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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Alex Gordon knew that the Atlanta Braves were going to be careful with him with first base open and the go-ahead run standing on second in the 10th inning Wednesday night. He didnt waste the first good pitch he saw. Gordon lofted it into shallow left field, just deep enough to allow David Lough to score, and gave the Royals a 4-3 victory and a split of the first two games the Braves have played in Kansas City. "I just go out there and try to play hard and let my game speak for itself," said Gordon, who hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and made several stellar players in left field throughout the night. "I dont think about it individually," he added. "I think of it as a W." It was a much-needed W, too, after the Royals dropped five of their previous six games. "Thats a great team over there thats leading its division," manager Ned Yost said. "Theyve got 45 wins and we matched them pitch for pitch. Every game we played them we competed. These kids are getting better. I think throughout the second half they will continue to that." Lough had entered the game the previous inning as a pinch hitter, but was still at-bat because Elliot Johnson was picked off first base to end the ninth. Lough singled off Braves reliever Alex Wood (0-2) to start the 10th and then reached second when Miguel Tejada laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. That set the stage for Gordon, who came through with his third game-winning hit of the season. "He started the game with a homer and ended it with a base hit," Yost said. "Hes come up clutch for us in those situations. He did it again tonight." Aaron Crow (4-3) worked the 10th inning for the Royals, who had lost five of their last six. It was the sixth time in the last eight games that Kansas City played a one-run contest. "Its huge," Lough said. "I mean, we know what the braves are capable of doing, theyre in first place in their division, theyre a great team and we stuck with them." The Royals were actually in control through six innings. Gordon ended a 159 at-bat homerless drought with his first-inning shot, the first leadoff homer of the season for the Royals. It was Gordons first home run since May 9 at Baltimore. Billy Butler added a two-out double to right, and then the big DH chugged home when Salvador Perez got just enough of the bat on a pitch from Mike Minor to hit a single to left field. The Royals tacked on another run in the third when Gordon singled to lead off the inning. Alcides Escobar put runners on the corners with nobody out before Eric Hosmer lined into a double play, but Butler managed to bring Gordon home with a timely single to make it 3-0. That was all the offence until Luis Mendoza started to unravel in the seventh inning. The Royals starter kept the Braves off balance with a mixture of fastballs and sliders, and had given up just three hits to that point. But hed put runners on the corners with two outs when he was lifted for left-hander Bruce Chen, who promptly served up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Reed Johnson. Chen walked Jason Heyward to load the bases and was replaced by right-hander Luke Hochevar, who gave up a tying two-run single to Justin Upton. Heyward was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. Minor allowed three runs on nine hits over six innings, while Mendoza gave up two runs on five hits over 6 2-3 innings. Neither of them factored into the decision. "Mike did a nice job," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "The solo home run by Gordon and he had a couple of innings that were stressful innings, but he did a nice job." Just not good enough to keep the outcome out of the hands of the bullpens. Alex Avilan and Jordan Walden breezed through the Royals lineup, the only blip coming when Mike Moustakas singled off Walden with two outs in the ninth inning. Johnson came in to pinch run and strayed too far from first base, allowing Walden to pick him off and end the inning. Hochevar wound up going 1 1-3 innings for the Royals, who brought in star closer Greg Holland to pitch the ninth inning. He struck out the side on just 11 pitches. "They have a very strong bullpen," Lough said, "but we were able to get to them in that last inning." NOTES: Royals RHP Yordano Ventura (Double-A Northwest Arkansas) and RHP Miguel Almonte (Class A Lexington) will pitch for the world team in the Futures Game. Braves INF Joey Terdoslavich (Triple-A Gwinnett) will play for the U.S. and C Christian Bethancourt (Double-A Mississippi) for the world. ... The Royals begin a four-game series Thursday at Minnesota. The Braves have a day off before starting a three-game set against Arizona on Friday night. Derrick Henry Titans Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Jeffery Simmons Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-11-Aj-Brown-Womens-Jersey/ . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. A.J. Brown Jersey .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Custom Tennessee Titans Jerseys . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Welcome back to another entertaining fantasy basketball marathon. In the Forecaster, we seek to prepare you for each week in fantasy basketball with appraisals of specific emerging assets and notable team trends. We also canvas the schedule each week with an eye on identifying matchups and metrics we can leverage toward successful lineup strategies and roster management.Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff learned this past summer that the sun rises in the east. When it comes to fantasy basketball, however, there is a rising Sun in the west, as Phoenixs Devin Booker is an ascendant playmaker. The second-year Kentucky product doesnt even turn 20 until later this month but is already emerging as a special NBA commodity.If you havent drafted yet -- I still have a few drafts over the weekend and into the first week of the season -- securing shares of Booker is highly encouraged. Booker is leading the NBA in scoring this preseason at 21.5 points per game in just 25.3 minutes. Some encouraging team trends support his undeniable breakout potential, as the Suns lead the NBA in pace this preseason, and were seeing increased drive rates and free throw production from Booker (hes hitting an astounding 95.7 percent of his free throws in the preseason).With elite upside in points, 3-pointers, free throw rate and steals, Booker is one of my favorite emergent assets in this imaginary basketball game we enjoy so much.It must be a Western Conference trend among second-year guards, because we also find star potential in DAngelo Russell of the Lakers. Coach Luke Waltons Warriors -- er, Lakers -- are mimicking Golden States up-tempo scheme this exhibition season.? Given the awesome success Walton enjoyed as the substitute head coach last season for the Warriors, its fitting to see the Lakers ranked just behind the Warriors this preseason at fourth in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game and seventh in the league in pace at 103.75 possessions per 48 minutes. Often in the doghouse and mired in former Lakers coach Byron Scotts stodgy old-school scheme, Russell is now poised to shine.Russell is ninth in the preseason in scoring and is lofting 6.6 3-pointers per game -- fourth most in the league -- thanks to the rare play-making freedom Walton is affording him. With rich potential in steals, dimes and 3-pointers, Russell is a steal as a mid-round pick. Loading up on shares of Booker -- going 52nd on average in ESPN drafts -- and Russell (55th), could prove pivotal and profitable in both season-long and daily fantasy competition this season.After perusing this abbreviated first week of the NBA schedule in the downloadable forecaster chart below, check out our trendspotting notes from the preseason below, as we delve into several rising players and intriguing new schemes.Access the downloadable forecaster chart PDF hereMatchup ratings are based on a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup). These are calculated using a formula that evaluates the teams year-to-date and past 10 games statistics, their opponents numbers in those categories and their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played. The column to the left lists the teams total number of games scheduled, as well as home games, and lists the overall rating from 1-10 for that teams weekly schedule.Ratings roundupWe suggest you take our ratings system as merely subtle guidance this week, as its influenced by last years data and will soon populate with more accurate information as this seasons sample develops.What we can glean from this opening week is the Oklahoma City Thunder are well-positioned against three up-tempo opponents with serious defensive flaws, based on last seasons metrics. The San Antonio Spurs are the lone four-game team this week, so make note of their full weekend slate if you plan on maximizing games played in head-to-head weekly formats.The New York Knicks face a particularly unfavorable stretch in a two-game slate against sound defensive teams based on last seasons data, while the Chicago Bulls are also in a compromised setup, given they net just two games and face capable defensive foes. This doesnt mean we should avoid using our stars on these rosters, juust that these arent ideal teams to identify for streaming or maximizing games.dddddddddddd.Specialists to target earlyWhile Im a huge fan of sourcing players with diverse statistical skill sets, its also imperative to consider the resourceful contributions of specialists in roto games. Its fine to target a few players who only contribute in one or two categories, as long as they provide differentiating rates in those elements. Whether its shooting, boards or blocks, we need single-stat mavens, just like we rely on superstars, to deliver winning fantasy rosters.With this in mind, which widely available players could offer distinctly helpful contributions based on preseason results?As for shooting experts, Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets is lofting 5.5 3-pointers per game in just 20.5 minutes of exposure, suggesting he could offer top-10 overall production from deep as the complementary combo guard alongside the bearded one, James Harden. Reasonably priced shares of Gordon against the pace-driven Lakers on Wednesday night could prove particularly productive in daily fantasy.For those seeking some out-of-position support from beyond, the Charlotte Hornets Frank Kaminsky III shot 37.7 from 3-point range over the last 22 games last season and is eighth in the league with six attempts per game this preseason. With Al Jefferson in Indiana, Kaminskys usage rate and shooting freedom should surge this season.Blocks are among the scarcest of stats, so finding a reliable source for the end of your roster can prove really helpful, which is why I dig Bismack Biyombo of the Magic. The defensive stalwart is third in both blocks per game and boards and earned sleeper status, given his rare rates in these helpful categories. The Rockets Clint Capela is another name of note for help in blocks and on the glass.For those seeking an assist in the assists department, the New Orleans Pelicans Tim Frazier is third behind only Harden and Chris Paul in dimes per game this preseason and should earn meaningful minutes to start the season in a depleted New Orleans backcourt. With Michael Carter-Williams shipped down I-94 to Chicago, Milwaukees Matthew Dellavedova is impressively sixth in the league in assists per game in the preseason.Team trendspottingWeve already celebrated the added value Walton and DAntoni offer their respective NBA teams, but some significant strategic shifts are also underway in two under-the-radar markets.Brooklyn bombersIts no surprise to see the space-and-pace Rockets leading the league this preseason in 3-point attempts per game in DAntonis seven-seconds-or-less offensive scheme, but it is unanticipated to find coach Kenny Atkinsons Brooklyn Nets second with 33.7 attempts from beyond in the exhibition season.The Nets are actually running at a faster pace than even Houston, as only the Suns have a higher pace -- the rate of team possessions per 48 minutes -- than Brooklyn this preseason. Loading up against the Nets could be fun this season in DFS and in season-long play, while getting cheap looks at Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Bojan Bogdanovic and Trevor Booker are fine angles for cheap production.Memphis movementCoach David Fizdale is bringing 3-point shooting and increased pace to Memphis, a team that was 28th in pace and 26th in attempts from beyond the arc last season. The Grizzlies are sixth in the league in attempts from beyond the arc and 11th in pace this preseason. I advise looking into wingman James Ennis while hes still widely available, as his 3-and-D skill set matches this new scheme well.Fantasy FreshmenThe debut of Phillys Joel Embiid is what the world needs. Or its just what makes me and other Sixers fans happy, either way; it will prove riveting to see how the 76ers find time for their talented, but murky, frontcourt rotation. I? particularly like the shooting and scoring help Buddy Hield could immediately offer, while Kris Dunn ranks in the top 20 in steals in the preseason. For more on this new class of talent, John Cregans feature on rookies offers helpful insights into the top rookies for fantasy purposes. ' ' '