LestersLegends.com

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Playing on a team that finished with a Major League worst 56-106 record doesn’t get many people noticed. Neither does a .276-26-2-12-7 line. That said, Houston second baseman Jose Altuve is a player to at least keep an eye on.
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His numbers obviously don’t come out and grab you, but if you projected the numbers out to a 162 game schedule he would finish with 74 runs, six HRs, 34 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. There isn’t much there in the power category, but he can be helpful in runs, stolen bases, and possibly average.
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His minor league numbers suggest that he can be useful in those categories. He hit .324 in the minors, and the .276 average in the bigs is pretty impressive considering he jumped Triple-A ball. He scored three runs for every four games he played and stole one base for every three games he played.
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He will be turn 22 early in the season and given the way he handled himself in his first taste of the majors, I think he could be a bench option at second base or a decent option for your middle infield slot.
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What has me especially optimistic was his low BABIP for a player with his speed. It was just .309. He was at .438 in A+ ball and at .373 for Double-A Corpus Christi. If he can get that number up even into the .340s his average, runs, and stolen bases are sure to climb.
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Altuve has a Mock Draft Central ADP of 273, which puts him in the 23rd round of 12-team fantasy drafts. With the potential to hit .300 with 20+ stolen bases, he’s not a bad option there.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Options

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Here are the Lester’s Legends quarterback rankings for Super Bowl XLVI. It is a matchup of two of the elite quarterbacks in football. They are both cool under pressure and have delivered on the biggest stage.
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Eli entered the season with questions about whether or not he was elite. He had the confidence to say he was. I think he put that question to bed, throwing for more yards this year than his brother ever did. It’s not that Eli has better weapons, he just has more traditional ones, with three great wide receivers.
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Victor Cruz emerged as one of the game’s best deep threats this year. He has the ability to take the ball to the house at any time. Hakeem Nicks has that same knack, but is much tougher to bring down. Mario Manningham completes the trio.
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Tom Brady has Wes Welker, who is nearly impossible to cover. He is so quick off the ball, and is fearless. He caught 11 passes in the Super Bowl XLII, and another double-digit game is not out of the question. Deion Branch, the Super Bowl XXXIX MVP, knows how to step up in a big game. Brady’s most challenging weapons, though, are his tight ends. Rob Gronkowski (ankle) is hurt, but even a 80% Gronk is a tall order. He is so good in the red zone. Aaron Hernandez could play a bigger role for the Patriots with Gronk at less than full strength. I could see Hernandez having more yards and Gronk more scores.
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This truly should be a pretty even match-up for the Super Bowl XLVI quarterbacks. I just give Tom Brady a slight edge.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Pick

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Danny Bollinger/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
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I’m not suggesting that Vince Carter, at 35, is going to leap over anybody on a slam or revert back to his Half-Man, Half-Amazing days. I’m not suggesting that the Vinsanity is going to return either. Those days are behind him. However, he can still score, as evidenced by his recent streak. The question is whether or not he can keep it up.
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In his past four games he has twice went for 21 points en route to a 15.5 points per game average. He is contributing across the board, adding 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.5 blocks, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers. He has even 50.0 percent of his shots during the hot streak.
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His recent stretch has allowed his season numbers to increase to 10.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.4 bpg, 0.9 spg, and 1.3 3pg. Not exactly superstar numbers, which is why he is owned in 48.0 percent of Yahoo! and 39.4 percent of ESPN leagues.
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Obviously his age and the Mavericks depth also play a role. Carter is averaging 29.0 minutes per game over his past four, but with Jason Kidd, Rodrigue Beaubois, Jason Terry, Vince Carter, Delonte West, Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom, Dirk Nowitzki, Brendan Haywood, and Ian Mahinmi, the Mavs have ten players playing just about 17 mpg or more. Nine of them are playing at least 20 mpg.
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Carter has bounced around quite a bit, with Dallas being his fourth team since the 2008-09 season. He likely can’t sustain the 15.5 ppg average, especially with Dallas’ depth. If you want to ride him while he’s hot, it’s not a bad idea. Along with the scoring, you’ll get a little bit of everything.
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Also check out:

• A Tale of Two Dunks
• Gooden Gold
• Can Amar’e Stoudemire Be Had at a Discount?
• Jordan Crawford Heating Up
• Fresh Prince of Motown

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Full disclosure, I wouldn’t take Dustin Pedroia over Robinson Cano. I had Cano pegged as the top second baseman last year, and I’ll stand by that claim again this year.
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That said, it wouldn’t make anybody question your sanity too significantly if you opted to go with Boston’s little big man over his Yankee counterpart.
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Cano probably has a higher batting average ceiling than Pedroia, but you’re looking at a .305 lifetime average for Pedroia and a .308 average for Cano. In three of the past five years Pedroia actually finished with a better average. Cano is a more powerful hitter, but their OPSs (Pedroia .836, Cano .843) are nearly identical. Bottom line, that category is a wash.
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The remaining two categories are a split.
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Cano has the clear edge in  home runs and RBI, averaging 27.3 long balls over the past three years. He has also averaged 104 RBI, a number that is trending up. Meanwhile Pedroia has averaged 17.5 home runs and 81.6 RBI over the past 2.5 years. Obviously if you were looking for power numbers, Cano would be your guy.
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However , as I mentioned, they split the remaining four categories of 5×5 leagues. The run totals were fairly even last year, but Pedroia is averaging 110.9 runs over the past 3.5 years. Cano is 103.3. Pedroia has twice scored at least 115 runs.
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Where Pedroia really gains ground is in the stolen base category. He has averaged 21.4 over the past 3.5 years. The 26 bases Pedroia stole last year are only two less than Cano’s 28 over the course of his career. In the past three years he’s averaged 5.3 stolen bases.
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As I stated earlier, I still believe Cano is the top second base option, but if you are more interested in solid numbers across the board, and a bump in stolen bases, Pedroia could be your guy.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Options
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Options

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Here are the Super Bowl XLVI Lester’s Legends fantasy football tight end rankings.
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Rob Gronkowski is a bit of a concern because of his high ankle sprain.  He was able to return to the AFC Championship game, and had an extra week to  heal. He built on his monster season with 15 catches for 232 yards and three TDs in two playoff games. This really is a choice, on paper anyway, between the two Patriots’ tight ends. Personally, I would go with the record-setter.
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Aaron Hernandez may not have the production of Gronk, but he is nothing to sneeze at. He has 11 catches for 121 yards and a TD. He has also ran for 70 yards. He finished with 79 catches for 910 yards and seven TDs on the year. If you fear Gronk’s ankle, Hernandez is the safe choice for Super Bowl XLVI.
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If you opted to load up elsewhere, Jake Ballard is still a pretty decent option (assuming his knee is healthy enough to go). He finished the season with 38 catches for 604 yards and four TDs.
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Travis Beckum‘s value depends on whether or not Ballard is able to give it a go. If Ballard can’t go Beckum is a low-end option. He has seven catches for 45 yards in the playoffs. If Ballard does play, then Beckum is a complete roll of the dice, hoping he can snag a touchdown. New England’s tight ends are obviously the preference.
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Also check out:

• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI  Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Super Bowl XLVI Pick

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