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Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft

Swag-Diamond Fantasy Baseball Auction Draft Recap and Analysis

7- Edwin Encarnacion, Tor 1B $41    Encarnacion was one of my main targets in this auction.  Starting only 3  Outfielders and adding a Corner-Infielder spot makes Encarnacion a nice option instead of blowing your entire budget on Mike Trout ($57) or Andrew McCutchen (who went to @naapsterman for only $45).  I was in on McCutchen, but once it went to 45 I backed off.  Encarnacion ended up going for the same as Chris Davis and $5 dollars cheaper than Paul Goldschmidt.

15- Troy Tulowitzki, Col SS $31  Obviously I am gambling on health with Tulowitzki, but who aren’t you gambling with health when it comes to the top Short Stops.  Hanley Ramirez ($38) isn’t exactly Super Man and Jose Reyes (only $19 to Ryan Forbes who had a great auction) is, well Jose Reyes.  I had Tulow as a $30 player so one extra wasn’t a huge deal.

45 Jose Bautista, Tor OF $24  Bautista was my biggest target in this auction.  In 5 x 5 with OB% instead of BA% he can be huge.  I was hoping to get him for $22 and went to $24 which was one below my $25 dollar rating.

54 Justin Upton, Atl OF $7 All I can say is everyone fell asleep on this one.  I only threw out a $7 bid because there didn’t look to be to much action and I didn’t exactly want him, but I wouldn’t mind making someone else pay for him.  By getting him for only $7 dollars it opened me up to spend a little more at other spots.

57 Justin Verlander, Det SP $21 Verlander was my #4 Starting Pitcher before the injuries to Darvish and Kershaw and now he is a much tighter 3B.  His price was scoffed at a bit, but then Strasburg went for $33 and Scherzer, Wainwright and Sale all went for $26, Verlander’s price didn’t look all that bad.

89 Mike Moustakas, KC 3B $9 Oh boy did I get caught with my hand in the cookie jar on this one.  I was hoping some of my fellow owners would be bidding him up on the account of his strong spring and of course when I thought someone would go to $10 they stuck me with him for $9.  Moustakas was a $5 player in my ratings and I almost doubled that up.

90 Wilin Rosario, Col C $19 Rosario is a target of mine everywhere.  I overpaid for him here, but when I looked at the Catchers that were available after he was put up, there was no one that could come close to what he brings.  He ended up costing the same as Joe Mauer and was 6 and 5 dollars less than Santana and Posey, respectively.

94 Jered Weaver, LAA SP $12 Another one where I got caught bidding up.  I was hoping some people would be desperate for starting pitching and paying for past performance, but $12 was not a bad price for Weaver.  FantasyPros actually has him rated for $12 and I have him as a $10 SP in Mixed Leagues so I’m not too upset.

104 J.J. Hardy, Bal SS $9 I needed a middle infielder with some pop and Hardy was the guy.  His BA% doesn’t matter here and his counting numbers are nice for the MI spot.  I still over paid (by at least 3-4 dollars) in a mixed league setting, but I didn’t like what was left on the board.

126 Alex Gordon, KC OF $12 Huge OB% advantage and I get him at a discount?!  I don’t know why people are sleeping on Gordon this year, but I’m not concerned as I picked him up everywhere.  I got a $8 discount according to FantasyPros and he was $8 cheaper than Hunter Pence who is a very similar player.

143 Trevor Rosenthal, StL RP $16 We need to start two relief pitchers and Rosenthal was the last of my upper-tier closers left.  I spent a little more than I wanted (I have him at $12) but I had extra money to spend.

146 R.A. Dickey, Tor SP $6 R.A. could be one of those injury bounce back players, but I only wanted him at the right price with his high WHIP so $6 was perfect.

147 Pablo Sandoval, SF 3B $8 Moustakas was not going to be the thirdbaseman I was going to bank on and Sandoval was a nice back-up/starter plan for around the same price.  I wanted to only spend $7 on him, but $8 wasn’t out of the question.

165 Andrew Cashner, SD SP $8 Cashner was a big target for me. (no pun intended with his height)  With Wins not being a category Cashner is equal to a lot of the bigger name pitchers available and he can always work on getting his K-rate up.

