NFL Rookies Worth a Look in 2011

Drafting a rookie is a very risky thing to do in your fantasy draft.  Rookies have yet to prove anything, and you never know who could be a total bust.  However there is always that chance you get lucky and draft a rookie who can carry your team straight to the playoffs.  Just look at Adrian Peterson's rookie season in 2008.  He rushed for 1341 yards and 12 touchdowns, while adding 19 catches for 268 yards and a TD.  Lets take a look at the 10 rookies who we think can impact your fantasy team in a positive way in 2011.

 

Breakout Candidates Update

Before the season started we picked a select few at each position who we thought would have a breakout season.  We will be updating their status periodically throughout the season.  Click the position to see preseason rankings and find the original writeup.

Catcher

•  8/10 - Miguel Montero - Hitting .279 since the All Star Break, Montero is near the top of every offensive category for catchers. 

All Star Break	Team	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	Points
Miguel Montero	ARI	40	77	22	0	10	45	25	50	0.272	0.340	0.456	0.796	305

• 6/14 -  Hitting .294 in June, Montero is absolutely tearing the cover off the ball.  Already has 7 doubles and a homer in just 8 games, while driving in 6 and scoring 6 runs himself. 
• 5/27 - Hit his only home run this month last night and added 3 more rbi to give him 20.  Pretty much replicated his April stats, with out the power.
• 4/28 -Avg dropped to .288 but still amongst the leaders in most categories
• 4/13 - Leads all catchers in batting(.455) and has 4 2b 2 hr 4 rbi and 7 runs scored

• 8/10 - J.P. Arencibia - Hitting a dismal .184 after the break, Arencibia does have 6 home runs in just 19 games, giving him 18, leading all catchers.

All Star Break	Team	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	Points
J.P. Arencibia	TOR	26	55	9	3	12	38	21	72	0.222	0.287	0.427	0.714	231

• 6/14 - While hitting just .152 in June, JP has hit 2 home runs this month while driving in 8.  Even with the .239 season average he is just points below the catcher average, while leading in HR(10) and just 3 rbi behind the leader(34).  If you can withstand his low average and high strikeout rate, Arencibia is still a valuable fantasy catcher.
• 5/27 - Average dropped to .244, but as a catcher he is showing great pop.  Now has 8 hr and 24 rbi., amongst the top in both categories.
• 4/28 -Only 1 xbh in his last 30 ab which was a hr
• 4/13 - In just 27 AB he has 6 extra base hits(2 2b, 2 3b, 2 hr) but has only scored 3 times

• 8/10 - John Jaso - Has not played since July 9th after an Oblique injury.

All Star Break	Team	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	Points
John Jaso	TB	18	40	12	0	3	17	20	23	0.222	0.300	0.339	0.639	146

• 6/14 - After finishing May with 5 hits in 4 games, Jaso has continued to improve.  Not only is his average continuing to climb, but his OBP is at a season high .313. 
• 5/27 - Only 4 hits in his last 10 games, his average is down to .211.  Last year had a June and September avg below .215 and still managed to hit .263, so there is still hope.
• 4/28 - Has not got it going yet only tallying 7 hits on the season
• 4/13 - Did not get a hit until April 8, batting .150 and like all of the Rays, is struggling at the plate

What to do with Chris Johnson

With this hold out looking to go into the regular season, what should Chris Johnson owners do?  I myself have Johnson in a keeper league and am asking myself this question everyday.  Should I release his keeper status and go after someone else with a first round pick?  Should I look to trade him?  Should I just keep him and let it ride?  There are many ways to handle this situation, but only one that really makes sense. 

Top 100 Hitters Less than 75% Owned(Yahoo)

The following is a list of the top 100 players that are less than 75% owned on Yahoo.  If you are looking for someone to replace one of the many hitters off to a terrible start this season, make sure you read this.  This is based on our fantasy baseball scoring system which is as follows:

• Hitters:
• Singles - 1pt
• Doubles - 2pts
• Triples - 3pts
• Homeruns - 2pts
• RBIs - 2pts
• Runs Scored - 2pts
• Walks - 1pt
• Stolen Base - 1pt

Leave your question in the comment section and we will hook you up with the right answer!

