Segura has been running, hitting like a man possessed. (USAT)

Over the course of roughly 45 days, it's stunning how different the fantasy landscape appears. Alleged franchise cornerstones Matt Kemp, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and R.A. Dickey, once thought to be indispensable, have underachieved. Meanwhile, afterthoughts Manny Machado, Starling Marte, Jean Segura and Shelby Miller, who were nothing more than late-round Hail Marys, are keeping many in contention.

On this week's insightful program, Brad Evans and Brandon Funston redrafted the season, fearlessly forecasting what slow/hot starts in Fantasyland will continue. Also on this week's program, we chatted bloodied Bryce Harper, Vernon Wells' sudden versatility, the Dodgers bullpen and fantasy football mock trends.

Too busy exercising your liver? No problem. Listen to the replays below:

LISTEN TO HOUR 1 (MLB/NFL)

LISTEN TO HOUR 2 (MLB)

Round-trippers have happened early and often for The 'Schmidt. (USAT)

Fantasy is a speculative game. Predict the future, and you look like a genius. Don't, and you're painfully human. Gazing into the crystal ball, here's our view on 10 intriguing over/unders this week.

Corner Infield conundrum. Pick one from this point forward: Albert Pujols, Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Davis or Anthony Rizzo

Scott – GOLDSCHMIDT, Jerry, Goldschmidt. It pains me to have him on zero teams. (Check that: I have Goldschmidt in one hybrid league that doesn't count home runs. Boy is that league fun.)

Andy – GOLDSCHMIDT, easy. This one doesn't seem like much of a contest. He's an all-category contributor. If Price were in here, we would have had something to debate.

Brad – GOLDSCHMIDT. At the No. 15 pick in the Roto Arcade Redo Draft, I had the opportunity to acquire Pujols. However, I kicked the old codger to the curb, opting for the younger, sexier 'Schmidt. Goldy is what Phat Albert use to be, a multicategorical monster who offers much consistency. His BA will likely dip a little, but given the nourishing offensive environment it would be no stretch for him to finish in range of .285-35-120-15.

In reality, Rodgers is worth every bit of $110 million, but this year in fantasy, his value is far less (USAT)

When Mr. Irrelevant, South Carolina tight end Justice Cunningham, had his name called in front of a small group of reasonably sauced lingerers at last month’s NFL Draft, Fantasyland’s finest quickly began formulating thoughts and assembling cheat sheets for this year’s fake football drafts.

Mock season officially kicked off …

Over the next several weeks, armchair quarterbacks of various backgrounds will hone their draft skills in preparation for main events come August. During these exercises, participants will tinker with new strategies, rack their brains over complicated backfields and shout out expletives when desired players are pilfered just before their pick, all the while proclaiming victory in the draft room chat window. Practice, after all, does make perfect. Right, Allen Iverson?

No different from common folk, "experts" within the fantasy community are also partaking in the annual ritual. To the pushers of print, May marks magazine season, a time when editors and writers work frantically to crank out volumes of resourceful, yet soon-to-be-obsolete, material.

Last week the Noise, in addition to our eight-round PPR extravaganza, participated in a pair of standard snake drafts (Rotoworld 12-team, Rotowire 14-team), priming the pump on the draft season. Now that I’m properly deflowered, here are my top-five takeaways from the mag mock rush:

LAA's un-dynamic duo has their owners screaming 'Uncle.'

Already 34 games into the fantasy baseball season, Southern California's supposed fearsome twosome of Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols have slowly crushed owner souls. Currently ranking No. 643 and No. 220 in Yahoo! Fantasy, the paltry pair have left their investors feeling jobbed.

Oakland's Adam Rosales can empathize.

On this week's investigative episode, fantasy sleuths Brad Evans and Scott Pianowski attempted to explain the Angels' ineptitude and decide edwhether buying low will lead to future riches. Also on this week's info-rich program, we partied shirtless with Rob Gronkowski, detailed the Montee Ball fascination, deciphered the Dickey, pinpointed when top prospect Oscar Taveras.

Too busy looking for shindigs in West Egg? No problem. Listen to the replays below:

LISTEN TO HOUR 1 HERE (MLB/NFL)

LISTEN TO HOUR 2 HERE (MLB)

Buck is on pace to shatter his previous career high of 20 homers. (USAT)

Fantasy is a speculative game. Predict the future, and you look like a genius. Don't, and you're painfully human. Gazing into the crystal ball, here's our view on 10 intriguing over/unders this week.

