So far so good I suppose. Representing Rotowire in this year's Tout Wars Mixed League, I'm currently sitting in fifth place with 70 points (standard 12-team 5 X 5 roto). This despite some woeful managing on this owner's part (note: before bidding on free agents in an Experts league, take time to actually read and understand the bidding rules).
I'm currently sitting 26.5 points behind the leader, Dave Gonos of CBS Sportsline though I'm guessing Ryan Doumit won't hit .450 for him all year and how does he have two steals from Lance Berkman already? Anyway... here are some guys I have that are hurting and helping:
HELPING:
Justin Upton - Three homers already, but I'm worried about the 9:2 K:BB. .280-25-90 is what I'm expecting.
A.J. Pierzynski - My $2 catcher is hitting .500 and leading my team in RBI while my $25 catcher, Russell Martin, is hitting .091.
Gary Matthews Jr. - Playing every day and is 10-for-30. So much for the playing time fears.
J.D. Drew - 6-for-16 with a pair of homers. Really need him to play 140 games.
Felix Hernandez - 15 scoreless but no wins. Unfortunately my eBay search for "Eric O'Flaherty Voodoo Doll" came up empty.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 15 K in 11.2 innings. I like him as a Cy Young contender this year.
HURTING:
Edwin Encarnacion - 2-for-16 and defensive concerns. I'm a bit worried here.
Placido Polanco - Got him for $2 and while I didn't expect .341 this year, I also wasn't counting on 2-for-23 with a back injury. He's making Mark Grudzielanek and Jose Lopez look enticing.
Brandon Lyon and Huston Street - My closers are killing me - both have 12.00+ ERAs and though I have a lot more hope for Street than Lyon, I need to be more aggressive on the Rauchs of the world in FAAB.
Matt Garza - On my reserve now after his poor first start, though I'm still hopeful here.
WILL HELP I HOPE:
John Danks - Had him on reserve for start no. 1, but he's in there this week facing Oakland. I think he has a bit of a chance at a breakout this year.
Josh Fields - I may have to cut bait here if a Joe Crede deal doesn't go down soon. There's simply no room for Fields. Even the outfield situation is too crowded there on the South Side.
Nick Adenhart - I may have to drop him to make room for RP help, but 5-3-0-0-2-2 AAA debut and Dustin Moseley's poor start may make me carry Adenhart a bit longer.
Clayton Kershaw - Hoping he's up by mid-season, allowing me to trade a SP.
Fortunes rise and fall quickly during the first month of the fantasy season, and though I'd rather be in fifth than last place right now, there's still a lot of work to be done. What makes me optimistic about my chances is that I'm currently third in offensive points (40.0) and just sixth in pitching (29.5). I think my pitching with Matsuzaka, Hernandez, Shields, and Billingsley as my front four can do better than it has to date, particularly on the wins side. Now if only I can find a saves guy...
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