Sorted by Fantasy Points

Player	Owned	H/AB	R	1B	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	Fan Pts
Gaby Sánchez (Fla - 1B)	74%	119/443	57	77	26	0	16	62	3	55	457
Freddie Freeman (Atl - 1B)	73%	130/440	56	86	28	0	16	60	4	41	451
Brennan Boesch (Det - OF)	68%	116/410	72	74	25	1	16	54	5	34	450
Carlos Peña (ChC - 1B)	62%	87/383	54	44	19	1	23	67	0	71	444
Carlos Lee (Hou - 1B,OF)	72%	116/447	47	74	27	4	11	68	3	41	436
Todd Helton (Col - 1B)	59%	113/368	53	76	24	0	13	62	0	52	432
Torii Hunter (LAA - OF)	66%	114/444	53	78	19	2	15	59	3	45	424
Johnny Damon (TB - OF)	40%	117/447	59	82	20	5	10	51	11	33	421
Danny Espinosa (Was - 2B)	51%	98/439	55	56	20	5	17	55	12	40	417
Coco Crisp (Oak - OF)	59%	112/407	59	79	23	5	5	38	37	35	416

Top 100 Starting Pitchers Less than 75% Owned(Yahoo)

The following is a list of the top 100 Starting Pitchers that are less than 75% owned on Yahoo.  If you are looking for someone to replace one of the many pitchers off to a terrible start this season, make sure you read this.  This is based on our fantasy baseball scoring system which is as follows:

• Pitchers:
• Wins - 5pts
• Innings Pitched - 2.5pts
• Earned Runs Allowed - (1pt)
• Strike Outs - .5pt

Leave your question in the comment section and we will hook you up with the right answer!
Sorted by Fantasy Points

Player	% Owned	IP	W	ER	K	Fan Pts
Randy Wolf (Mil - SP)	31%	160.2	10	59	104	445
Ricky Nolasco (Fla - SP)	71%	162	9	67	117	442
Trevor Cahill (Oak - SP)	74%	160.2	9	70	118	436
Jonathon Niese (NYM - SP)	38%	153.1	11	69	132	435
Anibal Sánchez (Fla - SP)	64%	154.1	7	68	160	433
Colby Lewis (Tex - SP)	74%	152.2	11	68	128	433
Ryan Dempster (ChC - SP)	71%	154.1	10	79	147	430
Derek Holland (Tex - SP)	46%	155.1	11	73	118	429
Mark Buehrle (CWS - SP)	52%	156	10	53	83	429
Josh Tomlin (Cle - SP)	63%	154	12	68	81	418

Top AAA Hitters

Hitters with at least 80 games played, a .300 AVG and at least 50 RBI
*Sorted by RBI

Last Week	Rank	NAME	TEAM	MLB	POS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
1	1	Brett Pill	FRE	SF	1B	115	458	73	144	35	3	23	97	254	22	50	5	5	0.314	0.555	0.346	0.900
3	2	Cody Ransom	REN	ARI	3B	92	344	82	114	28	3	26	89	226	47	85	9	3	0.331	0.657	0.412	1.069
6	3	Jeff Baisley	SLC	LAA	3B	111	445	76	137	25	3	20	86	228	29	72	4	0	0.308	0.512	0.355	0.867
5	4	Bryan LaHair	IOW	CHC	1B	110	383	78	127	31	0	30	86	248	53	88	2	0	0.332	0.648	0.410	1.057
7	5	Mat Gamel	NAS	MIL	3B	105	407	77	132	27	0	25	84	234	38	68	2	0	0.324	0.575	0.388	0.962
4	6	David Cooper	LAS	TOR	1B	96	376	68	142	46	0	9	83	215	55	35	1	1	0.378	0.572	0.453	1.025
12	7	Taylor Green	NAS	MIL	3B	108	374	66	125	31	1	20	78	218	53	63	1	0	0.334	0.583	0.417	1.000
10	8	Adam Loewen	LAS	TOR	RF	110	432	72	137	42	3	16	77	233	51	112	8	7	0.317	0.539	0.388	0.927
8	9	Clint Robinson	OMA	KC	DH	114	432	74	135	28	0	19	77	220	51	74	2	1	0.313	0.509	0.387	0.896
9	10	Johnny Giavotella	OMA	KC	2B	110	453	67	153	34	2	9	72	218	40	57	9	5	0.338	0.481	0.390	0.871

