eDraft Fantasy Sports News

Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: DeAndre Hopkins

Nick Slegel — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

In the NFL Draft this past April, The Houston Texans surprised no one by selecting a wide receiver with the 27th overall selection. I had mocked former Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins here more than once and think it was a stellar pick, despite Cordarrelle Patterson still being on the board. But what sort of fantasy impact will the rookie pass catcher have in 2013 for the Texans? Let’s take a look and figure it out.

**College Stats**
Year	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD's
2010	52	637	12.3	4
2011	72	978	13.6	5
2012	82	1,405	17.1	18
Totals	206	3,020	14.3	27

As you can see, Hopkins’ numbers steadily increased in his three years at Clemson, culminating in a monstrous 2012 season. Throughout his college career, 45 percent of all of Hopkins’ targets were over 10 yards downfield, and rightly so. Hopkins is a superb route runner and at 6’1”, with long, 33 ?” arms, huge, dependable and soft 10” hands and a very impressive 36” vertical leap; Hopkins can out maneuver, gain position and bring down contested balls over almost any defender. Yes he’s not the fastest receiver ever, but did that ever hurt Anquan Boldin, especially in the deep game?

It’s no secret that Houston was looking to the future with selecting Hopkins, who will be a great eventual replacement for Andre Johnson as the Texans’ No. 1 receiver. But in the meantime, he will be the perfect No. 2 option opposite of Johnson. While Johnson is dealing with double teams, Hopkins will regularly have favorable one-on-one matchups and will burn defenders with his ability to rack up yards after the catch. There’s a solid chance he may end up with more receptions than Johnson this upcoming season.

In the end, Hopkins’ current average draft position (ADP) sits at 32, putting him right at the end of the second round, or early third round depending on league size. This means he’s a low-end WR1 option for 2013, especially in PPR leagues. Looking to the future in dynasty formats, Hopkins is definitely a can’t miss.

2013 Stat Projections: 85 receptions, 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Best and Worst Fantasy Performances of Week 7

Travis Riechers — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Week seven had its share of good and bad. Below is the best and worst performances of the week.

The five worst performances of week seven.

5. Shane Victorino Right Fielder, Boston Red Sox

The speedy right fielder for the Red Sox has been struggling as of late. In his last five games he has batted .150. In 20 at-bats he has only recorded three hits and looks lost at the plate. The one good sign is that he has only struck out three times. He did not get walked in any of his past five games, so his OBP is the same as his batting average. If you have him on your fantasy team you might want to leave him on your bench until he begins to heat up again.

4. John Buck Catcher, New York Mets

If the Mets didn’t have enough problems already, Buck’s recent hitting slump didn’t help. At one point in the season Buck was the only reliable source of offense for this club. Now? Well, not exactly what he had been doing in the first couple weeks of the season. He is tied for the lead in strikeouts this week, punching in at 11. His batting average over this time is a ratchet .174. If you happened to trade Buck during his hot streak to add more depth to your team, congratulations.

3. Justin Verlander Starting Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Yes, you read that correctly. Verlander is on the five worst performance list. In his past two starts; which he lost both, he had an ERA of 12.91. This is very strange to look at due to the recent success in Verlander’s career. He only gave up one home run in those two starts but walked seven. His opponent batting average is rough as well, with a .353 tilt. If you have Verlander on your team, start him. Remember this is Justin V. and he will rebound.

2. Danny Espinosa Second Basemen, Washington Nationals

Maybe the worst performance of the week goes to Espinosa. In his past six games, he has struck out 11 times and only recorded two hits in 25 at-bats. His batting average for the week is .080. This is not a good sign as the Nationals' offense has been struggling overall. If you have Espinosa on your team you might want to put him on your bench until he starts performing to his potential.

1. Ike Davis First Basemen, New York Mets

The other offensive threat on the Mets is this guy right here. A lot like Buck, Davis has been struggling to get hits. He is tied for strikeouts with Buck on the week with 11. His batting average is what really catches your eye at .038. The reason it is this low is that he literally can not buy a hit right now. He has one hit in his last 26 at-bats and only has walked once. Considering that this is supposed to be one of the big power hitters has to concern you.

