Radioactive Material: 5 Guys I Wouldn’t Touch With a 5-Foot Pole in a Daily Fantasy Contest.

In fantasy baseball, there are 5 types of players. Great players, good players, worrisome players, bad players, and then…radioactive material. These are guys that might have some name recognition that makes them tempting, but are honestly so detrimental to your fantasy team that you might as well form your team based on closing your eyes and throwing darts at a list of the Kansas City Royals lineup for your daily fantasy contest.

If you have these 5 guys on your team, drop them now. If you are offered them in a trade, decline it. If you are picking a one-day league, if these players aren’t performing fantastically against the opposing starter, you better not even consider them. I think I’ve made myself clear. Ready? Good. Listen up if you want to do well with your daily fantasy contest.

1. Todd Helton, 1B, Colorado. Look at a calendar, it’s 2010. It’s time to rid yourself of 1990’s stars. He’s played well in recent years, but this is not one of them. He’s batting . 217 with 1 home run, and he’s 36 years old. He’s not going to turn it around. He’s not a value pick. Stay away.

2. Russell Martin, C, Los Angeles. Maybe he misses hitting at the top of the lineup, maybe he lost his edge when he became the obvious starting catcher for the Dodgers. I don’t know. What I do know is that Russell Martin is no longer a great fantasy catcher. He’s batting .243 at this writing, he isn’t stealing bases the way he used to, and he has four home runs. Don’t get suckered into a move you’ll regret later. Martin is hitting at the weak end of the Dodger lineup.

3. Miguel Tejada, SS/3B, Baltimore. Look, I hate to point fingers, but let’s be realistic here. From 2000 to 2004, when steroids were much more prevalent in the big leagues and testing was fairly non-existent, Tejada put up 30+ homers a year. Last year? 14. This year? 4. Isn’t this the same guy who lied about his age and is really two years older than he said he was? Yes, it is. Welcome to the new decade, people, Miguel Tejada is not a fantasy baseball star. Look elsewhere, as much as that SS/3B combination might seem tempting.

4. Jose Bautista, RF/3B, Toronto. Wait, Jose Bautista, the guy who leads the league in home runs? Well, yes and no. The power numbers are all well and good, but the radioactive material I’m referring to is his .259 batting average, his lack of protection in the Toronto lineup (he’s got Alex Gonzalez of the .265 average behind him) and his suspiciously high power totals. He played for four teams in his rookie year without hitting a home run, and in the 5 years since he’s never hit more than 16. Now it’s early June and he already has 18? Trust me, this pace will not keep up. Few players break out at 29 years old. Sell high if you’ve got him.

5. Mark Buehrle, SP, Chicago. Buehrle has had some strong starts and has been a workhorse for the White Sox. This is just not his year. His ERA has hovered around 5.00 all season, and he’s just 3-6 on the year. Take out 2 solid games and his ERA is closer to 7.00. He’s only struck out a handful more than he’s walked, the White Sox can’t score, and he’s on the wrong side of 30. Not to mention the fact that he hasn’t had a great year since 2005. This is not the guy you want on the mound when you need a win.

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