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We're fantasy baseball managers, and while there's plenty we can do to affect the outcome of our fantasy seasons, we remain slaves to the statistics. How often do we complain about a certain real-life manager not playing the right guy, or batting so-and-so sixth in the order instead of second? Why is this guy closing over that one? Many of us believe we could manage these teams.

As a result, I decided I'd go team by team to investigate what the real manager could do to help us fantasy owners out, or basically, what I would do if I was in charge. Some of the moves are minor, others would greatly affect teams, but so what, it's fantasy, right? And really, when you get down to it, it's all about us.

We'll go in alphabetical order, team by team, on the subtle and not-so-subtle moves that would help fantasy owners out.

Arizona Diamondbacks: I have to admit I'm surprised at how well Justin Upton is doing, but I would not move him up in the batting order. Maybe he doesn't feel as much pressure as if he were hitting at the top of the order, and it's helping his batting average. I'm not a big Stephen Drew fan, either. He's hit a few home runs, so we can't really say he's struggling, but he doesn't walk, and I'd fear his batting average will hurt your team. Chris Burke can play short, and he can steal bases. Really, Mark Reynolds can play short as well, and that added eligibility would certainly help us out. Reynolds might be putting up the kind of season Troy Glaus did in his prime in terms of power. Burke is capable of 20 steals, and I don't think Drew is going to contribute close to 20 home runs. I'd also change the closer. Sorry, Brandon Lyon, but both Chad Qualls and Tony Pena are strikeout pitchers. Nobody needs another Todd Jones type in fantasy.

Atlanta Braves: I guess I'm two days late to ask for Jordan Schafer to be promoted to play center field over fantasy nonentity Mark Kotsay. But really, Kotsay isn't going to help fantasy owners, despite his Tuesday home run. With Schafer suspended for 50 games in connection with human growth hormone use, let speedster Josh Anderson have a go at it in center field. The former Astros farmhand is plying his trade at Triple-A Richmond, but he stole 40 or more bases the past four seasons in Houston's system. Acquired in the Oscar Villarreal trade, Anderson is a leadoff option in case Kelly Johnson can't stay healthy, and he's ready to run. Kotsay, a gamer and probably one of those hard-to-define clubhouse guys, isn't likely to steal more than a few bases or help in power.

Baltimore Orioles: This team seems to be making all the right moves -- for now. It has found its closer, the lineup is productive, and while Melvin Mora might not be the perfect No. 2 hitter, who would be? Adam Jones still hasn't walked. If Jones keeps struggling, I'd recommend the Orioles try to get Scott Moore into the lineup somehow, maybe in right field with Nick Markakis moving to center. Moore has 20-home-run power, he's run in the minors, and he brings third base eligibility to fantasy. Jones has much more upside, and should be playing, but I don't want to see Moore getting one start a week, either. He's owned in the really deep leagues but hasn't been productive so far.

Boston Red Sox: So, who is currently Boston's top offensive player in fantasy? You could name eight or 10 players before you might come up with J.D. Drew. OK, so most fantasy owners aren't a fan of his. I wouldn't sit him. I also can't reasonably expect him to be moved up in the order, even as David Ortiz continues to struggle. However, unless Drew sits down, or manager Terry Francona picks one of his talented center fielders to play regularly, everyone in fantasy loses. Jacoby Ellsbury has more statistical upside than Coco Crisp and Drew. Ellsbury should be hitting leadoff and stealing 30-plus bases. He's not. Julio Lugo, incidentally, is hitting .333 in the No. 9 slot, and it didn't hold him back from running last year, so leave him there. Ellsbury should hit first, but currently he's not producing enough relative to being owned in 85 percent of ESPN mixed leagues.

Chicago Cubs: It's obvious that the Cubs could maximize the fantasy potential of Carlos Marmol by making him the closer, but that would destroy the value of Kerry Wood. Marmol can pitch more, however, and combining his ERA, he could provide with 30 saves would make him one of the most valuable closers in the game. Offensively, it would probably be wise to place Kosuke Fukudome in between right-handed hitters Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and it would help Fukudome's RBI potential. Fukudome also would be a far better leadoff option than Alfonso Soriano, since he isn't allergic to taking walks. How about Fukudome hitting first or second, and Soriano in a run-production spot in the middle of the order? He'd still run, after all, and it would maximize his fantasy value.

