NBA Picks Saturday

G-1 J.J. Barea: Ridnour is still out, and that means big minutes for Barea.  After missing 6 games with the thigh injury, Barea had 22 fantasy points, and flirted with a triple-double (15 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 7 turnovers).  We believe he will have 25+ plus as he will benefit from the extra days off so his thigh is almost 100%.

G- 2 Randy Foye: While his season scoring average is 10.3 points per game, Foye has been on a tear in the last 5 games.  He is averaging 19.2 points per game over that span, and 26 fantasy points per game.  With a matchup against the leagues worse defense (Kings), Foye becomes a must play.

G3- Raymond Felton POR- Felton went thru a lukewarm streak during the middle of the season, but has turned it up the last two weeks. Averaging 28 fantasy points in the last two weeks is what we like to call GREAT value. Playing a team like the Bucks is helpful too in that Jennings and Ellis aren't the best defenders in the league.

F1- Elton Brand PHI- Elton Brand is one of those guys that is very consistent with his play on the court. Just recently though he has turned it up a notch and given us more production than what we expect for his cost. He is averaging just a shade over 30 fantasy points in the last two weeks which is great for his 13.5K price. Facing Orlando he should do well against Glen Davis or the recently injured Ryan Anderson. 

F2- Ersan Ilyasova MIL- Ersanity has hit OSF and we love it. He has played very well since he came back from injury just a little while ago. If he could play a complete second half he would surpass his value by plenty. His first half numbers are much better than his second half numbers.

F3- Paul Pierce BOS- Pierce is insanely hot in the last two weeks. He is priced at 15.5K, but is averaging 35 fantasy points over the last two weeks. Indiana is usually a team we like to stay away from, but their games have been more high scoring than the beginning of the year. Ride this hot hand for sure tonight.

C1- Byron Mullens CHA- Mullens didn't have a great game just a couple of nights ago against the Hawks, but there are details involving that game to look at. For one, Mullens picked up a fourth foul in the third and had to sit earlier than usual. Then when the normal timing for him to come back in came the Bobcats were down 30. Expect Mullens to do very well against Zaza tonight.

C2- Demarcus Cousins SAC- Cousins had a rough game against the Clippers just two nights ago, but we like what happened afterwards. Cousins got vocal and called out Griffin for being babied. Well, we like to see that out of someone who is hot and is facing Griffin again tonight.

C3- Dwight Howard ORL- We are going to be honest with you here. DH is a very risky pick tonight, but for the price of 18K it's tempting. He won't be on our team tonight, but Howard could make someone happy for 3K of his price less than the usual.

Lineup 
G- JJ Barea
G-Randy Foye
F- Elton Brand
F- Ersan Ilyasova
C- Byrun Mullens
C- Demarcus Cousins
U- Raymond Felton
U- Paul Pierce
$99,399 (Draftstreet)

MLB Picks Saturday

C- Alex Avila DET- Avila had a nice line out and a a double off of Lester the other day not to mention a single against Melancon. Against a guy like Beckett, we think Avila will be fine. He is a solid hitting catcher that has shown power in the past. There are plenty of catchers priced ahead of him, but we really like him today.

Other Catchers: Joe Mauer MIN, Carlos Santana CLE, AJ Ellis LAD

1B- Carlos Pena TB- Did you see Pena play yesterday? He had 3 hits including a grand slam and a game winning single that was crushed to deep left center. Against a guy like Kuroda, we think Pena will keep up the sweet stroke and flash more power.

Other 1B- Paul Goldschmidt ARI, Justin Smoak SEA

2B- Ian Kinsler TEX- Kinsler was zoned in yesterday against the White Sox. Today vs Jake Peavy we expect him to give himself a 2 game hit streak and have another solid day at the plate.

Other 2B: Dustin Ackley SEA, Jose Altuve HOU

3B- David Freese STL- Freese is the hottest hitter in baseball right now. Multi hit games in two straight, he has continued his success from last postseason. Freese has an OK matchup going against Greinke, but we like the hot hitter in this one.

Other 3B: Edwin Encarnacion TOR, Jack Hannahan CLE

SS- Troy Tulowitzki COL- We have one rule here at OSF and that is "If a stud is facing a pitcher you've never heard of from a team that is terrible then they are a must have pick." Well, Tulo is facing someone we've never heard of (Harrell), so we're taking him.

Other SS: Starlin Castro CHC, JJ Hardy BAL

OF- Carlos Gonzalez COL- See Tulo. Cargo is a great hitter and facing a bad Astros' pitcher. If you have the money then grab him.

