MLB

The Atlanta Braves are one of baseball's biggest surprises as they've jumped out to a 6-1 start.

While it's still very early, it is hard not to be impressed by the team's performance to date.

The Braves have beaten up the Marlins and Mets, two teams that were hot picks to challenge the Washington Nationals in the division and earn wild card berths.

You’ll come across some weird sights if you head down to Marlins Park this spring.

There's rain falling indoors, but perhaps even stranger, a pitcher who leaps like a hunter-gatherer throwing a spear while hurling the ball over the plate.

It was 67 degrees when the St. Louis Cardinals lost their home opener to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4. With that type of weather, it's OK (sometimes) to take your shirt off. 

The New York Yankees are always one of the most divisive teams in Major League Baseball. It's also true, though, that the 2015 season brings about one of their most divisive on-field products in recent memory.

As is true of any professional sports team, there's always a divide between what fans of that team feel their chances for success are and what fans of other teams feel. However, with the 2015 Yankees, it feels as though the predictions for this team range anywhere from a sub-.500 record to 90-plus wins.

The Detroit Tigers possess no ordinary starting rotation. At least, not during their four-year postseason run that preceded this campaign. The likes of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Price and Rick Porcello have combined to make them the most dominant group in the American League.

As injuries mount and teams begin to sour on ineffective players currently on their rosters, the rumor mill has begun to pick up speed. It's not churning out rumors at breakneck speed, mind you, like it will as we get into the dog days of summer, but it's moving fast enough to not be cited as a pace-of-play violator.

Last season, I wrote a series of articles breaking down my position-by-position power rankings as the season progressed, and that will again be a monthly staple in 2015.

My preseason rankings came out on March 3, but an updated version seemed appropriate to establish the baseline for our May edition. Those will be the first rankings that take into account solely 2015 performance.

MLB daily fantasy owners are finally getting into a groove, but there's always room for improvement. Each day brings a new opportunity for DraftKings players to thrive in myriad games, but only if they know how to set up a winning lineup.

Before Tuesday's slate gets underway, here's a look at the full strategy for MLB daily fantasy with the top value players to target.

1. NL West: Change, Money and Bubble Gum

One week in, and you know what's more fun than Furious 7 meets Coachella?

The National League West.

Grab a fistful of Dubble Bubble, because that's the first checkpoint for a summer of bubble-blowing good times: Padres home opener Thursday, ninth inning, Giants center fielder Angel Pagan at the plate and suddenly he and San Diego catcher Derek Norris are jawing and must be separated.

Two of the early favorites to win the 2015 World Series will meet again at Fenway Park on Tuesday in the second game of a three-game interleague series between the visiting Washington Nationals and the host Boston Red Sox.