Point, click, Blanks (USAT)

If you go back a few years, Kyle Blanks was a pretty big thing in our fake baseball world. He raced through the early minors as a teenager and 20-something, eventually landing in San Diego for 54 games in 2009. Blanks clocked 10 homers and slugged .514 that summer, and the future looked bright.

Not much has gone right for Blanks since then. A busted elbow wrecked his 2010 season. Anthony Rizzo temporary blocked his path at first base. A labrum tear wrecked the 2012 campaign. Blanks wasn't on anyone's mixed-league draft list, or sleeper list, this spring.

Maybe 2013 is the season Blanks finally catches a break. He's still just 26. Plausible upside awaits you.

Blanks was centrally involved in Friday's delicious keg tapper at Coors Field, collecting three hits (single, double, homer), two runs and three RBIs. His slash line is up to .292/.374/.491, and he'll probably play a lot while Yonder Alonso rehabs his broken hand. (I don't view Jesus Guzman as a major playing-time threat, and neither should you.)

Hurry back, Mitch Moreland (USAT)

The Mitch Moreland breakout campaign has been a blast, but a sore hamstring puts the story on hold. Moreland landed on the 15-day DL on Thursday, and he's not going to test the hamstring for another 5-6 days. Let's look into the open seat in Texas.

Interesting prospect Chris McGuiness is up from Triple-A and slated to pick up most of Moreland's at-bats. McGuiness, 25, was MVP of the Arizona Fall League in 2012 and he's been productive at Round Rock this spring (.275/.382/.477, six homers). A lefty swinger, he'll probably fall into the heavy side of a platoon - and maybe face the occasional southpaw, too.

Journeyman Jeff Baker has a strong case for the other side of the platoon - he's been absolutely crushing lefties this year (.385/.489/.923, six homers in 39 at-bats). This isn't a new skill from Baker, he's always been a plus bat when enjoying the platoon advantage (.875 OPS). It will be interesting to see if this news filters down to Ron Washington.

If you're inclined to kick the tires on McGuiness, the schedule plays nicely for you. The Rangers face seven right-handed opponents over the next nine days, with two Mark Buehrle appearances breaking things up. Texas also starts a delicious 11-game homestand on Monday; Arlington is a fun place to be invested. In medium and deeper mixed leagues, see what's left in the FAAB piggy bank.

Ace down in Cincinnati (USAT)Timing is everything. Heads up in Cincinnati, we might have a buying opportunity.

Johnny Cueto landed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, a recurrence of his strained lat muscle. He felt the discomfort return during his last outing, which curiously enough was an electric one-hitter over eight innings against Pittsburgh. The move sent the Reds scrambling for an alternative, with the spinner ultimately landing on non-prospect Pedro Villarreal (the numbers speak for themselves).

Tony Cingrani, you ask? He last worked in the minors on June 2. He wasn't an option on such short notice. But we'll get back to him.

Villarreal didn't exactly take the opportunity and run with it - his first start in the show turned into Colorado batting practice (10 H, 6 R, 3 HR). It's doubtful he'll get another chance as the Cueto stand-in.

Cueto doesn't think he'll be out long - that's par for the course with athlete injuries. Most of these guys lived a life of Superman along their rise to prominence, and it often leads to them overestimating their recuperation potential.

"This (new injury) isn't close to what it was," Cueto told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Actually, I don't think too much about this one. All I want is to be ready. If we, thank God, go to the playoffs, I want to be ready."

Hope for the best with Cueto but in the meantime, let's see if Cingrani is out there in our key leagues. Late trading spiked him up to a 20-percent tag in Yahoo! by the close of Wednesday. He posted a 3.27 ERA in six Cincinnati starts earlier this year (nine walks, 41 strikeouts), and he's been untouchable in Triple-A (1.15 ERA, 11 BB, 49 K). Nothing is guaranteed, but the upside can't be ignored. This is the type of arm that's gold in any league that limits starts or innings pitched.

Impressive from every angle (USAT)

From fantasy perspective, Yasiel Puig's debut wasn't anything special. Two singles in four at-bats, no run production. But anyone who watched the full spectacle of his Monday introduction had to come away impressed.

The Dodgers knew they were getting a toolsy prospect when they dropped a $42 million contract on Puig last June, and that was validated in the series-opening victory over San Diego. Puig showed afterburners on the bases, going first to third on a shallow single, and he ended the game with a brilliant throw from right field. Seriously, go watch that tape now. And at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, the rookie fills out the uniform nicely.

