mid-to-late round power after from zgr123's blog
(SportsNetwork. Jayson Tatum Green Jersey .com) - The Toronto Raptors set their sights on a second straight victory with the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Air Canada Centre tonight riding a two game streak of their own. The Raptors snapped a two-game losing streak in Wednesdays 107-100 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Thunder dispatched the Chicago Bulls on Monday and then bested the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday as part of a three-game road swing. Toronto bested the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Dec. 22 to snap a three-game series losing streak. OKC has won two of its last three in Toronto. DeMar DeRozan poured in a game-high 31 points and Kyle Lowry tallied 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Wednesdays win over the Pelicans. Amir Johnson added 17 points and nine boards for the Raptors, who have won three of their last five. Tyler Hansbrough chipped in a game-high 13 rebounds and Greivis Vasquez contributed 14 points. "We understand we needed this game, plus we have a long flight back home that we didnt want to sit on this loss with," DeRozan said. The Raptors will get a boost to their lineup this evening, as centre Jonas Valanciunas will return to the lineup as a starter. Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays loss to the Atlanta Hawks late in the third quarter with a lower back sprain, participated in the shoot around Friday morning and was declared ready to play about an hour before game time. Kevin Durant had 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the Thunder over the Cavaliers on Thursday. It was his 33rd consecutive game with 25-plus points, which is the longest run of his career and the longest in the NBA since Michael Jordan strung 40 straight together during the 1986-87 season. "My shot was a little flat and I missed some easy ones," said Durant, who shot 12-for-21 from the field. "I just tried to play as hard as I can on defense and make winning basketball plays." Serge Ibaka supplied 16 points and 11 boards, while Reggie Jackson added 13 points and six assists for the Thunder, who have won four of their last five games. Star Thunder guard Russell Westbrook did not suit up to rest his surgically- repaired knee. Oklahoma City is 1 1/2 behind the San Antonio Spurs for Western Conference supremacy. The Raptors are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets for the lead in the Atlantic Division, but they are only a half-game in front of the Bulls for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto will play two straight north of the border and will host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Jayson Tatum Authentic Jersey .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night. Jayson Tatum Jersey . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play.First base has always been a position for power hitters, the mashers who can provide home runs and RBI to anchor your fantasy team and the position will improve its depth with a couple of additions this season. The most notable is Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, who moves across the infield now that Prince Fielder has moved on to Texas. No matter what position he plays, Cabrera is a top-tier hitter. Since 2007, he leads them majors with 261 home runs, 856 RBI and 706 runs scored, along with a .326 batting average. Leading all of baseball in those categories, with consistent production year after year, makes Cabrera the biggest difference-maker, even when compared with other sluggers at first base. Arizonas Paul Goldschmidt has quickly emerged as an elite option too, in part because he adds stolen bases to his impressive power numbers. Over the past two seasons, Goldschmidt has swiped 33 bases, most among first basemen, and is one of two (Edwin Encarnacion is the other) to record at least 50 homers and 200 RBI while scoring at least 180 runs. Unless your league has an on-base percentage as a category, there is a large gap between the value of Cincinnatis Joey Votto in real life (where hes MVP calibre) and in fantasy, where hes among the top handful at first base. Vottos tendency to walk limits his RBI upside, which is a factor in his fantasy appeal. When you move beyond the top handful of players, there are still plenty of appealing options. Baltimores Chris Davis has outrageous power. He also strikes out a lot, which slowed his arrival as an everyday player but, after 86 home runs and 368 strikeouts in the past two seasons, hes settled in with the Orioles. Two of the more interesting options at first base are long-time stars. Prince Fielder has had more than 100 RBI in six of the past seven seasons, but last years 25 home runs and .819 OPS were career-lows. Going to a hitter-friendly park in Texas does seem like a decent opportunity for Fielder to have a relative bounceback in his numbers. The other veteran, who has shown more decline, is Albert Pujols, who is coming off his worst season and is pretty much a wildcard for the first time in his career. If Pujols regains his form, even somewhat, then 30 home runs, 100 RBI and a .300 average is possible, particularly coming off a season in which his batting aaverage on balls in play was a career-low . Jayson Tatum Swingman Jersey. .258 (same as his average), but there is also the concern that a 34-year-old Pujols isnt going to ever have that legendary bat again. If youd rather avoid the risk of those veterans, Adrian Gonzalez is a steady enough performer and Freddie Freeman is a productive younger slugger who has driven in 203 runs over the past two seasons. Shifting to first base from catcher, Minnesotas Joe Mauer doesnt have the power of a typical top tier first baseman, but hes a career .323 hitter, so if he can stay in the lineup, Mauer will have an opportunity to make a difference in that way. Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer appeared to get back on the right track last season and San Franciscos Brandon Belt has continued to make progress. Both are young, with room to grow, so they offer worthwhile upside if you cant secure the best at the position. Upside comes further down the list too. Whether its White Sox rookie Jose Abreu, the Cuban slugger or across town with the Cubs Anthony Rizzo, who could be prime for big numbers with a little better luck (after a .258 BABIP in 2013). You probably wont have to pay premium prices for someone like Bostons Mike Napoli, even though hes hit at least 20 home runs in six straight seasons, and Oaklands Brandon Moss could be a nice source of mid-to-late round power after slugging 51 home runs in 711 at-bats over the past two seasons. St. Louis Matt Adams is a slugger on his way up and due for a full-time role this year after hitting 17 home runs in 296 at-bats last year. If you get desperate, maybe consider the Yankees Mark Teixeira, who may be ruined by a wrist injury, but has such a track record of putting up power numbers that hes worth a late-round look; certainly around the time that youre willing to venture down the road for Ryan Howard. Anyway, there are a lot of viable candidates to hold down first base for your team, but if your league incorporates corner infielders and DH spots, suddenly first base can thin out in short order, so dont wait too long. Take a good one relatively early, then worry about the upside/bounceback/sleeper options later. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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