I am very proud to share my 2016 top 250 players in points leagues. There seems to be less people basing projections on Roto formats. Those of us that think Roto can be boring compared to points leagues would appreciate some more bullets for the gun in our upcoming Drafts & Auctions.

1	Mike Trout	LAA	OF1
2	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP1
3	Paul Goldschmidt	ARI	1B1
4	Bryce Harper	WAS	OF2
5	Manny Machado	BAL	3B1
6	Josh Donaldson	TOR	3B2
7	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B1
8	Max Scherzer	WAS	SP2
9	Andrew McCutchen	PIT	OF3
10	Joey Votto	CIN	1B2
11	Giancarlo Stanton	MIA	OF4
12	Jose Bautista	TOR	OF5
13	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B3
14	Carlos Correa	HOU	SS1
15	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF6
16	A.J. Pollack	ARI	OF7
17	Miguel Cabrera	DET	1B3
18	Kris Bryant	CHC	3B4
19	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B4
20	Chris Sale	CHW	SP3
21	David Price	BOS	SP4
22	Chris Davis	BAL	1B5
23	Dee Gordon	MIA	2B2
24	Edwin Encarnacion	TOR	1B6
25	Todd Frazier	CHW	3B5
26	J.D. Martinez	DET	OF8
27	Matt Carpenter	STL	3B6
28	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF9
29	Jose Abreau	CHW	1B7
30	Jake Arrieta	CHC	SP5
31	Miguel Sano	MIN	DH1
32	George Springer	HOU	OF10
33	Carlos Gomez	HOU	OF11
34	David Ortiz	BOS	DH2
35	Kyle Seager	SEA	3B7
36	Nelson Cruz	SEA	OF12
37	Madison Bumgarner	SF	SP6
38	Corey Kluber	CLE	SP7
39	Starling Marte	PIT	OF13
40	Matt Harvey	NYM	SP8
41	Justin Upton	DET	OF14
42	Yoenis Cespedes	NYM	OF15
43	Brian Dozer	MIN	2B3
44	Adrian Gonzalez	LAD	1B8
45	Buster Posey	SF	C1
46	Prince Fielder	TEX	DH3
47	Gerrit Cole	PIT	SP9
48	Carlos Gonzalez	COL	OF16
49	Adam Jones	BAL	OF17
50	Lorenzo Cain	KC	OF18
51	Zack Greinke	ARI	SP10
52	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS2
53	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	SP11
54	Robinson Cano	SEA	2B4
55	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B9
56	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	SP12
57	Albert Pujols	LAA	1B10
58	Jacob DeGrom	NYM	SP13
59	Jason Heyward	CHC	OF19
60	Anthony Rendon	WAS	3B8
61	Maikel Franco	PHI	3B9
62	Michael Brantley	CLE	OF20
63	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	SP14
64	Kenley Jansen	LAD	RP1
65	Gregory Polanco	PIT	OF21
66	Corey Seager	LAD	SS3
67	Adrian Beltre	TEX	3B10
68	David Peralta	ARI	OF22
69	Troy Tulowitzki	TOR	SS4
70	Ryan Braun	MIL	OF23
71	Jacoby Ellsbury	NYY	OF24
72	Hunter Pence	SF	OF25
73	Francisco Lindor	CLE	SS5
74	Matt Kemp	LAD	OF26
75	Christian Yelich	MIA	OF27
76	Corey Dickerson	TB	OF28
77	Ian Kinsler	DET	2B5
78	Adam Eaton	CHW	OF29
79	Yasiel Puig	LAD	OF30
80	Johnny Cueto	SF	SP15
81	Jason Kipnis	CLE	2B6
82	Carlos Santana	CLE	1B11
83	Jose Fernandez	MIA	SP16
84	Wade Davis	KC	RP2
85	Curtis Granderson	NYM	OF31
86	Rougned Odor	TEX	2B7
87	Randal Grichuk	STL	OF32
88	Lucas Duda	NYM	1B12
89	Brandon Belt	SF	1B13
90	Jay Bruce	CIN	OF33
91	Ben Zobrist	CHC	2B8
92	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP17
93	Daniel Murphy	WAS	2B9
94	Felix Hernandez	SEA	SP18
95	Shin Soo Choo	TEX	OF34
96	Denard Span	SF	OF35
97	Mark Melancon	PIT	RP3
98	Kyle Schwarber	CHC	C2
99	Craig Kimbrel	BOS	RP4
100	Ender Inciarte	ATL	OF36
101	Sonny Gray	OAK	SP19
102	Trevor Rosenthal	STL	RP5
103	Evan Longoria	TB	3B11
104	Brett Gardner	NYY	OF37
105	Kole Calhoun	LAA	OF38
106	Jon Lester	CHC	SP20
107	Neil Walker	PIT	2B10
108	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS6
109	Justin Turner	LAD	3B12
110	Ben Revere	WAS	OF39
111	Billy Burns	OAK	OF40
112	Brandon Crawford	SF	SS7
113	Hanley Ramirez	BOS	1B14
114	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	SP21
115	Cody Allen	CLE	RP6
116	Kevin Pillar	TOR	OF41
117	Kendrys Morales	KC	DH4
