April 3, 2008 - The madness has begun; the trends in fantasyland have started to shake and shift as baseball season grinds into full swing. From buzz names Kosuke Fukudome to Rich Harden, fantasy owners worldwide are jumping on the week-one bandwagons without thinking the hot starts will fizzle out -- a phenomenon known as “Shelton’s Law.”

However, some new faces have shown encouraging signs in week one; here’s 15 of them who are still available on waivers in most leagues. Step to it, though, because if things go well they will all be gone by this time next week.

OF Xavier Nady – Pittsburgh Pirates
If there was ever a player with a reputation of being a one-month-boost, it’s Nady, who has started strong for the past three seasons before slumping back into obscurity. Nady is the #1 ranked player on Yahoo! Fantasy going into the Pirate’s game against Atlanta Thursday, and his history of hot starts warrants a pickup if you need a short-term solution. His sell-by date is sometime in June, so don’t plan on keeping him.

OF Carlos Gomez – Minnesota Twins
I’m usually not one to toot my own horn, but here goes…*beep* *beep*. Gomez, who I have lavished much praise upon during the preseason, has won a starting job with the Twins and has so far been lighting it up at the leadoff spot, batting .375 with two stolen bases through Thursday. As long as he starts he’s a lock for 30+ steals, so pick him up if you can, because he’s going fast.

OF Nate McLouth– Pittsburgh Pirates
McLouth had a strong spring for the Pirates, and it seems to have carried over into the first week; he’s hitting .444 with four RBI to boot. At this time, it is impossible to gauge whether he’s a Corey Hart or Curtis Shelton, but some owners are already going all in for him; a recent Yahoo! trade shows that an owner traded Pedro Martinez straight up for McLouth.

OF Melky Cabrera – New York Yankees
Cabrera is owned in just under 50 percent of ESPN Fantasy leagues, but if he locks down the center field spot for himself that will change overnight. He’s already a valuable real-life defensive piece, but if his batting picks up, there’ll be a bum rush to get him. In a lineup like the Yankee’s have, grab Cabrera while you still can.

OF Andre Ethier – Los Angeles Dodgers
Ethier hasn’t looked good so far this week, but the mere fact that he beat out Juan Pierre for a starting job in the Dodger’s outfield has sent his stock upward. Now there are whispers that he may eventually be eligible to play at 1B as well. But if guys like Carlos Gomez and Nate McLouth are still available, it’s better to pass on Ethier for now until he actually shows something.

1B Nick Johnson – Washington Nationals
After beating out 2007 All-Star Demitri Young for a starting job, Johnson has looked impressive so far for the Nationals, hitting three doubles with two RBI. That Johnson is a great hitter when healthy is no secret, and if he holds up, he could be a big-time player with the resurgent Nationals. That’s a big “if” though, so don’t put too much faith in him just yet.

2B Tadahito Iguchi – San Diego Padres
Iguchi was basically a wasted pick last year, but his draft stock has had a little up-tick as he shows signs of life in San Diego. If all goes well he might be a serviceable backup in a shallow second base field, as he’s shown that he can contribute when given the chance to play regularly. Still not worth a full-blown pick during draft time, though.

SP Johnny Cueto – Cincinnati Reds
I'm still tired from tooting my own horn about Gomez, but if my preseason prediction on Cueto holds up, I’ll be tooting my way to fantasy championships come September. Cueto certainly looked the part of the ace in his first start, striking out 10 Diamondbacks in a 3-2 Reds victory. He probably can’t sustain those numbers, but he reminds me of Dontrelle Willis and Cole Hamels, who were both effective waiver pickups in their rookie season.

SP Jon Garland – Los Angeles Angels
I foolishly left Garland out of my New Faces in New Places piece, but he made his presence felt with eight strong innings in his first start of the year for the Angels. The bad news is that he didn’t record a single strikeout. Garland might be a good stopgap if you’re in need of starting pitching, but don’t bet on him winning 20 games.

SP Joe Saunders – Los Angeles Angels
Saunders was more impressive than Garland in his season debut, pitching eight shutout innings against the Twins while striking out four. He’s being given his chance to shine now with John Lackey still a little crooked and Kelvim Escobar once again looking like a lost cause, but Saunders doesn’t look like a great long-term option. He might be the Jeremy Guthrie of 2008, at best.

SP Randy Wolf – San Diego Padres
A member of the San Diego Reclamation Duo along with Mike Prior, Wolf pitched reasonably well in his season debut on Thursday against the Houston Astros, notching five K’s in six innings while giving up only one run . Preseason reports on Wolf were very encouraging, and pitching in Petco Park might make him relevant fantasy-wise again.

SP Jair Jurrjens – Atlanta Braves
Opinions of Jurrjens varied widely during the preseason, but he looked solid in his first start of the year, albeit against the Pittsburgh Pirates. If you need pitching but couldn’t get a hold of Cueto, Jurrjens would make a nice consolation prize.

RP Mark Lowe – Seattle Mariners
While J.J. Putz owners cursed the heavens for their bad luck, other fantasy owners charged the waiver wire to pick up Lowe, who seems to be next in line for the closer job. However, Miguel Batista surprisingly saved the game for Seattle on Wednesday. Lowe is the fastest-going waiver pickup in both Yahoo! and ESPN leagues, but is still widely available for anyone willing to take a shot on him being a closer this year.

RP Jon Rauch – Washington Nationals
Rauch has been tabbed a potential closer for the Nationals since last season, but since Chad Cordero is still around, he’ll have to settle for being a setup guy. Among pitchers, Rauch had the second-highest pickup percentage behind Mark Lowe in ESPN leagues, but with Cordero quickly recovering from a bad shoulder, Rauch doesn’t look to have much value unless those oft-mentioned trade rumors about Cordero pop up again.

RP David Riske – Milwaukee Brewers
Despite the love for Lowe and Rauch, Riske is the one with the best chance of becoming a full-time closer by this time next month. With Eric Gagne ineffective in his first outing as a Brewer, Riske has the inside lane to become the next closer if Gagne proves untenable. Pay close attention to this situation because Riske can get the job done if given the chance.