166 Sergio Romo, SF RP $6 Not bad for my 2nd RP.  I had Romo as an $8 closer and again I get some value.  He’s in my top ten so there’s that as well.

183 Christian Yelich, Mia OF $3 Yelich is a player who i hope gets off to a fast start.  He’s a bit of a post-hype sleeper because he was last year’s version of George Springer.  A guy with power and speed who could be a huge fantasy player in the future. I’m not confident that future is now, but if he starts fast the $3 investment could pay dividends in a trade.

196 Danny Salazar, Cle SP $8 Salazar was a must because I needed to add K’s after getting Weaver and Cashner.  Salazar has top of the rotation strike-out stuff, but I think people are over-paying in redraft leagues.  $8 is not bad and is actually below where i had him rated.

200 Austin Jackson, Det OF $4 Huge discount alert.  Some people were running out of money and I picked up a steal in Jackson at $4.  FantasyPros has him rated at $16 and I have him just below that at $15.  So excited about this buy.

203 Clay Buchholz, Bos SP $3 With a DL spot available he is definitely worth the gamble.  When healthy he is top of the rotation stuff and when he’s hurt he’s on the DL.  I recently heard Eno Sarris say the very same thing and it’s always good to have someone reassure you. Cueto went for $6 and he’s the same injury gamble.  Great when healthy and when he’s hurt you DL him.

209 Marco Estrada, Mil SP $3 I really like the Strike out upside and I didn’t want to overpay for him in a room of experts.  $3 was perfect for me as I had him rated as a $6 SP.

213 Brian Dozier, Min 2B $5 Bit of an overpay here, but I needed him because I had missed out out Gyorko to TraderX for $16.  I couldn’t go that high and now Dozier was my position punt.  Not that bad a punt though with his ability to go 20/15.

222 Adam Eaton, CWS OF $3 This late in the auction strategy came to the forefront.  I knew some of my other friends in the league wanted Eaton and their max bid left was $3, so I threw out an opening bid of $3 dollars on an outfielder that people want and they were stuck letting him go to me.  If he doesn’t end up in my starters maybe I can package him for a new 2B option.

256 Taijuan Walker*, Sea SP $2 I had $2 left and I had a DL spot to use so Taijuan Walker was a nice lottery ticket to get this late.  I would much rather have him sitting on my DL then spend $2 on Danny Haren or any other former decent fantasy pitcher.

The Worst Over Pays

Ben Zobrist for $25 – that was just crazy because his number have been declining for the last few years and you can’t pay a premium just on flexibility.

Yu Darvish for $36 – It’s never a good strategy to over pay for a stud Starting Pitcher and this case was no different.  His neck issues aside this was at least $8 too much for me.

Billy Hamilton for $21 – I know the hype train is in full effect, but this is still a ONE-Category guy that should not be going in the same price range as Matt Holiday or Alex Rios.

Bryce Harper and Steven Strasburg for a combine $72 – I don’t mean to pick on my good buddy Ricky Sanders here, but these were two overpays for me.  Sometimes you get caught up in the auction with your eyes focused on your targets and you blow your budget because of it.   It caught up to him at the end of the draft as his depth took a hit.

The Best Buys

Nolan Arenado for $1 – One dollar price tag was a little soul crushing for me as I paid a combined $17 for Panda and Moustakas.  I really like Arenado this year and I would have been a lot happier if I went Panda and Arenado and saved the Moustakas money to get Gyorko at 2B.

Austin Jackson for $4 – This guy score a ton of runs and he will steal bases.  His OB% is not ideal for an OB% league, but he is still worth at least 4x the cost.  I won’t even count the Upton buy because there was a lot of chatter in the message box when that was going on.  Distracted everyone.

Hisashi Iwakuma for $8 – Renee Miller picked up a nice injury steal here by getting the excellent Iwakuma for below market value.  I have Iwakuma as a $15 pitcher and would have loved to get him, but Renee made a great buy.

Aroldis Chapman for $5 – This was a really smart buy considering he will still pitch for at least 17 weeks of the season.  He cost the same as Booby Parnell who could lose his job the first month of the season.

 

Free Agent Rashad Jennings

This week I will take a look at how free agency has affected the New York Yankees, oops, I mean the New York Giants.

