Fantasy Forum Week 10: Studs and Duds

Another week of football, another list of those who may (or may not) excel in their upcoming fantasy matchups. I’m also going to start keeping a running tally of hits and misses by the fantasy forum staff here at Views from the Couch. A win if the pick proved correct a loss if the pick was a misfire and a ‘tie’ if the pick had a decent week but didn’t really blow anyone out of the water.

Last week: 2-2-2

Without further adieu (how over used is that saying? But anyway) here are the Views from the Couch week 10 studs and duds.

STUDS

Greg Olsen TE Carolina Panthers vs. Tennessee Titans

Olsen has been a bit of a feast or famine type of player this year, 3 double digit performances and 3 sub-4 point performances, but he has reeled in 4 TD passes from rookie phenom Cam Newton. Newton appears to be leaning slightly towards Olsen in recent weeks though Jeremy Shockey has snaked some of Olsen’s targets from the other TE spot. The stats don’t lie however and Olsen is still the 7^th ranked TE according to ESPN scoring and is projected to post 10 points this week against a Titans defense that yields 8.9 PPG to opposing TE’s and has been burned for 5 scores already this year by those TE’s. Start Olsen without fear and expect some big things out of him. I see him in the feast category for this week.

Stats: 5 rec, 73 yards, 1 TD

Maurice Jones-Drew RB Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts run defense

The Colts run defense can’t stop anyone even though CJ0K couldn’t crack the 40-yard mark against them 2 weeks ago but I digress. This isn’t about CJ0K and how he sucks this year but rather about how MJD has been a horse for the Jaguars. If you’ve seen Blaine Gabbert play then you’ll understand why MoJo is tied for the league lead in totes at 166. MoJo is also averaging 92.5 YPG which is good for 9 fantasy points guaranteed one a weekly basis without factoring in TD or reception points. The Jaguars give him the rock and often and against a soft Colts defense that’s yielding 21.3 PPG to opposing running games I love this matchup. Expect the Jaguars to take the ball out of Gabbert’s hands and put it into MJD’s to ensure that the Colts continue to ‘Suck for Luck’.

Stats: 26 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD, 1 rec, 7 yards

Dallas Cowboys D/ST vs. Buffalo Bills offense

Since lighting the world on fire in their first three games the Bills offense has slowed down considerably. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick did enough in those games to earn a 5-year extension but in the world of fantasy football, which is all we care about for this posts sake, he has been a dud the past 5 games. In his first three games he racked up totals of 24, 22, and 18 points but since then he hasn’t scored more than 14 points in a single game and has thrown 3 single digit performances out there. As far as the Cowboys defense is concerned these are all things working in their favor as is their phenomenal pass rusher DeMarcus Ware. Ware has already recorded 12.5 sacks through 8 games including 4 in a matchup two weeks ago against Vick and the Eagles. He’s going to be good for a sack or three against a weak Bills O-line. As a whole the Cowboys defense has scored double digits in all of their games against 2 duds: one against the Eagles and one against the Lions. Those two offenses are full of explosive playmakers that the Bills don’t possess. Start the Cowboys defense with confidence.

Stats: 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FumRec, 0 TD, 13 fantasy points

DUDS

DeSean Jackson WR Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals

The past two years Jackson has been Michael Vick’s go to target but this year he seems to have fallen to the number 2 option behind Missouri product Jeremy Maclin. Jackson hasn’t posted higher than 4 fantasy points in his past 3 games, including 0 against the Bears last week, since torching the Bills and 49ers secondaries for 14 and 17 points respectively. Out of the Eagles 8 games this year Jackson has posted three stud performances, week 1 vs. the Rams and the two I just mentioned, with the other five games falling in the dud category racking up 2, 3, 4, 3, and 0 points in those games. For a guy drafted to be a WR1 he has been a major disappointment and become increasingly riskier to start. I know the Cardinals secondary is dicey at best but Patrick Peterson is a prime time player, that ones for you Dick Vitale, and he is going to be covering Jackson. Vick has also struggled to connect with Jackson on their patented fly routes, which has hurt Jackson’s value. Until they get on the same page avoid Jackson.

