Sleeper of the Week

Need one last sleeper to round out your roster as we roll into a new season? Grab Tom Candiotti now!

Fantasy veterans remember Candiotti fondly as a player who could be counted on to eat up innings while posting solid ERA and WHIP scores. And with a vicious knuckleball, the former Indian contributed a respectable number of strikeouts as well. Now, several years after retiring from the mound, Candiotti is set to return to pro sports, and fantasy owners should take note.

Preliminary scouting reports provide plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The righthander is throwing strikes consistently, and has been clocked in the neighborhood of 30 mph. He’s also putting a lot of movement on the ball, gripping with his fingertips and releasing it with relatively little spin, allowing air currents to do the rest. With a motion that puts very little stress on his arm, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to be competitive even at age 46.

Candiotti’s strong showing this spring (ranked 185th in the ABC Masters) seems to be a sign of good things to come, and his average of 215 already compares favorably to players such as Hernandez, Carter, and even Johnson. Nevertheless, he can often still be found on the waiver wire. If he’s still available in your PBA fantasy bowling league, pick him up right now - by next April Fool’s Day, after a full year on the tour, it’ll be too late…