118	Gerardo Parra	COL	OF42
119	Jeurys Familia	NYM	RP7
120	Mark Teixeira	NYY	1B15
121	Zach Britton	BAL	RP8
122	Jeff Samardzija	SF	SP22
123	Joc Pederson	LAD	OF43
124	Kolten Wong	STL	2B11
125	Evan Gattis	HOU	OF44
126	Steven Souza Jr.	TB	OF45
127	Delino Deshields	TEX	OF46
128	Alex Rodriguez	NYY	DH5
129	Brett Lawrie	OAK	3B13
130	Byung Ho Park	MIN	1B16
131	Cole Hamels	TEX	SP23
132	Ketel Marte	SEA	SS8
133	Ian Desmond	TEX	OF47
134	Dj LeMahieu	COL	2B12
135	Danny Salazar	CLE	SP24
136	Aroldis Chapmen	NYY	RP9
137	Garret Richards	LAA	SP25
138	Carlos Martinez	STL	SP26
139	Marcus Stroman	TOR	SP27
140	Ken Giles	HOU	RP10
141	Logan Forsythe	TB	2B13
142	Billy Hamilton	CIN	OF48
143	Kevin Kiermaier	TB	OF49
144	Joe Panik	SF	2B14
145	Dustin Pedroia	BOS	2B15
146	Adam Wainwright	STL	SP28
147	David Robertson	CHW	RP11
148	Addison Russell	CHC	SS9
149	Dextor Fowler	CHC	OF50
150	Mike Moustakes	KC	3B14
151	Jose Quintana	CHW	SP29
152	Pedro Alvarez	BAL	DH6
153	Josh Harrison	PIT	3B15
154	Josh Reddick	OAK	OF51
155	Jonathon Lucroy	MIL	C3
156	Brad Miller	TB	SS10
157	Alex Gordon	KC	OF52
158	Michael Conforto	NYM	OF53
159	Hector Rondon	CHC	RP12
160	Jake McGee	COL	RP13
161	AJ Ramos	MIA	RP14
162	Michael Pineda	NYY	SP30
163	Melky Cabrera	CHW	OF54
164	Matt Duffy	SF	3B16
165	Tyson Ross	SD	SP31
166	Jung Ho Kang	PIT	SS11
167	Justin Verlander	DET	SP32
168	Jonathon Papelbon	WAS	RP15
169	Wil Myers	SD	1B17
170	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP33
171	Victor Martinez	DET	DH7
172	Mark Trumbo	BAL	OF55
173	Justin Bour	MIA	1B18
174	Matt Holliday	STL	OF56
175	Francisco Rodriguez	DET	RP16
176	Stephen Piscotty	STL	OF57
177	Khris Davis	OAK	OF58
178	Hisashi Iwakuma	SEA	SP34
179	Francisco Liriano	PIT	SP35
180	Hyun Soo Kim	BAL	OF59
181	Marcus Semien	OAK	SS13
182	Nick Castellanos	DET	3B17
183	Phil Hughes	MIN	SP36
184	John Lackey	CHC	SP37
185	Rajai Davis	OAK	OF60
186	Vincent Velasquez	PHI	SP38
187	Ryan Zimmerman	WAS	1B19
188	Alcedes Escobar	KC	SS14
189	Mitch Moreland	TEX	OF62
190	Jason Werth	WAS	OF63
191	Danny Valencia	OAK	3B18
192	Erick Aybar	ATL	SS15
193	Cesar Hernandez	PHI	2B16
194	Starlin Castro	NYY	2B17
195	Marcell Ozuna	MIA	OF64
196	Michael Wacha	STL	SP39
197	Collin McHugh	HOU	SP40
198	Shawn Tolleson	TEX	RP17
199	Brian McCann	NYY	C4
200	Salvador Perez	KC	C5
201	Howie Kendrick	LAD	2B18
202	Wei Yin Chen	MIA	SP41
203	Drew Smyly	TB	SP42
204	Jean Segura	ARI	SS16
205	Trevor Plouffe	MIN	3B19
206	Asdrubel Cabrera	NYM	SS17
207	Brad Phillips	CIN	2B20
208	Brandon Moss	STL	OF65
209	Drew Storen	TOR	RP18
210	Carlos Beltran	NYY	OF66
211	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF67
212	Devon Travis	TOT	2B21
213	Adam Lind	SEA	1B21
214	Russell Martin	TOR	C6
215	Travis d’Arnaud	NYM	C7
216	Shelby Miller	ARI	SP44
217	Yordano Ventura	KC	SP45
218	Julio Teheran	ATL	SP46
219	Scott Kazmir	LAD	SP47
220	Brad Boxberger	TB	RP19
221	Nick Markakis	ATL	OF69
222	Odubel Herrera	PHI	OF70
223	Rick Porcello	BOS	SP48
224	Mike Fiers	HOU	SP49
225	Brad Ziegler	ARI	RP20
226	Huston Street	LAA	RP21
227	Yangervis Solarte	SD	3B21
228	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	SP50
229	Raisel Iglesias	CIN	SP51
230	David Wright	NYM	3B22
231	Luis Valbuena	HOU	3B23
232	C.J. Cron	LAA	1B22
233	Steven Matz	NYM	SP52
234	Anibal Sanchez	DET	SP53
235	Sean Doolittle	OAK	RP22
236	Jake Odorizzi	TB	SP54
237	Andrew Heaney	LAA	SP55
238	Jonathan Schoop	BAL	2B23
239	Derek Norris	SD	C8
240	Taijuan Walker	SEA	SP58
241	Jamie Garcia	STL	SP59
242	Patrick Corbin	ARI	SP60
243	Matt Wieters	BAL	C9
244	James Shields	SD	SP62
245	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	SP63
246	Stephan Vogt	OAK	C10
247	Jason Hammel	CHC	SP64
248	Devin Mesoraco	CIN	C11
249	Kevin Gausman	BAL	SP65
250	J.T. Realmuto	MIA	C12