Stats: 3 rec, 32 yards, 0 TD

Matt Forte RB Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions

Forte is going to get his yards against the Lion. Their run defense is nothing special and has been torched recently but the Bears are going to be forced into passing early and often once the Lions jump out to an early lead. This game is a perfect storm for Forte to not be able to take advantage of a Lions run defense that is asking to be sliced and diced for 150 yards and 2 scores. QB Jay Cutler is going to bothered all game since the Lions pass rush is ferocious and pays little to no attention to the running game instead pinning their ears back and heading up field on every play. I wouldn’t call Forte a dud this week as much as I’d say that he’s just not going to get the opportunities to post the big time number we’ve come to expect from the 5^th ranked RB. He hasn’t been as big a factor in the passing game the past two weeks and he fumbled on a reception last week. Forte won’t get fully utilized this week though I do expect him to go over a 100 yards but he won’t find the end zone.

Stats: 18 carries, 105 yards, 0 TD, 2 rec, 13 yards, 0 TD

Tiquan Underwood’s high top fade WR New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

With Taylor Price’s hamstring injury and Chad Ochocinco doing a great disappearing act the Patriots this week resigned preseason casualty Tiquan Underwood and his high top fade. Underwood is a former 7^th round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2009 and he’s seen the field sparingly since then but really all anyone cares about is whether or not he’ll be rocking the high top fade he sported during this preseason. I’m guessing if he wants to stay relevant he’ll stick with the flat top since that’s probably the only way he’s going to get Tom Terrific to notice him on or off the field. He’s not going to catch a pass and I pray you didn’t add him thinking he’s going to do something in the Patriots high octane offense but look for the guy with the high top fade on the sideline on Sunday night and you’ve found Underwood.

Stats: 0 rec, 0 yards, 0 TD, 1 all-hair team award

There you have it folks this weeks studs and duds list let me know what you think and we’ll see how accurate the prognostications where in a week. Good luck to all in their matchups this week.

Geoff Jablonski

A Look Around the Sporting Landscape

A lot has been happening in the world of sports the last couple weeks since I posted one of my patented "flocks of thought pigeons" on you all. But as Josh Beckett would say just before he heads up to the clubhouse for another Old Milwaukee, "It's about that time."

• This whole debacle surrounding Penn State could not be any better for the Athletic Director. There had been a corpse that's been running his team for the better part of a decade now and he can finally be exorcised. By all accounts Joe Paterno wasn't directly involved, but this is his program and if he isn't running a tight ship than this is on him. Getting Ole JoePa to leave will be the best thing to happen to Penn State since, well probably since they hired him. But there is a diamond in the rough here that could make Penn State very viable again.
  
• I wouldn't expect the Red Sox to be active with any free agents until after a manager is selected, unless given an ultimatum with Jonathan Papelbon. The new manager should be brought in around Thanksgiving which will still give the front office plenty of time to deal with the player personnel decisions. I don't like Dale Sveum, I'm not sure why, maybe it's the fact that he shows up to the biggest interview of his life unshaven and looking like he spent the night out with Mel Gibson, but I don't know how I feel about that guy. I don't want a manager who looks and talks like his catchphrase is, "the sun never sets on a bad ass".
  
• The Mike Maddux name withdrawal didn't catch me by surprise, despite how much I wanted him to be the Red Sox next skipper. His brother was drafted by the Cubs, now works in the Cubs front office, so if he goes anywhere to manage it is going to be Chicago or go back down to Arlington to stay close to his family.
  
• It's surprising to me how much I actually miss the NBA. A lot of the things in the NBA piss me off but there aren't many things in sports more exciting than the last 10 seconds of a one point basketball game. The owners are no doubt being stingy, Scrooge McDuck-bastards but they have all the leverage. The owners are STILL making money as we speak despite no season; the players would at least have some leg to stand on in the public's eye if they didn't come off as pompous, uneducated, gun-wielding, self-absorbed narcissists. Some of the more educated players in the league should decertify the union, work out a deal. Kevin Garnett, you should probably let the other 2 legs of the Big 3 handle this and you can sit the next few plays out.
  
• The Royals the last two offseason have really been brilliant. Yes, they traded away a Cy Young Award winner, but their return on Greinke was monumental and have a bunch of young core guys about to come up to the majors together. If they do as I predicted and sign a few veteran starters the fans in KC could really be in for an exciting summer, and perhaps fall. They've already pulled the wool over Brian Sabean's eyes out in San Fran when they fleeced him for Jonathan Sanchez while only giving up Melky Cabrera as the centerpiece. Jonathan Sanchez did see his BB/9 skyrocket this year (5.9) but a lefty with swing and miss stuff is a commodity that not many teams have. The Royals just made one more step towards competing for the Central in 2012.
  