The five best performances of week seven.

5. Jean Segura Shortstop, Milwaukee Brewers

Segura led the league in steals on the week with an impressive six. He is also batting .419 over the past seven games with four RBIs and two long balls. He has 13 hits in in 31 at-bats and walked once. Segura has looked like the best fantasy baseball player in all of the league to this point. The Los Angeles Angels have to be kicking themselves over the fact that they traded away this stud and now have relatively gotten nothing in return. If you have Segura keep him in your lineup.

4. Chris Sale Starting Pitcher, Chicago White Sox

The best pitcher on the White Sox is easily Sale, who has been dominating the competition. He won his last two starts and didn’t give up a single run in either of those starts. In his second to last start, he went nine innings and only gave up one hit. He is looking like the best pitcher in the league lately. Start this man at all cost!

3. Billy Butler Designated Hitter, Kansas City Royals

Butler is said to be one of the most reliable DH’s in baseball and he is proving why. In his past six games he has hit for an average of .360 with a league leading ten RBIs. He hit three doubles over the past week and is locked in at the plate. The only bad thing about having a DH on your team is that you only have one spot to put them, which is the utility position. Although, some leagues are different, most don’t have a spot strictly for the designated hitter. Either way, it is worth putting him in your utility spot and you should continue doing so.

2. Raul Ibanez Left Fielder, Seattle Mariners

Ibanez had similar numbers to Butler this week, as he also drove in 10 runs. He hit four home runs in his past five games and has a batting average of .381. He has only struck out five times in 21 at-bats. This guy is a safe bet on any fantasy team and you would be foolish not to start him. Look for Ibanez to continue putting up solid fantasy numbers over the next couple of months.

1. Paul Goldschmidt First Basemen, Arizona Diamondbacks

Everyone was well aware of what Goldschmidt could bring to the table this year and was the buzz of fantasy baseball “sleepers” before the season started. He has not disappointed in the slightest. In fact, in his last six games he has hit three home runs and drove in five men. He has 11 hits in 21 at-bats, giving him a batting average of .524. If you have him on your team, I don’t need to tell you this but I will. Keep him in your lineup, silly rabbit.

Jennifer Johnson Wins LPGA Mobile Bay Classic

Fred Altvater — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:05:00 GMT

Yet another young player got a win on the LPGA Tour. 21-year-old Jennifer Johnson collected her first win on tour at the LPGA Mobile Bay Classic.

Johnson joined the LPGA Tour in 2011 and has had mixed results thus far in her career. She earned $128,000 in her rookie season finishing No. 63 on the LPGA money list. She did not have a top-10 finish in 2012, but earned $245,000 and moved up to No. 50 on the money list.

The $180,000 first place check from the Mobile Bay Classic brings her earnings for the year to $252,000 and moves her up to No. 78 in the Rolex Rankings.

This was her ninth start in 2013. She missed the cut in her last start at Kingsmill and a T-13 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship was her best finish prior to the win this week.

She followed up her seven-under par 65 on Saturday with a second 65 on Sunday to win the tournament by one shot over Pornanong Phatlum, from Thailand, and 54-hole leader, Jessica Korda.

Phatlum fired the low round of the day with a nine-under par 63. After she bogeyed the first hole and made par at the second, she ran off 10 birdies in her last 16 holes.

Korda posted seven birdies in her final round on Sunday, but three bogeys left her one stroke short of the winner.

Five players finished two shots back including former world No. 1, Jiyai Shin, Karrie Webb, Anna Nordqvist, Chella Choi and Ariya Jutanugarn.

Jutanugarn, not yet an LPGA Tour member, posted another top-10 on the LPGA Tour in 2013. She is only 17-years-old and a member of the Ladies European Tour.

Stacy Lewis finished in ninth spot at 18-under par for another strong finish for the former world No. 1 and 2012 LPGA Player of the Year.

The ladies head to Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas for the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic next week. It is one of the new events on the LPGA and will offer a very strong field.

Should Justin Verlander be Worried After the Worst Start of his Career?

Andrew Forthuber — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

It was business as usual for Detroit Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander up until May 16th of the 2013 season, when he took the mound in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. On that Thursday, Verlander recorded the worst start of his career to date. He lasted only 2.2 innings while giving up eight earned runs and only facing 16 total batters. Before the tumultuous start, Verlander had compiled a solid 1.93 earned run average. However, after the worst start of his career, his ERA rose to 3.17.

So is there anything wrong with Goochland, Virginia native Justin Verlander, or is it just a bump in the road to another year of greatness? If you’ve followed his career like I have, as a fellow central Virginia native, you’ll know that even “The Monarch Missile” (in reference to his college career as an Old Dominion Monarch) can have an off day on the hill. However, it is very unlike him to have two consecutive unproductive starts. In the start prior to the May 16th anomaly, Verlander lasted only five innings while giving up three runs and walking a season high five batters.

While it may be uncharacteristic for Verlander to have back-to-back bad starts, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility. If baseball was played with a pencil and piece of paper, Verlander would most likely win the Cy Young Award every year; but it isn’t which is why he still has to make about 35 starts per year. With that amount of starts, there are bound to be several which he, and Tigers’ fans alike, would like to have back. Statistically speaking, Verlander’s fastball velocity is down this year, sinking from an average of 93.8 miles per hour in 2012 to 91.9 miles per hour so far this season; a decrease of 1.9 miles per hour.

I don’t think this statistical decrease in his fastball velocity will be a problem this year or in any years to come. As an easy comparison, look at long time Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves great, Greg Maddux. In his prime, Maddux’s fastball rarely exceeded 90 miles per hour, yet he was able to compile countless great seasons, including four straight Cy Young Awards from 1992-1995. Now, I’m not directly comparing the two, but just because Verlander’s velocity is down just a bit doesn’t mean his pitches aren’t working like he wants them to. His fastball still has great movement, his changeup is still a devastating change of pace, and his hard slider is still a great groundball out pitch.

Should Verlander be worried? Without a doubt in my mind, the answer is no. This young man is a freak, phenom, prodigy, franchise player, and any other adjectives you can throw at him. Although there are several pitchers who have gotten off to better starts than Verlander this season, don’t be surprised to see him make a push for the American League Cy Young Award winner. He’s got a long way to go, but if anyone has the mental fortitude, run support, and athletic capability to bounce back after the worst start of his career, it’s Justin Verlander. Besides, it never hurts to have Triple Crown threat Miguel Cabrera on your side.

PGA Tour 2013: Why the Long Putter Isn't an Advantage and why it Shouldn't be Banned

Colin Mieczkowski — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

The long putter has had a lot of negative feedback on social network sites like Twitter and Facebook bashing it as if it their life depended on it. Fans and players alike have been saying they don’t like the way it looks which is a very poor excuse and that it ruins the tradition of golf or they say that they take pressure off of the players’ hands. Well guess what, yes, the game is evolving, who cares what it looks like, and no it doesn’t take pressure off of the players’ hands therefore, it doesn’t matter what kind of putter a player uses.

If he or she is not a great putter then he or she isn’t a great putter, it’s quite simple. If it’s such an advantage like everyone says then players wouldn’t be missing four-footers and would be winning more tournaments and that hasn’t been happening. Yes, four of the last five major winners used long putters but it took Adam Scott awhile before he won his first major and yes he did come very close to winning the Open Championship last year but he still didn’t win.

He still would have won a major eventually anyway, normal putter or long putter, he still would have won a major because he has always fared well at majors, it has absolutely nothing to do with the change to a long putter. Ernie Els beat Scott in the Open Championship last year with a long putter but he didn’t do much recently before that victory which is just more proof that the long putter does not affect the way a golfer putts.

