Nick Fruscello: Hello again, its Fantasy Friday! This past week is anything but a fantasy for A-Rod owners who got put on the 15 day DL with a right quad strain. Fortunately the injury is said not to be too serious, so those of you that are lucky enough to have the best player in baseball, you only need to fill that 3B spot for just a little bit. This shouldn't be too difficult unless you're in an extremely deep league. There is a lot of good third basemen out there, so this should be an easy hole to fill. Onto the questions...

Nick Fruscello: Sorry about the delay, I'm having some internet trouble here, so hang in there

BronxBombers: Is Conor Jackson the real deal? I want to make room for him on my roster, but I want to make sure he's worth it.

Nick Fruscello: I think we touched on this last week. Conor Jackson is definately the real deal. He's hitting over 300 since the All Star break last year, he has a hitters ballpark and a great spot in the lineup. He's worth a risk. I could see him potentially be a darkhorse for the 1B at the all star game.

BronxBombers: What is up with Willingham and Jacobs of Florida? I thought the Marlins didn't have anyone besides H-Ram

Nick Fruscello: Yeah, lately Willingham and Jacobs have played like Ruth and Gehrig. This just goes to show what a good leadoff hitter can do for your team. Getting a guy on base early on can do wonders for your lineup and its doing just that for two average hitters in Willingham and Jacobs.

BronxBombers: Paul Konerko or Richie Sexson?

Nick Fruscello: Paul Konerko for sure. While they have about the same amount of power, Konerko makes contact way more often. Plus, Sexson plays half his games in a very unfriendly hitters park.

BronxBombers: Now that the Big Hurt is back on the A's can we expect similar numbers to the 06 season?

Nick Fruscello: Big Frankie has been hitting much better since rejoining the A's, but I doubt he'll get back to his 40 HR form. He's a great pickup in a deep league, because he will do well in the BA category and he still has some pop in his bat. I would expect around 80-90 RBI's, 30's in HR's and a 270 some average.

malkin71: Well you nailed the Wings series and might get the Pens series right too. What happend to them last night? They can't miss Talbot that much!

Nick Fruscello: Well the Wings actually caught a break for once. The Avs were very banged up and simply overmatched. You'll never see an easier series for anyone. As for the Pens, they don't miss Talbot that much, but they were missing the drive that they had in the 7 games of the playoffs. They NEED to match the Rangers intensity if they're going to put this one away. I think they will and expect to see a Pens blowout in Game 5.

malkin71: Which team has the best chance of coming back in their series? Sharks, Rangers or Canadiens?

Nick Fruscello: I think the Sharks do. They've been a streaky team all season and they really need to get on one now. They have a lot of talent so I could see them making a coming back. The Rangers put together a good effort last night, but they're done and the Canadiens aren't sticking with Carey Price which is a mistake and why they'll lose.

clueless: Nick: I am in one league that is much different in that it is only an 8-team league, rather than 10 or 12. The pitchers available on the waiver wire make trading totally unnecessary, but also puts you in spots where maybe you dump an asset that does have value. So my "worst" starter would appear to be Oswalt. His last three starts are much better than his first three, I surely could do worse than have him repeat his recent form for five more months. But check out some possibilities on the waiver wire: Jurrjens, Marcum, Gaudin, Lannan, Saunders, Danks, Cook, and Greinke and there are probably others. Greinke seems to be the most appealing. Just thinking that with Oswalt's strikeout numbers being maybe just above average that I should look to do better. Your thoughts?

Nick Fruscello: I've always been a big Roy Oswalt fan and I always say not to let your personal favorites run your team, but the truth is, he's one of my favorites because he's good. Oswalt is always one of the top pitchers in the NL if not the entire league and he does this while playing in Houston which has a great hitting park. He's falling on rough times, but he's far better than anything on the waiver wire. If you drop him, somebody, like me, will snatch him up.

clueless: In a 12-team league, Ian Snell is sitting on the waiver wire. But then who would I drop, among Blackburn, Lowe, Wolfe, Wellemayer, Silva, Galarraga?

Nick Fruscello: Ohhh tough one.... I would have to say Nick Blackburn. I haven't seen every much of him, but what I have saw wasn't that great. Drop Blackburn for Snell.

theWellHungarian: what did you think of malkins "slew-foot" on mara last night? i personally, didnt have a problem with it

Nick Fruscello: I actually haven't had a chance to see it yet. I walked out of the room when all that happend, so I can't really say. But hey, its playoff hockey, teams always try to send "messages" going into the next game. While I'm not a fan of the slew foot, I'm glad Malkin did it. It shows that at least he's going to be fired up and ready for Game 5.

clueless: I am somewhat new at this. When comparing players, it seems kind of obvious to add up HR, RBI, R and SB over say a 4-week period to determine whom to play or aquire/cut. But do you have a method for taking the batting average and turning it into a value to equate to these others. If a hitter bats 30 times in a week, one more hit means 33 points in average, but much less when blended with 9 or more players.

Nick Fruscello: I don't even use a system. Batting average is a good thing to look at and it isn't. Its good because you want someone obviously that gets a lot of hits, but you could pass up someone that hits 30-40 HR's and gets 100 RBI's because he bats .210. I always look at HR and RBI's, then steals and then BA. I would though the points system out and just go with the guy that does the best in the most categories.

theWellHungarian: Which Santana is better right now in fantasy, Ervin or Johan? I grabbed Ervin in the late rounds & my buddy kept Johan ... Isn't he an idiot and I am the genius?

Nick Fruscello: HA! Well getting Ervin looks like a great move so far, but Johan is... well Johan. He's the best pitcher in baseball and when its all said and done, Johan will have better numbers. Ervin's ERA the past couple seasons were over 4, so be careful.

theWellHungarian: is Sheffield going to start hitting like Gary Sheffield or is he going to continue to hit like Jack Wilson?

Nick Fruscello: Sheffield's production has been on the decline the last couple years and I haven't been thrilled with his hitting since he left the Yankees. If you can find a better option on waivers, (and there's probably a lot) I would drop him.

clueless: so you like Oswalt even over someone like Greinke who looks for real?

Nick Fruscello: Definately! Greinke has always has this promise, but never really delivered. Oswalt is a proven player and an All Star.

clueless: Do you tend to favor NL pitchers over AL pitchers and AL hitters over NL hitters because of the inherit biases of the two leagues, impact of the DH on pitching etc.

Nick Fruscello: I really don't take that into consideration. I do take into consideration that when a good player moves from the AL to the NL. The AL is a MUCH better league than the NL right now, so when they move over, they really accelerate.

clueless: How long can you carry a LaRoche or Dunn on your bench waiting for the slumber to end?

Nick Fruscello: I would drop LaRoche, I don't think he'll ever come around. Actually, I take that back. He'll come around when the Pirates are 20 games under 500. As for Dunn, he's always had the power, so I wouldn't panic too much right now. He'll get his 40HR's.

clueless: Is Aaron Harang being dragged down by the below mediocrity of his team?

Nick Fruscello: With all the offense the Reds have, you would think that would give him plenty of run support. Harang is 1-4 and has a 2.98 ERA. That's almost like when Clemens played in Houston. The good news for Harang owners is that he'll most likely be traded to a contender at the deadline and help out your team in the wins in the fantasy playoffs.

theWellHungarian: last one, 4th OF for next scoring period, Nady, Ellsbury, or Werth?

Nick Fruscello: Nady will burn out at some point this season. He can't keep playing like this. So its down to Ellsbury and Werth. To me, Ellsbury is a can't miss. I think they could potentially have very similar numbers in the end, but I think Ellsbury is more of a sure thing batting at the top of that Bo Sox order.

theWellHungarian: is Juan Pierre worth stashing on my bench?

Nick Fruscello: If you need the steals, I would. This guy had 64 steals just last year. The fact that he's out there is a steal in itself. Stash away and hope for another 60

Nick Fruscello: Sorry about the technical difficulties today. I'm doing it from home and my internet connection isn't so great. Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next Friday!