• The Patriots will be fine. For the first time all season I liked the defense, well, for the first 58 minutes. They generated a pass rush tried multiple corner blitzes and for much of the game the pass defense was more than tolerable it was good. The last 2 minutes was a debauchery.
  
• I'm all set with Chad Johnson, anyone else?
  
• Major hat tip to Dick Lebeau. The Patriots would never tell you, but the Steelers game plan completely dumbfounded them, much like the Jets in the playoffs last year. That being said, what happened to Belichick being the master of the halftime adjustment?
  
• The only player in the NHL I might consider trading Tyler Seguin for in the entire NHL is Steven Stamkos. No one else.
  
• I know that numbers say that 80% of the time the Top 8 teams going into November are the teams that make the playoffs but I think someone poked the Bear with a stick, pun completely intended, and they are about to unleash hell on everyone.
  
• If the Red Sox are going to explore the trade market I think that if you want to predict it, it needs to be outside the box. Ben Cherington doesn't need to make a "splash" but he needs to make an impact that will cement himself. Look for something big, but for a player you probably weren't talking about like a Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado trade or something along those lines.
  

As always if you are looking for answers you can certainly shoot me an email or if you don't want to talk to me, and let's be honest who does, shoot the rest of the gang something on our Facebook Fan Page.

Stay Tuned

Norton

A Loss of Epic Proportions

This blog isn't always about sports. This blog is about life. While that may sound profound, slightly narcissistic, a little deep and maybe partly untrue, the members of Views from the Couch suffered an immeasurable loss this weekend, far beyond measure.

Greater than any September Collapse, any helmet-grasping catch, or any 3-point dagger that tickles the twine; we lost a friend, an uncle, a confidant and most importantly a father to our esteemed JLang this weekend.

As one of our devoted readers, noted ball-busters and witty conversationalists Gil Lang has moved on to life's greener pastures while touching each and every one he came in contact with inestimably.

It's hard to quantify what a person is until he or she is gone and you have time to reflect. It's even harder when they have had more of an impact on a community than one single person. These are the pillars of strength and people that life should be built around.

When a man that cares more about others than himself, had two children and cherished his time with them more than anything in the world; is taken at such a young age it makes you wonder if there is really a plan or if everything is just random chance.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It's not length of life, but depth of life". While the philosophical side of that statement is accurate enough, the length of life seems more important than anything, especially when someone you love is taken far before what you would deem to be an acceptable age.

A father is not something you should take for granted. I, for one, was dealt a pretty strange one that didn't always make the best decisions with drugs and alcohol but when he died last year it you realize that despite all his faults a bad person he wasn't, just a bad decision maker.

Gil would not let one of his vices get in the way of being a father. Gil's son, JLang, is just about 22 years old. Gil was 22 years sober. Talk about the measure of a man. This man gave up something so powerful, for his unborn child, and for that testament of will-power alone you have not only earned every fiber of respect that I own, but as far as I am concerned, a true act of heroism.

Gil I am truly a better person for knowing you and thank you for blessing me with the time that I got to spend with you. May you Rest in Peace, friend.

"Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act." – Truman Capote

 

Truer words have not been spoken.

Stay Tuned

 

Norton

Fantasy Forum Week 9: Studs/Duds

STUDS

Beanie Wells RB Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams

The Rams have a horrible run defense (see: DeMarco Murray and a Cowboys single game rushing record) and Wells has actually been somewhat consistent this year. He’s only had 2 duds out of 7 matches this year and one of those, week 3 vs. Seahawks; he missed the game due to a knee injury. That same knee injury flared up last week before the Cardinals game against the Ravens but Wells toughed it out, awkward I know, and ran for 83 yards and a score. Outside of the Seahawks game and his 12-carry 42-yard effort against the Steelers he’s actually scored above 12 points in each game. He’s going to slice and dice the Rams especially with Kevin Kolb ruled out this week and sucky mcsuckerstein QB John Skelton starting this week.

