Fantrax Staff1023 posts

In most fantasy leagues, about the only reason to care about a reliever is if they are closing or have a chance to close down the line. For those in leagues that count holds, it’s generally the same pitcher pool. The two major factors that determine if a pitcher will close is talent and opportunity. Here is a quick rundown on where some recently signed relievers fit into those two categories.Fernando Rodney signs with the TwinsAfter struggling to find a closer last season after trading away Brandon Kintzler, the…

Just three weeks of rankings left, and we're fortunate enough to welcome Aaron Rodgers back into the fold. The quarterback rankings felt amost empty without him, and the same could be said at wide receiver. With the veteran gunslinger back, Jordy Nelson vaults back inside the Top 20 this week, as we can expect big things from the normally dynamic duo. There are also some big points to be had on defense this week. The Ravens could do big things against the Browns, while the Lions (owned in all of 57% of leagues) could also be…

The Angels have acquired Ian Kinsler from the Tigers for prospects Wilkel Hernandez and Troy Montgomery. Kinsler gives the Angels a significant upgrade at second base while Detroit sheds his contract.For Kinsler's value, it’s tough to really move it up or down, but it’s probably up a touch. He goes from one pitcher’s park to another pitcher’s park. He was going to hit leadoff at either place. The hitting talent around him is probably better with the Angels. The 35-year-old is coming off a 2017 season in which he hit…

It is never easy to foresee the unforeseen. Injuries happen every day in the NHL, and here at Fantrax, our goal is to help you try to stay on top of those maladies with our weekly Injury Report. Counting all the latest bumps, bites, and bruises, there were 88 players held out of lineups. Several of those are long-term injuries from a previous year. Those players are likely not going to return or have retired. Here are some of the more notable maladies out there and their possible prognosis. Injury Updates Centers Auston…

The Marlins have traded Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals for outfielder Magneuris Sierra and pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen and Daniel Castano. The Cardinals finally got their desired outfield slugger after Giancarlo Stanton used his no-trade clause to stop a trade between the two teams last week.The 27-year-old Ozuna is coming off a breakout season in which he batted .312 with 37 homers, 124 RBI, and 93 runs. He will occupy one of the corner outfield spots for the Cardinals and will likely bat third or fourth in…

Chris Taylor: Can He Repeat In 2018? If I close my eyes, I can actually envision Jerry Dipoto kicking himself while watching Chris Taylor hit the go-ahead home run in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. After all, this was only several weeks after his team, the Mariners, had been eliminated from playoff contention, but several years removed from when Dipoto traded Taylor to the Dodgers in exchange for pitching prospect Zach Lee. Like most trades, it’s doubtful that the Dodgers or Dipoto had the foresight to…

The Cubs signed Drew Smyly to a two-year contract, while the Twins signed Michael Pineda to the same deal. Both had mid-2017 season surgeries to replace their UCL (Tommy John surgery) and will be non-factors for the 2018 season.While 12 months may have once been the historic recovery time, it’s not anymore. The recent timeline shows that pitchers return at 14+ months.Both pitchers may return in August, at the earliest. Additionally, there is about a 15% chance that either one doesn’t make it back to the majors.…

While many popular season-long fantasy golf leagues run from January-September (Tournament of Champions to TOUR Championship), the Fall Series on the PGA Tour is an important part of the rest of the regular season to some year-long leagues that include these nine tournaments. This October-December swing is crucial in setting up momentum and feel for how these players could perform in the FedEx Cup race.Not to mention the fact that these nine tournaments can maybe be a false sense of hope in "hyping" up fantasy assets.…

The Yankees have traded Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell to the Padres for Jabari Blash. In the real baseball world, this move is just a salary-dump trade, which creates a ton of questions and no answers.Headley moves to the Padres, who had Yangervis Solarte and Cory Spangenberg as options at third base. Solarte will likely move to short and Spangenberg to second. While the infield may stay this way, I see one or more of these guys on the move later this offseason. Future moves may help to clarify the Padres' plans.…