Daily fantasy brings a whole new dimension to the we look at fantasy players. We’re getting used to streaming pitchers which has become a great strategy being implemented over the last few years, but daily fantasy takes it to a whole new level. You don’t have to drop anyone to pick up the man of the hour, knowing that his long-term value will be equivalent to Lenny Dykstra’s business ventures.
If you get off watching a pitcher dominate like I do, then you’ll appreciate the pornutopia of starters going today. Masa-Hero, Darvish, Greinke, Cueto, Scherzer, and Wacha are all on cam today. If I gotta pick two, I’m taking Cueto and Tanaka. Darvish has been lit up by the A’s, almost to the extent I want to stack against him today. Greinke and Wacha have been a bit shaky lately and, besides his last start, so has Scherzer and the Royals bats are about as hot as it gets in baseball right now. I’m rolling the dice on Roenis Elias today. He’s had some rough ones lately as well, but he’s also had some dominant outings including a complete game shutout with 8 Ks against the Tigers just ten days ago. And the K’s seem real as he boasts nearly 8 K/9 this year. He also has the most tasty matchup on the slate today facing the Padres who get nothing right against lefties as they mutter a .598 OPS against them this year which is marginally crappier than anyone other squad. A price tag of $8,000 climaxes the excitement with dough to blow on some other nice pieces.
Hopefully, you’ve been playing along with us at Draftkings so far this year. If not, c’mon and join us cuz we’ve been having daily leagues for the last two weeks thanks to the zealous @RalphLifshitzbb who’s been heading it up. We aren’t wagering huge, but just making sure to have some fun with $1 on the line each day. Come on and hang out and test your mettle with us. Here’s a link to our fun little cash game today. The Razzball community only gains strength as we reach out to more avenues. If you haven’t signed up yet use this link cuz you’ll get a free contest to start building your stack. Here’s a few more highlights of today’s DFS best offerings:
Ervin Santana, P: $7,900 – He’s done pretty well for himself so far this year and that’s carrying an ERA of 4.09 which is 0.80 worse than his xFIP. He’s completely owned the Phillies in his few meetings with them and they only seem to be getting worse as Reuben Amaro Jr. oozes his suckitude upon them each dying day.
Eric Stults, P: $5,000 – Yeah he’s been awful, but if you’re bargain hunting he’s facing the Mariners who rank as the 2nd most useless team in the league against LHP. You could stack against Safeco and take him and Elias vs. the two worst offenses in baseball, hitting in one of the worst parks for. The only guy in the lineup who has had any success is Corey Hart and he’s on the DL.
There’s no absolute way to determine who’s gonna hit on a given day. We’ve exhausted stats like wOBA, SLG, OPS, BvP, etc. The DFSBot is gonna go use some really advanced metrics to find today’s values and is starting to gain acclaim. In addition, I’m gonna focus on BvP here to highlight some guys who should see playing time that don’t always start and will buy you some value for a small price tag.
A.J. Ellis, C: $3,000 – Ellis is 6-15 against Jhoulys Chacin lifetime. He’s just come back from the DL for the second time and his numbers have been depressed to date. Most every single player regresses back to their norm and Ellis should start showing better average and pop through the rest of the year. He’s 4-6 with 4 BBs since returning and the Dodgers have hit Chacin really well so he could be in line for some counting stats to bolster his line.
Rickie Weeks, 2B: $3,400 – Big Bro Weeks has been stuck on the smaller side of a platoon, but he’s also rocking a .289 average only having to face lefties for the most part this year. He’s 4-9 lifetime vs. Wade Miley who has really struggled against RHB with splits showing a .150 OPS difference. Miley also has an ERA over 2 points higher at home this year so this is a pretty good stack option for the Brewers with studly RH options in Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy, Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Gomez if he starts.
Joe Mauer, C/1B: $4,200 – He hasn’t been very flashy yet this year, but this lineup is producing despite him so far. He’s the most pure hitter on this squad and it’s likely he’ll pick it up at any point and take over as the spark to this lineup. With a 7-20 against Lester lifetime with only 2 Ks and 4 BBs he clearly sees the ball well against him.
Andre Ethier, OF: $3,500 – While finding himself rotating through the revolving door of underperforming outfielders in Dodgertown, Ethier is also starting to pick it up recently. He’s hit in 8 of his last 9 and has taken over most of the CF duties. Mattingly is picking up confidence in him—notice how Mattingly takes confidence from his players rather than instilling it in them—and may start to move him up the lineup as he builds momentum. Ethier is also 12-29 against Chacin and should see some RBI opportunities batting in the 5-7 slot today.
If you got money to burn, here’s some pricier options enjoying some nice matchups today:
Alex Gordon, OF: $4,500 – He’s 12-31 against Scherzer and he’s rockin the 5 hole of a scorching hot lineup.
Adrian Beltre, 3B: $4,700 – 7-17 with a couple bombs against Tommy Milone
Adam Jones, OF: $4,500 – 6-12 against Bedard
John Jaso, C: $3,800 – 7-19 with 2 HRs against Darvish
Brandon Moss, 1B/OF: $4,900 – 7-20 with 4 HRs against Darvish
Coco Crisp, OF: $4,400 – 7-19 against Darvish
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
After weeks of dangerous looking forecasts, it seems as though baseball weather is taking shape as we approach the midway point of the year. Pick your players with confidence today.
Doing Lines in Vegas
COL @ LAD Over 7 – Greinke is on the mound and that usually means runs will be suppressed. The Rockies have the best offense in baseball, albeit a little busted up right now. They’ve shown an affinity for smacking around bullpens as they just went 3-3 in comeback wins against the best pen in baseball against the Giants this last weekend. The Dodgers have one of the worst bullpens in baseball and a pretty good offense facing Jhoulys Chacin who they have hit extremely well.
MIL @ ARZ Over 8.5 – Facing Wade Miley in Arizona should afford their righty heavy hitters an opportunity to pound the scoreboard and Kyle Lohse has allowed a .322 BAA vs. the D-Backs.
