchers to Watch

6/9/2010

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All Daily Fantasy Baseball league owners know a young stud pitcher can make or break your day. Keep and eye on these guy listed below, as they could have a huge impact on your Daily Fantasy baseball league.PITCHERS:
  • Stephen Strasburg, SP, Washington. Called the best pitching prospect of the generation, Strasburg has absolutely, positively frightening stuff. First pick of the 2009 MLB draft nearly made the jump directly from college to the pros, but the Nationals decided to send him to the farm system, where he has terrorized opposing batters to the tune of a 1.30 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 11 games. He’s so well-known that he won’t come cheaply, but he could easily put up top-10 pitching numbers. If you can get him as a number 2 or 3 pitcher, you’ll see major production out of him. His fastball is lightning quick and his curve is essentially unhittable. The only concern will be pitch counts, as the Nationals will surely try to keep his multi-million-dollar arm protected as much as possible. Watch for Stasburg to make his debut this week.
  • Aroldis Chapman, SP, Cincinnati. Chapman has been blocked by some surprisingly successful starters in the big leagues, but he is making progress at Triple-A Louisville. The Cuban sensation is making too much money to stay in Louisville much longer, having signed a lucrative deal to come to America from the Cuban professional league. He won’t perform at the level of Strasburg (at least immediately) but he has a high ceiling and could be worth a pickup when he arrives.
  • Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Tampa Bay. Hellickson is in a similar situation to Chapman, with a loaded starting rotation blocking him from the big leagues. Still, Hellickson leads the AAA International league with 71 strikeouts to go along with his 8-2 record with Durham. He’s not going to be coming up any time soon, but when he does, he’ll join one of the best teams in baseball late in the season; a formula that has worked for pitching prospects many times in recent years. Keep an eye on Tampa’s next great pitcher.
Use these players when you play your daily fantasy baseball league at www.fantasyfactor.com the top Daily Fantasy league site on the web.

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