OF- Matt Kemp LAD- Kemp is one of the best hitters in baseball. Mix this with a good matchup against an average Padres pitcher in Dustin Moseley, and we really like Kemp to get his hits today.

OF- Brennan Boesch DET- Boesch showed a lack of patience at the plate and just didn't look that great in the Tigers' opener. That being said, we like Boesch to bounce back and capitalize on the good pitches he'll see hitting in the 2 hole.

SP- Cliff Lee PHI- Lee has the best matchup of the day in facing the Pirates. Halladay dominated them for 2 hits in 8 innings. This is the easiest pick of the day as we can see Lee go 8 strong innings with 7-8 strikeouts.

SP- Bartolo Colon OAK- Colon pitched great last week in Japan vs the Mariners. He had a good amount of success last season with the Yankees, so there's no reason not to think he'll do very well again against a team like the Mariners at home.

RP- Jonathan Papelbon PHI- Papelbon pitched a great inning the other day in his first save of the season. He had one strikeout in the inning. Against the Pirates again there is no reason to think a save opportunity isn't going to happen. The only concern we have is that Lee might go the whole way. This early in the season though, we don't think Manuel will let his pitcher's pitch count get that high.

RP- Joe Nathan TEX- Nathan pitched a scoreless save yesterday in a 3-2 win over the White Sox. We like the Rangers to win again, and Nathan to pick up that save.

NBA Picks

G-1 Donald Sloan: With Irving out, Sloan is a no brainer to plug into your lineup.  Valued at just over 5K, Sloan has averaged 21 fantasy points when he starts for Irving.  He was 2 assists shy of a double-double on Wednesday against the Bucks.

G-2 Gordon Hayward: since Hayward took over as a starter a month ago, he has been the most consistent fantasy player in the league.  You know exactly what you will get out of him: 27-30 fantasy points in a little more than 35 minutes of play.  Furthermore, last time he played against Golden State, he put up 33 fantasy points.

G-3 Ramon Sessions: Sessions is really starting to become comfortable in the Lakers offense.  He has put up at least 30 fantasy points in each of his last 3 games, and tonight faces the Rockets, the 11^th worst defense in the league.

Other guards to consider: Goran Dragic, Raymond Felton, Earl Watson (if Devin Harris doesn’t play)

F-1 Paul Millsap: Arguably the best all around player for the Jazz, Millsap has been rolling of late.  In his last two games against two poor defenses, he has put up 45 fantasy points in each game averaging 28 points, and 9.5 boards.  With Golden State coming to town tonight, look for another 45 fantasy point performance. 

F-2 Nicolas Batum: Batum has quietly had an impressive season for Portland.  He does not receive enough exposure since he plays in the shadows of Aldridge, but Batum has been putting up huge numbers at the small forward spot.  In his last two games he has had a double-double averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds a game.  Dallas has one of the best defenses in the league, but we see Batum putting up 30+ fantasy points for the 4^th straight game.

F-3 Byron Mullens – Mullens was on his way to another great performance, but halfway through the 3^rd quarter against the Hawks Wednesday night, he picked up his 4^th foul, and never returned to the game as the Hawks were up by 30.  He finished with 16 fantasy points.  Tonight the Bobcats play the Bucks who give up the 10th most points per game, and we are looking for Mullens to see 35+ minutes and 25+ fantasy points.

Other forwards to consider for tonight: Kevin Seraphin (Nene should be out again), Ersan Ilyasova, Josh Smith

C-1 Marcus Camby: Since taking over the starting job, Camby has averaged 38 fantasy points in his 3 starts.  Furthermore, center has been a tough position to find value of late.  Camby does have a tough matchup against Bynum and the Lakers, but we still see 28 fantasy points from Camby tonight. 

C-2 Al Jefferson: “Big Al” hasn’t been his typical self of late, but with the matchup against Golden State tonight, we are looking for Jefferson to return to his old self of 40+ fantasy points.

C-3 Andrea Bargnani: He is not your typical center as he only pulls down 5.5 rebounds a game, but Bargnani is a force on the offensive end scoring 19.9 points per game.  Over his last 5 games, he is averaging 33.8 fantasy points per game, and he is matched up against a rookie center tonight against Cleveland. 