What the Buck?! Rest of season long-balls for possessed Mets catcher John Buck 14.5. Also, rank the following backstops in power terms ROS: Buck, Wilin Rosario, J.P. Arencibia

Dalton – UNDER. This was a tough one for me, as Buck definitely has pop, and I acknowledge his start to the year may be more than just a small sample fluke when it comes to home runs. But he plays catcher (he's reached 410 at-bats just once during his career), so I'll say he finishes with around 23-24 homers this season. Even including his scorching start to the year, Buck's career SLG is .411.

Scott – UNDER, and Buck is the lowest option on this list (Arencibia first, Rosario second). We can't throw everything we know about Buck in the shredder.

Andy – UNDER. Maybe not by a lot, though. I would have laughed off this

Gronk's availability for Week 1 is in serious jeopardy. (USAT)

Arm surgery, partying, infection, partying, rehab, partying – it’s been an offseason filled with anesthesia and booze for Rob Gronkowski.

With recent reports about the former Pro Bowler’s recovery from a broken forearm ranging from glowingly optimistic to frustratingly somber, pinpointing exactly what the tight end is worth has been an exercise in futility. However, Wednesday’s news, as first reported by the Boston Herald, finally provided clarity prospective buyers were looking for. The lowdown:

According to a source familiar with the case, Gronkowski is going to need a fourth operation to change the plate that’s securing the broken bone in the forearm.

While there has been some suggestion recently that this step might be avoided, the source indicated the fourth operation still has to happen. The plate has to be switched, no matter what, and the surrounding tissue tested. The real question is if Gronkowski, who has been taking part in the team’s offseason program, will need a fifth operation.

If tests show the infection has been completely flushed out, the plate will be replaced, and the recovery process begins. If there are still signs of infection, that won’t happen.

That’s a scenario no one wants to contemplate. Ultimately, Gronkowski would need more surgery and his participation for the start of the season and perhaps beyond would be in jeopardy.

Obviously, the above info is a significant blow to Gronk and the Patriots. With fellow batterymate, Aaron Hernandez, and backup wideout Julian Edelman, also uncertain for Week 1, it’s entirely possible Tom Brady will chuck passes exclusively to ex-Rams Danny Amendola and Michael Hoomanawanui and rookie receiver Aaron Dobson early on; potentially well into the regular season. That’s not necessarily a downgrade for Brady. Because of the system and with plenty of time to build chemistry, the Pats passing offense may not skip a beat. However, it certainly fosters questions and was reason enough for yours truly to drop him from No. 4 to No. 6, behind Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick, in my initial QB ranks.

Many have already written him off, but Vick isn't done yet. (USAT)

On the NFL calendar, May is usually marked with contract disputes, unsubstantiated rumors and, in the case of Justin Blackmon, unlawful acts. However, an interesting tidbit trickled off the wire last week prompting Eagles, and fantasy, fans to reminisce about 2010.

Ahh, the good ol’ days.

Last Thursday, with teammates looking on, Michael Vick went all Usain Bolt on LeSean McCoy, burning the gum-flapping youngster, a player eight years his junior, in a 40-yard footrace, a resounding victory for thirty-somethings everywhere.

[Fantasy mock draft: Rounds 1-2]

Most will understandably brush off the four-yard dusting as nothing more than a meatless bite on an otherwise slow news day. Their perspective, to a point, is legitimate, but when you take into account the big picture, Vick’s triumph offers so much more.

This season, the veteran is slated to enter training camp atop Chip Kelly’s depth chart, a guinea pig in the mad scientist’s experiment. As discussed in detail previously, the NFL has

Lacy fell in the NFL draft, but the RB didn't slide too far in our mock. (USAT)

SEE ROUNDS 1-2 HERE

SEE ROUNDS 3-4 HERE

SEE ROUNDS 4-5 HERE

ROUND 7

Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers (PK73, RB28) – Everyone saw what a monster he was at the collegiate level, averaging 6.8 YPC during his Alabama career, finding the end zone 19 times last season. Still, I won't guarantee that he's the Green Bay rookie to own this year. Maybe I should have snagged both Lacy and Franklin at the turn. – Behrens 1

Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens (PK74, WR33) – With another small uptick in targets, Smith will be a 1,000-yard receiver with double-digit touchdown potential. – Behrens 2

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers (PK75, RB29) – On the positive side, J–Stew is a highly–skilled complete RB. On the negative side, he plays with a QB who steals goal-line carries, a platoon partner that limits his touches and he's seemingly constantly nickel-and-dimed by minor injuries. But there's a chance DeAngelo will be cut, which would make Stewart a luxury as a RB3.
– Brandon 1