CHICAGO -- Each start was remarkably similar. That smooth, efficient motion. The devastating array of pitches. The easy cool that quickly spreads to his teammates, who are so confident when he takes the mound. A year after a disappointing departure from Baltimore, Jake Arrieta is thriving in Chicago. The 6-foot-4 right-hander is unbeaten in his last eight starts after beginning the season on the disabled list due to shoulder tightness, providing a glimmer of hope as the lowly Cubs stumbled to last place in the NL Central at the All-Star break. "Jake knows it now, hes our new horse and thats what we want," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "We want him to be that ace and just keep getting all the confidence in the world because hes pitching very confident right now and its been fun to watch." Arrietas undefeated stretch began with one of his shortest outings of the season, when he lasted just 4 2-3 innings on June 3 against the New York Mets. He gave up seven hits and walked three, but he allowed just one first-inning run in Chicagos 2-1 victory. Then he really put on a show. Arrieta pitched six shutout innings against Miami, and seven more against Philadelphia. He retired his first 18 batters in a victory over Cincinnati. He was so good against the Red Sox that the fans at Fenway Park saluted him with a loud ovation when he departed after Bostons first hit with two out in the eighth. Heading into Sundays start at Arizona, Arrieta is 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and a .160 opponents batting average during his impressive six-week run. "Hes got a good slider and hes got a very deceptive way that he comes at you," Reds All-Star catcher Devin Mesoraco said. "Its really cross-bodied and its almost like hes throwing from behind you, so its a heck of an angle to try to hit the ball from, especially for a right-hander." Arrietas repertoire includes a fastball that sits in the low 90s, a big curveball and a circle changeup that he mixes in to prevent hitters from sitting on his fastball. But its that slider and his ability to use it as a cut fastball that has been particularly effective. "Its a cutter and a slider depending on what I want it to be," he said, before running through how he uses it in different situations. "Its one pitch, but I can throw it multiple different ways at different velocities." Arrieta was selected by the Orioles in the fifth round of the 2007 draft out of TCU. He made his major league debut three years later at age 24, and won 10 games the following season. He drew Baltimores opening-day start in 2012, and threw seven scoreless innings in a victory over Minnesota on the 20th anniversary of the opening of Camden Yards. It looked as if he could be a key contributor for the Orioles for years to come, but that was really the beginning of the end when it came to his time in Baltimore. Arrieta shuffled back and forth between Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore before he was traded to Chicago last July. The contending Orioles also sent reliever Pedro Strop to the Cubs in return for pitcher Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger. "I was bombarded by information from 50 different sources, which is never beneficial to anybody, I dont care who you are," Arrieta said, reflecting on his departure from the Orioles. "You got four or five different sports psychologists trying to reach out to you, you got seven different coaches trying to implement some input, you know that never works. It just kind of made things go in the opposite direction." Arrieta credits the change of scenery and his experience in developing a successful routine as two big reasons for his recent success. He also has a solid relationship with pitching coach Chris Bosio, who has become quite the asset for the Cubs when it comes to turning around cheap reclamation projects. Next up for Arrieta is just building on his solid first part of the season. Chicago traded Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland on July, making Arrietas starts even more important for the Cubs for the rest of the year. They believe he is up to the challenge of anchoring the staff. "I think when he goes out there on the hill, hes got a calmness about him," manager Rick Renteria said. "Hes got some poise and hopefully this is now a turning point, it continues to be a turning point for him in his career and he continues to move forward and hes able to take advantage of that great stuff hes got." Wil Lutz Youth Jersey . Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process. Archie Manning Saints Jersey . The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. "This was a little bit of a let down, but all credit to them," said Nestor. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-...-Jordan-Jersey/. Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. Sheldon Rankins Saints Jersey . - The first sign that Kansas Speedway was going to be a heartbreaker for Hendrick Motorsports should have come during qualifying when Jimmie Johnson inexplicably spun and earned one of his worst starting spots since 2005. Willie Roaf Jersey . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid.Each week, we will run down the top waiver wire pickups with a focus on the coming week and rest of the season. QUARTERBACKS Terrelle Pryor (vs Jaguars) Week - 19/29, 217 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 112 rush yardsRemember this is fantasy football, not the real kind. Pryor is not going to pass for big yards or throw a ton of touchdowns, but you can bet that he will run the ball. Hes not going to get 112 rush yards every week but you can probably count on five or six points from his running. That means that even mediocre passing days like he had on Sunday can yield solid results. He is well worth the gamble as a high-end backup. Carson Palmer (vs Lions) Last Week - 26/40, 327 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INTPalmer looks to have developed solid chemistry with his top receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts all three of whom put up good numbers. Arizona is going to throw the ball a lot this season so in spite of some tough matchups in the NFC West, Palmer will post solid QB2 numbers based on sheer volume. Others to consider - Jay Cutler (vs Vikings), Josh Freeman (vs Saints) RUNNING BACKS Joique Bell (at Cardinals) Last Week - 11 touches, 92 yards, 2 TDsBell finished with 15 fewer carries than Reggie Bush in Week 1 but he got both goal-line carries and made them count. Bells role in the passing game was impressive and if he continues to get the goal-line work he is a decent fantasy option. Fred Jackson (vs. Panthers)Last Week - 17 touches, 72 yardsJackson was, surprisingly, the most productive Bills running back in Week 1 picking up 67 yards on 13 carries compared to 41 yards for CJ Spiller on 17 carries. Its still Spillers backfield, but Jacksons experience will continue to earn him touches.DaRel Scott (vs Broncos) Last Week – 10 touches, 74 yardsScott took over for starter David Wilson against Dallas after Wilson lost two fumbles carrying five times for 23 yards and grabbing five passes for an additional 51 yards. Tom Coughlin is getting fed up with Wilsons mistakes so look for Scott to see an increased workload until Wilson can work his way back into the coachs good books.Others to consider – Bilal Powell (at Patriots), Jonathan Dwyer (at Bengals)WIDE RECEIVERS Brian Hartline (at Colts)Last Week - 9 catches, 114 yards, 1 TDDespite picking up over 1,000 yards last season Hartline was passed over in a lot of leagues. However, with Ryan Tannehilll and Mike Wallace still lacking chemistry, Hartline remains the Dolphins go-to receiver.dddddddddddd As the season goes on he will likely cede some looks to Wallace, but for now he is a fairly dependable WR3. Julian Edelman (vs Jets)Last Week - 7 catches, 79 yards, 2 TDsEdelman saw nine targets on Sunday and caught both of Tom Bradys touchdown passes in the win over the Bills. Obviously he wont score two touchdowns every week, but Edelman should continue to see a lot of targets, especially while Shane Vereen is sidelined. Edelman is a valid flex or WR3 play this week with higher upside in PPR leagues. Rueben Randle (vs Broncos)Last Week - 5 catches, 101 yardsWith their running game struggling, the Giants will be throwing the ball a lot. Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz will still get the majority of the looks but there should still be plenty left over for Randle who caught five balls for 101 yards in Week 1. Andre Roberts (vs Lions)Last Week – 8 catches, 97 yardsRoberts made a couple of very nice catches in Week 1 and was second on the team in targets behind Larry Fitzgerald. He wont get into the endzone often, but in the Cardinals pass-heavy offence Roberts will catch plenty of passes and give you decent yardage.Others to consider – Marlon Brown (vs. Browns), Jerome Simpson (at Bears), Rod Streater (vs. Jaguars)TIGHT ENDSJordan Cameron (at Ravens)Last Week - 9 catches, 108 yards, 1 TDThe Browns offence as a whole didnt look very good in Week 1 but Cameron sure did with some very athletic receptions en route to a 108-yard day with a score. Tight ends play a big role in Norv Turner offences so Camerom should produce big numbers all season long. This week, he goes up against a Ravens team that allowed 110 yards and two touchdowns to Julius Thomas in Week 1. Hes owned in a lot of leagues now, but if hes around, grab him.Julius Thomas (at Giants)Last Week - 5 catches, 110 yards, 2TDsThomas exploded in Week 1 and will be one of the hottest pickups this week with good reason. Its only one week, b