ns in Fenway Park. The visitors offense has awoken of late, but theyre still whiffing at an above-average rate. Rodriguez also checks in with DFS GPP potentia

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills are preparing to open training camp minus Jairus Byrd. And with contract talks at a stalemate, the team has no indication when the two-time Pro Bowl safety plans to report. "Hopefully soon," general manager Doug Whaley said Saturday, a day before the Bills were set to hold their first practice in suburban Rochester. Whaley acknowledged thats essentially a guess because Byrd and his agent, Eugene Parker, havent informed the Bills of their intentions. "They havent said anything," Whaley said. Talks remain at a standstill, leaving Byrd a member of Buffalos roster in name only. The Bills prevented Byrd from testing free agency by retaining his rights in March. Thats when they designated him their franchise player by offering him a one-year, $6.9 million contract. Very little has happened since. Byrd has yet to sign the one-year contract, and the two sides failed to negotiate a long-term contract extension by a July 15 deadline. Under NFL rules, the Bills are now limited to reaching a one-year deal with Byrd. He missed all of the teams spring minicamps and is not required to attend training camp because hes unsigned. Parker declined to comment on the status of negotiations or Byrds plans in an email to The Associated Press. Whaley said "the lines of communication are open," but declined to say when the two sides last spoke. He added that he respects Byrd as a player and the position hes taken in refusing to accept the offer. "I think its a normal negotiation process. Weve worked hard. Theyve worked hard. And its just part of the business," Whaley said. "Hopefully, he comes in. And when he does, well welcome him with open arms." The Bills selected Byrd in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Oregon. He enjoyed a breakout season as a rookie, when he earned a Pro Bowl selection after finishing tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions -- a rookie franchise record. Byrd also set a team record that season by having an interception in five consecutive games. Last season, Byrd was the teams most consistent defender and was added to the Pro Bowl roster as an injury replacement. Byrd led Buffalo with five interceptions and four forced fumbles, and finished fourth with 76 tackles. Overall, his 18 career interceptions are tied for third most among NFL players since 2009. His absence leaves a hole in the Bills defensive plans under new co-ordinator Mike Pettine. "That remains to be seen," Whaley said, referring to how much the defence might miss Byrd. "I think theres a lot of guys on the roster now that are going to step up to fill that role until he gets back. And then well go from there when he gets in. So its hard for me to predict that." Converted cornerback Aaron Williams spent much of the spring filling Byrds starting spot at free safety. Byrd is also behind in learning Pettines new defence, which emphasizes player versatility and a complex approach in pressuring quarterbacks from various positions. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore said he and several teammates have been in contact with Byrd and provided him details of the defence. Byrd will still have some catching up to do should he elect to report. Byrd has not commented publicly on his contract status this off-season, and has been careful not to divulge too much in notes posted on his Twitter account. On Monday, Byrd posted a note saying: "Itll be worth it in the end." Two weeks ago, Byrd posted a picture of him and mentor Aeneas Williams, the former star NFL defensive back. The caption under the photo said it was taken after a workout. In other news, the Bills released tight end Mickey Shuler and offensive lineman Chris Scott. The Bills claimed Shuler off waivers in May after he was released by the Oakland Raiders. He had also split time with Minnesota, Miami and Cincinnati since being selected by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. The Bills signed Scott off of Tennessees practice squad in December. He was initially selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. Whaley has no immediate intention to fill the spots on his roster. He said the openings leave room to add players without having to make cuts. Jeff Keppinger Jersey White Sox . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Colin Rea Jersey Cubs . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. https://www.discountjerseysonline.com/steve-avery-jersey-braves-26 . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Xander Bogaerts Jersey Red Sox . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Koji Uehara Jersey Red Sox .