As I continue to spend time around the mock draft boards I am finding that other than a few infield positions the quality and depth available has gotten so plentiful that it appears there is no better time then now to adopt the “Stars and scrubs” motto.

That being spend about $200 of your $260 budget on star players that will make up the core of your team then using the remaining $60 to fill in the say 15 or so positions still open on guys that have high upside hoping that you may on maybe 5 of those. The remaining 10 players if they are not cutting their weight can be switched out with players claimed off of waivers.

This is not the “safe” way of constructing a team but, you know what they say “go big or go home” safe will usually get you fifth place. We don’t play for fifth place right?

If you play in keeper leagues like I do then the best way to start amazing big time talent is to plant the seed now. Invest your money in youth. 1st & 2nd year players who come at a lower price for now at least until they have that “break out” type of year. Lock them in at that low price. Just like the stock market right? Buy low and sell high. Hey, It works for Billy Beane.

I have been doing mock drafts on ESPN every morning, day and to my wife’s chagrin nights as well. As I practice and see who I really want to get in my H2H Points league I have noticed a few things.

Catchers – Assuming that you don’t get Posey, I am not seeing too much of a reason to   run and grab a guy from the next tier. Catchers are so unpredictable and they get so beaten up and injured all the time. Why not grab an up and comer for 1 or 2 dollars. I am seeing a great amount of people ignoring the likes of Yasmani Grandal, J.T. Realmuto and Blake Swihart. Since Catchers get 1 or two nights off a week then why not spend your money on a guy that plays everyday and can hit you 30-35+ home runs?

Last season i loved getting Travis D’arnaud for $5. If he didn’t get injured  twice it was looking like he would give Posey a run for the money on the top fantasy catcher in 2015.

Luckily when he went down i swooped in to grab Stephen Vogt as he was surging. There are always guys to pick up at catcher. It can be tough to see but, from now on i am going with one dollar catchers and keeping an eye out for the Wellington Castillo, Stephen Vogt types that come out of nowhere.

31. Gerardo Parra 28, COL – After bouncing around to a bunch of teams for the last couple of years Parra signed on to play outfield for the Rockies this coming season. Parra who is known for his batting average,  speed and the amount of defensive runs saved brings a lot of skills  to the team. Before he plays half of his home games i want to explain why i have him ranked so high. Over the last few years Parra has been good for 150+ hits 30(ish) doubles and double digits in home runs and stolen bases. Another thing that impressed the Rockies is his ability to hit for a high average (.291 last year). So here is a guy who is already a very good hitter. Now he will play half his games in Colorado. I see a nice bump in his stats this season. My projections for 2016 are .307/91/15/78/12

32. Billy Burns 26, OAK – Living up to his namesake this dude is fast. Last season Billy hit a few extra base hits (32 total in 2015) so he does have some ability with the bat. (153 hits) on his way to batting .294. A 4.7% walk rate is troubling as that gave him a wOBA of .317. Not at all what the A’s want from a lead off hitter. Batting at the top of the order is where Burns receives the status of a “must own” in all leagues. If Burns can not get the walk rate up and he gets moved to say batting 8th or 9th it makes him not too different from a Jarrod Dyson. Basically only producing speed numbers. My projections for 2016 are .265/74/3/39/44

