Fantasy Baseball 2012: Players on the DL It’s Time to Dump for Good
Forgive any fantasy baseball players currently confusing the disabled list for an All-Star ballot.
The big-name injuries just keep coming.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark reports that while total DL placements aren’t higher this year than last year at this point in the season, total time on the DL has increased significantly.
The names landing on the list are even more stunning. Down with every top-dollar MLB casualty in real life goes a player that cost either a high draft pick or lots of fake money in Fantasyland.
Matt Kemp, Troy Tulowitzki, Jacoby Ellsbury and Roy Halladay were all first-round selections in fantasy drafts this spring.
Jered Weaver and Cliff Lee were both ranked among the top five options at starting pitcher. Pablo Sandoval and Ryan Zimmerman drew similar rankings among third basemen.
Mariano Rivera is considered the greatest closer of all time. Drew Storen, Andrew Bailey, Ryan Madson, Brian Wilson and Huston Street all entered the season as solid options for fantasy owners at the position as well.
Ryan Howard and Chase Utley would have been ranked highly at first and second base if not for their injuries heading into the year.
All this doesn’t even mention high-caliber players such as Carl Crawford, Kevin Youkilis, Brett Gardner, Michael Morse, Allen Craig, Lance Berkman, Chris Carpenter and Jayson Werth.
Unfortunately for fantasy owners, their disabled list is much shorter and more limited than the real-life version. Many leagues offer only one or two DL spots, if any at all. The superstar injury epidemic thus leaves tough decisions on which players to keep in those spots and which players to drop.
Here are a few injured stars you can dump if you need that precious roster space.