Chicago White Sox: Like a number of other teams with one-dimensional speedsters, fantasy owners would be best served if Jerry Owens was playing regularly and stealing lots of bases. He's certainly capable. The Carlos Quentin we thought would emerge in Arizona could still do that, but do we really expect more than 20 home runs? Owens can swipe 50 bases if Ozzie Guillen leads him off and gets him 500 at-bats. I'm not sure Guillen will do this, but there was a time not long ago he did. I'd also give Alexei Ramirez a legit shot to play and see what happens. He could contribute power and speed to fantasy owners, and from the enticing second-base eligibility spot.

Cincinnati Reds: As an unabashed Corey Patterson believer in the fantasy game, I wouldn't sit him. I know, I know, his career on-base percentage stinks, but he's a 20/30 threat, no doubt about it. He must play. So too must Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. Fantasy owners, however, would be best served if Jay Bruce was playing somewhere. Joey Votto doesn't seem to be getting much opportunity, and he's doing little with the chances he has gotten, so wouldn't the Reds be better off promoting Bruce as an everyday left fielder and playing Dunn at first? I'm not choosing Bruce over Votto, per se, since I think both deserve to play, but at this point neither is helping fantasy owners. Patterson shouldn't sit; he can really help fantasy owners. One more thing: Don't you dare sit Jeff Keppinger when Alex Gonzalez returns, Dusty Baker. In fact, Edwin Encarnacion has looked so bad, just play Keppinger at third base. He's a legit .300 hitter with the potential for 10 homers and 10 steals.

Cleveland Indians: Indians manager Eric Wedge could do a number of sensible things to make his players more fantasy-friendly. Give Travis Hafner 20 starts at first base every year. Bat Grady Sizemore third in the order, where he probably belongs. Throw Rafael Betancourt in the closer role and see what he does. I'd also give Josh Barfield another chance. Barfield couldn't possibly be as bad as he showed in 2007, and to be honest, I'm not all that impressed with Asdrubal Cabrera. He's off to a slow start, so maybe it's unfair to pile on, but he doesn't have much power or speed potential to start with. Barfield still does, and as bad as he was in 2007, it was still only one season.

Colorado Rockies: The last time Todd Helton knocked in 100 runs was also the same season Sammy Sosa did it. Yeah, it was awhile ago. While Helton is off to a solid start, and fantasy owners can't complain about him hitting in the No. 3 spot in the lineup, he's still a walking machine who bangs out mostly singles and doubles. People, this is Wade Boggs, and his stats were valuable even toward the end. Lead Helton off! Let's assume Helton is going to hit for average no matter where he hits, but batting him third or fourth hasn't gotten this guy to 100 RBIs since 2003, and the last time he scored 100 runs was 2004. Lead him off and everyone wins, except Willy Taveras, who has managed to score one run all season. Helton's RBI total obviously would take a hit, but imagine how he'd help the RBI totals for everyone else? Taveras doesn't get on base enough. Really, Troy Tulowitzki doesn't as well. Give Matt Holliday the chance to knock in an A-Rod-like 150 runs, but this also would give Helton a chance to contribute in fantasy in a major way in something other than batting average.

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Detroit Tigers: Jim Leyland is doing the best he can with this sinking ship. Well, he's basically done nothing, but it's not his fault. His horses haven't performed. What if, in the absence of Curtis Granderson, he let Gary Sheffield lead off and let him loose? Sheffield has more walks than hits so far, a sign the injured digit is a problem, but the legs, they're doing just fine. Sheffield stole 22 bases in 2007; he could do it again. Hitting third everyday in front of Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera will only stunt Sheffield's speed. Fantasy owners aren't going to get power from him for a while, so give us the steals.

Florida Marlins: Cameron Maybin needs to be the regular center fielder. If the Marlins had someone considerably better as an option, I could understand being hesitant, but Maybin is thriving at Double-A Carolina, hitting for power, walking and running. He should be in Triple-A at worst, and probably the majors, where fantasy owners can enjoy his 20/20 potential. Also, Matt Lindstrom has more fantasy upside as closer than Kevin Gregg does.

