The opening day jitters are gone, even though several teams will have to go through extended pre-game ceremonies and foul line introductions during home openers next week.
The season is underway, though, which means there are box scores to study, injuries to worry about and trends to dissect.
Here is your fearless fantasy forecast for Week 2. (Stats through Thursday).
Henry Rowengartner's Encore
These flame-throwers won't need to break their arms to post solid fantasy numbers this week. Make sure you lock them in to your lineup.
Braves starter Tommy Hanson -- Hanson was 6-3 with a 2.52 earned run average in three night starts last season. This week, he'll be under the lights and in San Diego, a park that favors pitching.
Mariners starter Ian Snell -- Snell starts the week on the road against the Rangers, and finishes up back at home against Detroit. He has started three games against Texas, averaging seven innings per start, and has a 2.14 earned run average and 1.29 WHIP. Last season against the Tigers Snell was 1-1 with an earned run average of 2.13 and averaged 6 1/3 innings per game.
Braves closer Billy Wagner -- The Braves have six games on the schedule next week against three different opponents. The first four games will be against the Giants and Padres, against whom Wagner has compiled 40 career saves. His final two games of the week will be against the Rockies (15 saves, 57 strikeouts and 40 innings).
Other pitchers who will be lights out this week include: Cubs starter Ryan Dempster, Giants starter Barry Zito, and Red Sox relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon.
Rick Vaughn -- The Wild Thing
Look out for these pitchers, as they have the potential to be good starts, but will ultimately be a little too erratic for proper fantasy etiquette.
White Sox starter Mark Buehrle -- The Sox lefty will start the week against the lefty-heavy Twins starting lineup, but it's also a team he had trouble stopping in 2009. In six starts last season, Buehrle allowed 21 earned runs in 32 innings pitched and struck out just 14 batters.
Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez -- If the flame-throwing Rodriguez gets any opportunities to save games he will have his hands full against a left-handed Colorado lineup, and a Cardinals crew he limited to two earned in three innings last season.
Other pitchers who may have a hard time finding the plate include: Cubs starter Randy Wells, Angels starter Joe Saunders, and Rays closer Rafael Soriano.
The Boppin' Bambinos
Here are a few fantasy players who by Italian standards are not little, and will be swinging for the fences like the great one this week.
Reds first baseman Joey Votto -- Votto and the Reds start the week at home to finish up their series against the Cubs, but then are on the road for six games against the Marlins and Pirates. Last season, Votto hit .429 and .385 against Florida and Pittsburgh, respectively.
Pirates first baseman Garrett Jones -- After Jones scorched three homers and driving in six runs in the first two games against the Dodgers, Los Angeles decided to pitch around him in game three and he walked twice. This week, Jones plays three teams (Diamondbacks, Giants, and Reds) whom he has combined to hit seven homers and drive in 18 runs in 104 career at-bats.
Others that I like to put up strong numbers this week include: Rays outfielder Ben Zobrist, Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill, Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee, Angels shortstop Erick Aybar, and Cubs catcher Geovany Soto.
Calling George Brett...
These players will have to pack their lumber with cork if they want any chance of producing solid numbers this week.
Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury -- Last season, Ellsbury combined for just 33 hits in 135 at-bats against upcoming Red Sox opponents. The kicker is that he's been battling arm soreness and missed some games opening week.
Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells -- Wells certainly had an unforgettable start in Texas, as he hit four longballs in the first three games. However, this always seems to be the trend that he follows before coming back down to earth. In 2007, Wells recorded three multi-hit games and scored five runs in the first six, only to record one multi-hit game and score three runs in the 12 games that followed. Plus, Wells hit just .214 at home last season. Pair that with the pressure of trying to staying hot in front of the home crowd and he may need more than Mr. Brett's cork.
Others who I believe will be begging for cork include: Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn, Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.
Colder than the Bad News Bears
Here are a few players who are making Walter Matthau's crew seem like all-stars.
Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano -- Chicago better hope their so-called ace can turn things around after allowing eight earned runs in less than two innings on opening day.
Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira -- Teixeira started out week one 0 for 13. He always seems to be red hot, or in this case, ice cold.
Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts -- Roberts has just two hits in 14 at-bats to start the season. The Orioles will be up against a slew of tough pitchers next week, including Matt Garza and Ben Sheets, so the leadoff hitter will have his work cut out.
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez -- Through 15 at-bats A-Rod, has just two hits, and has yet to homer. The Yankees will be home, though, this week against the Angels and Rangers.
Hotter than Dottie Hinson
Here are a few players that are making Dottie look more like Courtney Love, Donatella Versace, and maybe even teammate Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell) all wrapped in one.
Rays starting pitcher Matt Garza -- The Rays starting pitcher struck out nine Orioles and allowed one earned run in eight innings of work on Wednesday. He will face Baltimore once again on Monday.
Athletics starting pitcher Dallas Braden -- The hard throwing lefty fanned 10 Mariners sluggers while allowing one earned run in seven innings on Tuesday. This week, he'll play two teams -- Angels and Orioles -- that feature plenty of left-handed bats, which could mean more double-digit strikeout games.
Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria -- Against the Astros, Renteria went 8 for 11 to start the week and helped propel the Giants to a 3-0 start.
Royals starting pitcher Luke Hochevar -- His two strikeouts were disappointing, but his zero runs surrendered in almost eight innings against a Tigers team that can produce plenty of runs was promising, and possibly a sign of things to come.
