much lost fantasy value in Calgary, but with a be

TORONTO -- Young, good-looking and said to be a pure goal-scorer, Brazils Gilberto ticks most of Tim Leiwekes boxes for a designated player. Magneuris Sierra Jersey . The 24-year-old forward speaks Portuguese, however, making selling Toronto FC and MLS a little tough. No English, no problem, said Leiweke. "We have someone else coming in to do that for us," said the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Leiweke, TFC manager Ryan Nelsen and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko werent saying more but their wide smiles Friday spoke volumes. Toronto FC fans should probably get their order in for a red jersey with No. 18 on the back. Expect Spurs star and England striker Jermain Defoe to swagger through the door sometime soon, complete with a truckload of MLSE cash. Gilberto joins midfielder Matias Laba as a TFC designated player. The 31-year-old Defoe, who used to play with Nelsen at Tottenham, would be a giant cherry on the cake. Another MLS veteran could arrive next week and there could be more coming. The club has talked to former TFC player Dwayne De Rosario, although the former league MVP would have to accept a reduced salary and role. Still, the team believes the 35-year-old Canadian captain could play a key role on and off the field, while closing out his career before adoring fans in his home town. First things first, however. Its been a bumper week for Toronto with the signing of Gilberto, goalkeeper Joe Bendik inking a new deal, Greg Vanney coming on board as academy director and the acquisition of Brazilian midfielder Jackson from FC Dallas. The 6-17-11 team was also chuffed at picking up first-round draft picks in 2014 and 15 for the rights to goalkeeper Stefan Frei (dealt to Seattle) and midfielder Bobby Convey (dealt to New York Red Bulls). Given both players were on their way out, it was essentially a case of getting something for nothing. Gilberto was the big catch of the week, however. Bezbatchenko called the Brazilian a "young rising star of the game." "A great coup for the club," said Nelsen, whose off-field connections helped cut through the red tape of dealing with Brazil. Its also a coup for the North American league, which in the past has had to settle for aging overseas stars. Gilberto is young, has played at a high level and comes with solid credentials. MLS fans should see him flourish rather than fade. Loaned out by Internacional, Gilberto Oliveira Souza Junior scored 14 goals in 28 games in Brazils top division this season in helping Portuguesa avoid relegation (although the club still could be demoted for mistakenly using an irregular player in the final round last weekend). Gilberto was signed by Internacional from third-division club Santa Cruz in 2011 but didnt make the team, playing only sparingly. He then joined Sport Club de Recife on loan in 2012 before coming to Portuguesa this year. In four seasons in the Brazilian Serie A, he has made 109 appearances, with 38 goals and 10 assists. Bezbatchenko said Gilberto turned down deals in Mexico, Germany and other countries to choose Toronto and MLS. The Mexican offers were in the four-million-euro (C$5.8 million) range. Speaking through an interpreter, Gilberto came across as charismatic and self-assured at a news conference in the Air Canada Centre foyer. "Im very happy to be here," he said. The Brazilian said he had been enticed by Nelsens plans for the future during a visit to Brazil. He specifically cited the clubs championship ambitions, which seem a reach given the teams performance in recent years. "Its not necessarily the past that attracts players obviously, its the future," said Nelsen. The stability of MLSE, TFCs well-appointed training facility and a good fan base no doubt helped sell the Brazilian on Toronto. Plus the club wanted him. "He scores all types of goals -- whether theyre headers, left foot, right foot, inside the box, outside the box ... His work ethic is tremendous, his character is tremendous," Nelsen said. "He showed great leadership on the field and is a very humble human being off it, which is extremely important to me." Speaking through an interpreter, Gilberto said he also liked the idea that the league was growing. "This made me open my eyes and I was looking for new challenges for myself," he said. Gilberto, who has a fiancee, grew up a Flamengo fan, with Romario and Ronaldo among his favourite players. Toronto FC has failed to make the playoffs in its seven-year history and finished 17th in the 19-team league this season, scoring just 30 goals in 34 games. Cliff Floyd Jersey . Jeter doubled high off the left-field wall and scored on Jacoby Ellsburys first hit in pinstripes in the fifth. Hiroki Kuroda (1-1) pitched 6 1-3 sharp innings in the Yankees 112th opener in New York. In what manager Joe Girardi said would be a season-long lovefest for Jeter, the shortstop was cheered every step of the way by an adoring crowd of 48, 142 -- even when his double-play grounder back to Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2) scored Solarte in the third inning for the first run. Garrett Cooper Jersey . Ortiz hit a pair of two-run homers, including his 