If anything, it’s more of a challenge because the player’s hands are already put in an awkward position making it tough get an accurate swing. The putter needs to have the right length and grip for good use and the same applies to a long putter so it’s same type of club fitting process. The comments that were said in regards to the look of the long putter have to be the silliest thing I have ever heard because looks don’t matter and that’s an extremely poor excuse as why someone shouldn’t like it, it’s cute actually. Way back when, clubs went by the names of spoons and jiggers and when the name got changed to drivers and irons, none of the game’s legends complained about that yet fans and players complain because of a simple preference of club.

The hatred towards the long putter has been unbelievable on Twitter and Facebook and honestly it’s very sad. Putting is a state of mind; it has nothing to do with what type of putter you use, if the player is confident in his putting stroke then he has a better chance of doing well that day, if he’s not then he may have a down day and sometimes, a player may feel confident about their stroke and still have a down day and that’s how it goes in this wonderful game sometimes and that’s one of the reasons why we love because we never know how a player will perform and who will rise to the occasion.

People are acting like as if it’s cheating when clearly it isn’t because if that’s the case, long putter users would be winning every tournament now, and Keegan Bradley who just had a solid outing at the HP Byron Nelson Classic was overall having a down year so that alone says a lot especially when Bradley is supposed to be the future of American golf. Sometimes he has great putting days and sometimes he doesn’t, it has nothing to do with him using a long putter. I think it’s fun seeing guys out there using long putters because it brings variety out on tour and it’s exciting to see how players fare with them. There is no excuse why fans and players should hate on the long putter because it does absolutely nothing but it’s job which can’t be done unless the player is holding it. The hands will always feel pressure with the tournament on the line regardless of what kind of putter it is, it’s natural human emotions.

Besides when players change brands, they change putters but really they look almost exactly the same maybe besides the different look of the club head but they say that’s a challenge, so you know changing to a long putter is a major challenge. The long putters are getting banned in 2016 and people still complain and it’s a true shame that people would act so childish over this.

It’s simply a preference and that’s all it will ever be. Hopefully they don’t get rid of them in golf stores because there are people who enjoy using them although the ban is only on the PGA Tour but since stores want to have that PGA Tour feel then it’s possible they could get rid of them in stores but that can mean a drop in sales because there are people who like using them and they should at least stick around at stores. Go ahead, go out to the course with your long putter and enjoy the beautiful game like it’s supposed to be enjoyed.

NHL 2013: Hart Trophy Finalists

Rob Kirk — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:00 GMT

The NHL has named the Hart Trophy finalists and there shouldn’t be any surprises on the list. Regulars to the awards show, Alexander Ovechkin, and Sidney Crosbyare joined by first time nominee John Tavares.

The trophy is awarded to the most deserving regular season player who is judged to be most valuable to his team. Every team has their own MVP but these three nominees were head and shoulders above the rest. Here are the pros and cons for each.

Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

Pros: When Crosby is healthy, he might be the best player in the world. He literally almost won the scoring title after missing the last month of the season. When the lockout ended, Crosby hit the ice running, err, skating like he had been playing the whole time. He was clearly the best player in the NHL for the first part of the season.

Cons: It may not necessarily be fair to list Crosby’s injuries as a con, but they have played a huge ole in his career over the past few seasons. The Penguins have shown they can win without Crosby, which can be perceived as his value to the team. It’s absurd to even consider the Penguins are better without him, but they miss him less than the Capitals and Islanders miss their two candidates.

Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

Pros: There was no player hotter than Ovechkin over the last two months of the season. The Capital captain restored his reputation as one of the elite players in the league by taking the goal-scoring crown. The Capitals went as far as Ovechkin could and would carry them. In games that Ovechkin registered a goal the Capitals went 19-3-2.

Cons: It took almost two-thirds of the season to get Ovie going and almost cost the Capitals their season. If Ovechkin can turn it on and off like he did this season, then why didn’t he do it all season?

John Tavares, C, New York Islanders

Pros: Tavares helped lead the perennially awful New York Islanders back to the playoffs for the first time in six years. Statistically Tavares didn’t break out like he might have, but he nearly matched his goal total from last year in roughly have as many games. Tavares emerged as a leader for the young New York club that promises to only get better moving forward.

