Joe Flacco (QB)

There are a lot of high expectations for Flacco in 2010 because the Ravens have added a good amount of talent offensively, while losing none. He had a strong start least season and now that he has stability from his receivers, his third season in the NFL could have him on the rise as a fantasy producer. He has been working with his receivers during the offseason and is communicating more in the huddle. He is good enough to draft as a starter for your fantasy football team because of his 4,000-yard and 25-touchdown potential.

Ray Rice (RB)

Rice’s second season wowed everyone. He led all running backs with 78 receptions for 702 yards and racked up 1,339 yards running. He scored 7 touchdowns on the ground and averaged 5.3 yards per catch. His all-around game and talent led him to over 100 total yards or a touchdown in 16 of the first 16 weeks last season. He is a definite top-5 fantasy draft pick for 2010.

Willis McGahee (RB)

Rice is definitely the focal point of the running game for the Ravens and Joe Flacco will grow even more in his role as quarterback. Therefore, McGahee will see fewer touches this season. He is still talented, however, and can do well when he gets the ball, which is why he could still have a couple of big games for the Ravens. He still has value as a goal-line runner until proven otherwise.

Anquan Boldin (WR)

Boldin’s lack of scores will hurt his fantasy value in 2010. He has only hit double-digit touchdowns once in his career. You can count him in for at least 80 receptions and 1,000 yards, though, which would make him a number two receiver for most fantasy teams. He gets hurt a lot, which leads to him missing a few games and his value diminishing.

Derrick Mason (WR)

Mason will start slowing down as he gets older. This could be the year that he picks up less than 1,000 total yards, especially since he is the Ravens number two wide receiver. However, he catches the ball well, which will make him a smart choice for a number three receiver on your fantasy team. He has the potential for 70 catches.

Todd Heap (TE)

Heap is not the same player he used to be. He has little potential for a big game here and there still, but is more of a fantasy reserve. He could get around 50 receptions for around 600 yards, but most likely won’t score more than 5 touchdowns. Those are not the numbers of a number one tight end. He’s got a rookie pushing him from behind and many injury concerns, as well, so don’t take a chance on him if you don’t have to.

Dante Stallworth (WR)

Stallworth is any fantasy football team’s wild card. He has not yet reached 1,000 yards for his career and his rookie season is when he hit his career high in touchdowns—8. He had a season off and is 29, so don’t expect him to break out. Don’t make the mistake of overpaying for him.

Dennis Pitta (TE)

Pitta and the other back-up tight ends don’t currently hold much fantasy value, but definitely need to be scouted in preparation for your 2010 fantasy football draft. With Todd Heap not playing near to his old self, the younger tight ends on the roster may start to get more playing time.

Marco Dawson

Late on Tuesday afternoon, Marco Dawson was added to the field of the Travelers Championship. He has split time between the Nationwide and PGA Tours this season.

Matt Kuchar

Matt Kuchar withdrew late on Tuesday from the Travelers Championship. He had been one of the two favorites to win this week.

Kirk Triplett

On Tuesday afternoon, Kirk Triplett was added to the field of the Travelers Championship. So far this season, he has made the cut in three events out of the four played on the PGA Tour.

Chris Rogers

Chris Rogers show a 5-under-par at Gillette Ridge GC in Bloomfield, Connecticut, earning co-medalist honors at the Monday qualifier for the Travelers Championship.

Glen Day

Glen Day has been added to the published field of this week’s Travelers Championship. He had been the third alternate and gained entry after three withdrawals.

Mark Hensby

Mark Hensby has been added to the published field of this week’s Travelers Championship after two withdrawals changed his second alternate position to an entry.

Paul Stankowski, Mark Brooks, and Brad Adamonis have all been added to the field of the Travelers Championship.

Patrick Kane-W-Blackhawks

Patrick Kane was named to the NHL’s first all-star team as their center, beating out Sidney Crosby. He finished the season with 30 goals and 88 points at only 21-years-old. Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Sedin joined Kane on the front line.

Erik Johnson-D-Blues

Erik Johnson has been given a qualifying offer by the Blues. He is eligible to become a free agent on July 1.