Lineup A: (Our lineup for tonight)

F: Paul Millsap

F: Josh Smith

G: Ben Uzoh

G: Gordon Hayward

C: Marcus Camby

C: Al Jefferson

U: Demar Derozan

U: Kevin Seraphin

Total: $99,452 (Draftstreet)

Lineup B:

F: Kevin Seraphin

F: Josh Smith

G: Donald Sloan

G: Ramon Sessions

C: Andrea Bargnani

C: Al Jefferson

U: Nicolas Batum

U: Raymond Felton

Total: $99,465 (Draftstreet)

SFC Picks Friday

Picks:
3:05- Baltimore Orioles
3:10- NY Yankees
4:15- Milwaukee Brewers
7:05- Colorado Rockies
7:05- Arizona Diamondbacks
10:05- Oakland A's
10:05- LA Dodgers
10:10- Angels Win By 2 or More Runs

Overall:  54.5% (18/33)

Safe Picks: 37.5% (3/8)

Innaugural MLB PIcks Friday

C1- Mike Napoli TEX- Napoli is facing the lefty in Danks which we like because Danks isn't a normal dominant opening day starter. This should give for a good matchup with Napoli.

C2- Joe Mauer MIN- Mauer is a pure hitter and in a game versus a right handed pitcher like Arrieta we really like him. Arrieta isn't overpowering by any means and a great hitter for average like Mauer should have no problem getting at least 1 hit.

1B 1- Albert Pujols LAA- If you have the extra money then definitely splurge on Pujols here. Facing Bruce Chen should be an easy task for Pujols. One of the greatest hitters in the game versus a softer throwing lefty.. Hmm...

1B 2- Michael Young TEX- Young will be a solid play all season young with his high batting average and with the lineup that he is in. He has hit well as of late in spring training and we like the matchup against the lefty Danks.

2B 1- Jose Altuve HOU- Altuve is a young hitter that catapulted himself from High A last season all the way to the big leagues and played well. He is free swinging, so we won't necessarily like him all season long, but against the Rockies and Jeremy Guthrie is tempting. Altuve gives you an option for second base that isn't going to make you want to rob a bank.

2B 2- Dustin Ackley SEA- We give you a cheaper option here at second base. Ackley should continue to hit well as he is just a great young hitter. He is facing a guy he has already seen this season. He hit a home run off of McCarthy last week.

3B 1- Aramis Ramirez MIL- Ramirez is going to make his debut with his new team. Facing a lefty at home (a hitter's ballpark) is a matchup we like to exploit.

3B 2- Josh Donaldson OAK- This is a hunch pick here. Oakland has said that Donaldson is their guy at third base, so we know he'll start. He is just 4K which means you can give yourself extra money to spend on guys like Pujols and Young. He is 1 for 3 on the year, so why not?

SS 1- Troy Tulowitzki COL- The shortstop selections are tough today and we think that you should just go with Tulo. He is facing a lefty in Wandy Rodriguez that isn't going to overpower him.

SS 2- Dee Gordon LAD- Gordon is a rookie with some solid potential. He isn't going to hit for any power, but it won't matter. A single will mean more stolen base opportunities. Luebke is a less experienced pitcher than most that you'll see pitch this weekend and it seems to be a good matchup for Gordon.

OF 1- Matt Kemp LAD- Kemp at this price is still a bargain. He hit a bomb last night, and we like him to use that great speed and power to get us some good points.

OF 2- Yoenis Cespedes OAK- Cespedes is 2-6 on the year with a home run and a double. That's some good pop for a guy in his rookie season. He has already seen Vargas this season and has massive power potential.

OF 3- Justin Upton ARI- Upton is a great talent that is only 23 years old. We don't necessarily love the matchup of Upton vs Lincecum, but we love how great of a hitter he is. He is only 8.3K and if you saved some money at other positions then he is a nice play.

OF 4- Adam Jones BAL- Jones is facing Pavano who gives up plenty of hits when he pitches. He isn't overpowering at all, and Jones had a great spring training and we like him to continue it today.

OF 5- Nick Markakis BAL- Markakis is ranked pretty low among OF and is facing one of the worse pitchers that will be throwing today. It's not that Pavano isn't great, but it's more about how he gives up plenty of hits. He does get a good amount of double plays though. We like Markakis to be one of the guys on the Orioles to get a hit or two.

SP 1- Ian Kennedy ARI- Pitching at home against the Giants should be a solid matchup for Kennedy. The Giants offense already isn't that great and should be behind considering at this point of year pitchers are always ahead of hitters.

SP 2- Jered Weaver LAA- You could argue that he is the top pitcher tomorrow facing a team like the Royals. The Angels should have no trouble winning this game considering they are facing Bruce Chen. The only reason why we have him ranked behind Kennedy is because the Royals lineup should be pretty decent this season.