AAA Top Starting Pitching

Starting Pitchers with at least 14 starts and an ERA under 4
*Sorted by ERA

Last Week	Rank	Name	Team	MLB	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO	WHIP
1	1	Julio Teheran	GWN	ATL	12	2	2.16	20	20	0	0	116.2	94	33	28	4	4	36	104	1.11
2	2	Luis Mendoza	OMA	KC	8	5	2.26	29	14	1	1	119.1	105	46	30	4	6	46	67	1.27
3	3	Jeanmar Gomez	COL	CLE	10	4	2.43	18	18	2	1	118.2	105	40	32	8	4	39	94	1.21
6	4	Graham Godfrey	SAC	OAK	11	3	2.72	16	15	0	0	89.1	74	33	27	6	6	25	75	1.11
8	5	Todd Redmond	GWN	ATL	8	8	2.91	23	23	2	1	139.0	125	48	45	17	5	35	111	1.15
17	6	Adam Wilk	TOL	DET	7	5	2.97	15	15	0	0	91.0	88	36	30	14	2	12	66	1.10
4	7	Garrett Olson	IND	PIT	4	1	3.00	19	14	0	0	75.0	50	27	25	6	2	41	53	1.21
9	8	Chad Reineke	LOU	CIN	7	5	3.12	19	16	0	0	95.1	103	44	33	9	4	30	55	1.40
10	9	Duane Below	TOL	DET	9	4	3.13	18	18	0	0	115.0	99	42	40	12	5	37	83	1.18
11	10	Mike Minor	GWN	ATL	4	5	3.13	16	16	0	0	100.2	93	43	35	12	2	27	99	1.19

AAA Top Relief Pitching

Relief Pitchers with at least 25 appearances and an ERA under 3
*Sorted by ERA

Last Week	Rank	Name	Team	MLB	ERA	G	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO	WHIP	HLD	GF
2	1	Jairo Asencio	GWN	ATL	1.36	39	20	46.1	33	9	7	2	0	20	59	1.14	0	35
1	2	Jose Ceda	NEW	FLA	1.36	36	24	39.2	30	14	6	1	1	13	53	1.08	0	34
3	3	Drew Carpenter	LHV	PHI	1.58	28	0	51.1	38	10	9	1	0	9	55	0.92	6	2
5	4	Victor Marte	MEM	STL	1.73	44	21	52.0	43	13	10	5	1	16	43	1.13	0	38
6	5	Brendan Wise	TOL	DET	1.73	43	1	52.0	47	13	10	3	3	25	30	1.38	8	15
#N/A	6	Cory Gearrin	GWN	ATL	1.78	26	1	35.1	33	8	7	0	1	14	37	1.33	4	12
4	7	Michael Schwimer	LHV	PHI	1.80	45	10	65.0	47	14	13	4	1	20	83	1.03	7	28
7	8	Jason Grilli	LHV	PHI	1.93	28	3	32.2	26	8	7	2	1	12	43	1.16	5	12
8	9	Rich Rundles	MEM	STL	1.99	25	0	22.2	19	12	5	2	5	13	22	1.41	4	6
9	10	Shane Lindsay	CHA	CHW	2.04	37	2	53.0	24	13	12	2	8	42	63	1.25	6	18

MLB Awards Watch (8/10 edition)

8/10	LiLbRo
AL MVP	Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS)
AL Cy Young	Justin Verlander (DET)
AL ROY	Eric Hosmer (KC)
AL Comeback POY	Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS)
NL MVP	Matt Kemp (LAD)
NL Cy Young	Cliff Lee (PHI)
NL ROY	Craig Kimbrel (ATL)
NL Comeback POY	Lance Berkman (STL)

The CY Young in both leagues are 3 way races
AL - Verlander, Weaver, Sabathia
NL - Lee, Halladay, Kershaw

RPs with 6+ Appearances and ERA < 3 in the Past 14 Days (7/25 - 8/8)

