Week 21 Fantasy Stockwatch

Every Monday we'll take a look at the Fantasy Baseball gainers and decliners in our Fantasy Stockwatch.

This week's potential 'Buy Guys'

	SP Brandon Morrow, SEA No, he is not returning to the Mariners' rotation yet, but among September call-ups, few have the potential of this hard-throwing right-hander. Morrow will get a few more starts to stretch his arm out, but he should be ready to arrive around Sept. 1, barring setbacks. The 2006 No. 1 pick has served his Pitch-22 apprenticeship (good enough to start, but too valuable in relief). He will return to one of the worst teams in baseball, but he has the kind of talent that can still make him a trustworthy Fantasy option down the stretch. Felix Hernandez and a healthy Erik Bedard can have value, so Morrow can, too. He can be that good.
	2B Placido Polanco, DET Hot streaks are sweet, especially when they are accompanied with an uptick in power numbers. They are super sweet when there is a plausible reason behind it, too. Polanco has stopped choking up on the bat and has hit more homers of late. The one drawback with this second baseman has been his lack of homers, but if he can toss that variable into his game, he could be a top 10 Fantasy option. We think this hot streak is more of a function of a normal statistical correction, but perhaps you can use the choking down news to get max value for Polanco now.
	C Victor Martinez, CLE The preseason No. 1 Fantasy catcher is on a rehab assignment and popped a homer Sunday. Great news. The fact Kelly Shoppach is proving starter worthy is good news for V-Mart, too, actually. Because the slugging catcher -- yes, he is still a slugger despite another disappointing start to his season -- can get at-bats as DH. More DH at-bats for V-Mart means less days off than a normal catcher. We might even find out Martinez will become a full-time DH and part-time catcher going foward. That might be the best-case scenario going forward. He could be a .300-30-100-100 candidate next year in that split role.
	DH Travis Hafner, CLE Hafner has a much-less certain future than V-Mart, but whenever a former Fantasy first-round pick gets to return to action, you want to take notice. Hafner is still dealing with a chronic shoulder, but he is starting a rehab assignment Monday night and could prove healthy enough to return before September. This is a make or break time for the career DH, because the Indians might be inclined to view V-Mart as their DH for 2009. Healthy or not, Hafner has to be motivated to re-earn a starting job and respect of his organization.
	SP Brandon McCarthy, TEX Yet another injury-risk sleeper, and yet another potential impact September call-up all rolled into one. The difference between McCarthy and Morrow -- other than the injury questions and probable dearth of velocity -- is the Rangers pitching prospect can return to the best offense in baseball instead of one of the worst. McCarthy was doing very poorly when he was removed from the DL and optioned to the minors, but a chat with Nolan Ryan seems to have done him good. He has pitched 13 consecutive scoreless innings now. Consider him a potential sleeper in deeper leagues, especially when you consider the outstanding run support he can get to make him a winner for your Fantasy team down the stretch.

Some more 'Buy Guys' we couldn't fit in: 1B/3B Chris Davis, TEX; RP Jensen Lewis, CLE; SP Joe Blanton, PHI; 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, SD; SP Carl Pavano, NYY; SP Aaron Poreda, CHW; SS Jed Lowrie, BOS; RP Chris Perez, STL; OF Chris Dickerson, CIN; SP Brett Myers, PHI; OF Jeff Francoeur, ATL.

This week's potential 'Goodbye Guys'

