Meet Erik, 35 years old. After meeting a fantasy baseball expert on the internet, he took his last three dollars, entered it in the Early Moonshot on Monday, April 11, 2016, and won $5,000. His conscience never came into play.
All of the above is true, except the part about Erik‘s last three dollars, of course. See, Erik has now done what the vast majority of DFS players have not–he’s taken down a large GPP. This sucker had 28,750 entries. Impressive to say the least. Instead of going all-in with David Price, he pivoted to Michael Wacha. Combine that with nine Aaron Nola strikeouts, a rare offensive outburst from Yadi Molina, home runs from Chris Davis, Mookie Betts, and J.D. Martinez, respectively, and a 19-point punt play in Aledmys Diaz, Erik nailed every single player on Monday’s early slate. Good on you, Erik. You are truly a DFS inspiration and I’m proud to call you one of my good friends. Rags to riches, homie, you ain’t done. You got 99 Problems, but winnin’ a GPP ain’t one. Enjoy that Four Roses Bourbon. Just remember you’re picking up the bar tab when you come to Pittsburgh in June. It’s the least you can do! (Also, bring me a bottle of that bourbon. On the house, of course.)
New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 teamer of Razzball writers and friends to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.
Jose Fernandez, SP: $11,900 – These aces don’t come cheap! Fernandez is coming off a 13-strikeout game against Detroit, which more than makes up for the five earned runs he gave up. The season is still young, but the Mets are batting a paltry .169 against right-handers this year. Exploit that and start Fernandez everywhere. He has the most upside of the entire slate, plus, he’s safe.
Noah Syndergaard, SP: $11,400 – THORRRRRR! Syndergaard is coming off an equally impressive six inning, nine strikeout game against the Royals and I would not hesitate to pair him with JFern in cash games. Strikeouts—lots and lots of strikeouts.
Masahiro Tanaka, SP: $10,000 – Want a pick that will be under 15 percent owned in GPPs? I know you do! Tanaka has pitched well at the Rogers Centre (1.69 ERA) throughout his career (2 starts), but more importantly, he’s fared well against the Blue Jays in general. Over seven starts against Toronto, Tanaka owns a 2.23 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched.
Jhoulys Chacin, SP: $5,700 – Remember good ol’ Jhoulys? This is the same Chacin that had a relative solid span of six seasons in Colorado. If you’re looking for a big time salary relief in GPPs, look no further. While many will be on Gio Gonzalez against Atlanta, trying the other side of the coin may be beneficial. It’s worth noting that in his first start at Triple-A this year, Chacin pitched 7.2 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He has the potential to pay off in a big way.
Buster Posey, C: $4,800 – Posey owns a career .396/.458/.633 slash at Coors Field and faces off against a very average righty in Tyler Chatwood.
Josh Phegley, C: $3,000 – Given the wealth of knowledge out there, Phegley will likely be a popular pick on Tuesday. He’s a career .277 hitter against lefties and is 3-for-5 lifetime with one home run against Angels starter Hector Santiago.
Brandon Belt, 1B: $4,700 – Another player from the Giants. Shocking. Much like his buddy Buster Posey, Belt mashes at Coors Field. In 30 appearances at Coors, Belt owns a .330 average with six homers. It’s going to be tough not to find a spot for him on Tuesday.
Pedro Alvarez, 1B: $3,400 – It’s about time for El Toro to break out of that early season slump he’s been suffering through. If Clay Buchholz isn’t the type of medicine the doctor ordered, I don’t know what is. There will be plenty of runs scored in this one and Alvarez makes for a great play at his price tag.
Brock Holt, 2B/3B: $3,400 – It’s hard to jump off the Brock Holt train especially when he’s batting .368 with two home runs and eight RBIs. A cool off is inevitable, but that’s not going to happen against Mike freakin’ Wright.
Cory Spangenberg, 2B/3B: $3,000 – After only one start, it’s safe to say that Philadelphia was a horrible landing spot for Charlie Morton. The funny thing is, he hasn’t even made a start at Citizens Bank Park. Well, he does on Tuesday and gets to face a Padres offense that has been ice cold and red-hot over the span of seven days. As for Spangenberg, he hits high in the order, has a little pop and a little speed, and best of all—he’s cheap.
Tyler White, 3B/1B: $4,500 – Fresh off AL Player of the Week honors and a huge jump in salary, Tyler White is getting some much deserved love. Given his salary, he is best suited for GPPs, but given the way he’s mashing the ball, he may well just win you one. He’s batting .551 with three home runs and is showing no signs of cooling down. A plush matchup against Kris Medlen should keep the good times rollin’!
Maikel Franco, 3B: $4,100 – I feel like Franco has found a spot in my lineup every single day over the last week. He has just one home run, but that power is waiting to explode. Franco is a fine contrarian pick on Tuesday against Padres starter Robbie Erlin.
Trevor Story, SS: $4,900 – How can the NL Player of the Week not be on this list? Who knows when Story will come back to earth, but right now you may as well call him The Sun ‘cause he’s scorching HOT.
J.J. Hardy, SS: $2,800 – We all love a little BvP action, don’t we? Hardy is 7-for-22 (.308) with two home runs lifetime against Clay Buchholz. Keep in mind that Hardy is batting just .188 over his first five games, so he may be best suited for GPPs.
Mike Trout, OF: $5,300 – Alright Mikey, enough fooling around. It’s kind of you to let other players get some shine, but the act is already tiring. What better way to get back to business than to face a guy that can’t strike anyone out? Kendall Graveman meet Mike Trout and properly prepare for your demise.
Chris Davis, OF/1B: $4,500 – Oh, back to BvP again, huh? Why, yes. Yes indeed. Not only has Davis demolished Clay Buchholz throughout his career (8-for-24, 2 HR), but he’s also the anti-J.J. Hardy in the sense that he’s three of his first five hits on the season have been home runs. Did you see him take Craig Kimbrel deep in the ninth inning on Monday? Not only do I love Davis, but I’d roster the entire Orioles lineup if I could.
Darin Ruf, OF/1B: $3,500 – Ruf is a lefty masher and he faces an average one on Tuesday night. His career .402 wOBA against left-handers outweighs his early season slump (1-for-7).
Rajai Davis, OF: $3,300 – Davis has hit lefties (.294) much better than righties (.255) throughout his career. He will likely lead off against the ticking time bomb, Matt Moore, on Tuesday night.
Preston Tucker, OF: $3,300 – If you crave cheap power (don’t we all?) give Preston Tucker a long look. He’s hit 15 home runs in his short career and they’ve all come against right-handers.
I’m Only Happen When It Rains
Both Boston and New York have a 90 percent chance of rain during the morning, but precipitation will likely taper off allowing both the Mets/Marlins and Orioles/Red Sox to play on Tuesday night.
Doing Lines in Vegas
Breakout the bats in Colorado and in Boston. The Rockies/Giants game opens at 11o while the Red Sox/Orioles are at 9o. Naturally you want to avoid the Mets/Marlins as it sits at just 6u with two elite arms on the mound. If you’re looking for a contrarian stack, try the Indians or Yankees.
