With the Florida tour all wrapped up and the first two tournaments of the season in the livewell, it would be prudent to take a look at which anglers are rising to the top and which are sinking to the bottom.
While two tournaments aren't enough to gauge how an entire season will play out, you can bet that someone from the following list will make a fantasy splash this year. It happens every year. Some newcomer or journeyman angler starts the season well and everyone thinks he is a flash in the pan, but when the Classic rolls around they are still producing for fantasy owners.
The question is: who will it be? One of the following anglers could easily do it and with their salaries still low, now is the time to lock 'em up.
BASS Fantasy Fishing's best buys
Jeff Reynolds, Platter, Okla. Ranked sixth overall with 148 points, Reynolds is the cheapest (6.5 salary points) and highest-placing angler on this list. An easy pick for anyone looking for a top-performing angler without a bankrupting price tag.
Andre Moore, Scottsdale, Ariz. For an angler that has only a dozen Top-50 finishes in his career, Moore is having a great year. He placed 14th on Toho and 11th on the Harris Chain. Could this be his year? With a salary of 7.2 he's worth gambling on for a few more tournaments.
Curt Lytle, Suffolk, Va. A 15th-place finish on Toho has pushed Lytle to a 15th-place ranking in fantasy fishing with 106 points. With a salary of 6.7, this journeyman angler who happened to finish 5th in the 2003 Classic on the Louisiana Delta could breakout this season.
Mike Reynolds, Modesto, Calif. Back-to-back Top-30 finishes has Reynolds ranked 18th overall in fantasy fishing with 97 points. With only five Top-10 finishes in his 16-year career, Reynolds may not pan out in the long run and at 8.7 points he's overpriced. However, he's much cheaper than Larry Nixon who has a 13-point salary but is only 3 points ahead of Reynolds in the standings.
Mark Rizk, Arab, Ala. A 16th-place finish on Toho has pushed Rizk to an 18th-place ranking tied with Mike Reynolds. Much like Reynolds, Rizk is bound to drop quickly in the rankings as the superstars find their groove and assert their dominance, but at 6.9-salary points he's a great buy that could continue to finish high enough to earn you points.
Honorable mentions: Luke Clausen 8.7, John Crews 4.7, Roger Boler 4.8, Jeff Kriet 4.2, Woo Daves 4.0, Greg Gutierrrez 4.0.