Back to our fake numbers racket, there's legitimate reason to be excited. Puig was an overlord during spring training (.517, three homers) and he also made a splash at Double-A Chattanooga (.313/.383/.599 eight homers, 13 steals). Don Mattingly isn't handling the rookie with kid gloves: Puig went right into the leadoff spot. This is a team that badly needs a spark; maybe the 22-year-old Cuban can provide it.

Jonathan Lucroy, unmasked (USAT)

Today's Shuffle Up assignment is the catchers, the backstops, the men in the tools of ignorance. Everyone should play catcher (and goalie) at some point in their youth sports career. It builds character.

We're trying to rank players for future 5x5 value. What's happened to this point is an audition, nothing past that. Players listed at the same price are considered even.

Your respectful and intelligent disagreement is always welcome in the comments, but for the love of all things holy, give us a reason. Further the conversation, gamer. Win the debate, you may win the rank.

I reserve to tweak this list Monday; usual rules apply. Dig in, game on.

A couple of Yanks discuss web security (USAT)

June is here and "small-sample size" no longer qualifies as 2013 roto analysis. Sounds like a good time to assemble, renew our fake friendship.

The Red Sox and Yankees are on the sandlot, the Kings and Blackhawks are on the ice, Mad Men have a cocktail on the way. Set up your televisions, fill your ice trays, mobilize your interns and let's figure it all out.

First chat is set for 5 pm PST. You have a couple of hours to get in character.

Pensive Strasburg (USAT)It's a casual Friday, all bullets, all the time.

• The Washington Nationals were the consensus NL favorite when the season opened, so a 28-27 record to this point (and a minus-22 run differential) has to be seen as a disappointment. And it could be a while before this team is firing on full cylinders.

Washington was able to score a 3-2 victory over the Braves on Friday, but the win came at a cost. Ace right-hander Stephen Strasburg was forced out of the game after just two innings and 37 pitches. It turns out he's battling a strained right oblique muscle.

You can spin this particular injury in a couple of directions. On one hand it seems likely he'll need a disabled list stint, and the timetable for an oblique healing can be an elusive thing. But on the positive side, at least this setback isn't related to Strasburg's arm, elbow or shoulder. It's pesky news for a roto owner, but it could have been a lot worse.

(Saturday PM Update: Upon evaluation Saturday, it was revealed Strasburg actually has a lat strain and it's merely a Grade 1 lat strain, the least severe. He might be able to pitch next week. Stay tuned.)

Strasburg will have someone to keep him company in the rehab room: Washington's other signature star, Bryce Harper, isn't healthy either. A sore knee has kept Harper out of play since Sunday, and the Nationals will probably put him on the DL this weekend. At least the move can be backdated, which means we could see Harper return by the second week of June. Harper's bat and power have been terrific in the opening third of the year (.287/.386/.587), though he hasn't been anything special on the bases (2-for-4). When he's at full health, this is probably one of the Top 12 offensive commodities in fake baseball.

• If you're looking for a plug-and-play outfielder, perhaps Josh Reddick can help you. Oakland welcomed back its right fielder and facial-hair leader for Friday's game against the White Sox, and Reddick wound up driving in the deciding run with a scorched double in the eighth inning. Let's not fret over Reddick's awful .158 start; he was dealing with a wrist injury from the first week of the year. He's capable of hitting 20-plus homers the rest of the way, and he's proven to be handy on the bases as well (16-for-17 since the opening of 2012; five swipes this year). You'll find him free to grab in two-thirds of Yahoo! leagues.

Tim Lincecum, toxic fantasy asset (Getty)

Everyone remembers the good old days with Tim Lincecum. You had a couple of Cy Young Awards, in 2008 and 2009. He made the All-Star Team four years in a row. He topped the NL in strikeouts for three years running. Long hair and surfer looks, must-see TV by the bay.

Alas, it's time to accept the old version of Lincecum is gone somewhere, unlikely to return. Heck, that realization is well overdue, gamers.

What would it take to get you out of a Lincecum engagement today? Why is he still owned in 88 percent of Yahoo! leagues?

Lincecum was dealt his third consecutive defeat in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to Oakland, compiling a messy line along the way: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. His ERA swelled to 5.12, his WHIP now sits at 1.48. He's currently ranked 854th in Yahoo's fantasy game.

If you want to shrug and say "it's only 11 starts," okay, that's your constitutional right. But please note he posted basically the same line in 2012 (5.18/1.47), over the course of 33 starts. In other words, this guy has been a horrendous major league pitcher over 44 turns, covering 251 innings. There's a mountain of evidence against Lincecum now. We're not looking at a small sample of crummy results, we're looking at a big chunk of numbers.