Jaroslav Halak-G-Blues

The St. Louis Blues have given a qualifying offer to newly-acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak. The Blues, however, have no desire to get rid of Halak.

Brad Richardson-W-Kings

Brad Richardson and four others have been given qualifying offers by the Los Angeles Kings. They will all become restricted free agents on July 1.

Ryan Getzlaf-C-Ducks

The NHL salary cap will rise to $59.4 million in the 2010-11 season. That is a $2.6 million increase over last season. Each team also must spend a minimum of $43.4 million.

Jose Theodore-G-Capitals

Jose Theodore accepted the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy on Wednesday night. It is given to the player that displays perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Theodore lost his infant con, Chace, to complications related to a premature birth last summer.

Martin St. Louis-W-Lightning

Martin St. Louis won the lady Byng Trophy on Wednesday night at the NHL Awards show. This trophy is given to the player who “exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combines with a high standard of playing ability.”

Sidney Crosby-C-Penguins

Sidney Crosby won the Mark Messier Leadership Award on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. This award recognizes the individual who is a superior leader on and off the ice and is a contributing member of society.

But what if you are deeper down the line?

In 2009, Ray Rice wasn’t drafted in the first round of most fantasy drafts , but his production throughout the season says he should have been.

So, this begs the question— who are the Ray Rices of 2010?

Last season, Rice had a total of 8 TDs, 2041 total yards, and 78 receptions. This Baltimore Raven definitely held his own against first and second overall picks and came at a low price. His average draft slot a year ago was about 40 ^th overall—round four, pick five in a 12-team fantasy league .

He won’t be as cheap this year, as people are expecting him to perform well and he will be in fantasy owner’s top five picks, but there are some running backs out there who could follow in his footsteps.

Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy is entering his second season and he will be the Eagles number one running back with Brian Westbrook gone. He showed promising signs last year in his limited playing time, with 945 total yards, four TDs, and 40 receptions.

He will definitely need to be considered before round four in most fantasy leagues, and has a decent chance at putting up numbers similar to Ray Rice’s from 2009.

In the middle rounds, you may choose to draft Knowshon Moreno, RB for the Denver Broncos. He will most likely outproduce his draft position, leaving you very happy at the end of the season when he puts up impressive numbers.

As a rookie in 2009, Moreno had 1,160 total yards, 9 TDs, and 28 receptions. His role will increase in 2010, giving him a great opportunity to improve.

Matt Forte of Chicago could also be a good middle rounder.

In 2008, he put up impressive rookie numbers and although Chester Taylor has Chicago’s backfield clogged, Forte still has potential to flourish. A quick look back at how Mike Martz’ offense affected Marshall Faulk leaves fantasy owners drooling over the possibilities for Forte in Chicago.

Donald Brown of the Indianapolis Colts could also have the opportunity to be very productive, as the future of Joseph Addai with the Colts is uncertain. Brown battled injuries last year, but could quickly become the starter if Addai struggles.

Laurence Maroney of New England is another back that a lot of people are down on, but could still surprise some people.

Entering his fifth season, Maroney is only 25 years old and still hasn’t seen 200 carries in a season.

Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor, and Kevin Faulk are getting older, so Maroney could get more touches this year.

Tashard Choice of the Dallas Cowboys won’t be setting any fantasy records this year, and with Marion Barber’s growing injury concerns stemming from last season, a lot of focus has been shifted to Felix Jones.

Look for the former Razorback to step into a bigger role and shock some people.

As Ray Rice proved last year, when selecting your fantasy football team, you have to look out for the sleepers.

Rice is a more obvious choice this year when choosing running backs in the early rounds and he will be more difficult to get after the numbers he put up, but these are a few of the guys who could have the type of numbers that Rice put up in 2009.

His sophomore season saw great improvements to his overall game. Although you will rarely see him in the highlight reels on ESPN, his presence on the field is felt. Rice had 100 yard games and/or scored a touchdown in 14 of the first 16 weeks of the 2009 season.

His quarterback, Joe Flacco, was still learning the ropes last year, but with improvements to his game and solid additions to the Ravens’ passing attack, Rice is poised to have another big year in fantasy football .

