Best Bets (Hitters)
Here’s the Dudek Nine for your consideration. It’s a mixture of high and low prices, all good value, with a couple of options to give you cap flexibility.
1B: Edwin Encarnacion ($8,088) is locked in and I don’t believe Ivan Nova ($10,086) has the weapons to shut him down.
2B: Ben Zobrist ($6,539) has had excellent success against Peavy and the other choices at this position are not riveting at their salaries.
3B: Not the first time I have tipped Sox rookie Conor Gillaspie ($4,621). I don’t have faith in Roberto Hernandez ($9,000) getting Chicago out so look at his teammates as well.
SS: Alcides Escobar ($7,395) like the rest of the Royals’ RH bats is a good play against Scott Kazmir ($8,727) who is no longer the fireballer he was coming up and hasn’t put in the innings to be a savvy vet.
OF1: Matt Kemp ($8,659). When the train starts rolling, hop on before it speeds away.
OF2: Alejandro De Aza is heating up, has had success against Hernandez and $7,403 is a reasonable price.
OF3: Jose Bautista ($8,563) is a good bet because of the big game potential. I also like Melky Cabrera ($6,765) to solve Nova; he is now hitting in the 5-hole so there may be RBI opportunities.
C: Depending on your budget, Tyler Flowers ($4,333) is the decent cheap option, Yadier Molina ($8,520) the upscale pick.
U: Love the matchup for Matt Holliday ($10,695) on home turf against struggling lefty Jonathan Sanchez ($5,959)
Live Longshots (Hitters)
The above lineup uses two extreme bargains in Flowers and Gillaspie for a total of $66,301 spent on hitting. The “upgrade” to Molina at C would leave just $29,517 for pitching, enough for two SP and a closer.
Players to Avoid
Josh Johnson ($11,123) “might” miss tonight’s start with biceps soreness, according to a tweet by Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. The Jays are notoriously quiet about injuries; JJ is unlikely to be at his best if he does start.
UPDATE: It’s now confirmed that Aaron Laffey ($3,245) will start for Toronto. The soft-tossing lefty is priced like a reliever if you feel lucky, and Yankees RH bats like Vernon Wells ($7,668) catch a big break.
Shane Victorino ($9,662) does not have a red cross, is not on the DL but he does have a sore back. Steer clear.
Kent Williams is on Twitter @SheridanFantasy and be sure to follow Rob Dudek for updates when our morning picks change during the day.