	SP Phil Hughes, NYY Every step on his rehab stint he was proving more capable than Carl Pavano (elbow), until the potential final step Sunday. Hughes struggled in his Triple-A start and now will likely have to watch Pavano rejoin the Yankees rotation this weekend. Hughes might not get a shot until Joba Chamberlain (shoulder) is ready again now, too. This is certainly a kick in the front side of the pants for his Fantasy owners hoping to finally get some value out of their DL stashee.
	SP John Maine, NYM In yours truly's typical contrarian fashion, don't look kindly on Maine's 10 shutout innings since his return from the DL. Yes, he is seemingly pitching much better than when we called him a potential 20-game winner to start the season. He has been a huge disappointment in Fantasy and now a mini scoreless streak seems to show he is ready to breakthrough. But read more than just the stats. Maine, who was throwing 97 mph when we liked him so much before, is now topping out around 89 mph. That is a serious sign he is not right physically. He is running high pitch counts, too, proven to be nothing more than a five-inning pitcher. That is really bad news with the awful Mets bullpen that tends to give up touchdowns after the starter leaves -- not just three-run field goals but ghastly six-run touchdowns. Geez, is it football season? Apparently for the Mets' bullpen, it is.
	SP Brad Penny, LAD Penny, like Maine, has struggled in his return from shoulder woes. He is back on the DL and merely hopeful to return before the end of the season. Manager Joe Torre is not expecting him to at this point. Penny is not ruled out for the season, but you might as well for Fantasy purposes. The Dodgers will be cautious, even in a pennant race. If Penny returns it will be very late and only to build up arm strength for a potential postseason with a contender squarely in the thick of the NL Worst division title hunt.
	SP Aaron Harang, CIN 'Tis the season for pitchers with bum arms. Harang might say he is healthy, but he is merely a bum regardless. Added to his struggles is the Reds' firesale that has them without veteran thump in their lineup. We don't give Harang much of a chance to be a winner for your Fantasy team down the stretch, so it might even be time to cut him outright in mixed leagues. A bum arm, a bum pitcher and a bum team make he pretty worthless right now.
	3B Hank Blalock, TEX Hammerin' Hank is returning as soon as this weekend. Good news. But a lame shoulder won't allow him to play third base every day. That duty will go to splash rookie hit Chris Davis, who the Rangers will give a good look to at the position down the stretch. Blalock's return makes him a sleeper in deeper leagues, but you cannot expect too much from a player who has to change positions because his shoulder is still not right. A player can play with a sore shoulder. But bad shoulders notoriously saps a slugger's power and they will be nowhere near their best. Blalock is still talented and seemingly just entering his prime at 27, but how many years have we said the same about similar injury-risk third baseman Eric Chavez? Be afraid, very afraid.

Some more 'Goodbye Guys' we couldn't fit in: SP Josh Beckett, BOS; SP Kyle Lohse, STL; OF/1B Nick Swisher, CHW; SP Brian Bannister, KC; OF Ken Griffey, CHW; SP Kevin Millwood, TEX; 2B Aaron Hill, TOR; RP Eddie Kunz, NYM; RP Billy Wagner, NYM; SP Gio Gonzalez, OAK.

Stock advisor

Goosenyny, Garden City, N.Y.: You forgot to mention Jason Varitek.

Emack: Yeah, he is no longer a viable starter in mixed leagues. But, you should have known better than to trust a late-30s catcher. Age 32 is the age of breakdown at the rigorous position and Varitek is years past that.

Scruggs: With this year ending, I am already thinking about next year's draft. I drafted Albert Pujols 10th overall for my first pick this year, but as I look over the points for the overall year there are about eight other first baseman out there that are very close in points to Pujols. Is the first base position turning into a second round or later draft position, or is Pujols really the only first baseman that should be taken in the first round?

Emack: Pujols' consistency is what makes him a Fantasy first-rounder annually. You can trust him. If you drafted Prince Fielder in Round 1 you are disappointed. If you gave Ryan Howard a look as your first-rounder in leagues that penalize strikeouts, you are bummed out. Pujols is as close to a sure thing as they come. We cannot guarantee Lance Berkman will have another big year. In fact, we still think Pujols is the best first base Fantasy option down the stretch -- and that is in a year he was supposedly a candidate to be shut down early to repair a partially torn elbow ligament. Sure, first base is notoriously a deep position and good players can be had later, but Round 1 is just for the studs and Pujols will still qualify in that category for years.

You can e-mail us your Fantasy Baseball Stockwatch questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Stockwatch in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.