Swing for the fences with these second half predictions

The All-Star break gives fantasy owners a bit of a breather from the familiar rhythm of checking league standings every morning and monitoring in-game box scores every night.

But the real work is only just beginning.

To this point, owners can only put their teams in position for a championship run. The second half of the season is when the hard work is done.

Owners in redraft leagues can use the break to take inventory of their team's strengths and weaknesses. Is there a way to leverage one to improve the other?

Keeper league owners need to determine if they're going to mortgage part (or all) of their future for a potential title ... or start selling valuable assets to rebuild for next season.

Just to add to the excitement in my American- and National League-only keeper leagues, our trade deadline is the final out of the All-Star Game. That has led to interesting discussions, especially in 2008 when the game went 15 innings. (You really know who the dedicated owners are in a situation like that. And, yes, I remember completing a trade in the bottom of the 13th ... or maybe it was the 14th.)

So as fantasy owners contemplate their individual situations, it's time to offer helpful predictions of what might be in store in the second half of the season.

Not worth the FAAB

Fantasy owners in NL-only leagues who are saving their Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) money or No. 1 waiver priority for an impact player to arrive from the AL are going to be severely disappointed.

According to Baseball Prospectus' playoff odds, only four of the AL's 15 teams have less than a 10% chance of playing in the postseason (Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics).

On the other hand, the NL is stocked with teams that are likely to be sellers by the trade deadline, because more than half of them have virtually no shot at making the playoffs. Baseball Prospectus calculates eight of the 15 have less than a 3% chance of getting in.

If players are going to be traded from one league to another, the six likely sellers in the NL (Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks) and perhaps more will do a lot more business than the three potential ones in the AL. As a result, fantasy owners in NL-only formats should be looking to make their deals now rather than waiting to see how the trade market shakes out.

With that said ...

Upton is on the move

Justin Upton will be the biggest name to be traded at the deadline.

With their 40-49 record at the break, the Padres are among the also-rans in the NL. General manager A.J. Preller hasn't been shy about making significant moves this season, so he's likely to have another trade or two up his sleeve before the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

With so many teams dealing with injuries in the outfield, Upton is San Diego's most valuable trade chip. Almost every contender could use an Upton upgrade.

In addition, Upton is a free agent this winter, so the Padres should shop him for the best package of young talent rather than simply accepting a draft pick for him when he leaves after the season as a free agent.

Upton's fantasy owners would normally be happy to see him leave San Diego's Petco Park, which traditionally has been among the most pitcher-friendly in the game. However, he has been a much better hitter at home this season — posting a .306 batting average, a .360 on-base percentage, a .558 slugging percentage and 11 home runs at Petco, compared to .208/.308/.306 with three homers on the road.

Another anomaly: Upton has a .276 average and .513 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers in his career. This season, he's hitting .183 against them and slugging .250.

Upton could be a difference-maker for any playoff hopeful — and a huge addition for owners in AL-only formats if he's part of an interleague trade.

Dyson will run wild

Jarrod Dyson will rival Billy Hamilton for the most stolen bases in the majors after the break.

The Kansas City Royals are one of several teams that recently have lost a starting outfielder to injury, as a strained groin will keep Alex Gordon out of action until September.

For most clubs, the absence of one of their best players for roughly two months would be reason to panic. But the Royals could find a way to survive without doing anything drastic. Dyson isn't the perennial Gold Glove outfielder Gordon is, but he's a plus defender in his own right.

Where the Royals lose the most is on offense, where Gordon's .394 on-base percentage ranked fifth in the AL. Dyson isn't going to replace that, but he can contribute offensively in another way — with his speed.

In 260 at-bats last season, Dyson stole 36 bases — tied for fifth most in the majors. Although many of those were the result of him being deployed as a late-inning pinch-runner, Dyson could have just as much of an impact on the basepaths as a starter. He has had at least 30 steals in each of the past three seasons but has only 11 at the break (despite being caught only once).

Skeptical fantasy owners will point out that when Alex Rios was injured this season Dyson seemed to get the short end of the playing time job share with rookie Paulo Orlando. However, since Gordon's injury, Dyson has started four of the five games in left field.

Injuries could hurt others

Injuries will continue to be a problem in the second half.

Of course, you say. But many fantasy owners will come out of the break without a Gordon (Alex or Dee) or a Giancarlo Stanton or a Jason Grilli and conclude their team can't possibly challenge for a title.

But remember, the bad breaks one team suffers in the first half of the season could befall other teams in the second. And those injured players eventually will come back.

Just look at the impact Jose Fernandez has had in his first two starts since coming off the disabled list. He's 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 13 innings. Another 2½ months at that level could dramatically impact the overall standings.

Matt Moore, Patrick Corbin, Matt Cain, Hisashi Iwakuma and other pitchers who missed a major portion of the first half have yet to make their mark this season. And don't forget, Anthony Rendon, Freddie Freeman, Corey Dickerson, Jayson Werth and Wil Myers should be returning to action within a few weeks.

Unexpected stars?

Unexpected fantasy heroes will emerge.

Last season, Chris Carter had 18 homers and 48 RBI after the break ... Matt Kemp caught fire (.309, 17 homers, 54 RBI) after a disappointing first half ... Matt Shoemaker went 9-2 with a 1.87 ERA ... Collin McHugh posted a 7-1 record, 2.12 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.

Get the picture?

What's stopping David Ortiz (.235 batting average on balls in play this season, compared to a career norm of .303), Adrian Beltre (.263 BABIP in 2015, .302 career), Drew Hutchison (5.33 ERA) or Carlos Carrasco (4.07 ERA) from catching fire and carrying fantasy teams in this year's second half?

Instead of using the break to look for reasons to write off the season, consider the possibility that some post-All-Star magic could just as easily be in store.

Follow Steve Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner