Don't "Dis" the Disabled List

Obviously the last thing you want is for one your big name fantasy player to pull a hammy and end up sitting in the hot tub for the next month and a half while your fantasy team spirals down towards the bottom of your league’s standings. But if he does you can simply put him on your disabled list and pick up another player to fill his stead. That is the main purpose of having a DL, but if you’re smart you’ll make sure your DL is always full.

Having players on your DL does not count towards your max roster size, so you have the luxury of having an extra player or two on your team with no extra cost. So if you have open spots on your disabled list you should look at some of the available free agents in your league who are hurt. You should try to target hitters at positions where you weakest and as for pitching, well, fantasy is much like real baseball in the fact that you can never have too much pitching. Some notable players that are currently on the DL that are due back before or around the All Star break are: Xavier Nady (24% owned in Yahoo leagues), John Smoltz (49% owned), Justin Duchscherer (26% owned), Tim Hudson (6% owned), and Ryan Doumit (55% owned). These players have no risk and potentially high reward as they can possibly put your team over the top as you make your fantasy playoff push -Scout Berardi

DL Watch: Andrew Miller

Andrew Miller, lefty starter for the Marlins, is coming off the DL in time to play this weekend. He is owned in about 1% of leagues which means that he is very available to most of you. Isn't there a reason he's not owned by more people? Yes, he has struggled in his first few games before going on the DL. After four games (none of which he made it through 5 innings) he has an ERA approaching 7. However, he is young (23), big (6'7), left handed, and on a good team (a team that knows a thing or two about developing pitching). This top prospect is still that, a prospect. Yea, he's been in the league for a year, but this is his first real year as a pro and a starter. The talent is there to be a star. With a mid 90's fastball, a good slider, and an improving change-up, he should be much better then his record indicates. I believe he will be. In shallow leagues, just sit back and see how he does, but be ready to grab him (as early as Saturday after his first start). In deep leagues, he should be owned as his upside is too high to pass up. - Scout Monkey (scout_monkey@gmx.com)

Ambulance Chasing

The thought of a lawyer just waiting for injuries to occur, ambulance chasing, is a disgusting thought to many. They are preying and trying to benefit from other peoples pain. However, say all the bad things you like, that lawyer is an opportunist. That same opportunist attitude, which we may view as despicable with a lawyer, could help your fantasy team. How? Look for players on the DL. There are many good, big name players on the DL to start this season. There is a possible opportunity here for you to get one of them for a low price. Make some trade offers. Generally you would need to offer something of equal value for these names, but since they are on the DL, you might be able to get a discount. The catch is that you need to have some patience. It might be hard to give up a healthy player for another player who won't help you immediately. But remember, it's a long season. Deal with the short term pain to get the long term gain. Here are a few of the name that you could target: Kelvim Escobar - He might not have even been drafted! He will be in the majors within a month. Arod - Probably won't get too much of a discount, but it's worth a shot. Scott Baker - Good pitcher, could get great value in a trade here. Ichiro - Big name, could be difficult to get much of a discount. B.J. Upton - Worth a lot to a fantasy team. Any discount would be a win for you. Ervin Santana - Excellent pitcher. Joe Mauer - Top catcher, will be out a couple of weeks at least. Someone may be desperate. John Lackey - Yep, another very good Angel pitcher. Jeremy Bonderman - Not as good as some of the other names here, but you might get him for real cheap. -Scout Monkey (scout_monkey@gmx.com)