Guys, each Thursday, I write to help you win money on DraftKings. That’s the main objective. But I would be remiss to not mention that almost every Thursday, I complain that the slate is way too small. Trust me, many Thursdays I don’t play just because it’s so bad.
But not this week.
Twenty weeks into the season, we finally have a big slate on a Thursday. We are looking at 11 games, including the Nationals at Coors Field, but sadly the Blue Jays are off.
Let’s get straight to the cash, homie.
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Jake Arrieta, SP: $11,900 — Arrieta is a must-play to me, even if Freddie Freeman is back in the Braves lineup. There has been perhaps no player more undervalued and appreciated in fantasy this year than Arrieta has been. Expect another top 10 performance from the Cubs’ ace.
Jose Quintana, SP: $8,500 — At first I was going to just roll both Arrieta and Chris Archer out there, but I couldn’t make a lineup that I trusted at all. Quintana hasn’t quite lived up to the preseason hype, but he’s been solid for most of the year. Plus, he’s facing an Angels team that can’t hit all of the sudden. I’ll take my chances to get some better bats in my lineup.
Francisco Cervelli, C: $3,400 — He’s old faithful to me. I wanted Buster Posey, but couldn’t afford him. Cervelli is my go-to catching option almost daily.
Pedro Alvarez, 1B/3B: $3,600 — Pedro isn’t that good. We know this. But when he’s hot, he’s hot. Check out his August numbers and tell me you don’t want to ride the streak until it comes to a halt.
Ivan DeJesus, Jr., 2B/SS: $2,600 — DeJesus is a punt play, but he’s been quietly OK since getting the call to the show.
Jung Ho Kang, 3B/SS: $3,500 — I can’t say enough bout Kang. The guy just hits and hits and hits. He’s not the rookie of the year that some are considering him to be, but he’s been hitting everything in sight.
Kelby Tomlinson, 2B/SS: $2,100 — Look, if I tried to give any analysis on Tomlinson, it would be a lie. I’ve never seen him play or even know what he looks like. What I do know, though, is that he is hitting toward the top of the Giants’ lineup, which is valuable in and of itself for daily.
Kyle Schwarber, C/OF: $4,900 — Yeah, I’m going Schwarber over guys like Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen. He just hits and hits. It may be because I traded him three weeks ago and have regretted it ever since, but I want as much as Schwarber as I can get.
A.J. Pollock, OF: $5,800 — The Diamondbacks offense is good. Like, really good. Is Pollock a second-round pick next year? Probably not, but he’s damn good and I love the matchup against Mike Foltynewicz.
Jayson Werth, OF: $3,700 — Look, I get it. He’s been horrible this year, but if there was ever a chance for him to put together a good line, it’s today in Colorado against a left-handed pitcher. I’ll roll the dice here.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Watch out for Minnesota at Baltimore today, as there’s a 67 percent chance of rain at first pitch. I’m avoiding if possible.
Doing Lines In Vegas
At no surprise, a Coors Field game is the projected highest-scoring game of the day with an over-under of 10. Max Scherzer is pitching so that could complicate things, but I don’t see another game on the slate threatening to outscore the Nationals and Rockies.
