by: Professor P Rich
Happy return to baseball and happy second half! It’s possible you are returning to DFS after a short break or you are returning and looking for a second chance to your season. Whatever the case, time off from MLB DFS gives us a lot of time to clear our minds and think about things anew. […]
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by: MattTruss
Let’s be honest, the final week of the regular season can be a total crap shoot. This is the reason you don’t have H2H finals the final week of the year. Oh, you do? Well, you should give your commish a firm kick in the arse and tell them to get their head out of there ‘cuz that’s crummy with crackers. It’s for this same reason that cash games in DFS the final week of the season are a no-no. GPPs though, go for it. I’m basing my calls this week on pure narrative. The narrative for James Paxton ($19,600) is finishing the season on a high note and not finishing on the DL for once. The Rangers have been coasting the final month of the season, ranking 22nd in team OPS the final month. I’ve been picking on them plenty with pitchers of much less talent than Paxton. Paxton is my top choice over Kluber, who will likely only see a few innings and Nola, who is facing the Braves who still have something to play for. If you like a different narrative though, by all means, I’ll meet up with you in Narrative City.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?There’s only about a week left in the MLB DFS grind. With NFL DFS already taking all the headlines, it can get discouraging for us MLB folks. What remains in the MLB pool are the best of the best, the diehards, the hardcore players. That means it’s pretty tough in cash games right now. GPPs are still up for grabs, as always, but know your pool is filled with sharks. We’re still here to help navigate you to safety. Also, with H2H championships in full swing right now, these DFS articles are a great source for streaming candidates as well. Savvy H2H managers may have already grabbed Anthony DeSclafani ($13,000) for his two start week. At Milwaukee isn’t an ideal spot, but the prospect of pitching in Miami on Saturday is worth the risk. Anthony got out of Milwaukee without too much bloodshed (5 IP, 4 ER, 5 Ks) and now he looks to help out H2H owners and DFS players alike. The Marlins feature the league’s worst team OPS and DeSclafani should be looking at another 5-6 IP and 5+ Ks with a shot for a win. That might not seem like much, but with the money saved it could be just enough to squeak out a win tonight.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?Because German Marquez is so money, and you’ll want to get him in your FantasyDraft team today if you can. Let’s fire things up and see who else we’ve got on the slate, and where, and how much they cost (in fake fantasy dollar terms). On your marquez, get set, go!
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by: VictoriaB
(Yes, I know Grey has already used the line, but imitation is the sincerest form of Flaherty.) It’s a bit of a peculiar day on FantasyDraft. The early slate (more on that below) is tough for pitching, other than Jack Flaherty ($21,400), who takes on the Tigers in Comerica Field. Later, there are some star pitchers on the mound — your Max Scherzers ($24,300), your Noah Syndergaards ($19,300) and what-have-yous; those whom Streamonator ranks all the way at the top. But they both have match-ups that make me slightly nervous: the Cubs and the Phillies, respectively. At the same time, both slates feature a couple of delicious hitting situations, such as Astros at Red Sox early, and Dodgers at Rockies late, plus some lefty pitchers against teams who, frankly, feast on LHP. So the TL;DR version: I’m leaning more hitting than pitching today. Let’s take a look at some options.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?I’ve been on the wrong side of Jon Gray ($16,800) all season long it seems like. I drafted him in season long leagues, only to suffer through his miserable first half and drop him once he was sent to the minors. Next, he was picked up by another team only to see him go on a run that was ace-like. Besides his most recent hiccup in LAA, Gray has given up more than 3 ER just once since his return. Tonight, he gets the hapless Padres in Petco, which is a dream matchup for any pitcher, nevermind one with the strikeout upside of Gray. To make things even more juicy, the Padres are second in the league in team strikeouts, just one strikeout behind the White Sox. Gray should be a staple of GPP lineups tonight and I could even see using him in cash.
