Homeruns are perhaps the most exciting stat in baseball. Fans love watching players drive the ball and rack up RBI. When fantasy owners think of the first base position they will usually think of a handful of players, namely two or three big named players. This week's Top 1B Performances just so happens to include two of the three big names; Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols. This list also includes a player that many wouldn't have expected, mainly because he's only been playing first base due to the normal first baseman being injured. This unexpected player is none other than Nick Swisher. All three of these players deserved recognition for their performances this week. They put up extremely solid numbers and helped fantasy owners across the board; unless your league counts strikeouts, in which case Ryan Howard may have hurt more than he helped.

Gold

Ryan Howard (1B - Philadelphia Phillies) - Howard is trying really hard to overtake Chase Utley's homerun lead before the All-Star break. He put up great power numbers this week, plus he had a very solid average. However, he's still striking out way too much. Some things never change and Howard will forever be an all or nothing type of batter. He'll go for the big hit or he won't get a big hit at all. It was a lucky thing for owners this week that he wound up getting the big hit several times and was extremely valuable. It seems like Howard is finally starting to come around with the power numbers. He's been displaying good power for a few weeks now and should wind up with the 40 or some homeruns that fantasy owners were hoping for when they drafted him. It also doesn't hurt that Ryan Howard hits .310 after the All-Star break, compared to the .252 he hits before it. He's primed to put up some even bigger numbers in the second half of the season.

8/24, 4 runs, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB, .333 AVG

Silver

Nick Swisher (1B/CF/RF - Chicago White Sox) - Swisher has filled in admirably for the injured Paul Konerko at first base. Those who owned Swisher were definitely lucky since they could plug him in at first base and use another OF in his slot. He has been extremely productive at first base. In fact, he has raised his average over .20 points by being at first base. He has also been hitting like a first baseman too. Swisher has always had a little bit of power, but as soon as he moved he seemed to really harness it. His season average is pretty low, but with the way he's been playing lately he should have it up to a respectable level soon enough. His versatility and hardnosed playing style makes him a very valuable fantasy player, especially if he can produce like he did this week.

7/24, 5 runs, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB, .292 AVG

Bronze

Albert Pujols (1B - St. Louis Cardinals) - Congratulations are in order for Pujols. He became the fifth fastest player to ever hit 300 homeruns. That is quite remarkable because Pujols always seems to have some type of nagging injury which causes him to miss some playing time. He recently came back from his stint on the DL and he started where he left. He is without a doubt one of the top first basemen in the entire league, but all the nagging injuries he has can scare owners away. He was once regarded as the number one pick, but had an off year, by his standards. Those who own Pujols couldn't be any happier though because he had such a solid overall week. The scary thing though is that a solid week for Pujols is a terrific week for nearly every other fantasy player.

9/27, 4 runs, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB, .333 AVG

Other Top Performances:

C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | RP | SP