NEWS » leagues premier rim protectors, Embiid

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves have agreed to a minor league contract with left-hander John Danks.The 31-year-old Danks was released by the Chicago White Sox in May after going 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA in four starts. He was in the final season of a $65 million, five-year contract that began when he was one of the games most promising young starters.Danks was a first-round pick who went a career-best 15-11 with a 3.72 ERA in 2010. But he was plagued by injuries after signing his big contract, going 25-48 over the last five seasons.The deal reached Monday with the Braves includes an invitation to the big league camp in spring training. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports he will receive a prorated $1.5 million contract for any time spent in the majors.Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. Grant Holmes Jersey .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/915m-matt-olson-jersey-athletics.html .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Dave Henderson Athletics Jersey . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Mc Hammer Athletics Jersey . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead.With nine games being played Friday night, there are a multitude of options for your DFS basketball lineup. Whom should you build around and whom should you avoid? Our experts have you covered.Todays panel consists of Kyle Soppe, Joe Kaiser, Jim McCormick and Renee Miller.Players to build aroundJoe Kaiser -- ?Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers How great has Embiid been in his first dozen NBA games? Lets put it this way: He has outscored?Hassan Whiteside (18.2 to 17.3) and is equaling Whiteside in blocks (2.4) despite playing 10 fewer minutes per game (22.8 to 32.8). Embiids minutes restriction has been raised to 28 heading into tonights game against Orlando and his salary doesnt yet factor that in, so take advantage of this while you can. His price tag will likely jump up after tonights game.Jim McCormick -- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ersHe has a similar projection and ceiling to his more expensive peers, like?Blake Griffin. We also appreciate the expected uptick in minutes for Embiid. More exposure is inviting for Embiid, as only Russell Westbrook, James Harden and DeMarcus Cousins claim higher usage rates than the 76ers standout center. With Philadelphia favored at home against Orlando, we can expect Embiid to enjoy steady minutes with the opportunity to build another big box score.Kyle Soppe -- Jae Crowder, Boston CelticsAt the beginning of this week, it was reported that Crowder had shed the minutes limit he had been under since returning from an ankle injury that cost him over two weeks. He has been a strong value play ever since. I fully expect that to continue tonight against a Kings team that ranks among the bottom 10 in defensive efficiency and has allowed at least 99 points in eight straight games.Im not thrilled about Crowders reliance on the 3-ball dating back to last season (and highlighted again on Wednesday as 10 of his 15 field goal attempts came from distance), but with the Kings allowing the fourth-most made triples a game, Crowder should be getting open looks if he decides to settle. I like the versatile game here, as Crowder has produced at least five rebounds or five assists in four of his last five games. I think his confidence in his health will allow him to be more aggressive and get to the line more than what weve seen this season. Invest in Crowder while the price is still right.Renee Miller -- Rajon Rondo, Chicago Bulls If youve been watching what opposing point guards have been doing to the Cavaliers this season, and over the past week or so in particular, youre with me on this one. Opposing teams point guards have averaged over 70 DraftKings points against Cleveland over the last five games, and the third-most per game for the season.Since returning from injury, Rondo has been effective in just about every statistical category every night -- a key feature in a building block. I want the high floor that comes from multicategory production and the upside that comes from the possibility of a doublee-double or even a triple-double in Rondos case.dddddddddddd His midrange salary gives me plenty of flexibility to work in higher priced stars at other positions.Players to fadeKyle Soppe -- Andre Drummond, Detroit PistonsI mentioned this earlier in the week, and Im going to continue to beat the drummond, as it were. Why would anyone roster Drummond at his current price? Yes, I get the high floor argument, but why pay up for him when you can get DeAndre Jordan for less? ?Last week, doing so paid off big, and while it wont always work out, Im not paying more for an identical skill set.From up here on my soap box, Ill make the anti-Drummond point for tonight in Atlanta. First of all, the Hawks own the most efficient defense in basketball and are a top-five rebounding team. What exactly are you hoping Drummond does well in this spot? Furthermore, the matchup with Dwight Howard scares me. Not only does it open the door for Drummond to get into foul trouble, it also presents a tough matchup on the other end of the floor. Im fading the Pistons big man again tonight and will once again go with Jordan if Im looking for an elite rebounder to anchor my DFS roster.Joe Kaiser -- James Harden, Houston Rockets This is a bold move, especially since Harden is facing a Denver team thats struggled to slow down any guards this season. However, lets remember that Harden is coming off an extremely hard-fought double-overtime win over Golden State on Thursday night. Playing one night later in the altitude of Denver isnt ideal, especially when hes one of the two highest-priced players of the night on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Im fading The Beard for one of the few times all season.Jim McCormick -- Nikola Vucevic, Orlando MagicWhen Joel Embiid is on the court, the 76ers enjoy an elite defensive rating of 98.5 points surrendered per 48 minutes. That rating would be second-best in the league if it were extrapolated out over the whole season. As one of the leagues premier rim protectors, Embiid could give Vucevic fits in the paint. Even though he often delivers a high fantasy floor, Id rather look elsewhere than the Magic big man tonight.Renee Miller -- Otto Porter Jr., Washington WizardsPorter is often the guy who fits right into lineups and provides the rock-solid floor you often cant get from anyone else at SF for his price. Tonight is a different story, as not only are there other guys Id like to use at the position, but Porter faces off against arguably the leagues best defender in Kawhi Leonard. This positional matchup, combined with a downgrade in pace for the Wizards, is forcing me to spend up or save more than Porter tonight. My feeling is that he doesnt repeat last weeks performance. I will, though, have some exposure to teammate Bradley Beal, who has not been the only effective SG to face the Spurs lately. ' ' '