Get out your woot horns (whatever that may mean)!  The start of the baseball season brings such excitement, feel free to bring your own non-existent celebratory instrument.  Of course, the beginning of the MLB season also means the week that you can finally start checking your fantasy lineups to make sure you pile up as many points as possible.  With that in mind, only four teams begin their regular season this fantasy week, but if you have any players from either the Red Sox, A's, Nationals, or Braves, you will want to know who to start and who to sit.

Note: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em will follow the weekly schedule of most fantasy leagues, that is, starting Monday and ending Sunday.

START 'EM!

Daisuke Matsuzaka | SP
Boston Red Sox

The new papa will be pitching in front of his hometown crowd as the Opening Day starter for the Red Sox.  He will be looking to prove to naysayers that he deserves the huge money the Red Sox doled out for him last year, after posting an up-and-down rookie year.  He will be looking to ease the concerns of Red Sox nation, who are fretting over the condition of Josh Beckett's back and the potential depth problems in the starting rotation.

Yes, I would say Dice-K has incentive to pitch well.  He has incentive up to his eyeballs.

Although Dice-K has not clearly proven himself yet, keep in mind that he struck out over 200 batters last season.  Scouts, after seeing him at the major league level, do not deny that he has the stuff not only to succeed, but also to dominate at the major league level.  With Dice-K, it is all about learning to pitch at the major league level, and you can bet he spent the offseason preparing to do that.  What better place to start than while pitching in front of the home country to major league hitters, which is no small matter to Japanese players?  Against a mediocre Oakland offense, look for Dice-K to walk off to a thunderous ovation from the Japanese crowd and his fantasy owners.

Tim Hudson | SP
Atlanta Braves

Hudson quietly had a very strong 2007 season, and his spring showing this year suggests that he is ready for another big year.  His sinker is as heavy as ever, and the Braves had no problem naming him their Opening Day starter despite a bevy of candidates, and he will face a Nationals team that, while they should be improved, will still struggle through some growing pains this year.

Sure, there is the concern about the Nationals' motivation to play well in the inaugural game in their new ballpark, but it is always hard to top good pitching, no matter what the inspiration.  The Nationals' young lineup will face an established ace in Hudson, while the Braves' young lineup will face ... Odalis Perez.  Start Hudson. 

SIT 'EM!

Jacoby Ellsbury | OF
Boston Red Sox

Ellsbury is still the darling of Red Sox nation, and it appears he will be the starting CF for the Red Sox to start the season.  However, Terry Francona has indicated that Ellsbury will hit at the bottom of the lineup, not at the top.  That's a big deal when you have Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia hitting directly behind you, rather than Pedroia and David Ortiz.  Since Ellsbury is not likely to be a big HR or RBI threat, his value is in SB and R, and clearly his runs scored will take a big hit if he hits eighth or ninth rather than leadoff.

It would still be a surprise if Crisp is in the lineup rather than Ellsbury, but the potential is still there.  Furthermore, rather than ask Ellsbury to be the sparkplug he was late last season and in the postseason, it looks as if the Red Sox want to take more of a developmental approach with him.  Be careful about starting Ellsbury this early in the season, and hope that he forces himself into a better position in the lineup as the season wears on, just as he did last year.

Dmitri Young / Nick Johnson | 1B
Washington Nationals

Young was not likely a candidate to start in your fantasy lineup anyway, but now The Washington Post suggests that he has unofficially lost his starting-position battle with Nick Johnson.  Of course, that would mean his absence in the starting lineup, since the Nationals cannot take advantage of using him as a DH.  Young will almost certainly be the first pinch-hitting option, but that hardly provides much value for your team unless you are looking for the potential cheap point or two in a week were most of you and your opponent's lineup won't be playing.

Johnson, meanwhile, doesn't become a must-start either until he proves that he is back in the swing of things.  Having missed as much time as he has, Johnson might still be searching himself in the first few weeks of the season.  Though he should still draw his walks and get a few hits, don't look for his power to return until later in the month, and especially not against Tim Hudson and his heavy sinker.