Info via USAToday
Sorted by ERA

PITCHER	TM	W	L	ERA	G	GF	SV	AB	H	HR	INN	R	ER	BB	IBB	SO	BA	SLG	OBA
Betancourt, Rafael	COL	0	0	0.00	8	1	0	24	3	0	6.2	1	0	0	0	14	0.125	0.125	0.125
Motte, Jason	STL	0	0	0.00	8	1	0	19	1	0	6.1	0	0	1	0	6	0.053	0.053	0.143
Reynolds, Matt	COL	0	0	0.00	8	1	0	12	1	0	4.1	0	0	2	0	3	0.083	0.083	0.214
Kimbrel, Craig	ATL	0	0	0.00	7	5	4	21	3	0	6.2	0	0	1	0	10	0.143	0.143	0.182
Salas, Fernando	STL	0	0	0.00	6	5	3	26	4	0	7.1	0	0	3	0	9	0.154	0.192	0.241
Chapman, Aroldis	CIN	0	0	0.00	6	2	0	22	2	0	7.0	0	0	2	0	14	0.091	0.091	0.167
Francisco, Frank	TOR	0	0	0.00	6	2	0	21	3	0	6.0	0	0	0	0	4	0.143	0.190	0.143
Gomes, Brandon	TB	1	0	0.00	6	5	0	24	3	0	7.1	0	0	1	0	5	0.125	0.125	0.154
Loe, Kameron	MIL	0	0	0.00	6	4	0	19	2	0	6.1	0	0	1	0	4	0.105	0.105	0.150
Mujica, Edward	FLA	0	0	0.00	6	1	0	24	4	0	7.0	0	0	0	0	7	0.167	0.208	0.167

RPs Who Recorded a Save in the Past 14 Days (7/25 - 8/8)

Info via USAToday
Sorted by Saves

PITCHER	TM	ERA	G	GF	SV	AB	H	HR	INN	R	ER	BB	IBB	SO	BA	SLG	OBA
Valverde, Jose	DET	1.50	6	6	6	21	2	1	6.0	1	1	1	0	3	0.095	0.238	0.136
Axford, John	MIL	1.29	7	6	5	25	4	1	7.0	1	1	1	0	6	0.160	0.280	0.192
Marmol, Carlos	CHC	4.50	6	6	5	21	4	0	6.0	3	3	2	0	8	0.190	0.333	0.320
Putz, J.J.	ARI	0.00	5	5	5	17	4	0	4.2	0	0	1	0	3	0.235	0.235	0.278
Kimbrel, Craig	ATL	0.00	7	5	4	21	3	0	6.2	0	0	1	0	10	0.143	0.143	0.182
Rauch, Jon	TOR	9.00	6	5	4	28	10	3	6.0	6	6	0	0	3	0.357	0.750	0.357
Rivera, Mariano	NYY	1.80	5	4	4	15	2	0	5.0	1	1	0	0	5	0.133	0.200	0.125
Storen, Drew	WAS	5.68	6	6	4	27	8	3	6.1	4	4	1	0	6	0.296	0.667	0.321
League, Brandon	SEA	1.59	6	6	3	19	3	1	5.2	1	1	1	0	3	0.158	0.316	0.200
Madson, Ryan	PHI	0.00	4	3	3	14	2	0	4.0	0	0	0	0	5	0.143	0.143	0.143

Get to Know Him - J.D. Martinez

Prospect of the Day - J.D. Martinez

As terrible as the Houston Astros have been this season, a couple of prospects have made great strides in proving themselves to be Big Leaguers.  Unfortunately for them it was not Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson but that is not what we are talking about.  J.D. Martinez has done nothing but hit down in the minors.  A career .342 hitter, Martinez hit 40 doubles last season over A and AA ball, along with 18 HRs and 89 RBI. 

Since his call up at the end of July, after Hunter Pence was traded to the Phillies, Martinez has hit 3 HRs and has 11 RBI in just 32 AB!  5 of his 9 hits have gone for XBH and he has also scored 6 times in 9 games.  If you need a little boost of offense, Martinez is absolutely worth a shot!

WeTalkFantasySports Survival Football Second Season

If you played last year, your invitation has already been sent out.

FREE ENTRY!
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Group ID#:	1243
Group Password:	wtfs247

We have set up a Yahoo league and want you to join!

I will update this post weekly with the results of who was eliminated!

Prize will be determined closer to the start of the season.  The more members, the larger the prize!