33. Evan Gattis 29, HOU – He is also known as “That guy who doesn’t wear batting gloves”. Over the last two seasons Gattis has seen his fantasy value take a nose dive even with his mind exploding ability to lead the National League in triples…yeah, that might not be repeatable. In most leagues Gattis will start the year eligible at just one position. You know that one that comes with so much position flexibility. The elusive designated hitter spot. After hitting for a meager average of.246 and an underwhelming .317 wOBA. He will need to continue providing 30 HR 100 RBI type seasons. My Projections for 2016 are .250/67/28/84/0

34. Michael Conforto 22, NYM –   After getting his first taste of national exposure in the 2015 Futures Game, Conforto was called up to the Mets not long after the second half of the season started. Hard to believe it was just over 13 months after he was selected by the Mets in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft. . While he had much success last season batting .270 with 9 home runs and 26 RBI’s and an impressive hard hit rate of 40.9. Some regression will be due but he is off to a very impressive start. My projections for 2016 are .247/58/18/65/1.

35. Kole Calhoun 28, LAA – Mike Trout’s mini me has had his fair share of problems staying healthy and with the decrease in walks each year to pair with a growing strike  out rate. Now for the positives, while 2015 was not his best year with the bat thus far he was able to stay healthy. Healthy to the tune of 686 plate appearances. This is a huge number in fantasy especially since despite only having a batting average of .256 he was able to have those At bats before Mike Trout. He got a few pitches to swing at. so all of the other counting stats were pretty good. His 2015 line was .256/78/26/83/4. Not bad for a guy people are not very excited about coming into 2016. Another great chance to buy low on a guy people are ignoring. My projections for 2016 are .266/77/21/82/7

36. Jay Bruce 28, CIN – Here might be a great example of a change in scenery would do him some good. Seems like the Jays where close to acquiring him this Winter that fell through. Not to say he cant get traded tomorrow but we have seen Bruce who after three seasons of 30+ home runs and a .260ish batting average has had 2 seasons of “is it over yet” baseball. After being such a highly touted Top Prospect in the minors it sure seems like he is burnt out from being with the Reds and it i not just his Facebook status of “it’s complicated”. Hoping he gets traded soon to bring him back to fantasy relevance. My projections for 2016 are .244/60/23/73/5

37. Dexter Fowler 29, CHC – Here is an example of a guy jumping 10 spots in my outfield rankings primarily because of the team he signed with. I think everyone agrees that if you have a starting role in the Chicago Cubs Batting order then some eye popping counting spots are likely to follow. Fowler had an awesome season on the North Side of Chi town last year. It may have been a career year but, at the very least he takes the pressure off Jason Heyward sliding into the center field and lead off hitter. My projections for 2016 are .260/76/12/65/14

38. Khris Davis 28, OAK – On the surface going from Miller Park to the O.co stadium in Oakland seems like a very bad thing for his production numbers.Davis has brought to the table and lets face it this is the only reason we draft him, his 30 home run potential. Being in Oakland he will face a crowded outfield roster and Outfield dimensions that make you think he needs to hit it close to Alcatraz before it gets in the seats. Khris should easily walk into 20 home runs regardless so we will see how the rest works itself out. My projections for 2016 are .263/54/23/61/4

39. Delino DeShields 23, TEX –  DeShields looked prime to be a star for the Astros a few years back and then i heard he was hit in the face by a hard fastball. I vividly remember this because  i had the honor of coming a cross a picture of his face from the Hospital. Its a picture I will have trouble removing the image from my memory. It didn’t look like he would b e able to see again. Some would not have the gall to get back in the batters box after that so one would understand being slow to get your confidence back and feel comfortable again at the plate. After only amassing 6 games played above AA ball DeShields was called up to fill in for a Texas Rangers outfield that was being hit hard by the injury bug. He was never sent back down so its fair to say he played very well. Well enough that Delino stands today as the projected starting center fielder and lead off man for a Rangers 2016 squad that should net him plenty of counting stats. My projections for 3016 are .250/82/5/49/37

40. Billy Hamilton 25, CIN – Now here is an example of a player who has track star speed but no other major league ready skills. If Hamilton doesn’t figure out this whole “getting on base thing” he’s going to be playing ball in the independent league real soon. If i were him i would have spent the last 5 months learning how to bunt. If he could learn how to do that effectively along with a healthy increase in his walk rate, it could validate a lead off hitter role. At the very least a bunter/pinch running specialist. He just needs to stop swinging for the fences  “Hey Willie Mays Hayes put the ball on the ground” “Every time I see you hit the ball in the air you owe  Bryan Price 10 push ups” My projections for 2016 are .221/45/2/31/60