FSR Daily
-More confirmation that Shaq will start tonight against the baby Bulls. Mark Blount actually played pretty well in O’Neal’s absence, averaging 14.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg (how does a 7 foot guy average less than 5 rebounds????) in 6 starts. When Shaq gets injured again, know that Blount is a worthy-albeit temporary-pickup.
-The Bulls had a rough night on Tuesday in Orlando, losing the game and a couple of rotation players to injury. Kirk Hinrich didn’t play because of back spasms, and injury or not Captain Kirk has become nothing more than a fringe fantasy guard. He’s decent for assists (6.1 per game), but he is shooting less than 40 percent, he turns the ball over too much and his steal numbers are down. The big news from last night is that Andres Nocioni left the game after falling on his back and had to be helped leaving the floor. Nocioni is averaging 13.8 points in 25 minutes a game this year and is the Bulls best offensive player (sorry Ben Gordon owners).
-Seems like a daily event know, but another underclassmen has declared for the NFL draft. This time it’s Cal’s DeSean Jackson, a speedy wideout/kick returner. I’m not big on rookie wideouts and I doubt Jackson will have much of an impact year one, but it does look like he could be a first-round pick.
-Adam LaRoche signed a one-year dealwith the Pirates on Tuesday. LaRoche was awful last April, hitting .133 with 3 HR and 11 RBI, but he ended the year with a .272 average, 21 HR and 88 RBI. If last year taught us anything, it’s that his 2006 (.285, 32, 90) was an aberration. He’s a nice backup, nothing more unless you’re in a deep league.
Tags: Adam LaRoche, Andres Nocioni, DeSean Jackson, Fantasy baseball, fantasy basketball, Fantasy Football, Kirk Hinrich, Mark Blount, Shaquille O'Neal