Cons: Tavares doesn’t dominate games the way Crosby and Ovechkin do. He picks his spots and makes the absolute most of them. While it doesn’t thrust him to the spotlight that Crosby and Ovechkin enjoy, Tavares might be the most valuable of all three.

UFC on FX 8: The Biggest Winners and Losers

John Heinis — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:00 GMT

The UFC returned to Brazil on Saturday evening for UFC on FX 8, where Vitor Belfort notched a clear “Knockout of the Year” candidate when he knocked out Luke Rockhold with a spinning wheel kick.

Unfortunately, the win is marred in controversy and, therefore, another title shot against 185-pound superstar Anderson Silva seems impossible.

Additionally, an entertaining lightweight scrap ended in a highly-disputed decision and one of the top grapplers in the world made it known he is a force to be reckoned with inside the Octagon.

Let’s evaluate who the biggest winner and losers were from Jaragua do Sul, Brazil.

BIGGEST WINNER

Vitor Belfort – “The Phenom” scored his second consecutive headkick knockout over another top 10 opponent in former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold.

Belfort, currently ranked number 2 in the UFC’s official rankings, now boasts a 5-1 record at 185-pounds, with his only loss coming against Anderson Silva.

If he is able to put together one more quality win on his resume, it would be pretty tough to deny him a title match even if Silva beats Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July.

WINNER

Ronaldo Souza – Just about everyone and anyone predicted “Jacare” would tap out Chris Camozzi in the first round, but the highly-regarded grappler showed why his submission skills are a cut above the rest.

Souza managed to choke Camozzi unconscious with an arm-triangle in under three seconds, a feat that previously seemed impossible. Souza has now won four in a row, all finishes, and a fight with a true contender like Belfort certainly sounds intriguing.

WINNER

Nik Lentz – A fringe contender at lightweight, Lentz has now quietly won three in a row at featherweight.

His scrappy, wrestle-heavy approach may not always be flashy, but it sure is effective. It’s time to match Lentz up with a top 10 opponent as soon as possible.

WINNER

Evan Dunham – When UFC President Dana White says you were robbed by the judges, it’s usually safe to say they made the wrong call.

Dunham effectively outstruck and outgrappled Rafael Dos Anjos for the better part of 15 minutes, yet still lost a unanimous decision.

BIGGEST LOSER

Vitor Belfort – This isn’t a typo folks. As impressive as the KO over Rockhold was, it’s buried in controversy as Belfort refuses to talk about his testosterone replacement therapy usage.

Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, has already stated that Belfort would not be granted a TRT exemption in the states due to getting popped for steroids in 2006.

Belfort is one of the best in the world, but will never be champion again if he has to continue fighting overseas in order to get a TRT exemption.

LOSER

Luke Rockhold – Rockhold talked a big game heading into his headlining bout with Vitor Belfort, but that was all he was able to do.

Inside the cage, the American Kickboxing Academy product simply had nothing to offer the former UFC champ. He remains a top 10 fighter and has plenty of time to improve at 28-years-old.

LOSER

Rafael dos Anjos – The Brazilian has officially won four in a row, but everyone knows Evan Dunham was the real winner on Saturday night.

The blueprint has been laid out on how to beat the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, so dos Anjos better hope he doesn’t face a hard-chinned grappler with effective counter punching in his next outing.

LOSER

Roger Hollett – Two UFC appearances, two incredibly boring decision losses.

Even though he entered the Octagon on a five-fight win streak in September of last year, Hollett clearly isn’t ready for the big leagues and needs more time to improve on the regional circuit.

European Tour Visits Bulgaria for Volvo World Match Play Championship

Fred Altvater — Mon, 20 May 2013 06:00:00 GMT

The European Tour veered slightly off the road map and held the Volvo World Match Play in Bulgaria this week. Yes, they play golf in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is a former partner of the old USSR and lies in southeastern Europe between Turkey and Romania.

The Bulgarian Bureau of Tourism was a huge recipient this week. The pictures on television from the Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort at Kavarna, Bulgaria were absolutely stunning.