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. Friday features 15 games, all under the lights, with a dearth of strong pitching matchups but a few sneaky good spots to look out for. In other words, itll be a DFS tournament players dream, at least with respect to pitching. Cash players may not be so appreciative, but with a full slate there are a couple of safe spots to target as well. Offense around the league is beginning to pick back up, so expect some runs to be scored.The dog days of summer are upon us, so heres everything you need to know to keep your cool on a busy Friday night of fantasy baseball.PitchingElite Madison Bumgarner has failed to record a quality start in just four of his 20 outings. Two of them came in the first three weeks of the season, with the other pair coming recently -- over his previous four efforts, in fact. This isnt to suggest that theres anything to worry about long term -- its merely to remind you that even the best pitchers run into a clunker now and again.It does cause a bit of a pause as far as figuring out whether you should use the 26-year-old lefty in DFS cash games, as the San Francisco Giants travel to the Bronx for an interleague set with the New York Yankees. The hosts sport a below-average weighted on base average (wOBA) versus lefties, but they also dont fan much. Since the blowup potential is minimal and Bumgarner will rack up ample punchouts regardless, hes indeed a fine DFS cash play for Friday, just not worth the high cost if youre looking to take down a tournament.Theres only one other hurler landing in the elite range, as Gerrit Cole makes his second start since returning from a lengthy disabled list visit. Driving the high ranking is a soft home matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies in pitcher-friendly PNC Park. Before he missed over a month with a strained triceps, Cole was having a good but not great start to the campaign, with a 7.5 K/9 that is well below his career mark, and a 2.8 BB/9, which is a bit high. As he has throughout his career, the 25-year-old righty has been stingy with the long ball, allowing only three in 72 1/3 frames. The Phillies whiff at an above-average clip, but its not likely Cole goes past six stanzas and maybe into the seventh with a low pitch count -- all of which reduces his GPP potential. Hes in play for cash, but if youre looking to pay up, Bumgarner is a better choice.SolidPark factors are an important consideration when analyzing matchups, but theyre not the be-all, end-all. A perfect example is the Milwaukee Brewers. Using Baseball Info Solutions (BIS) three-year average ballpark index rankings, Miller Park is tied for the second-best venue for runs with a 107 index, meaning that runs are scored 7 percent more than a neutral ballpark. This suggests that using pitchers on the road against the Brewers is a risk.The more important factor is the Brewers wOBA at home (a stat that is not park-corrected), which is merely league average. This doesnt mean Jason Hammel is a perfectly safe option as the Chicago Cubs make the short trip north, but considering the Brew crew whiff at a league-worst 27 percent at home versus righties, the Cubs veteran is definitely in play for GPP action as well as cash, since his floor is reasonably high.Lets have some more fun with park factors. U.S. Cellular Field is a hitters park, right? Not so fast, grasshopper. According to BIS, The Cell slightly depresses run scoring. Its a plus for homers, but in terms of a hurlers ERA, its actually a little bit helpful. Further, the Chicago White Sox are below average in terms of wOBA against righties. If you had any reservations using Michael Fulmer in a road tilt as the Detroit Tigers continue a set in the Windy City, calm your fears.How about one more example of surprising park factors before we return to the usual analysis? Kauffman Stadium is perceived as a pitchers haven, but using BIS data, it checks in as one of the top 10 best locales for runs. The factor is 104, so the increase is a modest 4 percent, but the point is The K isnt the streaming paradise that many intuit. Therefore, if you were planning on using the Texas Rangers Yu Darvish against the Kansas City Royals due to the favorable park, you may want to reconsider -- especially since the Royals are slightly above average at home versus righties in terms of wOBA, and Darvish has thrown only one game, lasting 4 2/3 innings after coming off the disabled list with his shoulder stiffness.Sometimes its not park factors that mislead, but team splits. Sean Manaea should seemingly be safe at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, who have scored the fifth fewest runs on average in the majors. The problem is that the Rays boast the games best road wOBA versus lefties. The Oakland Athletics rookie southpaw isnt so safe anymore. The kicker here is that the Rays strike out at an above-average pace, so Manaea is in play for GPPs, just not as safe a cash play as he might be perceived.Tanner Roark has tossed at least seven frames in five straight starts. Hes fanning less than a batter an inning, which tempers his game score and DFS potential, but innings accrue DFS points, so hes still been useful. The Washington Nationals righty is in a great sspot to take a few extra punchouts onto his ledger with the