400th shot in a Red Sox uniform, and drove in a career high-tying six runs to power Boston past the Houston Astros 10-7 on Saturday night. https://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.us/411r-brian-moran-jersey-marlins.html . He will be practicing with the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) on a conditioning assignment. - @AnaheimDucks Corey Perry has a knee sprain and will miss the next three to four weeks. A defensively-oriented and balanced team, the St. Louis Blues dont have mass fantasy appeal, but a little digging does present opportunities to find players that have fantasy appeal. Top Picks: There is such balance throughout the Blues lineup that there are few standouts, particularly for fantasy purposes. As such, their most valuable players, compared to others at the same position, are defencemen Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk. Pietrangelo is a Norris Trophy contender who plays 25 minutes per game, and his 118 points over the last three seasons ranks eighth among defencemen. Hes also just 23, so his upside does make Pietrangelo a viable No. 1 fantasy blueliner. Shattenkirk isnt quite at Pietrangelos level, but has 109 points over the last three years and plays about 21 minutes per game. Hes also scored 42 of his 109 career points on the power play, so hes a solid No. 2 defenceman in fantasy. Value Plays: At his best, C David Backes is fantasy gold, providing a rare combination of goals and penalty minutes. Since 2008-2009, hes one of three to score at least 100 goals with at least 500 penalty minutes. Hes also a hitter, with 863 hits recorded over the last four seasons. This sounds wonderful, but Backes also scored just six goals last season, with a career-low shooting percentage (6.0%), so he could have value on draft day. C Derek Roy hasnt been the same player since suffering a quad injury in 2010-2011. He was scoring at a point-per-game pace (35 points in 35 games) that season, but has 72 points in 122 games since. He should get a serious offensive opportunity for a Blues team that needs skill and could, effectively, use Roy to replace retired Andy McDonald. C Patrik Berglund is a talented player with good size who has been up-and-down throughout his five-year NHL career. His 58 goals over the last three seasons ranks 61st and scored at a career-best rate (0.35 gpg) last season, but he also scored on 23.0% of his shots last year, an impossible-to-sustain number, so regression is on its way, unless Berglund creates a lot more chances. Consistency has been the hallmark of LW Alexander Steens game in St. Louis. Since 2008-2009, hes averaged between 0.65 and 0.71 points per game, playing more than 19 minutes per game over the last three seasons. As a No. 3 left winger, what he lacks in upside, he makes up for with stability. RW T. J. Oshie is similarly consistent, between 0.63 and 0.699 points per game in each of his five NHL seasons, but one of his other calling cards is missing time with injuries, missing at least 18 games three times in five seasons, including last season. J. T. Riddle Jersey. Oshie has never scored 20 goals of 55 points in a season, but those numbers would be within his grasp if he stayed healthy. Sleepers/Breakthrough: The Blues leading scorer last year, RW Chris Stewart is still somewhat of a sleeper considering that last seasons 36 points in 48 games beat his point total (30) in 79 games the year before. Hes a high-percentage shooter, who needs more consistency to earn the trust of the coaching staff; hes played under 16 minutes per game in the last two seasons. After bursting onto the scene with 10 points in his first eight games last season, RW Vladimir Tarasenko faded quickly and missed time with a concussion. If hes healthy and in shape, Tarasenko has offensive skills that should not only translate to production, but earn him a bigger role with the Blues. Goaltending was supposed to be a strength of the Blues going into last season, considering they had the leagues best goals against average in 2011-2012, but Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak struggled and, with Halak getting hurt, Jake Allen even took the crease for a time. With a strong finish to the year, including a 1.28 goals against average and .948 save percentage in 13 April games, Elliott may have the edge going into this season, but if either one emerges as a starter, they will have value. Its just a matter of figuring out which one. In deep leagues, D Jay Bouwmeester could have appeal. He pretty much lost fantasy value in Calgary, but with a better Blues team, Bouwmeester could score enough, and maybe even have a half-decent plus-minus, so that hes useful in fantasy leagues. Rookies: The Blues have a lot of veterans up front and coach Ken Hitchcock isnt terribly forviging of the defensive mistakes that young players typically make, so the safe bet would be that none of the Blues rookies will put up big points, but wingers Dmitrij Jaskin and Ty Rattie do have scoring potential. Jaskin had 99 points in 51 QMJHL games last season, while Rattie fniished his WHL career with back-to-back seasons with more than 100 points. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '