I love when halfway decent starting pitchers are given away for practically free on DraftKings. I especially enjoy it when it happens on a Coors field day. That of course could be read as a “Coors Field” day or as a Coors “field day”, because both are true. When you’re trying to squeeze in as much Coors exposure as you can, a 4K pitcher opens up an awful lot of options. Logan Verrett sits at $4,500 tonight and gets to square off at home against one of, if not the worst hitting team in the majors in the Atlanta Braves. Jon Niese just completely shut them down. That’s the same Niese who had given up 11 runs in his previous 8 IP mind you. The Braves have the lowest team OPS in the majors and their “lead” in the category seems to grow by the day. Verrett has been a more than capable spot starter for the Mets as they try to limit every one of their young pitcher’s innings. Tonight he fills in for deGrom and should be good to go for at least 75-80 pitches, possibly more. He only threw 63 against the Marlins over 5 IP, but the Mets let him air it out for 93 a month ago at Coors field. All he did there was hold the Rockies to 1 run in 8 IP and strikeout 8. The strikeout upside is limited with the Braves as they are pretty stingy when it comes to striking out, but posting zeros works too and a win should be easily obtained. For $4,500 you can’t get too greedy. I do imagine Verrett will be fairly highly owned at this price and Coors field on the docket so despite the low price he may be more of a cash game play than a GPP. Let’s look at some more plays for tonight’s DFS slate:
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Lance McCullers, SP: $9,400 – The Angels had a brutal August and their September isn’t going much better. I’d look to pick on them whenever and wherever possible. I think people see the Angels and think, “Mike Trout, I should avoid them”, much like Miggy and the Tigers. That makes pitchers facing these teams nice GPP plays.
Tom Koehler, SP: $8,100 – Tommy K has moments where he looks unhittable and then has games where he gets completely blown up. That makes him tough to own in season long leagues, but makes him fun for DFS purposes. Tonight he gets the Phils, who are second to last in team OPS and seem to enjoy making most pitchers look unhittable. Also of note is Koehler is at home where his ERA is 2.97 and his WHIP is 1.15.
J.A. Happ, SP: $7,300 – Alright, how big are your trouser kiwis? Whoa, I didn’t need to see that man, come on now! Back to Happ, he’s been absolutely rolling, striking out 26 over his previous 3 starts (18.2 innings). The Rockies have the third lowest team OPS vs. lefties and if you have the stones to toss Happ out there, I could see him paying some nice dividends. He’s sure to be low owned, so go get ‘em tiger.
Daniel Norris, SP: $6,100 – My goodness, there are so many GPP and low salary pitchers tonight, it’s like a smorgasbord of potential gems or potential disasters. I mentioned above that the Rockies have the third lowest team OPS vs. lefties. Do you know who has the lowest? Gotchya, it’s the Braves, but the White Sox are neck and neck for the honor. The only downside with Norris, besides the potential roofie, is his pitch count. The Tigers bullpen has been roughed up recently, so it’s hard to know how long they’ll let Norris go. I would guess around 6 innings. That could be enough against the White Sox and for such a cheap price, we’re hoping for just enough and our bats to carry us home.
Wilin Rosario, C: $3,000 – What? I didn’t say I had cantaloupes did I?
Matt Adams, 1B: $3,100 – I would look to get just about everyone in against Keyvius Sampson and his 7 ERA (4.77 FIP) and 1.85 WHIP. Yikes, that’s horrendous.
David Ortiz, 1B: $4,600 – Big Papi just collected HRs number 499 and 500 off Moore down at the Trop and gets a rematch with him tonight at friendly Fenway. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see numbers 502 and 503 leave the yard.
Kelby Tomlinson, 2B/SS: $2,800 – Tyson Ross is very generous with the stolen bases and at 5 points a pop on DraftKings, they add up quick. Kelby has some wheels and I like a few of the San Fran speedsters to make some noise tonight.
Chris Coghlan, 2B/OF: $3,600 – At home with a mediocre righty on the mound and you know I’m all over Coghlan. The only bummer has been Maddon’s insane tendency to pinch hit for him at the slightest sneeze resulting in 2 ABs. You just never know with Joe.
Aramis Ramirez, 3B: $4,400 – It’s a little lazy suggesting Aramis, but he’s likely hitting cleanup at Coors and doesn’t cost 5 grand. He’s also homered twice off Rusin before.
Kyle Seager, 3B: $4,400 – If you’d prefer to fade Coors, I’d suggest some Seager in your life. “Workin on our night moves”. No, no, no, not Seger, SEAGER. As in the lefty slugger on the Mariners that has hit Jeremy Guthrie well and should be in the middle of a hit parade against the old timer.
Jose Reyes, SS: $4,200 – Have you seen what Cervelli does to teams? The Cubs stole 5 bases on him a few games ago. Miguel Montero even stole one. I think even disgruntled Jose Reyes can get it going off this guy.
Jason Heyward, OF: $4,400 – Outside of Coors, Heyward might be the best OF play of the night. Sampson is that bad, he’s like insta-Coors.
Marcell Ozuna, OF: $3,200 – Ozuna hit Harangutan. Ozuna win you DraftKing dollars.
Angel Pagan, OF: $3,000 – I wouldn’t say I’m looking to stack against Ross in Petco, but I wouldn’t be rostering him. Just like Kelby, Pagan has been getting on base and can swipe a bag once he’s there. He’s also 7/16 with 2 SBs in his career against Ross.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
I got so used to the nice weather that I just made a quick lineup last night and committed a cardinal sin of MLB DFS by not checking the weather. The result? Gio Gonzalez on a half my rosters and the dreaded PPD. Don’t be like that me, always check the weather around 6:30 EST or so. You should be all clear for tonight, but it’s always worth a glance.
Doing Lines In Vegas
The dynamic duo of Verrett and Lackey are each -220 favorites, the biggest of the night. Most games tonight sit at an 8 over/under, but SF@SD (Heston/Ross) has a 7 run total. Outside of Coors it’s the NYY@TOR (Severino/Estrada) game with the highest over/under, 9 runs.