To prove that Rice will be a force to be reckoned with in 2010, we look at something coach John Harbaugh had to say about him at the end of May, “You couldn’t have a better off-season that what Ray Rice is having.” His conditioning is still impeccable as he now sits at a chiseled 210 pounds.

Rice will be valuable to any fantasy team for several reasons. He has proven himself to be an elite fantasy running back, competing with the likes of Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and Maurice Jones-Drew for a first round fantasy draft pick.

Last season, he had four games where he surpassed 100 rushing yards. He’s extremely versatile, as he also has a game in the books where he had over 100 receiving yards. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield makes him an explosive option.

However, don’t let the few games where Rice’s rushing yards were limited fool you. He did not always score a rushing touchdown, but he had four games where he brought in at least four receptions. His projected 2010 numbers should come close to what he did in 2009, and it’s reasonable to expect him to put up stats like these: 1,255 rushing yards, 864 receiving yards, and 10 TDs.

His rushing yards may drop a little, but as Flacco comes to his full potential, Rice will be used as a receiver option more often, and the other offensive talent will help take the defense’s focus off of Rice..this could inevitably lead to more touchdowns.

There are some predictions that not only will Rice be a Top-five pick, but could take over as the leading No. 1 pick. So why choose Rice over Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson? Johnson rushed for over 2,000 yards last season and no running back has been able to repeat such success. Peterson could be looked over in favor of Rice due to his fumble issues.

As for Rice, he now has Anquan Boldin demanding the respect of opposing teams and he’ll get even more daylight to run through than he did last year. Boldin will be double-teamed at times and defenses will finally have to respect the Baltimore passing game.

After the group stages are finished and two teams from each group advance comes the do-or-die games.

Whether the teams advance as a number one seed or a number two seed I believe will be very important to how far they go in the tournament.

I have previously written on which teams I believe will advance out of the group stages, but let’s recap:

Group A- Mexico, Uruguay (No France! Overall, I think their coaching is going to hurt them).

Group B- Argentina, Nigeria.

Group C- England, United States (I was tempted to put Slovenia here, but I have to support my country).

Group D- Germany, Serbia.

Group E- Netherlands, Cameroon.

Group F- Italy, Paraguay.

Group G- Brazil, Portugal.

Group H- Spain, Chile.

As for the second round, I only have two second seeded teams advancing- Nigeria and The United States. Yes, this means we would have to beat Germany who would be the heavy favorite. This is a stretch, I realize. So pick it the other way around, if you’d like.

Nigeria will have the entire African continent behind them. Advantage? Chile is probably one of my favorite little countries that have a strong team this year. They are one to look out for, but there’s no way that they can beat Brazil. My bracket may look a little upset-heavy, but it breaks down like this:

Nigeria over Mexico.

Argentina over Uruguay.

England over Serbia.

United States over Germany.

Netherlands over Paraguay.

Italy over Cameroon.

Brazil over Chile.

Spain over Portugal.

My quarterfinals are not as surprising, given who I have left. England and Argentina have it easy once they get here and the Italians will show people that they are somewhat overrated. The only question would be whether or not Brazil could get kicked off their high horse.

England over Nigeria

Argentina over United States

Brazil over Netherlands

Spain over Italy

The routes each team took to the semifinals will have an impact on the outcomes. England won’t have played an extremely fast-paced or challenging game yet where as Brazil will have.

Brazil over England.

Spain over Argentina.

This might not seem original. I have the Finals being between FIFA’s number one and number two ranked teams. Xavi may be the difference in the game at midfield.

Spain over Brazil.

Argentina will beat England for third place. I don’t see it being that great of a game since both of these teams have a goal of making it to the Finals. They will be discouraged, but I see Messi pulling it out for his team.

Those are my fantasy picks. Obviously one little discrepancy can change a whole bracket! I’m a sucker for the underdogs in the beginning, but I feel they’re warranted.

Ah, the group of death. Aside from North Korea, all of these teams have the talent and chance to advance past the first round and further. This is the fantasy soccer player’s nightmare.

Brazil is looking to win the World Cup and definitely are the favorites to do so. Cesar, Kaka, and Fabiano will get them there. The only reason their defense may not come out with clean sheets is because the quality of the offenses in this group is very high.

Ivory Coast is probably the best African nation team this year. The roster has six strikers instead of the normal four as they try to score a lot of goals since their defense may not hold up against the Portugal and Brazil offenses. Drogba has a broken arm, and they will hope that losing their top striker doesn’t take them out of the running for the number two slot.

Sorry, North Korea. Your 106^th ranking and placement in the group of death will give you one of the smallest chances of advancing in the tournament. They have two somewhat stand out players—Jong Tae-se and Hong Yong-yo.

Portugal has a chance to be upset and not make it out of the group stages as well. They had to win a playoff game to make it through qualifying and haven’t beaten a very talented team in awhile. Cristiano Ronaldo may have to hold this team on his back, but the pressure might make him crumble.

Group H:

Chile gave up a lot of goals in qualifying as their defense is weak, and they run a 3-3-1-3 formation. Their attack is made up of Suazo, Fernandez, and Sanchez.

They have inexperience and are young, but whether this will hurt them is yet to be seen. Claudo Bravo will have to make up for the lack of defense in front of him, but he could still come away with a shut out.

Honduras has a lower world ranking, but will be Chile’s competition for grabbing the number two spot in this group. Carlo Costly and Carlos Pavon are very consistent scorers up front. Midfielder Palacios may be their best player and is definitely a threat to score as well.

Spain will win this group, and they might win the whole tournament too. They are skilled, and most of their players are in their prime. Every player in their starting 11 is extremely talented.

What is different about Spain is that their defense is extremely strong, so on top of scoring goals, they could come out with shut outs.

Switzerland isn’t favored to make it out of the group stages, but they can be pesky. Even though Frei and Nkufo are older, they can still score. Goalkeeper Benaglio and the Swiss defense only gave up eight goals in qualifying.

Group E

Other than the Netherlands winning this group, there is next to no certainty about its outcome. The other three teams all have the opportunity and talent to grab the No. 2 slot.

Cameroon is not a nation that should be overlooked. Eto’o is going to be an asset to this team along with all of the other players from clubs all over Europe. Their midfield is strong with Arsenal’s Alexandre Song and Lyon’s Jean Il Makoun.

Achille Emana also has six goals in 31 appearances. Their defense is all right so they could pick up at least one shutout.

Denmark has players from a lot of the big name clubs, but their depth may become an issue. They will need to be injury-free and the young players will have to step up, namely Nicklas Bendtner.

They will have a hard time keeping goals from landing in the net, but could give Cameroon and run for their money when it comes to position No. 2.

Japan is the underdog in this group, but they open the tournament against Cameroon and have won five out of their last six games against African nations. There won’t be many stand out players and that may be Japan’s problem.

The Netherlands, being ranked fourth in the world, are favorites not only to win Group E, but to advance as far as the finals. They will score easily in the first round. Their midfield is stacked with Robben, who may be the best player in the world right now, and Sneijder. Their defense and goalkeeping could account for at least one first round clean sheet.

Group F

The number one slot here is not as set in stone as one might think, even though the Italians are the defending champions. Fantasy brackets should consider Paraguay here, as well.

Italy will be looking for its fifth World Cup title. Their backline is one of the strongest and it wouldn’t be a surprise is they made it through the first round clean.

Gianluigi Buffon hasn’t lost much stamina or talent since 2006 when he took home the top goalkeeper award at the World Cup for allowing only two goals the whole tournament. Their midfield won’t score goals, but their strikers will.

Paraguay has a strong defense, but also a tenacious offense which will help them take the second spot. Look for Santa Cruz and da Silva to make an impact on both lines.

World rankings don’t always have meaning behind them during the World Cup , but New Zealand’s ranking of 78 is actually conducive to their amount of talent. There aren’t many standouts and their qualifying region was Oceania, which is very weak.

It will be Slovakia’s first time to the World Cup as an independent nation. They definitely have the chance to knock off Paraguay for the second spot in Group F.

Martin Skrtel will head up their defense and could possibly score some goals as well. Stanislav Sestak led the team with six goals in qualifying.

Italy: They won it all in 2006 and looked unimpressive almost all the way through the tournament. For this reason, no one should ever count them out. They were placed in an easy group and probably won’t be challenged until the quarterfinals. In the easy games, they will look lackluster, but they’ll pick it up when it matters most. A few upsets could put Italy in the final.

England: Wayne Rooney is a game changer and Fabio Capello has one of the greatest minds in the sport. They attack hard and will score a lot of goals. If they win an easy group, they won’t have to face any of the tournaments big names until semifinals.

The Netherlands: They have already proven themselves against second-tier teams in qualifying by outscoring them 17-2, but they will bring the same talent and desire to win to games against tougher opponents. They have the ability to attack and score quickly, which could be discouraging for the defenses from Brazil and Spain.

Argentina: Their defense is firm and the back four do not attack. Their offense has an array of attacking talent, including Leo Messi who is probably the best player in the world. He might not play well, but if he does then Argentina will be very difficult to beat.

Germany: Joachim Low is one of the best coaches out of everyone involved. The Germans have a lot of young talent and a couple of veterans to steer the wheel. They will probably be even better in 2014 , but don’t count them out in 2010.

Slovenia: Their game against Russia in the qualifiers was impressive. They were lucky and landed in Group C. They could easily turn into a sleeper.

Algeria: Their players are determined to make their country proud. There has been a lot of talk about how they could never advance past England and the United States, which is probably just making the players more determined. Their mentality is definitely there.

Chile: They won more games during qualifying than Brazil did and finished above Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. They haven’t played well against top-tier teams, but that may change.

Slovakia: In 2006, they were extremely good which gave them a berth into the group stages in 2010. They fought hard to get where they are and aren’t ready to give up yet.

Korea DPR: They don’t have many big names and have a very difficult draw, but their mentality and desire to win is as strong as anyone’s.

It is quite possible that England could completely run away with this group if they play well. A lot of US fans believe they’re a lock to advance, too… but there are several reasons not to be too confident inWorld Cup play.

Algeria is full of injuries, including starters Madjid Bougherra and Mourad Meghini. They have minimal experience so these injuries are going to hurt them tremendously. They still have their best player, Karim Ziani, but it would take a lot of luck and effort to get these guys past round one.

England is ranked 8^th in the World. They didn’t make it to Euro 2008, but now they have a new manager (Fabio Capello) and won nine our of their 10 qualifying games. They’re a team that can compete for the final. Rooney, Lampard, and Gerard are all strong players for England. They may have a few shutouts in the first round, but when (yes, when) they make it to the Round of 16 that could be a different story.

Slovenia is not a heavy scoring team, but when they do it will most likely be by Milivoje Novakovic and captain Robert Koren. For Slovenia to do well, Koren will have to be playing at the top of his gane. Their goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic, could possibly wrap up a clean sheet against Algeria. That would help a lot.

This year’s United States team boasts something different- a number of international players who have played well outside of the United States. They have a new manager (Bob Bradley) and are looking to make it out of the group stages. Their top three players and the ones scoring most of the goals will be Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore (he’s healthy, folks!).

Group D:

This group has become one of the most competitive. Australia, however, will be facing teams in this groups who are much more talented than those they have faced recently. They boast a world ranking of 20, but will have difficulty making it out of the group stages. It is a team of veterans, so they have experience…but they are also older. Look for Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell making an impact.

Germany is ranked 6^th in the World, but Michael Ballack has been injured and they are desperately trying to find a replacement. Bastian Schweinsteiger will be most likely to take his place, but defender Philipp Lahm will probably take his captain seat. Even with the injuries, Germany will probably finish first in Group D.

Ghana is dealing with injuries as well with Michael Essein now out. They will need new leadership. Asamoah Gyan is not a big name yet, but he is talented and has the opportunity to shine with Essein gone. Anthony Annan will have to fill the hole at midfield. He doesn’t have much experience, but if he can find the right moments to play well, Ghana could still advance.

Ghana will be competing with Serbia for the number two spot in the group. Somehow even with their ranking of 15^th in the world, not many people are expecting Serbia to succeed. However, they gave a good manager and lots of quality players in their first independent appearance at theWorld Cup. 6’8” Nikola Zigic is a very large man and may be able to intimidate other players on the field. Their midfield boasts Stankovic and Jovanovic, both talented players.