Friday, March 6, 2009

THREE PLAYERS TO NOTE IN BASEBALL AND NFL

Baseball fantasy leagues are filling up fast with drafts being held on a daily basis these days. Plan well when considering Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.
Rodriguez has been drafted anywhere from 10th to 15th overall in a lot of drafts, including the No. 1 or No.2 third baseman taken overall. The recent news of his hip injury keeping him out of baseball for possibly four months will certainly drop his draft status.
But don't completely forget about him. He is on a mission to have one of his best seasons this year following his admission of steroid use. When he does come back he will surely be a huge addition heading toward your playoffs.
The question is, when do you draft him? Four months of inactive status is huge in fantasy baseball. Your first priority is to get as strong as you can at each position early in your draft. If someone takes him before the ninth or 10th round in your draft, good luck to that person who just weakened himself or herself somewhere in their lineup. If he's still around in round 12 or beyond, that's when you should make a move if you are comfortable with it.
Manny Ramirez is another story. Ramirez is wacky but you know the guy can hit. After signing a two-year, $45 million contract with the Dodgers, he will be pumped up to show the rest of baseball what they missed by not signing him. He will likely have his usual slumps in the regular season, but he should start strong and finish strong and be a big help overall. He's been going in the second or third round of drafts and is ranked 7-10 as an outfielder. I wouldn't let him get past the first round.

And now we come to the curious case of NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens recently released by the Cowboys. Everyone is in agreement he is going to land somewhere and you know wherever he goes he will probably excel as he always has in the first season. The question is, where will he end up?
First thing to consider is the guy wants a Super Bowl ring.....now. The NFL experts all believe the Oakland Raiders are the frontrunners to get Owens. Excuse the grammar, but their ain't no way he is getting a Super Bowl ring in Oakland.
This is a 7-1 to 10-1 long shot in Las Vegas, but I have a hunch he will end up in New England. I can see the Patriots offering only a year-by-year contract to cover themselves when the guy starts pulling his stunts and acting up. Owens might bite on a one-year deal if he thought he could get to the Super Bowl. Imagine Tom Brady having Randy Moss on one side of the field and Owens on the other. And the pass-happy Pats would certainly be able give them both enough action in games to keep them happy. Imagine, with defenses forced to focus on those two receivers, how much of an upgrade that would be for the Pats' running game, which has struggled. The recently signed Fred Taylor could have a resurgence similar to Kurt Warner's comeback year last season.
And if there is one coach and management that could potentially keep Owens in line, it would be the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick. So far they've been successful with bad-boy Randy Moss.