They call Draft fantasy for the people, and why not? It’s easy as Sunday morning. Sign up at Draft.com, do a quick snake draft of 3, 4, 6 or 10 players, and get a piece of the payouts. Here at Razzball, we recommend using Value-Based Drafting (VBD) to make the most of your roster. Using Rudy’s tools, you can easily sort values and take the projected points for the final player drafted at each position (P, IF, OF) and subtracting from all the players at that position, then re-ranking based on VBD. In other words, Razzball will give you the inside knowledge you need to dominate your DFS opponents.
In another life, Luis Severino had a 3.33 ERA against the Orioles, and a 3.62 ERA in their home park of Camden Yards, where he is pitching today. That was before the length and strength of that Baltimore lineup, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop in particular, left to help other teams reach the postseason in the National League. The Yankees are not exactly desperate, but they are in need of a good Severino, and facing this Baltimore lineup is just the trick. It’s because of info like this that Severino is #1 with a bullet on our Streamonator. Now let’s look at a few more early-, middle- and late-round picks for your Draft…drafts!
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Kyle Hendricks, SP: Middle – Mr. Hendricks gets the Cincinnati Reds at home in Chicago today. That’s a Reds team without its best hitter, Joey Votto, who’s on the DL. The remaining Reds only hit .228 with a .554 OPS against The Professor.
Kevin Gausman, SP: Late – Gausman goes against the lowly Marlins in Miami today. In his last 3 starts — or more or less since he got traded from the wilderness of Baltimore to playoff-chase in Atlanta — he’s averaging 7.3 innings, 1 ER, and 5 Ks. It’s safe to say he’s on a hot streak and facing one of the worst teams in the league.
Nolan Arenado, IF: Early – Why is Arenado an excellent first-round pick today? Let us count the ways: He’s hitting against left-hander Austin Gomber. He hits .400 with a 1.317 OPS against lefties this year. He’s hitting at home, where he bombs to a .352/1.100 slash line. Need more? For some reason, this season he really loves hitting against today’s opponent, the St. Louis Cardinals: .364/1.100.
Starling Marte, OF: Early – This scurvy Pirate is looking at a big-time score today. He’s facing young righty Chase Anderson of the Brewers, who’s not young enough not to have faced Marte before. Starling is, well, sterling against Anderson, slugging 2 home runs with 5 steals and a .480 batting average in 25 at-bats.
Anthony Rendon, IF: Middle – Playing in New York against the Mets today, Rendon is set up to take a bite out of the Big Apple. Against the Mets’ starter Steven Matz, Rendon is hitting .315 with 3 home runs and a 1.105 OPS.
Brett Gardner, OF: Middle – This often-forgotten part of the Bronx Bombers is starting to get noticed, and today will be one of those days. Against Oriole starter Dylan Bundy, Gardner slugs like the Babe himself: .353/1.947 with 2 steals in 17 at-bats.
Matt Davidson, IF: Late – He’s facing Jordan Zimmerman of the Tigers today, and that’s a good thing. Davidson has gone 6-12, with an easy-to-calculate .500 batting average, including 2 home runs and a 1.622 OPS against the other J-Z.
Carlos Gomez, OF: Late – Gomez can be a streaky hitter, and he’s been picking it up over the last week. It should continue today when facing Boston righty Nathan Eovaldi, whom Gomez hits to a .364/1.007 slash line.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
There’s thunderstorms to look out for in Minnesota for Twins and As, but otherwise it’s only good news for offenses: The wind is blowing out in New York for Mets and Nationals, in Kansas City for Royals and Indians, and in San Francisco for Giants and Rangers.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Stack ’em, pack ’em and rack ’em: The highest projected runs scored today are the Rockies (6.52) vs the Cardinals, the Cubs (5.65) vs the Reds, and the Cardinals (5.46) at the Rockies.
The best and the brightest: The biggest favorites today are the Yankees (-225) at the Orioles, the Cubs (-217) vs the Reds, and the Indians (-215) at the Royals.
