Is it Wednesday already? You bet your DFS it is! A hearty and happy middle of the week from MarmosDad to you and yours today! We’ve got a nice list of games to choose from and an SP that comes in at 11th on the Streamonator in Jesus Luzardo (DK: $8,500) on the road against the Oakland A’s. At first glance, Luzardo’s 3-5 record is nothing to get excited about, but his 11.18 K/9 and 3.15 xFIP since the beginning of August are just two stats that should get you thinking of playing him today. Is he going to walk on water like his namesake when he arrives in Oaktown this afternoon? Maybe not. But against an Oakland offense that ranks last (or close to it) in each hitting category, he may provide some miracles of his own. I’m thinking double-digit K’s and a W if he can go at least 6 innings here. Apologies to Jim Morrison, but I’d take the Marlins’ Lizard King as an SP1 for this one.
For the rest of the day, there are 13 other games to check in on. The Atlanta/Pittsburgh at 12:35 PM ET is too early to pick from but outside of the 1:10 PM ET Giants/Tigers, there are four afternoon games ahead of the main evening slate of 8 games across MLB.
And remember, if you’re looking for something to help you gain an edge over opponents in these DFS lineups or in your season-long leagues, you can sign up for Rudy’s tools packages right here on Razzball. It gives you access to Hittertron and Streamonator (that I use almost daily) as well as DFS optimizer tools and other player comparison models that give you ready-made research AND help you when doing your own data mining.
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Miles Mikolas, SP: (DK) $7,900 – Last week’s SP2 choice (Jordan Montgomery) worked out well for us, so we’re headed back to the Cardinals for today’s second arm. Mikolas gets the Cubs on the road today and is coming off back to back outings of 8 IP with 2 or fewer ER in each. With a 6.79 K/9 on the year, Mikolas is unlikely to whiff as many as Luzardo, but with a strong lineup behind him, a man possessed at 1B (more on that later), and the ability to go late in this game, he should have a good shot at a win and a handful of strikeouts. Full disclosure, Mikolas is also here because he shares a birthday (yesterday) with one of your favorite DFS writers! (albeit he was born on my 13th birthday – you can do that math yourself to figure out how sore I am after playing a double header of my own last night).
Cal Raleigh, C: (DK) $3,800 – This is another catcher that seems to be in rotation with the Blue Jays backstops and MJ Melendez for me. Raleigh’s Mariners take on Anibal Sanchez’s Nationals in Seattle today. Raleigh has hit 15 of his 18 homers on the year against RHP and his lower price tag makes this an easy pick to mine some power.
Albert Pujols, 1B: (DK) $2,300 – It takes a pretty big bat to knock Nate Lowe out of this spot, but what we’ve seen the last week or two with Albert Pujols makes him a worthy addition to this list. ‘The Machine’ has proved to be just that with a .588 AVG and 1.294 SLG on the 7 day player rater. Pujols has 4 homers in his last 5 games and sits at 693 career dingers. He’s only 7 away from the magical 700, but someone said it best on Twitter that just seeing Prince Albert pass A-Rod’s 696 before the end of the year would be good enough for me.
Luis Rengifo, 2B/3B: (DK) $3,800 – There were a couple of younger (and cheaper) alternatives at the keystone today but they’re in the early games so I went with Rengifo for this one. Rengifo has been hitting in the core of the Angels lineup (3rd or 4th for the last couple of weeks) and with Mike Trout back he should have a couple of superstars setting the table ahead of him. Despite facing Shane McClanahan on the road, he’s still not a bad pick at this price.
Trea Turner, SS: (DK) $6,100 – Here’s our chalk play to spend some of those DK pennies saved on our SP. Similar to the 2Bs, the other choices at SS either start early or have some bad splits. Turner is as steady as it gets, hitting over .300 at home and on the road. With 18 HR and 20 SB on the year, he could fill up the sheet today against the Brew Crew.
Jose Miranda, 3B/1B: (DK) $4,100 – Another one on the road today as Miranda’s Twins head to Houston to face Framber Valdez and the Astros. Framber has only given up 2 HR since the beginning of July, so expecting a bunch of bombs isn’t the play here. Miranda had a 6 game hit streak snapped Monday night and could build on his strong August numbers (132 wRC+) against an LHP that has had much less success against RHH this year.
Lars Nootbaar, OF: (DK) $2,600 – Grey’s favorite candy bar is 4th on the 7 day player rater riding a 1.248 OPS and 2 HR over the past week. He’s the hottest OF behind Jake Fraley (and ahead of Mark Canha), hit over .300 through July and August, and is hitting 40 points higher on the road. Whether you like your bars with or without Noots, this one is a good choice for a sweet return on investment.
Mookie Betts, OF: (DK) $6,300 – Jumping on another chalk play with the Dodgers today, Mookie isn’t just good enough to be the inspiration behind my kid’s choice of number for his little league jersey. Mookie’s game log over the last 10 days is dotted with XBH and SB which shouldn’t be a surprise to any of you. I peeked in on his opponent and it was supposed to be Aaron Ahsy but now looks like Adrian Houser who will be freah off the IL. Talk about a rude welcome back to the league. If only there was a good pun to use about placing a wager on Mookie today…
I’m Only Happy When It Rains…
The only real rain threats for today seem to be in Tampa and Houston, but those are both covered stadiums so all games should be safe to play.
Doing Lines In Vegas…
I’m not ‘running up that’ Rich Hill at home against the Jays today, but I’d give Luzardo at Oakland a whirl (-115).
For the Over/Under play, I like the UNDER of 7.5 in the Zac Gallen v. Brady Singer game in Kansas City.
Best of luck in the DFS plays today! If you have any questions, shoot me a note on Twitter @MarmosDad.