The golf course was opened in 2010 and is a Gary Player design. It is carved from the white cliffs that tower over the Black Sea that curiously was a beautiful deep blue color.

The Volvo Match Play Championship has been one of the premier events on the European Tour since Arnold Palmer won the inaugural tournament in 1964. Gary Player won five Volvo Match Play titles over the first nine years the tournament was held.

Other winners over the years include golf’s greatest names; Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo. Ernie Els won seven Volvo Match Play tournaments. Perhaps the greatest match play master of all time, Seve Ballesteros won this event five times.

Thongchai Jaidee, from Thailand, beat Thomas Aiken in his semi-final match and faced Graeme McDowell in the final. McDowell made eight birdies en-route to dispatching South African, Branden Grace in his semi-final match.

Jaidee, an ex-paratrooper for the Thai army, has 16 professional wins and has been playing in Asia for 14 years. He has gradually been climbing up the world golf rankings and is currently at No. 63. He is No. 31 on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and will play in all four major tournaments for the first time this year.

Although McDowell missed the cut at the Masters and the Players, he already has a win on the PGA Tour at the 2013 RBC Heritage. He is No. 8 in the world golf rankings and was looking to improve on his runner-up finish to Nicolas Colsaerts in the 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship.

With birdies at Nos. 2 and 4, Jaidee took the early lead over McDowell in the final match. It appeared he would go three-up at the short par-5 fifth hole when McDowell had to take a drop from an unplayable lie in a bush bordering the green.

McDowell scrambled for his par and Jaidee playing from the front bunker missed his short birdie putt for the half.

McDowell continually made putts for halves throughout the front nine and did not make a birdie until No. 7. Jaidee maintained a one-hole advantage at the turn.

McDowell pulled back to even when both players missed the green at No. 12. McDowell was conceded a par after chipping to within one foot and Jaidee failed to convert his 10-foot putt for par.

Both players drove the ball magnificently, but an errant drive for Jaidee on No. 13 found a thick bush in the left rough. He was forced to chip the ball back into play and was faced with a difficult short iron shot into the green.

McDowell played a safe second shot to the fat part of the green with Jaidee laying three. McDowell won No. 14 and took his first lead when Jaidee was not able to make his 25-foot par putt.

McDowell extended his lead with a short birdie putt on No. 15 to take a two-up lead with three holes remaining.

He closed out Jaidee with a routine par on No. 17. McDowell will pocket $1 million for the win and move to the No. 1 spot on the Race to Dubai. Jaidee earns his largest payday ever with $520,000 for second place.

Is Clay Buchholz a Legitimate Cy Young Award Candidate?

Andrew Forthuber — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Some people might say the seventh week of the season is too early to pinpoint a Cy Young Award winner, but with a start like Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz is having, it’s hard not to give it some thought. Through nine starts so far this season, Buchholz is 6-0 with a miniscule 1.78 earned run average. His six wins are second in the American League behind Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore and Texas’ Yu Darvish, while his ERA is second only to the 1.53 mark set by Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. He leads the league in wins above replacement and is second in strikeouts with 69.

A pitcher that can keep his team in the game, even when he doesn’t earn a decision is great to have in the rotation. That’s exactly what Buchholz has done. The Red Sox have won eight out of nine games that he has started and the only loss was by one run. Buchholz has been the work horse that manager John Farrell hoped he would be this season, having thrown at least 100 pitches in eight of his nine starts. Furthermore, he has gone at least seven innings in eight of his nine starts, which is a huge factor in keeping the team’s bullpen rested and fresh.

Despite his success so far, Buchholz has been at the center of a cheating accusation stemming from a game in Toronto. He was accused of wearing sunscreen on his forearm and using it to alter the flight of the ball. Baseball players wearing sunscreen is pretty ordinary I’d say, but players wearing sunscreen in the Rogers Centre (an indoor stadium) could raise some suspicion.