SP 3- Yovani Gallardo MIL- As everyone saw Wednesday night, the Cardinals offense is a different then last year's lineup. With no Pujols, Holliday has less protection. Berkman and Beltran had decent games so that is something to look at throughout the year. Gallardo has great stuff and this should be a game that the likes of Weeks and Braun should take advantage of the lefty Garcia.

SP 4- Brandon McCarthy OAK- McCarthy has already faced Seattle this season and pitched very well. In 7 innings, he only gave up one run. The Mariners just aren't that good and this should be a game that at the very least McCarthy gets thru 6-7 innings with 2 or less runs given up.

RP 1- Joe Nathan TEX- We really like Texas in tomorrow's matchup versus the White Sox. Nathan is coming off a season in which he was the setup guy for the Twins, but should be fine going back to the closer position.

RP 2- John Axford MIL- Axford had a very strong season last year, and this year against a weaker National League we like him even more. We like the Brewers to win this game and it should be a low scoring affair.

RP 3- J.J. Putz ARI- Putz came back from a couple of bad seasons to become a dominant reliever again last season. We think this game should be low scoring between the Diamondbacks and the Giants with the Diamondbacks coming out on top.

SFC Picks Thursday

Picks:
1:08- Detroit Tigers
2:20- Chicago Cubs
3:05- Toronto Blue Jays
4:05- Cincinnati Reds
4:35- Union Dutchmen

Overall:  53.6% (15/28)

Safe Picks: 28.6% (2/7)

NBA Picks Thursday

Our lineup on top, Roto Grinders lineup on bottom. We will be doing this from now on. Our lineups will always be on top.


               One Site Fantasy VS. Roto Grinders    We Win By:
Record:                        1-0 (W-L)                         1.000
Lineup:             207                       188                   9.2%












G1- J.R. Smith NYK- Smith has been very hot and was a great pick for us two nights ago. He has gotten just under 3.0 value in the last couple of games. He is clearly showing that with Lin/Amare out that he is a great fantasy play even off the bench.

G2- Randy Foye LAC- Foye has been a great fantasy play the last 4-5 games, so it's no surprise we have him ranked here. He is still under 10K, so we still like him to get at least his value. The Clippers like to score points and because of this we think Clippers players are great choices especially against the Kings.

F1- Carmelo Anthony NYK- Melo is a must play at this point. If you are a fantasy player then you know why. The absence of Lin/Amare has clearly been the difference in Melo's fantasy performance. He went for 50 points two nights ago! Start Melo, watch, and enjoy. 

F2- Tayshaun Prince- On a night like tonight, we are looking for someone that is going to give us 2.0 value with little to no risk. Prince is that guy. His ceiling is low in that we don't see him nearing 30 fantasy points, but we like the fact that 23 fantasy points should be a given for him.

F3- Glen Davis ORL- Davis has benefited greatly from the injuries to Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson. Tonight one of the two should be out, so we expect to see Big Baby get plenty of minutes. Obviously with his 11K price now, we don't like him as much if he isn't starting. If he is though on this small game schedule night, plug him into your lineup. 

F4- Jan Vesely WAS- Vesely has benefited recently from Nene and Booker being injured. There is a good chance they both come back tonight against the Pistons. If this is the case, then we wouldn't play Veseley, but if one of the two is out then Vesely should be starting. We like Vesely at his price to get 2.0 his value, and 200 points should win you money in a double up.

C1- Demarcus Cousins SAC- Cousins is extremely hot as of the last two weeks and we all have seen it. There's no reason to doubt how great of a player he is right now. With that being said, we don't like how high his price has gotten and to be honest we would not have chosen him on a night with more games. But, the small number of games as limited the centers in play and we want to get our guaranteed points where we can and we think Cousins is good for 36-39 fantasy points at least.

C2- Greg Monroe DET- Monroe is one of those players that has had very good games recently against matchups that fall in his favor. There is no reason for him not to dominate Glen Davis and whoever a depleted Orlando threw at him. On a short night, we like Monroe to play well against Seraphin and a recently injured Nene Hilario.

C3- Tyson Chandler NYK- Chandler has had some good games recently and we just think on this small schedule night that he is as good as any other center picks at this point. If Dwight Howard doesn't play we would strongly consider throwing him into the lineup considering how much of a difference the post play is in Orlando without Howard.

Lineup:
Carmelo Anthony
Glen Davis
Isaiah Thomas
Tayshaun Prince
Demarcus Cousins
Greg Monroe
Kevin Seraphin
J.R. Smith