- Aneesh Ahuja - Fantasy Focus
Zach Wheeler - New York Mets
During his first full season in the majors, Wheeler posted a 3.54 ERA with 187 strikeouts in 185 innings. Wheeler showed some encouraging signs last season, possessing a fastball in the mid 90s and at times reaching 98 MPH. Wheeler has a plus curveball and is adding a slider to his repertoire. He posted at 54 percent ground ball rate, so he does a good job of keeping the ball in the park. Wheeler is 24-years-old and has not had a major injury thus far, so look for him to reach 200 innings without an innings limit this season. He can be a middle of the road starter for your fantasy team so try to grab him in the middle rounds of your draft.
Carlos Carrasco - Cleveland Indians
In 2014, Carrasco only pitched 91 innings as a starter. In that sample size, however, he had 14 starts with a 9.99-strikeout rate and a 1.98 walk rate. His fastball averaged 95.3 MPH last season and his velocity will continue to progress as he returns to full health. In 2015, Carrasco will look to grow as a pitcher and maybe surprise some people as a dark horse All-Star candidate. Carrasco is one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the American League and hitters had a tough time catching up to his fastball last season. Drafting Carrasco in the mid rounds of your draft makes sense because he is one this season's top fantasy baseball sleepers.
Marcus Stroman - Toronto Blue Jays
Stroman debuted for the Blue Jays last May and looked impressive during 2014 posting a 3.65 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 130 innings. He posses a six pitch repertoire that continues to get stronger by the day. Although he was roughed up in a few outings last season, Stroman has the potential to put up sub 3.00 ERA. His fastball hits the mid 90s and has a sinker that froze hitters last year. Stroman’s potential is through the roof. In most leagues he is falling to the late rounds of the draft and would be a steal for your team.
- Aneesh Ahuja - Fantasy Focus
Fantasy Baseball News -
Steven Souza - Tampa Bay Rays
The highlight of Steven Souza’s 2014 season was saving Jordan Zimmerman’s no hitter. But many don’t know that Souza batted .350 with 18 HR and 26 stolen bases in Triple-A. Souza has the talent to easily hit 15-plus HR and steal 15 bases this upcoming season. He will be an everyday player for the Rays and will continue to grow as the year goes on. His strikeout total might be a little frustrating, but his ceiling is too high. Souza is the ultimate sleeper for this upcoming fantasy season. He should be available very late in the draft which could translate into a late round steal later in the season.
George Springer - Houston Astros
George Springer posted 20 homers and 5 steals in 295 at-bats last season. Springer only batted .231 last season, but look for him to improve in his first full season in the majors. Springer gives your team much needed power and speed at a low price. Other names such as Ryan Braun, Yasiel Puig, and Bryce Harper might catch your eye but expect Springer to put up similar production. Although Springer does not seem like a sleeper, he continues to be left off draft boards. Springer, however, can be the exact player your team needs to put you over the top.
Austin Jackson - Seattle Mariners
Jackson was in a terrible slump after he was dealt to the Mariners last season, but during the previous four years, Jackson was arguably a top five fantasy outfielder. Jackson has the potential to be a .300 hitter again and hit 10-plus homers. Jackson should steal more than 20 bases for you and accrue 90-plus runs in a new Mariners lineup. Many are writing Jackson off this season, but look for him to set the table for Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz. Jackson’s strikeout totals are high, but if he continues to stay healthy, he could play every day for your team. Jackson will be an asset to your team at a low cost compared to other outfielders. If Jackson is available in the mid-to-late rounds of your draft, there's no reason to pass on him.
Based on stats and production, Amari Cooper (Alabama) is the clear-cut #1 fantasy WR coming out of the 2015 NFL draft class. Cooper absolutely torched opposing defenders in the SEC this year and finished the season with a gaudy 124 Receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had three games with more than 200 yards receiving against SEC opponents.
On paper, Kevin White (West Virginia) is widely considered as the #1 fantasy WR coming out of the 2015 draft class. White did not disappoint at the NFL combine, measuring in at nearly 6'3" and 215 pounds while running a 4.35 40-Yard dash. His 4.35 40-time was second best among wide receivers. Combining White's physical features and stats from this season (109 Rec, 1,447 Rec Yards, 10 TD's) it's clear why Cooper and White are viewed as the two best receivers in this draft class. Both of them have made the list of top NFL fantasy sleepers.
