The Check Swing: Week 1

This is a rare photo of Ian Desmond playing defense.

1. Pitch You Blockhead (202): If you get 29 points from Nolan Arenado and double starts from Zack Greinke (28) and James Shields (32), it's not a surprise to crack the 200-point barrier. Even if you get a giant goose egg from Wilmer Flores, keeping alive the tradition of lousy Mets shortstops. 

2. Retire 21 (186): FBLG newcomer Ray got major production from Joey Votto (25), Dee Gordon (23) and Justin Upton (24) in a strong debut week. However, Clayton Kershaw started a pair of games and wasn't great in either one. He finished the week with 15 points, which would have been one mediocre start for him last season.

3. Already Zaun (178): A monster week from Adrian Gonzalez (37, possibly a FBLG record) and a typical performance from Troy Tulowitzki (25) helped the Zaunies overcome puke-worthy performances from Chase Utley (6), Ryan Braun (4), Miguel Montero (2) and Kyle Lohse (-2 in 2 starts). 

4. Soler Eclipse (177): Derek Norris posted a surprising 21 points as Adam's team got off to a hot start. Paul Goldschmidt (23) and Aroldis Chapman (23) did their usual things, and Matt Harvey (20) looks as good as ever. 

5. Rookies (159): Corey Dickerson's 28-point outburst was a big boost for Henry's team, which got little from Matt Adams (5), Martin Prado (5), Gio Gonzalez (4) and Ian Kennedy (4). Who would have figured that D.J. LeMahieu and Andrelton Simmons would combine for 40 points? 

6. Arbitration Losers (144): Trevor Rosenthal (17), Angel Pagan (17), Buster Posey (17) and Jhonny Peralta (17) had nice weeks for Tim's team, but he has to be itching for Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth to return from the DL. Juan Lagares (6) and Juan Uribe (3) didn't exactly carry their weight as replacements. 

7. Fresh Fish (141): Our defending playoff and overall points champions stumbled out of the gate despite the efforts of Johnny Cueto (24) and Carlos Gonzalez (21). Too many players failed to reach 10 points, including Marlon Byrd (2), Stephen Strasburg (4), Marcell Ozuna (6), Yadier Molina (6) and Brandon Phillips (6). 

8. The Bryce is Right (136): No team was more hot and cold than Bill's in the opening week. Julio Teheran (30), Billy Hamilton (23) and Todd Frazier (22) were hot. Matt Garza (0), Josh Collmenter (1), Nick Ahmed (1), Mark Melancon (4) and Jedd Gyorko (5) were cold. Also, first-round pick Yasiel Puig needs to score more than 8. 

9. Misfits (117): Reid's team got a big week from Matt Kemp (23), but the infield other than Pedro Alvarez (15) was a mess. Daniel Murphy, Josh Harrison, Adeiny Hechavarria and Devin Mesoraco combined for 18 points, and first-round pick Giancarlo Stanton posted a 7. 

10. Chateau Marmol (103): Matt's team got 27 points from ace Max Scherzer and 18 from Neil Walker, but it barely managed to get into triple digits. How? Tuesday's disaster in Miami led to Matt Latos and Steve Cishek combining for minus-12. And Ian Desmond's 4 errors contributed to his minus-1.