What’s that I see creeping around the corner? The stalker you’ve filed a restraining order against? Nah, our resident Creeper of the Week writer JFOH is fine; we’ve finally taught him what ‘personal bubble space’ and ‘bad touch’ is so he’s allowed to spend time with the other writers. Granted, he DOES have to wear oven mitts so he doesn’t get overly stimulated when we high five but he gets to enjoy Razzball potlucks again without the police getting involved. Baby steps! Of course, what’s creeping is the baseball season as this Sunday is the start of six months of that game we love so much…Daily Fantasy Sports! I heard you just say ‘what, huh’? If you don’t know what DFS is, just click on that link to get an idea of what we’re talking about here and then come back. Don’t worry, we’ll be waiting…ok, we’re still waiting…alright, some of us just didn’t take the speed reading class seriously, I guess. Heck, I even learned how to do it out loud. Sounded like the Micro Machines guy. Anyways, now that you’re intrigued by the concept, we’re gonna talk about what to do once you’ve signed up for DraftKings. Ah ‘but how do I sign up for DraftKings while supporting Razzball at the same time?’ is your question. I could read it on your face and let me tell you, ‘sharpie’ isn’t a good look on you. By clicking on the DraftKings link I’ve now given you thrice, you are given a signup referral from us and a free $3 ticket to any contest you choose. In fact, you COULD choose a $100,000 Moonshot tourney opening day with that $3 ticket or better yet, a free $15,000 tourney to kick off the season care of signing up through us. Or just keep it simple and join a multiplier or a head to head……if you don’t know what these words mean feel free to take a look at a review post of the league types to get yourself acquainted. Now that we’re past these link hurdles, though, let’s get down to da biz. Here’s some strategy to attack your DK games with for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season…
$50K For Ten Positions
Wow, that’s an expensive call girl, you must REALLY be doing well in DFS and don’t need my help. *Editor’s note: sometimes Sky forgets what he wrote…yes, he’s an idiot* Well, that was unnecessary…but now that I’m no longer confused, let us realize there are one of every infield position, three outfielders, and two pitchers that need to be staffed to compete in whatever game you’re playing. Obviously, the day’s slate, what type of game you’re playing and the pricing of particular players are a much bigger effect on how you approach the day than having a general strategy but since the season hasn’t started, generalities must be made so let’s try and parse things as we go. You’ll realize that $50K goes by quickly so where to spend it and how is vital.
See The Sea Of C’s? Cheapest Deal Please
Just like in real life fantasy (even I don’t know what that means), spending up for a position that is really just a defensive one isn’t usually worth it unless you’re trying to be contrarian and in a tourney setting. Backup catchers and hot young bats who haven’t established themselves in the league yet are great ways to go on any given day. You’re not aiming to get a zero but the reality is only 15 catchers finished with a positive value on Razzball’s Player Rater in 2014 and of those positive values, only ten were worth more than $2. That said, if you build a lovely lineup and still have the bones to pay up for Buster Posey, I ain’t gonna be mad.
Middling Infield
Much like catcher, it’s rare I spend much here unless the matchup is too good to ignore. It’s here I’m trying to find cheap platoon mates or full on punt plays for the day. I’ll also be looking for speed here since steals are worth 5 points. In other words, a walk, an SB, and a run for 9 points should more than suffice from my SS for the day if I can get it.
Two Things I Like That Pop: Booty & Bats
First off, please stop twerking. I tried to be gender neutral in bold, but Amber Rose you are not. Mainly because you’re a 35 year old male with a pot belly. CANNOT UNSEE. Secondly, homeruns are worth 10 points in this little game we play while RBIs and Runs are worth 2 apiece. So a solo HR is worth 14 total. That is a huge score for a hitter so being aware of situations where a power surge is likely is crucial. That means realizing if Chris Davis is facing a guy who’s poor against lefties in Camden Yards (4th best park for HRs for LHHs) who has a high FB%, not only does Crush have a chance at a good day but so does Travis Snider. Remember, it only takes one blast to make your day a blast.
Do The Splits
Yikes, that was worse than you twerking…and may require a doctor. When shopping for pitching or hitting, look at the matchup. A left handed pitcher going against a lineup made of 7 left handed hitters? Could be the best pitching play of the day. A hitter who slugs nearly .100 points better on the road than at home? Well, take advantage of the Road Scholar if the price is right. Splits are some of the easiest ways to get cheap bats into your lineup since most guys on the ‘wrong’ side of the platoon only see lefties on the mound meaning Danny Valencia at $3,100 at 3B vs J.A. Happ could be cash money for you.
Fat Stacks
Stacking players from the same team is definitely a common tournament approach and can lead to fat stacks of cash. It can also lead to fat stacks of trash in your point total. There’s nothing wrong with stacking, just realize it has a time and a place and doesn’t really pan out in smaller leagues or head to heads. Stacking can either be because of environment – Colorado Hello! – or because it’s a great contrarian play (i.e. more than one Braves hitter in your lineup this year).
Pitch Perfect
Yup, Anna Kendrick fans, I just google baited you. Gonna throw a ‘nude’ in here just to get more clicks while I’m at it; I’m that dastardly. Now ‘Rebel Wilson Nude’. THAT was for the twerking! Payback’s a B from Apt 23, bro. But now on the point, pitching is where you’re gonna find yourself paying up and where most of your lineup is gonna be made or broken. Remember how I said a HR was worth 14 points? Well, a pitcher who doesn’t give up a run/walk/hit over 4 innings who strikes out 3 gets 15 points. See what I’m sayin? Pitching is where you can get some monstrous points from, way more than your hitters can ever do. For example, Carlos Carrasco against Houston last year on September 17th had 12 Ks while only surrendering 2 hits and a walk on his way to a complete game shut out win. That was worth *Carry the three, multiple by pi, divide by the speed of light* 51.5 DK points and he ‘only’ cost $8,900 that day. That’s huge with a silent ‘h’ for emphasis. BTW, notice I said ‘only’ $8,900? Yeah, he was cheap that day. Clayton Kershaw is currently listed at $12,400 for opening day with Max Scherzer right behind him at $11,500 so finding deals like that are sometimes crucial in building a solid hitting lineup. Overall, putting at least 40% of your salary into your pitching ends up being the smart play more often than not.
Welp, that covers a lot of ground and I look forward to playing a few with you in the coming weeks and months over on DraftKings. If you’d like some assistance in picking players for your DK lineups, check out the subscription package to Razzball’s DFSBot. Peace out!