Last year's draft had Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans as the #1 and #2 ranked receivers in the draft class, but it was the Odell Beckham Jr (#3 ranked receiver) who actually stole the show, had the biggest fantasy football impact, and is even considered one of the top fantasy football keepers. Last year's results beg the question as to who might be one of this year's top fantasy sleeper picks. Who's the receiver that's flying under the radar who might have a huge fantasy impact?
It's hard to speculate which receiver that might be because a huge factor depends on which team that rookie gets drafted by. Based on ability, stats and potential, that player is DeVante Parker (Louisville). Parker missed the first seven games of the 2014 season with a broken foot but racked up at least 120 receiving yards in five of the six games he played in. Parker has decent size at nearly 6'3" and 208 pounds and ran a 4.45 40 at the combine.
Based on ability and recent production, Parker could be this year's Odell Beckham Jr if he stays healthy and winds up on a team with a QB who can get the ball to him.
- Greg Pokriki - Fantasy Focus
Troy Tulowitzki - Colorado Rockies
Tulowitzki is the sure fire number one shortstop entering this season, but he’s not on everybody’s board. He possesses the most power of any shortstop, hitting 21 home runs in just 91 games in 2014. Tulowitzki is also surrounded by a talented supporting cast, with protection ahead and behind in the lineup. The straight scoop is that Tulo can help you win a MLB fantasy championship or he can leave you with a painful void at a critical every day position. If you draft him, you must roster another decent backup shortstop.
Ian Desmond- Washington Nationals
Desmond also has some power in his bat, making him an instant fantasy favorite. He’s hit 20-plus home runs each of the last three seasons. Desmond also got close to 100 RBI in 2014, finishing with an impressive 91. Desmond has also tallied more than 20 steals in each of his last four seasons, adding another dimension to his game. An all around player in a good lineup adds up to Desmond being a solid shortstop pick.
Jose Reyes- Toronto Blue Jays
An argument for Starlin Castro could be made here, and he’s probably a great pick in keeper leagues because he’s only 24-years-old, but even with that he hasn’t cracked my Top 3. Also, I ruled out Hanley Ramirez because he’ll probably be playing left field this season (and I still like Reyes better). Reyes has hit over .290 in nine of his 12 MLB seasons. He also stole more than 30 bases in eight of those 12 seasons, nabbing 78 bags in 2007. In the leadoff spot Reyes will put up a big OBP and score plenty of runs. Reyes is the total package. Like Tulowitzki, if he can stay healthy, he’ll be an impact player in 2015.
- Tim Haberin - Fantasy Focus
New York's crosstown rivals find themselves in similar situations concerning the starting pitchers expected to lead their staffs. The Yankees and Mets hope that Masahiro Tanaka and Matt Harvey will be able to set aside injury woes and help their respective teams entering the 2015 season. Both suffered partial tears in the ulnar collateral ligaments of their right elbows. While Harvey underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2014, Tanaka chose to forgo the procedure and treat the injury with three months of rest and rehab.
Fantasy owners must decide how much these injuries dampen the young starters' prospects in 2015. Both have put up sparkling numbers when they have taken the mound, albeit in relatively small sample sizes. Harvey earned an All-Star starting nod in his first full season in 2013, posting a 2.27 ERA and a stellar 9.6 K/9 rate. Arriving from Japan to much fanfare, Tanaka surpassed even the most optimistic expectations in the early stages of his debut season, collecting 12 wins to the tune of a 2.51 ERA before going down with his injury in early July of last year.
The early word on both pitchers' first Spring Training bullpen sessions has been expectedly positive. It's difficult, however, to not feel better about Harvey's chances to have a healthy, productive 2015. He has already put the Tommy John experience behind him, while Tanaka, if he re-aggravates his elbow, the surgery may become unavoidable.
The Mets expect to be more competitive this year, which may lead to a boost in win totals to go along with Harvey's other strong statistical categories. An elbow injury is never a minor concern for a pitcher, however, and it might take several starts for these guys to find their footing.
Neither should be the first starting pitcher you draft, but their talent and upside are too hard to ignore completely. These pitchers are not fantasy baseball sleepers that will catch anybody by surprise.