Stats: 25 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD

Jimmy Graham TE New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jimmy Graham has been a revelation all year in his 2^nd year out of the University of Miami’s basketball program. The last time these two teams matched up Graham lit the Buccaneers defense for 7 catches and 124 yards and 12 points. The Buccaneers boast a halfway decent pass defense but they are generous to the opposing tight ends giving up an average of 8.9 points a game to the opposing TE getting hit up for 5 TD’s. Graham had his worst output of the year last week (4 catches, 39 yards) but that didn’t stop Drew Brees from consistently targeting him throughout the game. He’s going to have a big week this week chalk it up.

Stats: 6 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD

New York Giants Receiving Corps vs. New England Patriots Secondary

The Giants receiving corps of Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Victor Cruz, and TE Jake Ballard have put up big numbers all year and I don’t see that changing at all this week even if star wideout Nicks gets ruled out of Sunday’s matchup. Victor Cruz has come on strong and Manningham has been a consistent threat on the outside all year with Ballard showing good hands the past few weeks. As a Patriots fan I know full well that if you have WR’s playing against the Patriots horrific secondary insert them into your fantasy lineup. Eli Manning has also been playing at an extremely level this year only throwing 5 picks to 13 TD’s…very un-Eli Manning like. Patriots can’t get pressure on the QB or stop anyone in the passing game look for the Giants receivers to have a field day and rack up yards up and down the field.

Stats: 343 receiving yards and 2 TD’s

DUDS

Steve Johnson WR Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets

Being a top WR and playing the NY Jets means one thing: a ‘vacation’ to Revis Island. Johnson and Ryan Fitzpatrick have had a great connection all year leading Johnson to becoming a top 10 WR week to week but not this week. Darrelle Revis is going to jam up and shut him down this week so if you have another option at WR I’d say go for it.

Stats: 2 catches, 25 yards, 0 TD’s

Ryan Fitzpatrick QB Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets

Fitzpatrick and Johnson’s fates go together hand and hand. Darrelle Revis covering Steve Johnson means that Fitzpatrick’s top option is going to be gone all day meaning heavy workload for second option David Nelson who’s had a good year so far but beleaguered Jets DB Antonio Cromartie actually seems to be finding a groove a little bit the last few matches. The Jets also send an assortment of blitzes made to confuse and trip up the Harvard alum. The Jets defense is stingy and will hold Fitzpatrick in check for the day.

Stats: 227 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT’s

Phillip Rivers QB San Diego Chargers vs. Green Bay Packers

Phillip Rivers has been a massive disappointment for fantasy owners this year checking in as the 17^th ranked QB according to ESPN standard scoring. The Packers defense has been giving up points this year but coming off a bye week I like Dom Capers odds of dialing up a strong scheme to befuddle the Chargers QB. Charles Woodson has been playing great again this year following up his Defensive Player of the Year season last year. Clay Matthews coming off the edge and BJ Raji up the middle are also a cause for concern for the Chargers battered offensive line. Antonio Gates is back in action for Rivers but the Packers have the LB’s to cover him up and keep him under wraps. I’d look for another option unless forced into starting Rivers due to bye week woes.

Stats: 245 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

There are the Views from the Couch picks for this week’s fantasy studs and duds. Before signing off I’d like to send a personal note to Views from the Couch co-creator Justin Lang wishing him well and letting him know that him and his family are in our thoughts and prayers. We love you Langerhans.

Until we cross paths again,

Geoff Jablonski

Free Agency is Upon Us!!!

With Free Agency literally hours away, I figured it should only be fitting that I put my GM hat on again in a public forum rather than just being the Monday morning quarterback. So what I've done is taken the top 50 free agents and decided to try my hand at seeing where they will be playing next year, I'll also give a few ballpark figures as to what I think it would take to sign them. There is also a competition going on at one of my favorite websites mlbtraderumors.com, where you can do the very same.

Ready or not, here we go!

Albert Pujols- Cardinals. He is Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn and Mickey Mantle all wrapped in one. He has to play for one team his entire career because Albert Pujols in any other team's colors would seem like baseball treason. Pujols is still the most impactful player in the game of baseball and he will be looking for an unprecedented contract. 9 years 242 million.

Prince Fielder- Mariners. With Ichiro aging they are going to need a new face of the franchise, and they should want a winning face. Jack Zduriencik (Seattle GM) drafted Fielder in Milwaukee also, so this full circle renaissance is sort of what I was going for with this selection. This would make one of their younger core players expendable, Justin Smoak, but when you have the money to sign Prince Fielder you need to do it. 8 years 161 million.