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Please, blog, may I have some more? by: VictoriaB
(Obviously YMMV re. the cooler nights if you’re not in eastern Canada, comme moi.) It is the last Saturday of baseball in August. I repeat, the last Saturday in August. I don’t know how the hell that happened, but my gathering melancholy at the thought that regular-season baseball is drawing to a close is definitely assuaged by the sweet pitching match-ups on the slate today, beginning with Clayton Kershaw facing the San Diego Padres. And oh yeah, the Cards and Rockies have @Col next to their names on the schedule. Tonight’s gonna be a good night for pitching AND hitting for your FantasyDraft team: I can feel it in my tired old bones <pours a sherry, clutches shawl>.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?One thing I always like to reference when digging for starting pitchers on a given slate is total team strikeouts. If a team is striking out a ton, that only increases upside in a given match-up. It’s for this reason I tend to avoid using pitchers in DFS who are facing the Kansas City Royals. The Royals do in fact stink, but as a team, they don’t strike out as often as say, the Padres do. So, pick your crappy team carefully. Tonight, on this juicy 11 game slate, I’ll be using quite a bit of Zack Godley ($16,800). Godley was a big target of mine coming into this year and he’s disappointed, there’s no getting around that. However, he gets a match-up in San Diego that een he should be able to handle. He’s still rocking a 9+ K rate, but his 4 walk rate has killed him. Fortunately, the Padres are also near the bottom in total team walks (24th of 30). Couple that with their league worst .660 OPS vs. RHP and I think you’ve got yourself a winner.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?Sure, Jack Flaherty ($18,800 on FantasyDraft today) may not be the sexiest pitcher on the slate: that would be Trevor Bauer ($24,100…cough) at the White Sox, or Charlie Morton at home in Houston ($21,900) or Aaron Nola ($18,600) in San Diego. But I like the Flaherty match-up versus the second-last-in-MLB Royals in Kansas City. He’s looked great in his last couple of starts; that 11.02 K/9 is sexy, and I’m hoping for a win out of him. And at this price, you can’t really go wrong. Besides, it’s a Coors day (awww yeah!), so I’m making him the lede in case you’re interested in rolling with a pitcher who’s a tad bit cheaper, allowing you to stock up on Dodgers-Rockies bats in your FantasyDraft lineup. Let’s take a look at who else we might fit in around the edges.
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Please, blog, may I have some more? by: MattTruss
I might be letting my Braves fan bias shine through a little here, but I’m giddy for Kevin Gausman’s first start for the Braves tonight. How long have we been saying Gausmaun just needed to get the heck out of the AL East and out of Baltimore period? The O’s are far from pitching savants and exchanging the Sawx and Yanks for the Marlins and Mets never hurt anyone’s value. Gausman checks in at $16,300 on FantasyDraft tonight and I think that’s a fantastic value. Gausman has always had the K-upside which is why we’ve all been tempted by him (and let down) in the past. I think the change of scenery will do wonders for him and I want to get on the bandwagon now before it’s full and much more expensive. Besides Gausman picking on the offense-inept Mets, let’s look at the rest of tonight’s DFS picks:
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Please, blog, may I have some more?True confession: I can’t cope with trade deadline season. I find it a terrifying time to be 1) a baseball fan (of a team that is in sell mode [cough Blue Jays cough]) and 2) a baseball writer: 1) Because favorite players can be suddenly whisked off to dreaded rivals (I’m looking at you, brand-new-Yankee JA Happ) and 2) because things turn on a dime. For example, when I first started putting this post together, I was all “start Astro X against Cole Hamels!” Now…nope. So when you’re assembling your lineup for FantasyDraft today, I’ll give you the same caveat I give for weather: double-check your lineups before they lock. Anyway! Let’s talk about things that are hopefully more predictable: it’s a Coors day, so hitters gonna hit! (Right? Dear God, please give me something to hold on to in this crazy world.) Of course you’ll pay up for Rockies (Nolan Arenado, $10,400; Charlie Blackmon, $9,900; Trevor Story, $10,300) and A’s bats (Khris Davis, $11,100; Marcus Semien, $9,300), but it may be worth it. Also, Atlanta, second best in the league versus LHP, are seeing lefty Alex Wood today. Pitching options are tougher, but let’s see what we can do with them, after the jump.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?Welcome to your DFS post for Saturday, the second day of the rest of your lives! (Because I don’t know about you, but I feel like I died during the All-Star Break and was miraculously revived with the return of MLB games, yesterday.) Clayton Kershaw ($23,300) is your Captain Obvious play on FantasyDraft today. You could roll with that. You could stack your Cleveland hitters versus Bartolo Colon. Or, you know, you could get a little sneakier, go a little cheaper, try to outwit your opponents, and there are enough interesting options on the slate today to pull it off. After the jump, let’s start with the…King?, Felix Hernandez.
New to FantasyDraft? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
Please, blog, may I have some more?