You know the type.

It’s that guy sitting by himself, frantically trying to digest every last word of his dog-eared and tattered fantasy baseball magazine before he’s on the clock. He’s hyperventilating over whether to take Hanley Ramirez or Alex Rodriguez with the second overall pick. You almost feel bad for him.

These type of fantasy managers are the last-minute crammers, and they unfortunately grab the easiest thing on the way out the door to study on the way to the draft … their outdated fantasy baseball magazine.

Now I’m not saying that these magazines are bad — I own two myself — but to be successful on draft day, you need to crunch more information than Fanball’s cheatsheets galore publication.

You need to watch player feeds, know what is going on during a day-to-day basis. There are several sites out there with solid player feeds. I personally check rotoworld.com the most often, and as a service for our ninja nation, I’ll be updating our minions on some of the most notable player updates as they happen. Here are a few from this past week that caught my eye:

On Monday, news from the Chicago Sun Times was not good for former fantasy uber-stud Alfonso Soriano. He admitted on Monday that his surgically repaired knee is maybe “maybe 80 percent or 85 percent.” With just over a month until the season kicks off, I’d be hoping for better things from Soriano. Perhaps the most disturbing comment, however, was when he mentioned that he isn’t feeling 100 percent mentally, either. Again, it’s early, but don’t expect a whole lot out of Soriano in your respective leagues … not that he was a high pick anyway.

A perennial injury punching bag, Josh Hamilton can be downright awesome when healthy. However, we all know he struggles to do that, which makes news earlier this week involving an injury during practice all that more ironic and disappointing. He suffered a shoulder contusion while diving for a ball. The injury itself isn’t serious at all, but an early signal of things to come for Hamilton?

It is ways too early to know where ultimate pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg will start the season. Smart money has him starting in the minors, but he’s been wowing the critics so far this early preseason. He was 4-1 with a 4.29 ERA in the Arizona Fall League and if he turns enough heads in exhibition games, Strasburg could still conceivably start the season with the Nationals big league team. Watch the situation closely heading into your respective drafts.

Many Yankee fans were stunned and disgusted when news broke earlier this week that Chan Ho Park will be playing in pinstripes this season. I wasn’t one of them. I’m sure most of them were concerned that Park would find his way into the rotation and his inconsistent ways would doom the Yankees every fifth day. Park did post a dismal 7.29 ERA over seven starts in 2009. However, rest assured that the Yankees will be using Park in middle relief, where he could provide some really cheap value for the Yanks. He had a 2.52 ERA and a 52/16 strike-per-walk ration in 38 relief appearances in 2009. With a powerful Yankee lineup behind him, Park could provide some middle-relief fantasy value, too, including a cheap source of holds … especially since he’ll likely still be eligible at the starting pitcher position, too.

Jair Jurrjens, who is nursing a sore shoulder, is a sleeper candidate for many this preseason. It is encouraging to hear that he has been “begging” to get on the mound and pitch and is on a mission to take the next step as a starting pitcher. Make sure you stash him away in your respective drafts.

The New York Daily News reports that Jose Reyes has been in great shape so far this preseason after an injury-riddled 2009 played havoc with his overall value. According to reports, Reyes said, “It’s better than I expected. I expected to be careful. I was running with no problem. Everything — a straight single, a base hit to right field, double, score from second and a sacrifice fly.” Reyes could provide some value if he falls far enough in your draft and is able to bounce back to his previous first-round production.

What tidbits have you heard this week? Share them in the comments below.

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Not sleeping, mind you, but sleepers.

For those who lack the lingo of fantasy sports, sleepers are players who you feel will greatly outproduce projections heading into the season. They are players that you can acquire at a solid value. Identify and draft (or trade for) several sleeper players, and you’ll have plenty of ammo to survive your fantasy football season and make some noise in the postseason.

Every fantasy site – and every fantasy manager — has his own list of sleepers. Check out as many as you can, compare notes and watch for trends. Usually, the best sleepers are players who find themselves in the right place at the right time. They can be rookies who excel in a new system, a player who is traded into the right situation or an aging player that other fantasy owners have written off.

Now, I’m the type of guy who likes to go against the grain at times. You can read all about “sleepers” like Steve Slaton (who I expect good things from this season), Fred Taylor and Anthony Gonzalez in a different post at a different time.

Instead, I present to you three of my ”off-the-beaten-path” sleeper picks:

QB: Matt Schaub, Houston

Those who know me know that I’m obsessed with Schaub as a super QB value. I posted an indepth column about him here. What’s not to like about Schaub? He’s got a young, yet steadily improving defense to help keep games in hand. He’s got a young, yet steadily improving running back who loves to catch the ball out of the backfield and make some noise in the trenches (Steve Slaton,  for those who didn’t already know). He’s got arguably the best receiver in the game to throw to (Andre Johnson) and many people seriously undervalue both WR Kevin Walter and TE Owen Daniels. Schaub was fantasy gold last season when he played. In those games, he ranked sixth in overall fantasy performance, was fourth in yards per game and was in the top eight in TDs per game played. The only thing standing between Schaub and fantasy stardom is a tendency to get banged up. However, the Texans O-line is an under-rated group that continues to improve. If Schaub can stay healthy all season, I will put my reputation (what little I have) on the line in saying that Schaub performs as a top-five fantasy QB. Now imagine getting that late in your draft, after filling your roster with studs at other positions.

RB: Chester Taylor, Minnesota

Again, I could have rattled off a number of value picks here, but I wanted to dig a little deeper. Chester Taylor is currently backing up Adrian Peterson with the Vikings. On the surface, there may not seem to be much point in drafting Taylor onto your fantasy team. Except that Taylor, when getting his share of carries, can still produce. He finished last season with just a hair under 400 yards rushing — and another 400 yards receiving — with a total of six TDs in spot duty. Adrian Peterson is a stud back, but many wonder about his long-term durability, especially when considering how hard he runs each time he touches the ball. I am predicting that he will be hampered by some sort of injury this season at some point. Many feel that Peterson will see a reduction in carries this season as the Vikings attempt to keep him fresh for a possible playoff run. Odds are also lining up that Brett Favre will be QBing the Vikings this year, which will open lanes for the running game. Also, the Vikings have a cupcake schedule — especially for the first third of the season. Lastly, many don’t realize that Taylor, this year, is an unrestricted free agent. His 2010 payday — and where he plays next season — will depend solely on how well he performs this year. You would be very wise to snag Taylor late in your respective drafts and stash him away for a rainy day.

WR: Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh

Again, there are a lot of potential options here, but Holmes has all the makings of finally taking his game to the next level. Reports from the Steel City relay that Holmes has bulked up in the offseason in preparation to be a more physical presence on the field. Nate Washington has left Dodge, and Holmes will see even more targets as a result. Overall, I would not be surprised to see Holmes double his TD total from last year (5) and finish the season as an elite option.

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