Buchholz vehemently denied any cheating accusations, but since the controversy, his numbers have been on a slight downtrend. In his first six starts (the sixth behind the game in question), Buchholz only allowed five total earned runs. In the three games that have followed, he’s given up eight earned runs and hasn’t earned a decision. It seems to me all the swirling accusations may have gotten in his head just a bit. I wouldn’t read too much into it though. Buchholz is a professional and should have the mental toughness to get through it.

Buchholz is a complete pitcher with the tools and talent to sustain this kind of success all year. It also helps that his offense is giving him an average of 5.2 runs per game in his starts. I think he will be able to put the cheating accusations behind him and continue to pitch a Cy Young Award caliber season. Some other candidates for the award to look out for include his teammate Jon Lester, Felix Hernandez, Chris Sale, Matt Moore, and Yu Darvish.

Fantasy Football Profile: Marcus Lattimore

Vincent Frank — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Marcus Lattimore would have easily been the first running back selected last month if it wasn't for yet another ACL injury last season at South Carolina. The talented youngster seemed to be on the path towards being a top-10 selection when this happened.

For Lattimore to be able to come back from that gruesome injury against the Tennessee Volunteers speaks volumes about his ability to overcome even the most dire of circumstances.

The San Francisco 49ers made Lattimore a fourth-round pick in April, a move that has since been considered the single biggest steal of the draft. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has gone on record saying Lattimore will not play in 2013 unless he is completely healthy, which indicates that the young running back might not see action as a rookie.

Why do a fantasy profile on him? Well it's pretty simple: Lattimore will be a huge coup for anyone looking at him in dynasty or keeper leagues. While he won't impact your roster in 2013, there is a strong chance he will end up being the most productive fantasy running back out of this draft class. Time to take a look at what Lattimore provides.

**College Statistics**
Year	Rush Att	Rush Yds	Avg	TD's	Rec	Rec Yds	Avg	TD's
2010	249	1,197	4.8	17	29	412	14.2	2
2011	163	818	5.0	10	19	182	9.6	1
2012	142	662	4.6	11	26	173	6.7	0
Totals	555	2,677	4.8	38	74	767	10.4	3

It's pretty obvious that Lattimore was one of the best running backs in the country when he was healthy. He averaged 118.8 total yards and 1.4 touchdowns per game throughout his college career. That's simply amazing considering that Lattimore played in the SEC against some of the most talented defenses that college football had to offer.

In fact, Lattimore averaged 176 total yards in three outings against a Georgia Bulldogs defense that produced seven draft picks last month. Just think about that for a second.

Even if Lattimore does see the field in 2013, he won't make a fantasy impact. San Francisco boasts the deepest rushing attack in the entire National Football League with Frank Gore, LaMichael James, Kendall Hunter, Anthony Dixon and Jewel Hampton. There simply isn't enough rushing attempts to be had for Lattimore. This might also make it easy for the 49ers to practically redshirt Lattimore in 2013 with hopes that he will be ready to be a major contributor in 2014.

Gore just turned 30 and might only have a season or two of stellar football ahead of himself. While both are talented youngsters in their own right, James and Hunter are likely running back-by-committee type of guys. At the very least, James is more of a Reggie Bush-type than anything else. On that note, check out Nick Slegel's comparison between Bush and James here.

If Lattimore returns to full health (all signs point to that happening), he will eventually take over for Gore as San Francisco's starting running back.

The fantasy options are endless if that happens.

San Francisco boasted the best run-blocking offensive line in the NFL this past season and have three offensive linemen 25-years-old or younger. Anthony Davis, Alex Boone and Mike Iupati are also among the best young players at their respective positions in the entire league. Add to the equation 28-year-old Joe Staley and San Francisco's offensive line promises to be dominating when it moves to Santa Clara in 2014 and beyond.

There is no reason to believe that Lattimore cannot end up being an Adrian Peterson-type of fantasy producer. By this I mean 1,800-2,000 total yards and 15-plus touchdowns.

This is why he should go high in rookie-pool drafts as well as dynasty-league drafts. Don't be the fool that passes up on him, especially if you already have a solid running back group ready to perform well in 2013.

It's all about projections at this point, and Lattimore projects to be a mighty nice fantasy football find.