Tanaka simply appears to have more potential factors in his way that could diminish his fantasy value, such as the Yankees floating the idea of using a six-man rotation to ease the load on him and other injury-plagued starters. Don't be afraid to roll the dice, but leave yourself a safety net in the form of other more dependable starting pitchers.
- Tim Haberin - Fantasy Focus
The Texas Rangers were dealt a significant blow with another shoulder injury to young infielder Jurickson Profar. He underwent surgery for a torn right labrum earlier this week ending all hopes of playing in 2015. The lost season is especially frustrating considering Profar missed all of 2014 with the same injured shoulder, but elected not to have surgery then.
Despite limited time on the field, Profar's name has remained prominent among lists of the game's future stars. In 2013, Baseball America selected the then 19-year-old switch-hitter as its number one prospect in baseball. He enjoyed a very modest first 94 games, batting .231 with 7 home runs and 26 RBI. Texas' hope (and that of fantasy owners) was that more experience would see Profar make good on the hype. A troublesome shoulder has made that experience difficult to come by.
Easily lost amid news of the disappointing setback is the fact that Profar is still only 22 years old. He certainly stands a good chance of getting healthy and making a big league impact worthy of his advance promotion. The Rangers caution, however, that he will likely not be able to resume baseball activities for at least a year. Along with the presumed necessity of an extended minor league stint, Profar may not be a factor at the major league level until the 2017 season, and then hopefully he stays off our injury updates list.
In the meantime, Texas will make do with Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor manning the middle of the infield. Odor, only 21 years old himself, might be a shrewd pickup for fantasy owners seeking infield depth. The second baseman did not look overmatched last year during his rookie season, hitting .259 with 9 home runs and 48 RBI over 114 games. Continued improvement could result in a solidly productive sophomore season.
Andrus is a 2-time All-Star shortstop and has long been valued for his glove more than his bat, but the Rangers held off on trading him this winter and expect big things from him in 2015. He did swipe 27 bags last year and is two seasons removed from stealing 42, so owners looking for stolen base numbers might consider him.
Fantasy players hoping to reap the benefits of Jurickson Profar's potential breakout season will have to wait a while longer, due to fantasy injury updates. When he does return and proves himself healthy, his talent and positional versatility around the infield can quickly lead to fantasy relevance.
Stay tuned for the latest MLB and NFL injury updates!
- Aneesh Ahuja - Fantasy Focus
Victor Martinez - Martinez is coming off an amazing 2014 season where he batted .335 with 32 HR and 103 RBIs. During the off-season, however, Martinez underwent surgery on his left knee to heal a torn meniscus. This is the same knee that he had surgery on to repair a torn ACL. At age 36, we can’t trust Martinez to return to his 2014 form. Look for Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez to pick up the slack for Victor Martinez in 2015. Martinez represents a high risk in 2015 and is not worth taking in the early rounds of your draft.
Adam Wainwright - Similar to Martinez, Wainwright had an outstanding 2014 season with 227 innings and 2.38 ERA. In the off-season, Wainwright had a procedure to trim a piece of cartilage out of his throwing elbow immediately after the playoffs. The Cardinals have discussed lowering Wainwright’s workload this upcoming season to prevent further injury on his elbow. The Cardinals are poised to make another postseason run, but look for the team to control Wainwright during the season and save him for the postseason.
Nelson Cruz - Cruz had a stellar 2014 season with the Baltimore Orioles, but during the off-season he signed a four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. Cruz crushed 40 dingers last year, but look for his numbers to decline during his first year in Seattle. Moving to Safeco field will have a big impact on Cruz’s numbers, as it is a difficult park for right-handed hitters. Also, last season was only the 2nd time that Cruz had not spent an extended period on the disabled list. Cruz has not been consistently healthy throughout his career and cannot be trusted this year. At the age 34, Cruz is more likely to get hurt and see his production dip. Look for cheaper options for power other than Cruz to fill your outfield positions.
When the injury updates news first broke that Angels outfielder, Josh Hamilton, needed surgery on the AC joint in his right shoulder, he was expected to miss around 6 to 8 weeks. Now Angels skipper Jerry Dipoto says that Hamilton could miss as many as 12 weeks after undergoing the surgery on February 4th. This is more bad news for Hamilton and his prospects for ever being fantasy relevant again.