San Diego Padres and their 25 percent strikeout rate versus right-handers on the road, as they visit Nationals Park.dddddddddddd Roark could be the best play on the board in all formats.Skipping down a few spots in the projected game scores to find another DFS-worthy option, Adam Conley is in a favorable spot with the Miami Marlins hosting the New York Mets in the first game of a weekend set in South Beach. The sophomore southpaw had an uneven first half, but it came with more ups than downs. The Mets whiff at an elevated 24 percent pace against lefties, and theyll be trotting out Logan Verrett to the Marlins Park hill, so Conley and his 8.9 K/9 should rack up some punchouts and hell be in play for the win.Matt Shoemaker continues to be disrespected in terms of low salaries, though this time its matchup-driven, as facing the surging Houston Astros in Minute Maid Park is a tall task. Still, weve seen enough from the Los Angeles Angels righty to consider the rebirth real, which means hes a solid GPP option against an Astros club that fans at a 24 percent clip with a righty on the hill.StreamersSorry, lets sneak in one more park reference. Minute Maid Park embellishes power, but its neutral for runs. Considering the visiting Angels tote a rather tame attack versus righties, Lance McCullers is very much in play as a spot starter. His ownership is 55 percent in ESPN leagues, but thats close enough to the 50 percent cut-off to deserve a mention as clubs battle to make the playoffs in their head-to-head leagues.Archie Bradley is finally showing that he belongs in the bigs for good, as hes tossed six frames in five of his past six outings. Next up are the Cincinnati Reds in the Great American Ballpark. Bradleys primary weakness is still control, but since the hosts are one of the least patient teams in the league, Bradley and his 12 percent ESPN ownership should grow for this encounter.Jake Odorizzis whiff and walk rates are in line with his career marks, but due to a high home run rate, the Rays righty is registering his highest ERA since joining the club. Big flies are less of a concern here, as Odorizzi takes the hill in O.co Coliseum to challenge an Athletics squad that is near the bottom with respect to homers versus righties. If youre not in one of the 46 percent of ESPN leagues in which hes already on a roster, Odorizzi warrants a pickup for this affair.Can it really be as simple as raising his glove to better hide the ball and not tip his pitches? Thats what Eduardo Rodriguez did his last time out, and after stifling the Yankees in his return to The Show, its so far, so good. Rodriguez fanned only one in seven frames, but he walked just two on four hits. The Boston Red Sox lefty is in a great spot to follow up that effort in a positive manner against the Minnesota Twins in Fenway Park. The visitors offense has awoken of late, but theyre still whiffing at an above-average rate. Rodriguez also checks in with DFS GPP potential.AvoidAside from the trio registering an automatic avoid with a projected game score of 45, Luis Perdomo visiting the Nationals and James Paxton toeing the rubber in Rogers Centre against the Toronto Blue Jays are both severe ratio risks without providing any strikeout upside.If we missed a name youre curious about, please take advantage of the comments section or hit me up on Twitter @ToddZola.HittingThe Red Soxs offense is back in gear, hitting on all cylinders. One of the reasons is the return of Brock Holt, who is one of the lesser-priced options in a great spot with the platoon edge over Kyle Gibson. Another avenue to get exposure here is via Travis Shaw, another lefty swinger facing the middling righty. Of course, theres David Ortiz, though another means of getting differentiation is fading Big Papi and using Hanley Ramirez; Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts round out the usual suspects.Theres a good chance Dylan Bundy makes some cameo appearances in the streaming section as the second half unfolds, but for now hes a risk -- especially when facing a potent offense like the one the Cleveland Indians have. Switch-hitter Carlos Santana leads it off against righties, followed by Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor. Lonnie Chisenhall and Tyler Naquin are lesser-known (and lesser-priced) options.If the White Sox were really serious about getting into the race, theyd find someone other than Jacob Turner to throw against the Tigers. Lefty, righty, who cares -- everyones in play. Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera and Nick Castellanos will be the popular targets, with Victor Martinez, Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin also in the mix.Most likely to hit a home run: Its hard to imagine the Tigers not taking Turner deep, so lets give Kinsler the nod since hell be assured the most chances to do it.Most likely to steal a base: At 33 years of age, Michael Bourn still has the wheels to take advantage of a weak battery, so look for the Diamondbacks outfielder to do some running against the Reds. ' ' '