Playoff Pickups

Autoracing Betting Lines

09/10/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's playoff time in the world of fantasy baseball and if your lineup needs a little boost because some of your veterans haven't performed up to par, then you should be scouring the waiver wire.

Fortunately, I've done some of the legwork for you and here are a few names who could help.

We'll begin on the offensive side of the ball.

Ike Davis, 1B, New York Mets (19% owned) - Davis came up to the Mets in mid- April with a lot of fanfare and began his career with a bang. But as scouts and pitchers saw him for a second time, they began to figure him out. Davis began to struggle in July, batting just .214, but still produced some power. Then in August his power all but disappeared. He has apparently made the necessary adjustments because he hitting .385 in September with three home runs.

Danny Espinosa, 2B, Washington (4% owned) - In the seven games since he's been called up to the Nationals, Espinosa has swung a hot bat. In 22 at-bats, he has nine hits, three of them home runs and knocked in 10. In the minors he also showed speed along with power (25 SB, 22 HR) so he appears to have the ability to help you in multiple categories.

J.J. Hardy, SS, Minnesota (10% owned) - Hardy has been hot over the past week, batting .444 with an OPS of 1.167. Although he's been hitting near the bottom of the Twins' lineup, he's still been getting opportunities to drive in runs. If you just lost Jimmy Rollins (day-to-day with a hamstring) and can't afford even a couple of missed days, Hardy might fill the void.

Pat Burrell, OF, San Francisco (11% owned) - The very streaky Burrell appears to be starting one of those hot streaks. He's hit homers in his last two games and for the week is batting .385 with an OPS of 1.633.

Russell Branyan, 1B, Seattle (10% owned) - Branyan has eight homers in the last three weeks including four in the last seven games. He'll never help you in batting average or stolen bases, but if a couple home runs will put you over the top, he's your man.

Now to the pitching staff, where a bunch of youngsters, and one "old guy" are getting the job done.

Rick Porcello, Detroit (39% owned) - After a great rookie year and a disastrous sophomore campaign in which he was sent down to the minors, Porcello appears to have righted the ship. In his last four starts his ERA is 2.48 and his WHIP is a minuscule 0.62. He isn't striking out a lot of hitters (16 in 29 innings), but he's picked up four wins.

Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore (13% owned) - Guthrie is the oldest of the five recommended pitchers at 31 years. Despite a mediocre won-loss record this season, Guthrie hasn't pitched badly. In his last two starts, both victories, he's got an ERA of 1.17 and a WHIP of 0.78. One more win will tie his career best.

Brett Myers, Houston (65% owned) - Although the Houston Astros have struggled this season, Myers has pitched very well. He's 11-7 with an ERA of 2.91 and a WHIP of 1.21. Over his past four starts, three wins, he's been even better with an ERA of 1.67, a WHIP of 1.15 and 27 strikeouts in 27 innings. It's hard to explain why he isn't owned and started in more leagues, but don't hesitate to put him in your lineup.

Gio Gonzalez, Oakland (59% owned) - Two years ago, when Gonzalez first arrived in the majors, I had him on my roster. He didn't do much for me then and unfortunately I wasn't patient enough to wait for him to mature. Well it appears that he's finally "arrived." He's 14-8 this year with an ERA of 3.16, a WHIP of 1.26 and 153 K's in 179.2 innings. Over the past four games he's 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA and a WHIP of 1.05. He shouldn't be available in 41% of all leagues, but he is and that's a lucky thing for you. Take advantage of the situation and make the pickup.

Chris Narveson, Milwaukee (3% owned) - The 28-year-old lefty has been pretty good in his last two outings, yielding three earned runs and striking out 15 in 13.1 innings against Cincinnati and St. Louis. He's pitching the best he has all season.

Wwnhl Autoracing Betting News

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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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