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.
You may have observed Chris Sale throwing bullets in the All Star Game. Or perhaps you’ve seen how he’s been dominating to the tune of a 0.33 ERA, among other amazing stats, over his last 4 starts. Now observe that he is facing the weak-hitting Detroit Tigers today, and it all lines up for a Greatest Showman performance for Ace of Aces Chris Sale. He’s #1 on Streamonator and well on his way to a career year. Today should be no different. Now let’s look at a few more early-, middle- and late-round picks for your Draft…drafts!
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J.A. Happ, SP: Middle – Streamonator loves him as the #4 ranked pitcher today at home and he’s facing a sad, doom and gloom team in the Orioles. They’ve lost their best player and are ripe for demolition. Doesn’t hurt that the remaining Orioles bat .221 with a .654 OPS against Happ.
Marco Gonzales, SP: Late – This sneaky upside play pitches for the Mariners at home today against the lowly Chicago White Sox. Streamonator likes the start, but he will probably be overlooked. The White Sox hit .222 with a .541 OPS against him.
Francisco Lindor, IF: Early – Lindor is one of those ho-hum superstars. He just cranks out a career .296 batting average with a .947 OPS against left-handers, such as Cole Hamels of Texas, whom Lindor faces today. Every once in a while he explodes, and chances are good here, in Arlington, in mid-summer, with that hot air lifting batted balls to fans in the outfield, where they can say they caught a dinger from one of the great shortstops of the era. Or something like that. Hittertron has him ranked 3rd.
Starling Marte, OF: Early – #1 on Hittertron, #1 in our collective fantasy hearts. Marte has been coming on lately and hits righties to a career .310 batting average with a .849 OPS. He’s facing the artist formally known as Matt Harvey; we’re willing to bet Marte wins that conflict with ease.
Daniel Murphy, IF: Middle – Mr. Murphy has come back carrying a big stick. Mike Foltynewicz has been a good story this year for the Braves, but unfortunately for him, he has to face Murphy, who has hit him to a .438 batting average and 1.062 OPS. Murphy will be a cause for agreement across the aisle in our nation’s capital today.
Andrew McCutchen, OF: Middle – The linchpin in the San Francisco Giants is ranked #10 on Hittertron and has been heating up lately. Today he’s facing the Oakland A’s and Sean Manea, who has come back to earth after a no-hitter early in the year. Cutch hits lefties to a .313 career average with a .952 OPS. Excellent middle-round, glue-guy pick.
Paul DeJong, IF: Late – Dejong likes facing the imminently capable Jose Quintana. He has hit Quintana to a .400 batting average and 1.571 OPS. Smells like a late-round steal from here.
Randal Grichuk, OF: Late – Grichuk has grabbed a stable spot in the lineup and turned it on lately. Today he faces Andrew Cashner of the previously discussed sad Baltimore Orioles. Grichuk has gone 2-8 against Cashner, but those 2 were home runs. Look for more power today.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Sometimes Mother Nature wants a say in things, and today is a little tricky. There is the chance of rain in Cincinnati for Pirates/Reds, Philadelphia for Padres/Phillies, in Washington for Braves/Nationals (again!), and in New York for Mets/Yankees. If that’s not enough, there’s a significant headwind in Chicago for Cubs/Cardinals. As usual, MLB likes to get games in; just keep an eye on the weather today.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Stack ’em, pack ’em and rack ’em: The highest projected runs scored today are the A’s (5.20) vs the Giants, Nationals (5.03) vs the Braves, and the Cubs (4.82) vs the Cardinals.
The best and the brightest: The biggest favorites today are the Red Sox (-230) at the Tigers, the Nationals (-213) vs the Braves, and the Blue Jays (-162) vs the Orioles.