I’m sure you can understand my confusion with all the money flying at the players who have been visiting Met Life Stadium.

Rashad Jennings Running

Rashad Jennings made a name for himself in Fantasy Football when he was a backup to Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville. You see Fantasy Football crazies love to imagine what a running back will do if he is just given the chance to get the bulk of the carries. The infatuation with Jennings started in 2010 when he began to flash in games as he filled in for MJD. In a 2010 games against the Giants Jennings rushed 7 times for 57 yards and a touchdown. The following two weeks he carried the ball 15 times for a total of 153 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 2010 with a 100-yard game and scored another rushing touchdown against the Houston Texans. Injuries turned 2011 into a lost season and then 2012 was underwhelming.

After 2012 Jennings looked to be just another backup running back who would always be more hope of potential then actual talent. Well in 2013 he signed with the Oakland Raiders and was put in a position where he could back up one of the most injury-prone running backs in the league, Darren McFadden. In the preseason he was battling the dynasty fantasy darling Latavius Murray before Murray was injured and lost for the season. Jennings then played special teams and waited for the inevitable injury to McFadden.

For the first few weeks of the season Jennings just had to bide his time and stay healthy and then from weeks 10 to week 15 of the 2013 NFL season Jennings showed what he could do when given a full workload. He got 113 carries over that six-week period and used those carries to rumble for 539 yards. He also caught 19 passes for 160 yards in that span. Those six games made some fantasy owners very happy. Those six games made Jennings a lot of money as he signed a four-year, $10 million deal with the Giants.

Here’s the play that will be remembered above all others from Rashad Jennings in 2013:

 

My fantasy take right now is inconclusive. I am excited as a Giants’ fan that Jennings is here to help anchor the running back position, but what makes a running back really excel in fantasy is a dominant offensive line and an offensive game plan that will feature that back in multiple ways. For now I have to reserve judgment as I think the Giants are on the right path of upgrading their offensive line with the signing of Geoff Schwartz (eighth-ranked OG by PFF) and the further development of last season’s first-round pick Justin Pugh, but there still are a lot of question marks.

 

Geoff Schwartz vs. Zane Beadles Courtesy of @PFF_Pete (Pete Damilatis):

 

 

 

J.D. Walton was rated as the worst center in the league by Pro Football Focus his last full season in the league in 2011. That doesn’t exactly stoke my confidence as he looks to be in line to be the starting center as of right now. Chris Snee’s hips didn’t cooperate last year and there is no guarantee that he will be able to hold up this year. The injury-plaguedDavid Baas has been jettisoned, but the versatile Kevin Boothe has been signed away by the Oakland Raiders. While Boothe had a down year last season (46th-ranked) he was rated as the 20th-best guard in 2012 by PFF and could even slide over and play center.

 

On the bright side, Will Beatty can always bounce back after last season’s nightmare. He went from the 11th-ranked offensive tackle in the NFL by PFF in 2012 all the way down to 58th under players with one foot out of the NFL door like Jeremy Trueblood and Ryan Harris. The big offseason contract obviously had a major impact on Beatty as he tried to live up to the money he was making, but now he has to get back to work and try and play like he did in 2012.  I’m positive he will bounce back next season and think he will benefit with Schwartz lined up next to him.

The other wild card is new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, who has never called plays before. McAdoo has said that his offense will contain west coast elements that should have me excited about Jennings in the passing and screen game, but again it’s hard to put last year out of my mind.  I think one of the Cowboys is still running back one of the Giants’ screen passes from last year.

To wrap up I do like Jennings’ fantasy value in New York a lot more than I would have liked him if he had signed a one-year deal to stay in Oakland.  He may have to deal with a hopefully healthy David Wilson stealing some carries and an offensive line that may need some time to gel, but with McAdoo calling the plays I think he can be a legitimate running back 2 in Fantasy Football next season.

Check back next Friday when I go over the signing of (Super) Mario Manningham and what to expect of former Giant Hakeem Nicks in Indianapolis.

For all of your off season Fantasy Football news stop over at Coachesser.com for my current rankings as well as league wide articles.  You can also get ahead of the competition in Fantasy Baseball by checking out my rankings which are also now featured at FantasyPros.com.  You can also Mock Draft right on my site with help from the Pros.

