It’s here! This Friday, our friends at DraftKings are throwing their huge $100,000 Punch Out with the top winner nabbing $20K. If you haven’t been following our DraftKings posts and you’re new, DraftKings is an industry leading daily fantasy sports site, and they hold our very own RAZZBALL EXCLUSIVE CAN YOU BEAT RUDY GAMBLE contests where the top winner gets a ticket for that shot at 20K. You can only get in by clicking that link – it’s not open to the public! Unlike Grey’s Mustache Rides (LLC).
This week is a special feature on THURSDAY instead of Friday to not conflict with the $100K Punch Out. But even better, this time the top TWO spots get tickets into the Punch Out. And it doesn’t stop there. Spots 3-10 double up to $10.00 and 11-20 break even and get $5.00, almost DOUBLING the normal prize pool. This is the week to play Razzball Nation! The contest is capped at 50 entrants, and with the increase in payouts, I expect it to fill fast so sign up soon! If you read only bold all caps words, that should be enough to spark your interest, or so our marketing crack team tells me…
Last week, Tropical Storm Andrea, at least that’s what it said on her flyer, rolled into the northeast, postponing numerous games on Friday night. Check the weather people! For my lineups, I won’t solidify anyone with even a chance of a rain delay. Now of course, DraftKings is unique in that it lets you tinker with your lineup until right before the first pitch. But if your guy gets lost in a washout, you lose him.
Staring back into the sands of time at last week’s picks:
SP – Chris Sale 7.1 IP 5 H 2 BB 4 ER 6 Ks (16.3 Pts)
CI – Albert Pujols Ppd. (0 Pts)
MI – Troy Tulowitzki 3-4 1 RBI 2 R (15 Pts)
OF – Domonic Brown 1-3 1 2B 1 R (7 Pts)
OF – Yasiel Puig 1-3 1 HR 1 RBI 1 R BB (16 Pts)
UTIL – Martin Prado 0-3 (0 Pts)
TOTAL: 54.3 (Previous weeks’ finishes – 93.85, 76.9, 68.8, 47.7, 67.3, 92.4, 75, 83, 96)
A solid week, especially considering I write my picks days before the games are played and lost Pujols, but as said above, you can easily replace guys in weather-periled games at the last minute. I got 4th in yet again in last week’s contest, and tweaked a few picks and a few nipples to get all the guys playing on the east cost out of there.
Remember, since we’re on Thursday, there’s only five night games to choose from. It’s going to be slim pickins with a lot of similar selections, so think outside of the box when making your lineup. Here are some of the guys that will be on my roster (I’ll be in there again – jbrazzball) as I shoot for back-to-back-to-back 4th place finishes:
SP – Ervin Santana ($8,400) – There’s only two aces on the mound Thursday, and past that it gets pretty brutal. I’m going to spend middle-of-the-road pitcher money (good idea for an alt. rock band name?) on Santana, who has been a solid surprise this year. The WHIP is great, every baserunner against hurts ya, with solid Ks and pitching in the Trop.
CI – Adrian Beltre ($5,500) – I’m doing pretty well with my budget (see below), so my big ticket spend will be on Beltre, who has been solid every time I’ve rolled with him. As I mentioned on the podcast, I’m loving all Rangers hitters in what should be a solid pound-fest on Mark Buehrle in Arlington. Spend the extra few bucks.
MI – Ben Zobrist ($4,000) – Hedging my bets a tad with a hitter against Santana, I think Zobrist is one of the best MI options out there for the price Thursday. Yea he’s only a career 2-12 against him, but he’s swinging a ridiculously hot bat right now.
OF1 – Nate McLouth ($4,200) – Stealing bases with reckless abandon (remember they’re 5 pts a pop), McLouth has been an unreal surprise and I like him to keep it up against Felix Doubront. Only 1-6 against him, but small sample and McLouth is hot right now, while also drawing solid walks, which will help your score.
OF2 – Lorenzo Cain ($3,800) – Another speedy guy I like this week for a solid buy is Cain, who gets to face off against struggling righty Jeremy Hellickson. Cain is only 1-6 against him but that 1 is a triple, worth 8 pts. I expect Hellickson to struggle yet again with Cain with some solid speed opportunities.
UTIL – Billy Butler ($3,700) – About Hellickson’s struggles – Butler is a career 5-9 against hellboy with 2 doubles. Woo! In spacious Tropicana Field, there’s a lot of room for the doubles machine, who yeah has struggled to get started, but I like him for a solid price Thursday night.
As always, if you have any questions about anyone else, or for any other DraftKings contests, shoot them below, thanks for checking our friends out!
