Sports

WHEN TO DUMP CHUMPS

SOMETIMES baseball fantasies just don’t work out the way you plan. Like Shaun Alexander this past football season, some players have done enough in the past to give them name recognition and have enough potential to instill hope, but fall on their face once the season starts. Just as Alexander inevitably hit the fantasy waiver wire late last fall, some baseball stalwarts are headed down the same path long before the dog days of summer.

Brett Myers, SP, Phillies – He offered what we thought was great draft value in the middle rounds. But he has allowed three or more runs in all but two of his eight starts and sports an ERA that has swelled to more than 5. It’s too early to bail out in favor of a Barry Zito, Mark Buehrle or the like. But if Gavin Floyd or Hong-Chih Kuo is on your waiver wire, go ahead andsendMyers packing.

Gary Sheffield, OF/DH, Tigers – Was still walking along the Mendoza line earlier this week. He should recover to some degree, but he’s not likely to match last season’s mediocre .265 average, and he looks to fall way short of the 25 homers he hit last year. At this point, we would rather have Emil Brown, James Loney, Eric Hinske or Alex Gordon in the lineup.

Shane Victorino, OF, Phillies -He’s too young to discard in a keeper league, but in redraft formats, this guy’s upside has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Many people thought this would be his breakout year, but it looks unlikely he will match his totals of 46 stolen bases and .281 average from last year.

Nick Swisher, 1B/OF, White Sox – Has never really hit for average, but he’s been a decent fantasy bench player for a couple years. Not anymore. He does not contribute in enough categories to carry his .200 batting average on your roster.

HANG IN THERE . . .

Owners of Robinson Cano, Travis Hafner, Brad Hawpe, Alfonso Soriano and C.C. Sabathia. Don’t yield to the temptation of selling while their value is low. These guys should turn it around.

START SHOPPING . . .

Justin Verlander, Brad Penny, A.J. Burnett, Chris Young (the Padres pitcher) or Andruw Jones. They’re still too valuable to cut, but if you can get a playable asset in return, pull the trigger on a deal.

dloftis@nypost.com