It's time to bite the bullet with Barry.

It is hard to see through the fog of the late season injuries. The 40-man roster complicates this situation. Teams do not have to place anyone on the disabled list, so a player can be “day-to-day” for a month. Manny Ramirez is a good example. If he were on the disabled list, you would have an inkling of how long you need to wait. You could then make a judgment on whether to hold onto an injured player or to cut him from your fantasy roster. Without the DL, it is pure guesswork.

Another factor to consider is which teams are playing meaningful games. Teams that are out of contention will be looking at younger players in September. They have less incentive to bring back veterans from injury. They are more likely to just shut them down for the season.

Hopefully, you are still in contention in your fantasy league as the regular season dwindles down. There are so few games left that you really need to take a hard look at some of the big names sitting on your bench. In non-keeper leagues, you cannot afford to be sentimental with the title on the line. A star player does no good if he is inactive for the remainder of the season.

Let’s take a look at a mix of young players and veterans, and see which ones figure to contribute in the final days of the 2007 season.

For Better

1. James Loney, 1B, Dodgers: Loney is doing his best hitting in September. He is hitting .391 and slugging .781 this month. He has found his power stroke with six home runs this month and 12 in roughly half a season. The Dodgers would be in a lot better shape in the N.L. West if they had brought up Loney sooner. He is a must-start from now until the end of the season.

2. Moises Alou, OF, Mets: Alou’s hitting streak is 23 games and counting. He missed two and one-half months on the DL earlier in the year. Paradoxically the time off may be the reason his bat is still fresh. His average is up to .344 on the year, and a robust .459 in September. The old man is still available in many leagues.

3. Pat Burrell, OF, Phillies: Burrell is as streaky a hitter as anyone in baseball. He hit a collective .157 with seven home runs in May and June. He then caught fire and hit .349 with 16 home runs in July and August. He has cooled off lately, but the good news is that he finishes with six games at home. He has hit .308 with 15 HR at Citizens Bank Park.

4. Daric Barton, 1B, Athletics: The Oakland first base job is his, at least for the rest of the season. The prized prospect is hitting .324 after nine games. The A’s are trying Barton out in the second slot in the batting order, so he will get plenty of opportunities.

5. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds: Similar situation to Barton’s, though Votto has hit even better. He is at a Ted Williams-like .405 after 13 games. Six of his last ten games are at the Great American Ballpark where Votto is 10 for 22, which is a .455 average.

Honorable Mention

Matt Kemp, OF, Dodgers: Kemp has hit consistently all season. His average has never dipped below .311. In limited at-bats (255), he has power (10 HR), average (.341) and speed (10 steals). For some reason the great baseball mind, Grady Little, does not keep both Kemp and Andre Ethier in the lineup consistently. Luis Gonzalez has more at-bats than both of them do, and it makes no sense. Kemp is available in many leagues only because of the indecision in Grady-land.

Yunel Escobar, SS/2B/3B, Braves: A star in the making, the young star has played all over the infield for Atlanta. He could push Kelly Johnson into the Braves outfield next season. Expect to see him bounce around the Braves infield as the veterans Chipper Jones and Edgar Renteria get days off as the Braves fade from contention.

Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox: Ellsbury has been terrific for the Red Sox filling in for Ramirez. He is hitting .367, slugging .557 and has seven steals in 23 games. The Red Sox have so many injuries (Coco Crisp, Kevin Youkilis, etc.) that even if Ramirez comes back soon Ellsbury should still get at bats.

Homer Bailey, SP, Reds: Everyone thought that Bailey would be shut down for the year, but he recovered nicely from his groin injury. Bailey will get another start or two. Bailey could get starts against both the Giants and the Astros, which would be two winnable games.

For Worse

1. Manny Ramirez, OF, Red Sox: Ramirez has missed 20 games in a row with a strained oblique. Most Ramirez owners have stashed him on their bench, hoping and praying that he returns soon. If possible, the Red Sox want to have him back by the final week of the season, to tune up for the playoffs. It is not looking good for getting anything meaningful out of Ramirez the rest of the way.

2. Carl Crawford, OF, Devil Rays: Do not expect to see Crawford again this season. The Devil Rays speedster hurt his groin and even if he does somehow return to action, he will not be in a stealing mood with a sore groin. The Devil Rays, as usual, are not going anywhere so they will not rush Crawford back in 2007.

3. Rick Ankiel, OF, Cardinals: Ankiel’s average has dropped like a rock, from .358 on September 6 to .282. He was bound to cool off when pitchers stopped feeding him fastballs. The decline coincided with the reports of alleged human growth hormone use. Ankiel had to quit pitching because of a mental block. Now he has to endure the HGH charges. Is he mentally tough enough to do so? History works against him here. Drop him before the Cardinals go on their final seven game road trip.

4. Orlando Hernandez, SP, Mets: El Duque had a setback and his foot injury will keep him sidelined for at least ten more days. The best case scenario is that he comes back and makes one start. More likely he is done for the regular season. Time to cut him.

5. Carlos Delgado, 1B, Mets: Delgado is still owned in many leagues but should not be. He has been out for two weeks now with a hip flexor strain and it is unclear when he can return. Before the injury, he was having his worst season since he became a regular a decade ago. The 35-year old Delgado has lost a lot of bat speed and had trouble getting around on a good fastball. There is no reason to hold on to him.

Dishonorable Mention

Brad Hawpe, OF, Rockies: Hawpe is batting only .183 against left-handed pitching. He is hitting .306 against righties. If you keep Hawpe, you have to platoon him when he faces a lefty. He’s slumping badly late in the season, hitting .225 since the All Star break and only .180 in September.

Roy Oswalt, SP, Astros: There is nothing wrong with Oswalt’s arm. The issue with Oswalt is availability. The Astros’ ace is skipping a turn in the rotation to be with Mrs. Oswalt who is about to give birth. He could possibly return this weekend in St. Louis. The Astros are in last place and these games mean nothing so you have to wonder if Oswalt gets even two more starts.

Barry Bonds, OF, Giants: With 762 homers and nothing left to prove, Bonds figured to play sparingly in the waning days of the season. Now, Bonds has a sprained toe and he has missed three straight games. You cannot rely on Bonds to play in the last couple of weeks in the season. Go ahead and drop him – you will feel better about yourself.