With no more NBA offerings at DraftKings until next season, the Spin is playing hardball. Last night was one of those close-but-no cigar finishes DFS regulars know well.
My #2 SP Shelby Miller went seven strong innings, allowing just one run, but was outpitched by Chris Heston (7.1 IP of shutout ball) so I settled for small payoffs instead of much larger ones.
There’s a full 15-game MLB slate on Friday. All-Day contests close at 4:05 Eastern and include the Royals visiting the Cubs. There are also 7:05 starts (14 games), Turbo play at 8:05 (5 games) and Late leagues (5 games) — that’s four opportunities to win.
DK matches your first deposit 100% (up to $600) with bonus funds that convert to cash. You will also receive a FREE entry into the $100K Moonshot, which offers 7,850 guaranteed cash prizes — $10,000 for first — and a maximum of 38,315 teams. Multiple entries are permitted but it only takes one to win.
We’re going to pass on the Turbo and Late options to focus on the largest player pools; my all-day sample lineup (below left) needs just one tweak at 3B to be used at 7:05 as well.
The top-priced SP is Matt Harvey $10600 but the Dark Knight had a “dead arm” and a poor outing five days ago. Cole Hamels $10200 keeps improving his trade value and gets my money again. There’s decent pitching at every price level, with Francisco Liriano $9200, Trevor Bauer $8100 and improving Rubby De La Rosa $6400 all good value. As a real bargain with upside, Astros rookie Lance McCullers $5100 lets us spend a lot more on hitting.
Small sample size alert: Kurt Suzuki $3100 is a remarkable 11-for-28 with a .971 OPS vs. Mark Buehrle $6000. That’s good enough for me at C. We gave you Josh Phegley $3100 yesterday and he had two hits; he’ll probably start again against soft-tossing lefty Chris Capuano $4200.
1B is loaded with talent. Anthony Rizzo $5000 is due for a big game, Lucas Duda $4600 smashed two homers last night and Brandon Belt $4400 also went deep. Chris Colabello $3100 or Mark Canha $3400 might provide big bang for small bucks.
Jason Kipnis $4700 is ripping the cover off the ball and well worth his salary at 2B, with Kolten Wong $4100 and Neil Walker $3200 more affordable while still quite capable.
Josh Donaldson $5600 is ridiculously hot but expensive; he prefers the friendly confines of Rogers Centre and lefty pitching. Sensational rookie Kris Bryant $4700 is my choice at 3B — substitute Adrian Beltre $4600 or Chris Davis $4400 in 7:05 contests — and Mike Moustakas $3700 is solid value.
SS/OF Hanley Ramirez $4700 homered last night and appears to be over a shoulder injury. Ian Desmond $4400 has been heating up (1.002 OPS last 10) and for whatever reason, rookie Jung Ho Kang $3300 — who scored 18 FPTS for us last night — remains underpriced.
More than living up to the hype, Bryce Harper $5200 is the front-runner for NL MVP and has a great matchup.We told you yesterday Andrew McCutchen $4500 was coming around (3-for-5, 2 doubles, 2 R, 2 RBI) and so is teammate Josh Harrison $3800 (also 3B-eligible). Small, quick rookie Billy Burns $3200 has surprising extra-base pop. He went yard again last night — that’s one from each side of the plate — and has become a catalyst atop the A’s lineup.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Cole Hamels $10200 | Rubby De La Rosa $6400 |
| SP2 | Trevor Bauer $8100 | Lance McCullers $5100 |
| C | Kurt Suzuki $3100 | Josh Phegley $3100 |
| 1B | Lucas Duda $4600 | Chris Colabello $3100 |
| 2B | Jason Kipnis $4700 | Neil Walker $3200 |
| 3B | Kris Bryant $4700 | Mike Moustakas $3700 |
| SS | Ian Desmond $4400 | Jung Ho Kang $3300 |
| OF1 | Bryce Harper $5200 | Josh Harrison $3800 |
| OF2 | Michael Brantley $4700 | Nick Markakis $3400 |
| OF3 | Andrew McCutchen $4500 | Billy Burns $3200 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.