FSWA Fantasy Baseball Draft

This year I made the choice to join the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and I couldn’t be happier.  Not only do I get to belong to a great group that supports the industry’s best and brightest, but I get to participate in leagues with fellow writers.

This season I was asked to join the latest FSWA Fantasy Baseball Draft (The Nado DiFino Award) and I thought that was a great chance to see where my rankings stacked up before my main money leagues drafted over the next two weekends.

For Reference FSWA Leagues Start-

CC,1B,2B,3B,SS,MI,CI,OF,OF,OF,OF,OF,OF,UT,P,P,P,P,P,P,P,P,P

and Scoring is

Runs,RBIs,SBs,OB%,Slugging%     –     Ks,ERA,WHIP,QS,Saves

When I found out I had the fourth pick in the draft I was praying that Andrew McCutchen would fall to me becuase he fills up all five offensive categories and plays a position that will end up being depleted with 12 teams having to start 5 Out Fielders.  Well in a draft full of fantasy writers that didn’t happen.  Paul Goldschmidt was there for me to take him, but in a league where you start 9 Pitchers every week I couldn’t pass up on the clear number one, tier to himself, Clayton Kershaw.  That was the first of many slightly controversial picks I made in this draft.

Clayton Kershaw

COACH ESSER DENNIS
4 Clayton Kershaw, LAD SP  Over Goldschmidt was tough, but I’m happy
21 Jose Bautista, Tor OF  Needed a high upside Outfielder and Bautista can top four categories if healthy
28 Justin Verlander, Det SP  This was a personal preference. I have him rated 3rd-SP most don’t
45 Joe Mauer, Min C  2-Catcher League Mauer is huge in OB% and Runs
52 Matt Kemp, LAD OF  -Big gamble on health here. Wouldn’t have got him in the next round
69 Matt Carpenter, StL 2B  -Value pick here as he is plus in Runs,OB% and decent in Slugging%
76 Josh Donaldson, Oak 3B  -Another value pick, Wanted to wait and go with a sleeper later, but not bad.
93 Trevor Rosenthal, StL RP  -The last of the upper tier Closers and now with Chapman hurt its good value
100 Jose Abreu, CWS 1B  -needed some upside power at 1B and love to gamble on Abreu
117 Hisashi Iwakuma, Sea SP  -Iwakuma has a lot of upside as long as that finger is ready soon
124 Danny Salazar, Cle SP  -Salazar is going to break out this year and reached a little here
141 Austin Jackson, Det OF  -Jackson was always a target and his ESPN ADP kept him off screen
148 Jason Castro, Hou C  -Castro was the last offensive Catcher that could be plus in Slugging%
165 Jason Grilli, Pit RP  -Steady closer who has a decent WHIP as well
172 Brad Miller, Sea SS  -big time target for me and it was tough to lay off Castro and Simmons as they fell
189 Khris Davis, Mil OF  -Fourth Outfielder with power upside-a bit of a gamble
196 Lance Lynn, StL SP  -Lynn is nice starter to have in this format with his K totals
213 Matt Garza, Mil SP  -Auto picked Garza when Adam Eaton was in my que but had been sniped-still stings
220 Nate Jones, CWS RP  -The last decent upside closer left.
237 Taijuan Walker, Sea SP  – Walker here was a round early based on ADP, but the shoulder sounds good
244 David Freese, LAA 3B  – Batting fourth against Lefties and if healthy not a bad Corner Infielder
261 Oswaldo Arcia, Min OF  – One of my favorite late round power sources
268 Michael Brantley, Cle OF  -Solid outfielder with room for improvement-pure depth
285 Neil Walker, Pit 2B  – Could be a nice value pick for MI depth-if not, to the wire I go
292 Devin Mesoraco, Cin C -Vargas knee issues had me looking for a 3rd Catcher when normally I wouldn’t
309 Todd Frazier, Cin 3B  – Too much potential this late in the draft.  RBIs in a pinch
316 Erik Johnson, CWS SP  – Late round sleeper or bust.  I like what I saw last year and worth a gamble
333 Junior Lake, ChC OF  – Needed Steals and he could get 20 this year while putting up decent Slugging%

As you can tell my team lacks stolen bases and I will have to look to make a trade early on or raid the waiver wire for this year’s Nate McLouth.  Let me know what you think and who you are targeting in your fantasy baseball drafts.