Jose Reyes- Brewers. With Fielder gone, money to spend, and Yuniesky Betancourt standing at shortstop (notice I didn't say fielding, or playing or anything that would imply that). The Brewers seem like the most logical place for Jose Reyes, and after a disappointing loss to the Cardinals in the NLCS they will need something to lift the spirits up of Milwaukee. You can also move Corey Hart back into the middle of the order and have a legitimate table setter for Braun. 6 years 118 million.

CJ Wilson- Nationals. The Nats are so close to contention that the addition of CJ Wilson to be a number 2 behind Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper on the cusp of being a 30 homerun hitter in the majors could put them into the mix for the Wildcard next year. They have plenty of money to spend. 5 years 88 million.

Yu Darvish- Rangers. With Wilson Leaving they will want to replace him with someone who has Ace like potential. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll see I re-Tweeted a great piece of work by fangraphs on why Darvish is not Daisuke and he seems like just the kind of guy Nolan Ryan would like to mold. The posting fee doesn't count against the cap, and with the huge new television deal they signed essentially printing money in Arlington they will need to add the arm to stay ahead of the Halos in the AL West. 5 year deal should lock him up.

Edwin Jackson- Yankees. Let's face it, the Yankees had a horseshoe so far up their ass last year when the signings of Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon actually panned out, they can't think that lightning will strike twice. They need to sign someone that is durable. Edwin Jackson is just that. He would slot in nicely in that 3-4 slot and would probably benefit from working under CC Sabathia so that he can learn to pitch instead of just throw. 3 years 29 million.

Jimmy Rollins- Phillies. Another player that would look really strange in another uniform. I think the Phillies will ultimately find a way to sign him. He isn't as good as he was 3 years ago, (hey, who is?) but he and the Phillies will work something out.

Aramis Ramirez- Angels. They need a third baseman and someone with more Pop and a track record of doing it for consecutive years.

Carlos Beltran- Red Sox. I wouldn't feel comfortable putting in Reddick for a 162 game season or Kalish coming off an injury. They need an OF that is either right-handed or someone that can switch hit so that they can bat right-handed against lefties. Beltran would be perfect to slot in the 6 hole in the Red Sox lineup and would pepper the monster. I wouldn't give him more than a 3 year deal. How about 3 years 37 million?

Jonathan Papelbon- Red Sox. Papelbon showed that he can still handle closing and most of all showed accountability when he didn't finish off a save. He had his most complete season as a closer and deserves to be paid top 3 closer money. I'd give him a 4 year deal in a heartbeat.

Michael Cuddyer- Braves. They have pitching up the wazoo, but when they needed someone to club a double they didn't have it consistently. Cuddyer is a great clubhouse presence and his versatility makes him a managers dream especially in the National league. 4- 5 year deal would lock him up.

Mark Buehrle- White Sox. A Gold Glove, left hander that throws 200 innings every year for the last 10 years sounds like he could fit in everyone's rotation and ultimately I think he signs back with Chicago.

David Ortiz- Rangers. They play 81 games a year in a hitter-friendly ballpark, have an opening at DH/1B, and money to spend. Why not spend it on someone that hits right handed pitching well which the AL West is full of them, (Weaver, Haren, Hernandez, Santana, Pineda etc.)

Ryan Madson- Phillies. With Papelbon off the market the Phillies might as well bring back a sure thing for smaller money.

Hiroki Kuroda- Dodgers. He has said he doesn't want to leave, and he won't.

Carlos Pena- Pirates. The Pirates could use a guy like Pena, very good defensive 1B, power and a leader in the clubhouse for a very young, up-and-comer in Pittsburgh.

Francisco Rodriguez- Marlins. This is a complete shot in the dark here. The Marlins are moving into a new stadium and may be looking to add some star power, with Ozzie Guillen and his Venezuelan roots I just threw it out there. Leo Nunez isn't really cutting it is he?

Roy Oswalt- Red Sox. The Red Sox need leadership in their rotation more than anything else. What better than a potential Hall of Fame pitcher. If they can be reasonably confident that his back will hold up through the rigors of a season I wouldn't hesitate giving a 2 year incentive laden deal.

Javier Vasquez-Retirement. Put a fork in him. He's done!

Heath Bell- Padres. If the Padres didn't think they could sign Heath Bell they would have dealt him instead of Mike Adams last trade deadline. He'll be back in Petco Park nailing down the 9^th inning for a few more years.

Coco Crisp- Giants. It's certainly not a big ticket move but I think it's one of 3 moves they make to re-vamp their outfield.

Hisashi Iwakuma- Athletics. There was news of a deal that fell through last year; I suspect the interest to still be there.

Kelly Johnson- Blue Jays. He just fits their mold, and seemed like a solid player after coming over from the D'Backs.

Josh Willingham- Cubs. Theo coveted him when he was with the Red Sox and I don't see that changing with the Cubbies.

Paul Maholm- Pirates. Mutual interest, not huge dollars.

Grady Sizemore- Giants. Classic Brian Sabean move. Ever since Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand have blown up in his face he has been taking reclamation projects and has-been's off the market like they were going out of style. (See: Burrell, Pat and Tejada, Miguel). Low risk, high reward. If healthy can be a game changer and table setter from the top of the lineup.

Bartolo Colon- Mariners. Since they traded Fister they are going to need an arm for next year. Not pitching in the launching pad that was Yankee Stadium can only help him ten-fold.

Erik Bedard- Royals. He's injury prone, but the Royals need someone with a rapport around their younger pitchers.

David Dejesus- Giants. He is a professional hitter that would look great hitting behind Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval.

Jason Kubel- Twins. They had to get rid of one or the other between him and Cuddyer and Kubel is the more cost-effective of the two.

Ramon Hernandez- Indians. A solid backup at this point in his career, would definitely benefit the Indians to have an older backup with Jimenez, Masterson and Carmona.

Jeff Francis- Padres. I believe that Harang is out the door and Francis is another pitcher that could really benefit from pitching in a cavernous ballpark.

Chris Capuano- Yankees. They need to build up depth at the Major League level for pitching and Capuano is the move. Especially if the Red Sox don't make a move for a right-handed bat he would be very useful.

Tsuyoshi Wada- Dodgers. They had a scout checking him out about a month ago, and he would certainly be an upgrade over what they already have at the back end of the rotation. It is also a bonus that there doesn't have to be a posting fee given all the financial woes of Frank McCourt.

Clint Barmes- Dodgers. Another low-cost move would allow them to get a little younger from Jamey Carroll but would essentially fill the same position.

Casey Kotchman- Rays. He hit for a high average (for him) and plays above average defense at a low-cost. I would assume there would be interest from Tampa.

Freddy Garcia- Mets. Just seems like a New York Mets kind of move.

Aaron Hill- Diamondbacks. The change of scenery seemed to really do him good, and the D'Backs have said they have mutual interest in bringing him back.

Johnny Damon- Rays. His production, stability, and leadership were great qualities for the Rays and I doubt that he priced himself out of town.

Aaron Harang- Royals. Like the Bedard pick (above) the Royals need veterans on their staff. Both of them have injury histories and can probably be had for cheap money.

Jamey Carroll- Nationals. I'm serious about the Nats contending and all contenders have guys like Jamey Carroll (think Nick Punto).

Rafael Furcal- Cardinals. He seemed to fit in really well there and he was a solid leadoff guy.

Juan Pierre- Padres. I feel like if I can't figure out where to put someone I should send them to SD, so that's what I'm doing.

Frank Francisco- Phillies. They need another quality arm at the back end of their bullpen.

Jason Marquis- Red Sox. This is a classic, low-risk/high-reward move. Marquis is an innings eater, is usually healthy. Last year fractured his shin on a fluky line drive, and then continued to pitch on it for the rest of the inning. This could be the steal of the year and I wouldn't hesitate giving him a 2 year deal with a vesting option.

Joel Piniero- Angels. Angels have a need for a 4/5 starter between Piniero and Chatwood they should be able to get it done.

Jonathan Broxton- Dodgers. I feel like the Dodgers will give it one more go with Broxton.

Joe Nathan- Twins. Twins have a need for a reliever at the back-end of their bullpen, would seem strange to see Nathan anywhere else.

Kerry Wood- Cubs or Retirement. He has said that he doesn't want to go anywhere else but the Windy City but is so beat up physically he could hang up the spikes.

Bruce Chen- Royals. Chen had a solid year for KC in '11 and at affordable dollars they would be fools to not bring him back.

There you have it, top 50 FA's just coming at you like a spider monkey. I'll recap it when every one has signed so that we can either bow to my omnipotence or mercilessly ridicule how poor my selections were.

Stay Tuned

Norton