Houston Astros: It would be nice if Wandy Rodriguez would start only in home games, but that does seem a bit extreme, no? Like Ervin Santana, it's clear Way-Rod, as Matthew Berry calls him, is not effective without that home cooking. How difficult would it really be to carry a swingman on the team to start on the road? Brian Moehler is already on the team, you know. Isn't the goal to maximize a player's potential? Rodriguez has started twice this season, once on the road, once at home. In Houston, he shut down the Cardinals over 7 1/3 innings on three hits, no walks. In San Diego, a pitcher's park, he gave up two home runs and eight hits in five innings. A year ago, his home ERA was 2.94, on the road it was 6.37. Roster maneuverability would be more difficult using Rodriguez only at home, but if it helps the team (and fantasy owners) win more, wouldn't it be worth a try?

Kansas City Royals: It's hard to know why Joey Gathright was caught nearly as many times as he was successful in stealing bases a year ago, but he's looking like a different player in 2008. Alas, Gathright is playing only because David DeJesus is out with an ankle injury, but from a fantasy aspect only one of those guys is valuable. It's not like DeJesus has power or could win a batting title. As for who drives them in, I was initially encouraged when Alex Gordon batted third in the order, but that experiment ended soon. This team's top pure power hitter is Billy Butler. Bat him third, where he can drive in lots of runs, then have Gordon split Butler and Jose Guillen. I think that would make all three of them more valuable. Mark Teahen doesn't hit for enough power.

Los Angeles Angels: Garret Anderson had a nice season and remains a reliable run producer, but Reggie Willits would make a solid No. 2 hitter for the Angels, and he's capable of stealing more than 30 bases. From a fantasy angle, Willits' running is more valuable than Anderson's knocking in 75 runs. Also, it would be nice if leadoff hitter Chone Figgins had eligibility somewhere other than third base. How about if he gets enough starts to qualify at second base? C'mon, Mike Scioscia, don't sit Howie Kendrick; give him a few days at designated hitter. Finally, shortstop has been such an offensive black hole so far, I don't know how Brandon Wood could do much worse. At least he'd give fantasy owners power.

Los Angeles Dodgers: There are four outfielders on this team, all of whom can help fantasy owners. See, we can take off our regular baseball hat to acknowledge that Juan Pierre, for all his faults, is a very good fantasy option because he can steal 60 bases. In reality, the move that would help fantasy owners the most probably would be to sit Andruw Jones. He's off to a brutal start. His 2007 was underwhelming. Pierre's 60 steals would be more valuable than anything Jones could do, save for another 50-homer season, which is really unlikely. Manager Joe Torre has tried, more than most would have, to play Pierre and get him going, but to the detriment of Matt Kemp. If he'd sit Jones, an unlikely proposition incidentally, fantasy owners would benefit.

Milwaukee Brewers: I wouldn't change much here. Nobody on this team is walking much, which ultimately will not help those in on-base-percentage leagues who own a Brewer not named Prince or Ryan. The team had 16 free passes through its first seven games, which is really low. Adam Dunn had 11 by himself. Corey Hart seems able to steal many bases no matter where he hits, J.J. Hardy is in the No. 8 lineup spot he belongs in, Ryan Braun already has been moved out of third base, which already is making Jeff Suppan a better pitcher, and I think people are overrating how bad Eric Gagne has been. He's allowed two home runs, which is a problem, but it's not like anyone can say with certainty Derrick Turnbow, David Riske or Guillermo Mota has a ton of fantasy upside. I'd make sure Yovani Gallardo comes back to the rotation soon, and not at the expense of Manny Parra or Carlos Villanueva. Sorry, Dave Bush, your time is just about up.

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Minnesota Twins: Well, it's pretty obvious Francisco Liriano can't help fantasy owners while he's in the minors, but I'll assume the team is exercising caution. OK, so why was Michael Cuddyer still hitting third in the batting order before his injury, and will he reclaim that spot when healthy? I understand the theory of splitting lefties Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but Delmon Young is a better hitter than Cuddyer, and his fantasy value would be helped. He's got two RBIs in nine games, and no walks. This is a by-product of being protected in the order by Jason Kubel and Craig Monroe, who are a combined 5-for-30 in the No. 6 spot in the order (.167). Young would emerge faster hitting third or higher in the order right now.

New York Mets: If you told me today that Aaron Heilman would be doing a reverse Brett Myers from 2007, I'd be buying. That is to say, take a solid middle reliever, a key to the team, and move him into the rotation even though it makes little sense to do so. Or does it? The Mets might sign Claudio Vargas any day now. Wouldn't it be easier to find helpful middle relief at this point? Heilman hasn't started a game since 2005, but if he got 25 starts, don't you think he could win half of them and have an ERA on the good side of 4? I do. And yes, I can write the exact same thing about the other New York team, sending their setup guy to the rotation. Hey, what's more valuable in fantasy, 75 innings in relief and a few scattered wins, or 150 strikeouts from a starter with good peripherals? It's not even close.

New York Yankees: Choosing Joba Chamberlain to be a regular rotation member is pretty obvious. He does have value now for fantasy in the bullpen as one of the top five middle relievers, but he's capable of helping his team, and those of fantasy owners, quite a bit more. The Yankees also should start thinking about moving Jorge Posada out of the catching position so his bat can be in the everyday lineup. I don't think Posada will hit .330 ever again, but the 20-80 power is still there. Play him at first base or DH when he's not catching. Currently he's not in the lineup at all because of a sore shoulder. Fantasy owners already have his catcher eligibility, now they just need 140 games from Posada to enjoy his production.

Oakland Athletics: This team isn't likely to contend, even in an unspectacular division, so let's see what center field prospect Carlos Gonzalez can do. Nothing against Emil Brown, but he's not much of a fantasy option, and I'm losing faith that Travis Buck can help fantasy owners. In eight games, the A's stole one base. There's not a lot of power here, other than strikeout king Jack Cust. Gonzalez initially might be overrated in fantasy because he's a bit raw, but he should play over some of the other A's options.

Philadelphia Phillies: I certainly wouldn't move Brett Myers back to the bullpen, that's for sure. The case can be made that Jimmy Rollins would be an even more dynamic fantasy option if he hit lower in the order and thus could knock in more runs, but what would that mean, Ryan Howard hits fifth? Ultimately, there's not much I'd change about this team, except for removing Adam Eaton from the rotation. Would Chad Durbin really be a fantasy option, though? Not really. Pedro Feliz was a draft day sleeper in fantasy leagues, as his owners are expecting a career high in home runs. However, I'd probably give Greg Dobbs more at-bats at third base than he's getting, but it's not like he'd be that much of an attractive fantasy option anyway.

Pittsburgh Pirates: It appears in this case Pirates manager John Russell is giving fantasy owners their wish, as Ryan Doumit has become close to the everyday catcher, and Nate McLouth finally doesn't have to worry about playing time. Nothing against Ronny Paulino, who a year ago seemed like an offensive sleeper, but Doumit is clearly a better hitter. I never really understood why Nyjer Morgan was in the center-field discussion with McLouth to start with, but he was, and the correct decision was made. Way to go, Mr. Russell! Other than finding a place for power-hitting prospect Steven Pearce to play, which would have to be accomplished by either Xavier Nady being dealt or Adam LaRoche benched, the Bucs seem to get it.

St. Louis Cardinals: Fantasy owners would be best helped if Chris Carpenter could pitch sometime soon, but don't expect miracles. Past that, the Cardinals could find other ways to increase chances of winning, even with this fantastic start to the season. Center field prospect Colby Rasmus is ready. He's a 20/20 option and let's face it, Rick Ankiel should be in a corner outfield spot. He's not making errors in center field, but he's had a few adventures out there in the past week. Fly-ball pitchers like Kyle Lohse could be adversely affected by having below-average defenders in the outfield, which Chris Duncan certainly is, as is Ankiel is in center. The Cardinals have no leadoff hitter unless Rasmus is promoted, and his addition also would help RBI opportunities for Ankiel, Duncan and that Albert Pujols fella.