Fantasy Basketball-Injuries

As we’re headed toward the playoffs in Fantasy Basketball it’s time to really pay attention to what’s going on around the league.  Injuries to some Fantasy Basketball players can go unnoticed with so much attention being split.

With March Madness taking hold and Fantasy Baseball drafts starting to consume some of your concentration it’s easy to miss some of the happenings around the NBA that can help you win a Fantasy Basketball Championship.

Point Guard-

Kyrie Irving suffered an injury to his biceps and Dion Waiters has stepped into the roll of main ball handler for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  With Irving sidelined for a few weeks Waiters can bring scoring to your fantasy team as well as some assists and steals, but you also have to weather his erratic shooting (42%) (66% from the line) in order to have him help your team.

Waiters last two game lines (Courtesy ESPN.com)

Dion Waiters Stats

While Waiters may be a good source of points you may be in need of some assists.  Well Ramon Sessions of the Milwaukee Bucks could be your answer.  2nd round pick Nate Wolters went down with a fractured hand and Sessions looks to be in line for an increase in minutes in the Bucks’ back court.  While minutes are never guaranteed when talking about the Bucks, i would gamble on Sessions if that category could put me over the top.  Just don’t expect Darren Collison level fill-in numbers.

Shooting Guard-

It took a James Anderson injury to finally see Tony Wroten back in the starting lineup, but Wroten put up very nice numbers in his last start and may be in line for some bigger minutes down the stretch as the 76ers need to evaluate their young talent to see who they want to build around for next season.

Tony Wroten’s Stats For The Last Two Contests (Courtesy ESPN.com)

Tony Wroten Stats

Power Forward-

Drew Gooden has come out of no where to put in quality minutes for the Washington Wizards and if there is an injury to Marcin Gortat  then Gooden becomes a very valuable asset.   The injury to Nene initially cleared the way, but Gooden has thoroughly outplayed Trevor Booker since and can be counted on for double digit points and some rebounds with the a couple of 3-pointers to  boot.

Drew Gooden Clebebrates

Center-

Gorgui Dieng has become somewhat of a phenomenon since getting a chance to start at Center for the Minnesota Timber Wolves while Nikola Pekovic recovers from an ankle injury.  The novelty of plugging him in as low budget option at Center quickly wore off when he went for a double double in his first game starting to along with five blocks.  Instead of a throw away joke on an afternoon DFS podcast he quickly became a name to know and run to the waiver wire as he has had a double double in each of his three starts including his last game where he went for 22 points and 21 rebounds.  With Pek hurting I think you have to run out and grab Dieng in the short term and hope he gets some run the rest of the season.

Gorgui Dieng’s Last Three Games (Courtesy of ESPN.com)

Gorgui Dieng Stats

Fantasy Baseball – Undervalued

Through the first few of my actual money drafts of 2014 the same players keep sliding in drafts.  Many of these undervalued players have already become roster magnets for me and I really can’t complain based on past performance or the 2014 projections I have on these players.  So without further adieu these are some players you should target when they start to fall.

Wilin Rosario-Catcher-Colorado Rockies

Wilin Rosario Colorado Rockies

Rosario is one of the only catchers in the league that has 30 homer potential, yet he continues to slide in drafts.  In leagues that only start one catcher and are smaller than 14 teams i don’t tend to worry too much about drafting the position unless there becomes a clear “value win” or I feel the catcher run is in full swing.  It’s a lot like dealing with a one quarterback league that doesn’t weigh touch down passes as six points in fantasy football.  After the first few catchers it’s pretty much fantasy league average through catcher 14 in my rankings.  Rosario is the only one in my high-mid catcher rankings that I tend to target because of the home run potential.  If you see your team is slipping in that category in Roto-style or if Home Runs count as 5 points in your points league then don’t miss out on this guy.  You can find his current ADP at Fantasy Pros Here.