Hamilton (no stranger to our fantasy injury updates) is just a few months away from his 34th birthday and hasn't had a decent year since year since he signed with Los Angeles at the end of 2012. He's been a complete bust for the organization ever since he signed a 5-year, $125 million contract. Since he left Texas, Hamilton has been nothing more than a shadow of his former self managing only 31 home runs while batting a pedestrian .254.
A healthy Hamilton was terrible in 2013 for the halos and played in only 89 games last season while struggling with shoulder issues. He's going to miss all of spring training and is projected to return to the field some time in May, but his fantasy baseball prospects are dismal at best.
At this point, Hamilton is not even worth a stash in any fantasy format.
Check back for the latest in MLB and NFL injury updates.
RB Fantasy Football News -
Fantasy RB CJ Spiller isn't getting much ink, but is one of the most talented free agents on the market. The Buffalo Bills are doing everything in their power (according to GM Doug Whaley) to keep Spiller in a Bills uniform and Rex Ryan has also stated publicly that he wants Spiller back as well.
Spiller had all the hype in the world coming out of college as a home run hitter with potential to score every time he touches the ball, but Spiller hasn't been lighting up the scoreboard and staying healthy enough to warrant being the 9th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Spiller has only rushed for over 1,000 yards one of the five years he's been in the league but he has excelled in the return game for the Bills.
If the Bills can reach a deal with Spiller he will get plenty of opportunities out of the backfield and only time will tell if he can remain healthy in the likely ground and pound situation he will be in. Stay tuned to RB fantasy news for updates on the Spiller saga.
If the Bills can't reach a deal with Spiller there will be a long list of teams that express interest. A perfect fit for Spiller would be with the New York Jets who recently hired Chan Gailey to be their Offensive Coordinator. Spiller had some of his best years under Chan Gailey in Buffalo and Spiller has already expressed interest and thinks it makes a lot of sense to reunite with Gailey.
If Spiller gets to test the free agent market some lucky team will be all smiles when they land the speedster who, if healthy, can flip the field and light up the scoreboard.
Stay updated with ASL's RB news all offseason!
- Austin Becker - Fantasy Focus
RB Fantasy Football News -
There will be no shortage of uncertainty when training camp kicks off in Minnesota for next season. The Vikings faithful are clearly behind fantasy RB stalwart Adrian Peterson and would love it if the former NFL most valuable player would rejoin their squad.
The Vikings also have an emerging young back in their repertoire who can make RB news by the name of Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon is recovering from back surgery, but it sounds like he will be ready for the start of the season.
Scenario 1 – Vikes get AP back, McKinnon goes to backup
This scenario would be the best for Viking fans, and essentially best for anyone that loves watching a dominant powerful running back destroy and dismantle his opponents. If Adrian Peterson returns to the Vikings he will clearly regain his starting gig as the Vikings running back. If this were to happen, fellow running mate Jerick McKinnon would assume the backup role with the Vikings.
This would be a deadly one-two punch coming out of the backfield for the Vikings. Adrian Peterson has it all – he’s fast, powerful and can cut on a dime. While McKinnon, a college quarterback turned running back, was brought on with the thought that he could slowly learn the running back position. He quickly exceeded expectations and wound up averaging 4.8 yards a carry. With these two in the backfield for the Vikings, opposing defenses would have to prepare heavily for a vaunted running game that they would bring to the table.
Scenario 2 – AP out in Minnesota, McKinnon gets starting gig
This scenario, yet not as tasty as the first one, would still be okay for the Vikings. If Peterson was not able to come back to the Vikings, Jerick McKinnon would obtain the starting spot. It’s good to note that McKinnon has been going quite well thus far for the young running back. With Matt Asiata becoming a free agent and Adrian Peterson’s status still cloudy, McKinnon would likely cement the starting role in Minnesota.
It is crucial for McKinnon to get healthy with such a big role waiting at his doorstep. It is not certain that Adrian Peterson will be back with the Vikings next season so McKinnon must prepare himself like he is going to be the starting running back in Minnesota.
For the most up to date RB fantasy news, keep reading ASL!