San Diego Padres: I like the power potential Scott Hairston brings, but Chase Headley can do more. Headley has 25-homer potential and can hit for average. Hairston, even with this fine start, is hitting .243 and leads the team in strikeouts. Headley could be as significant a lineup presence as Kevin Kouzmanoff right now. Let him learn left field and promote him, and make Hairston a platoon partner with Brian Giles, who can't hit lefties. Fantasy owners would win here because at this point, neither Hairston nor Giles is likely to hit for a high average because of his splits.

San Francisco Giants: The offense stinks, let's face it. Bengie Molina has three of the four home runs, seven of the 17 RBIs. Man-u-fact-ure. Send Ray Durham to the bench, keep Dave Roberts on the DL and place speedsters Eugenio Velez (second base) and Rajai Davis (left field) in the first spots in the order and torture opposing pitchers. Imagine the stolen bases these guys could get with regular time. I mean, the Padres are in their division! They could swipe 100! Also, move Molina to first base. We, um, I mean you, need his bat in the lineup all 162 games, not just the conventional 130 that catchers play, and he's already got the eligibility for us.

Seattle Mariners: Sign Barry Bonds. Short and sweet. First baseman Richie Sexson hurts fantasy owners more with his batting average than he helps with the power, and Jose Vidro hurts us more with his lack of power more than he helps by hitting .300. Bonds should have a job. As a full-time DH, he could hit five homers a month, score runs, and be a nice No. 3 outfielder in mixed fantasy leagues. Sexson and Vidro, on the other hand, aren't popular in fantasy, for a reason, so just let them share first base, or better yet give top prospect Jeff Clement a chance to play there. And really, wouldn't the Bonds distraction be worth it for a few more wins?

Tampa Bay Rays: OK, I already used the Bonds one, so check that off. Oh wait, there's this Evan Longoria guy wasting time in Triple-A so the owners can save money, right. Eric Hinske and Willy Aybar might be the nicest of fellows, but they can't hit like Longoria. This kid needs to play. Sure, he might have a few growing pains initially, kind of like the ones Alex Gordon suffered through most of his rookie season, but at least the 36.0 percent of ESPN standard league owners (and the number drops a bit each day) would feel better about using a bench spot on him.

Texas Rangers: A year ago, I would have asked for Ian Kinsler to be the everyday leadoff hitter, but it's happened. Oddly enough, he's not running. Go figure. If I were managing this team, I'd make Joaquin Benoit the closer and not look back. Nothing against C.J. Wilson, but because he's left-handed, and so few closers today are, fantasy owners will always be waiting for him to lose the job. You know what, he probably will. Benoit has closing ability. The supposed time-share with Wilson in 2007 never really went his way. Removing the closer tag from one guy and giving it to another wouldn't appear to help fantasy owners in general, but I think Benoit would seize the job and put up better numbers. He could've warranted a look back when Francisco Cordero was in Texas, too.

Toronto Blue Jays: Some clarity in the closer role would be nice, but I don't think the Jays know what B.J. Ryan is capable of, thus Jeremy Accardo owners won't know for a while how many saves are coming. What about Alex Rios as a leadoff hitter? How many stolen bases could he get if he were in the more traditional running spot? I think Rios has 20/20 potential and should bat third, since he's the signature offensive player on the team, but the fact is that David Eckstein, Shannon Stewart and Matt Stairs aren't getting on base, which is why Rios hasn't been knocking in runs. The batting order might be most effective for the Jays and fantasy if it went Rios, Aaron Hill, Vernon Wells, Frank Thomas and then Lyle Overbay.

Washington Nationals: I don't think Cristian Guzman is going to win a batting title, and Ronnie Belliard doesn't bring much to the table, either, so why isn't Felipe Lopez playing? Well, he is now, in left field, but that experiment likely will end when Wily Mo Pena and Elijah Dukes come off the DL. Lopez should be playing every day somewhere, probably over Belliard at second base. Fantasy owners will never again get a 23-homer season from Lopez, nor 44 stolen bases, but any middle-infield-eligible player who can swipe 20 bases is worth owning. Free Felipe.

Eric Karabell is a senior writer for ESPN.com fantasy. You can e-mail him here.