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.
The iconic first sentence of one of the greatest novels of all time comes to mind: “Call me Ishmael.” That is what Chris Sale’s start against the Baltimore Orioles today could be: the beginning, middle, and end of potentially one of the greatest starts of the year. Chris Sale works amazingly well on extra days of rest and he’s coming off an easy vacation masquerading as a DL stint. Throw in the fact that the Oriole hitters — those who remain after the trade deadline purge — hit Sale for .189 with a .510 OPS, which is basically at the level of single-A hitters facing a Cy Young award-winner, and it all adds up to the potential for something amazing. Let others jump on Max Scherzer; the Cubs hit him to a .958 OPS. It’s Sale for the win upon win today. Now let’s look at a few more early-, middle- and late-round picks for your Draft…drafts!
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Jake Arrieta, SP: Middle – Don’t look now, but Arrieta is gaining some of that old magic back. Today he faces off against the vaunted San Diego Padres lineup, which hammers Arrieta to a .143 batting average and .462 OPS. Did I catch you napping? This guy is an awesome play today.
Matthew Boyd, SP: Late – Who? Young Mr. Boyd is the choice today as a long shot with the best odds. He is pitching at his home cavern, Comerica Park, against a Minnesota Twins lineup that hits him to a weak .219 batting average with a .649 OPS.
Nelson Cruz, IF: Early – In this battle of the top two teams in the AL West, Cruz stands tall. He’s facing Dallas Keuchel, and Cruz is Keuchel’s kryptonite: .333 batting average, 1.169 OPS including 5 home runs.
Mookie Betts, OF: Early – Young Mr. Betts is a Renaissance man. He bowls 300 games, makes incredible catches in the outfield, and he hits for the cycle just because. He’s a well-known Orioles killer and gets to face Alex Cobb today in Camden Yards. Against Cobb, Mookie hits .375 with a 1.173 OPS, including a couple home runs.
Justin Turner, IF: Middle – The Dodgers are in Colorado today. That’s a great thing for Mr. Turner, who bootstraps his opponent, Chad Bettis, to a .333 batting average with a .913 OPS.
Yasiel Puig, OF: Middle – The Dodgers are in Colorado today. Lather, wash, repeat. This particular Dodger hits Chad Bettis to a .400 average and 1.060 OPS.
Max Muncy, IF: Late – It may be a stretch trying to get Muncy late, but his stats simply deserve a place here. Against Chad Bettis, he hits .333 with a 1.833 OPS, and the game is in Colorado. Turner has a better track record, thus the higher ranking, but Muncy is a great play today. Might as well put the LA logo on this blog post.
Derek Dietrich, OF: Late – One would think anyone facing Noah Syndergaard should sit in a fantasy lineup. Not Dietrich. Even in the best of times, he hits Thor to a .400 batting average with a .971 OPS, and it is not the best of times for Syndergaard.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
The East Coast has been battered lately, but today the skies seem to have pretty much cleared. Full Sale ahead!
Doing Lines In Vegas
Stack ’em, pack ’em and rack ’em: The highest projected runs scored today are the Dodgers (shocker! 7.01) at the Rockies, the Rockies (5.74) vs the Dodgers, and the Red Sox (4.82) at the Orioles.
The best and the brightest: The biggest favorites today are the Red Sox (-376) at the Orioles, the Indians (-248) at the White Sox, and the Yankees (-177) vs the Rangers.
