“April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot in his seminal modernist poem The Waste Lands. Jays supporters who are also fans of fantasy baseball might tend to agree.

It’s the time of year that fantasy leagues are created, obscene team names are created, and trash talking ensues. Naturally, one has the inclination to pick up a few players from one’s favorite team. A convalescence of on-field success and fantasy dominance is purely sublime. Toronto supporters might not have many opportunities this year.

ESPN.com only has two Toronto players in its top 75 overall – stud righty Roy Halladay and five-tool outfielder Alex Rios. Fan favorites Vernon Wells and B.J. Ryan are lurking right around the top 100. That means, for the most part, a Jay as a fantasy gem is going to have to come from an unlikely source, much like the team on the field.

So who do you pick up in your later rounds as a steal? Here’s a quick list of who I might take a chance on:

• Adam Lind, OF: Part of an outfielder/DH platoon the Jays plan to use, Lind already showed off his sweet stroke in the latter half of the ’08 campaign. A rising star, expect Lind to see his ABs and stats increase. Projection: .295/20/85

• Travis Snider, OF: The other half of that outfielder/DH platoon. A little more raw than Lind, but with a much greater upside. Both Lind and Snider are lefties, so don’t expect one or the other to see any special situational hitting opportunities. Projection: .280/18/70
• David Purcey, LHP: Finally given a chance to compete in the rotation with injuries to McGowan, Marcum, and Janssen. Will likely be slotted as 3rd in the rotation, so little danger about being a “skipped” starter. Projection: 12-8, 4.40 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
• Jesse Litsch, RHP: Last year’s surprise success story parlays into the 2-role for Litsch. He shouldn’t be so high up in the rotation, but the club is counting on him to succeed. Expect his numbers to dip a bit from last season as hitters figure him out, but he’s got enough finesse and moxie to stick it in the big leagues. Projection: 14-9, 4.10 ERA, 1.33 WHIP

And what would a fantasy preview be without a few super-sleepers?

• Jeremy Accardo, RHP: In case B.J. Ryan’s arm turns to noodle soup again. Accardo filled in rather admirably in ’07, racking up 30 saves and posting a 2.14 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP. Jesse Carlson will have better ratios than Accardo, but Accardo will get the important statistic of saves should it be a Ryan-less year. If you have faith in B.J., draft Carlson for his ratios.Projection: 8 saves, 2.45 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
• J.P. Arencibia, C: He’s toiling away in minor leagues right now, and I understand the skepticism after his weak spring. But like it or not, he’s the Jays offensive catcher in the future. He killed in single-A ball at Dunedin and actually improved after making the jump to AA New Hampshire. I can only see him getting called up before September if two catchers get hurt (starter Rod Barajas, backup Michael Barrett, and AAA backup Raul Chavez). Like I said before, super-sleeper. Projection (assuming mid-July callup): .275/11/38

Good luck in your drafts. Hopefully they won’t be too cruel for you.