Justin Verlander-Starting Pitcher-Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander is a stud.  Instead of remembering his up and down season from last year try and remember how dominant he was in the playoffs. (23 Innings – 1 Run – 31 Strikeouts)  Those are the numbers that get you excited about owning Justin Verlander and those are the numbers that are going to make him a draft steal this year.  He is regularly going behind last year’s rookie phenom Jose Fernandez in drafts and that’s just not right.  I have Verlander ranked right in my top 5 and have no fears at all about his perceived regression last year.  Don’t let him last too long in your drafts because you will be sorry.  Go to Fantasy Pros here for his current ADP across all sites.

Kyle Seager-Third Base-Seattle Mariners

Kyle Seager Under Valued

Last year it was tough to own any Mariners besides King Felix (Felix Hernandez) and be happy about it, but Kyle Seager quietly had a very good year and he did it with multiple position eligibility in some formats.  This year people seem to have forgotten that Seager showed pop (22 homers) and even some decent wheels (9 stolen bases).  Seager has even more value in leagues that start a corner infielder, but in leagues that start a traditional lineup he can be the ideal first player on your bench or utility player.  Instead of going in the low to mid 70s he is regularly available in the ealry 100s in drafts and I seem to be picking him off constantly.  Go here to see his current ADP across all sites.

Hunter Pence-Out Fielder-San Francisco Giants

Hunter Pence Fantasy BaseballAll Hunter Pence did last year was put up solid numbers in almost every category (.283-27 HRs-99RBIs-22SBs) and yet during drafts this year he continues to be over looked constantly.  I know people always like their new shiny toys, but Billy Hamilton over Hunter Pence has happened far too often.  I know his swing is ugly, but you don’t actually have to watch every at bat of your second fantasy outfielder.  Seriously I can’t think of any reason he should slide this low (current ADP) unless it’s purely on aesthetics or latent antisemitism.

 

Cardinal Rules – Injury Report

You might think this post is about trying to make sure you have as many St. Louis Cardinals on your fantasy baseball roster as possible, but it’s not. (That is a good way to win though.)

There are a few cardinal rules you need to abide by before heading to your draft or auction in fantasy baseball.  First make sure you know the scoring system of the league you are about to try and win.  Unless winning isn’t your thing, then just show up and draft based on any old ranking system.  At least you will really like your team with that method, even if it ends up in second to last.

Kris Medlen Injured

My second cardinal rule is to make sure you have up to date injury information.  Do not go to the draft and assume Thursday’s injury report will be good for Sunday’s draft.  A lot of things can happen in two days time.  For example, the Atlanta Braves starting pitching rotation was decimated in a 48 hour window with elbow injuries to Kris Medlin and Brandon Beachy.  Imagine how bad your rotation would look right after the draft if you had no idea they both had appointments with Dr. James Andrews.

The reason I’m posting this today is because I got bit by the lack of information bug this weekend.  I took over a keeper league team that was built primarily around it’s position players and knew I needed to concentrate on starting pitching to make a dent in this particular points league.  I had a very busy weekend planned and knew i wasn’t going to be able to do as much research on Saturday or Sunday morning as I would have liked, but I felt fairly confident.

Patrick Corbin InjuredI had seen a blip of a story on Patrick Corbin leaving his Spring Training start because of pain in his elbow.  The particular post I saw only mentioned forearm tightness that seemed to be effecting his slider and that it was something to monitor, but didn’t seem like a huge issue.  If it had been a draft during the week I would have been looking up every Diamond Backs beat writer’s Twitter timeline and trying to see if this meant he should be dropped down my rankings.  Unfortunately the draft was on Sunday and the injury was on Saturday while I was out all day with my wife and kids.  Only so much research can be done on your phone while your wife reads the menu.

Long story short I had an extra third round pick from a predraft trade and I used that on Corbin.  Obviously in retrospect it was a huge mistake, but that mistake was compounded by me not drafting enough healthy pitching that didn’t have question marks around it.  Sonny Gray as my ace doesn’t feel as comfortable without Corbin there as my second starter.  Clay Buchholz as my third starter was worth a gamble if Corbin was healthy, but with Corbin out Buchholz makes my rotation very vulnerable.

Long story short I wrote this post as friendly reminder/warning that injuries do happen while your cooking steak on a stone and consuming mass quantities of sangria.  Wake up just a little early or go to bed just a bit later and pour over the day’s injuries.  Don’t take one story or article as the undisputed truth on the severity of an injury.

 

 

 

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