Fantasy Spin May 17, 2015

What a Game Seven this afternoon! The Clippers blew it in the fourth quarter on Friday but still have a chance to take the series if they play all 48 minutes. The Rockets’ comeback was amazing and if momentum exists, it’s all theirs.

Unfortunately, DraftKings can’t offer contests on one NBA game. We’ll have 2-day action beginning on Tuesday, when today’s winner visits the rested Warriors, concluding with Cleveland at Atlanta on Wednesday.

Basketball and I go back 50 years, but it’s always taken a back seat to baseball, where I was a good hitter and successful coach who became the first blogger to receive MLB press credentials, more than ten years ago.

An enthusiastic amateur at hoops, I’m something of an expert at hardball. Here for regular readers is my Sunday DFS analysis. It’s the most important day of the week to verify lineups; with a lot of afternoon games, managers often resort to backup catchers and might rest regulars at other positions.

DraftKings matches your first deposit 100% (up to $600) with bonus funds that convert to cash. MLB action closes at 1:10 Eastern.

Handicapping begins with pitchers. You need two; relievers don’t matter. Shelby Miller $8800 has been terrific for the Braves, Chris Archer $8000 is a nice price and both pitchers in the Mets game are interesting. Noah Syndergaard $6900 (a.k.a. Thor) throws 98-mph thunderbolts and his curve is the hammer. It’s just his second big-league start; Wily Peralta $7900 is a big, strong 26-year-old who can prevail in a duel. Jake Arrieta $9500 could be worth the money .

At the bargain end of the scale are ageless Mark Buehrle $5500, knuckleballer Steven Wright $4200 and perpetually underrated Alfredo Simon $5700 in the national TV nightcap.

How much you spend on pitching determines the budget for bats. Stackable teams include the Dodgers, especially lefty batters, the Royals’ RHB and the Red Sox’ RHB.

At C, Steven Vogt $3600 (like other Oakland LHB) matches up well with former teammate Jeff Samardzija $8600, off to a slow start. Salvador Perez $3700 is solid vs. a mediocre southpaw and Francisco Cervelli $3000 rested yesterday.

At 1B, Adrian Gonzalez $5400 got Saturday off and is enjoying a fantastic season. Freddie Freeman $5000 is hot and if big Kyle Blanks $3400 keeps hitting, the Rangers will find a spot for him

2B Thomas Field $2000 has been playing every day for the Rangers and homered again last night. Cory Spangenberg $2800 is leading off for the Padres. Hottest stick at the position belongs to Jason Kipnis $5500 but he’s expensive.

Miguel Cabrera $4900 is in a groove and 3B-eligible. Rookie Kris Bryant $4700 crushes fastballs and can catch up with A.J. Burnett $8500. After a horrible start, Josh Harrison $3900 has nine hits in his last three games.

SS is the weakest position in part because of injuries. Avoid Troy Tulowitzki $3900 (quad) but consider Hanley Ramirez $4200 or Marcus Semien $4200. Pirates rookie Jung Ho Kang $3400 was the top power hitter in Korea and is adjusting nicely.

With three OF spots, you can shop among a large number of useful bats in every price range. Rookie Preston Tucker $2000 was one of the best hitters in the minors and has started three straight since being called up by the Astros, reaching base at least twice per game. Using him lets you upgrade at several other spots. Andre Ethier $4000 has a good matchup and nobody is hotter than Bryce Harper $5200. Making his first appearance of the year, Hunter Pence $4600 had two hits, a walk and scored three runs. Carlos Gonzalez $4000 is heating up in L.A. and still affordable. Eduardo Escobar $3000 — who also qualifies at SS — went 4-for-4 yesterday.

There’s far more day-to-day variance in baseball than basketball and ten players instead of eight, so I don’t expect to win quite as often. However, when you get both pitchers right, you’re halfway to a payoff. If only four or five hitters come through, you’re in the money. Every so often, it all comes together for a big score.

Players in bold below comprise a legal lineup for only $49000. Again, it’s always wise to confirm your players are in the lineup, especially so on Sundays.

I’ll be back tomorrow with NBA picks, soon after as the salaries for Tuesday/Wednesday contests are set. Whether we continue the Spin over the summer with baseball picks is up to the publisher, the sponsor and you.

Pos	Premium	Midrange	Bargain
SP1	Jake Arrieta $9500	Chris Archer $8000	Alfredo Simon $4600
SP2	Garrett Richards $9700	Shelby Miller $8800	Steven Wright $4200
C	Buster Posey $4300	Stephen Vogt $3600	Francisco Cervelli $3000
1B	Adrian Gonzalez $5400	Freddie Freeman $5000	Kyle Blanks $3400
2B	Jason Kipnis $5500	Cory Spangenberg $2800	Thomas Field $2000
3B	Miguel Cabrera $4900	Kris Bryant $4700	Josh Harrison $3900
SS	Hanley Ramirez $4200	Marcus Semien $4200	Jung Ho Kang $3400
OF1	Bryce Harper $5200	Hunter Pence $4600	Eduardo Escobar $3000
OF2	Giancarlo Stanton $5100	Andre Ethier $4000	Andrew Bogut $5300
OF3	Michael Brantley $5600	Carlos Gonzalez $4000	Preston Tucker $2000