Jorge Cantu is so last year. Brian Giles is a fantasy monster – if it’s still 2001.

Yet those guys are still, in mid-August, cluttering fantasy rosters worldwide.

It’s time to dump the fantasy studs of the past and embrace the fashionable players of 2006, even if their names aren’t quite as recognizable.

Three-quarters of the season is long enough to judge a players’ present value. That means it no longer matters how high you drafted a player. Cantu may have been a trendy pick in March after his breakout 2005, but his flirtation with the Mendoza line over the past two months isn’t doing you any good now.

Find a more functional option. Swallow your pride and dump high draft picks that aren’t working for you. Lurking on the waiver wire in most mixed leagues are players who can help your team immediately if you’ll just let them.

CUT:

Brian Giles, OF, Padres

Giles owners, it’s over. There was a time when he could be counted upon to hit 30 home runs and bat .300, steal a dozen bases. That time was known as Y2K. Yet stubborn fantasy owners refuse to let go of the past. The reality is that the 35-year-old former slugger has ten homers and is batting .272. It’s unlikely that he’s going to start hitting for power in the middle of August. He’s simply a below-average fantasy outfielder now.

ADD INSTEAD:

Emil Brown, OF, Royals

Brown is as good or better in each category than Giles, but because he plays for the Royals, he’s readily available. Emil is an extremely consistent performer who has a good chance of hitting .290 with 18 home runs and 90 RBI this year. Giles will not approach that production, and teams with fifth outfielders producing at that level tend to be winning teams.

CUT:

Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners

King Felix was supposed to dominate, at age 20, like a front-line fantasy starter. And owners (including this one) drafted him accordingly, before more proven guys like Brandon Webb. It hasn’t worked out for Hernandez, nor his drafters. He’s been unable to avoid big innings, and even though his ERA (4.50) is better since the All-Star break (3.29), the 20 walks allowed in 38 1/3 innings is just more reason to recognize that he’s not yet the pitcher he will be in several years. He’s hurt your team enough this year.

ADD INSTEAD:

Jason Jennings, SP, Rockies

Repeat after me: Coors Field is no longer a joke. Rockies pitchers are no longer a joke. Got it? Coors Light is a fine place to pitch now, and Jennings has been lights out all year. He has a 3.34 ERA, 11th best in baseball, and yet he is available in most mixed leagues because he’s a Rockie. Since June 15th, he’s allowed two runs or less in 11 or his 12 starts. His August ERA is 1.64. He could be helping your team if you’d just recognize that he’s rock solid.

CUT:

Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox

Beckett has an elite name, and that’s about it. Because he’s Josh Beckett, fantasy owners have put up with constant struggles, as evidenced by a 5.02 ERA, from the 26-year-old. His 13 wins are nice, yes, but at what price? His ERA is 79th in baseball among qualifiers, or 10th worst, and 20 pitchers have more strikeouts. How is he an ace, and better yet, how much irreparable damage has he done to your team ERA and WHIP? Cut the strings.

ADD INSTEAD:

Cole Hamels, SP, Phillies

It’s about three weeks too late to make this move in most leagues, but in case everyone’s asleep in yours, Hamels is red hot. His eight-inning shutout gem against the Mets on Aug. 14 lowered his August ERA to 0.86 and probably got him swooped up in leagues where he was still available. Keep him in mind for next year’s draft.

CUT:

Scott Linebrink, RP, Padres

Having a set-up man like Linebrink on your team is a good way to keep your ERA and WHIP low and add cheap strikeouts and wins. However, if the reliever has a 7.43 ERA and a WHIP approaching 3.00 after the All-Star break, they certainly aren’t helping you. Linebrink is last year’s fantasy reliever stud.

ADD INSTEAD:

Pat Neshek, RP, Twins:

Neshek, a sidearm-throwing reliever, is this year’s model. He has been nearly perfect this season. The rookie, called up in July, has an ERA of 0.92, with 30 strikeouts in 20 innings. That doesn’t make him just one of the baseball’s most dominant relievers; it makes him the most dominant, especially in August. This month, in 9 2/3 innings, he has allowed no runs on two hits, walking one, with 17 strikeouts.

CUT:

Jorge Cantu, 2B/3B,

Devil Rays

Cantu hit 28 home runs and drove in 117. Last year. It’s a new day, and this year’s version is wildly inconsistent. He was better before the break, hitting .275 with 6 homers in 178 at-bats. He’s hitting .202 with three homers since then. He’s streaky, so he could snap out of it at any time, but in the meantime, he has no fantasy value.

ADD INSTEAD:

Orlando Hudson, 2B, Diamondbacks

Hudson is among the top five in RBI and batting average among all second basemen since the All-Star break, hitting .336 with 20 RBI. It took him awhile to adjust to National League pitching, but now he’s very comfortable and producing consistently. If you want tons of runs and RBI and a great batting average, Hudson is readily available and an excellent choice.