What a fantastic weekend of sports. Congratulations to the immortal American Pharoah and the incomparable LeBron James, among other heroes.
With no more DFS opportunities on the NBA, we’ve been making daily MLB selections at DraftKings. If you have been able to improve only slightly on these choices, well done! My share of the profits over the past two weeks has been quite satisfactory.
Monday is an interesting “card” of only eight ballgames, with contests closing at 7:05 Eastern. There’s the possibility of rain in Chicago, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, which could affect pitchers, but for now let’s assume no mid-game delays. Checking weather and lineups closer to game time is always a good idea.
DK matches your first deposit 100% (up to $600) with bonus funds that convert to cash. Try free games, play for as little as 25 cents or invest much larger amounts. There are 50/50 pools or Head-to-Head play where half the teams win cash, tournaments with huge prizes to the winners and many other formats.
Chris Sale $11400 is a strikeout machine and the Astros whiff a lot; his string of 40-point games may well continue. Lance McCullers $7400 pitched a masterpiece on Wednesday in just his fourth big-league start, so this could be a duel — using both is not the worst strategy, especially in Late contests (8:10; four games.)
The next best SP is Cole Hamels $10400, in Cincinnati for a home-and-home of sorts. The lefty has gone 7 innings or more in six straight with a 46:9 K/BB ratio. However, Mike Leake $6200 was his equal in Philly five days ago (8 IP, 2 ER, 9 K) and both settled for a no-decision.
Nobody’s perfect. Shelby Miller $8400 walked six in Arizona and was knocked out in the fifth. Back at home against the Padres he should atone. John Lackey $7100 would be more playable anywhere but Coors Field. A.J. Burnett $9500 wasn’t as dominant in his last two on the road but figures to improve at home. Note: If he doesn’t, all Brewers hitters are attractively priced.There’s a significant difference in available hitting talent if you don’t overspend on pitchers. I’m bullish on Miller and hoping that Leake surprises again, because it’s hard to ignore the surging Blue Jays.
We recommended C Russell Martin $4300, OF Jose Bautista $5400 and 1B/OF Chris Colabello $3600 yesterday, when they combined for 68 FPTS in a thrilling walkoff win. Against another mediocre southpaw tonight, 3B Josh Donaldson $5300 and SS Jose Reyes $4900 are also worth using; even OF Kevin Pillar $4000 is stackable.
At C in addition to Martin, I like Salvador Perez $3500, who has gone deep in two straight, or Jonathan Lucroy $3300, getting healthier every day.
Paul Goldschmidt $5500 is always a strong candidate at 1B, Freddie Freeman $4800 is solid value and the Royals, including Eric Hosmer $3900 and Kendrys Morales $3800, might bunch together a few runs off Phil Hughes $7200 in Minnesota.
The Twins can hit too, and against lefty Jason Vargas $5900, RH batters like Brian Dozier $4600 may thrive. Kolten Wong $4800 is an equally good choice at 2B, and Dee Gordon $4600 might like the slow artificial turf in Toronto. If you must go cheap at second, consider Jace Peterson $3200.
Donaldson, Matt Carpenter $5400 and Nolan Arenado $4600 are the cream of the crop at third base. Take your pick, or hope that Mike Moustakas $3300 has a big night.
SS is loaded, with Troy Tulowitzki $4900 and Jhonny Peralta $4900 both swinging hot bats. Andrelton Simmons $3400 makes the Short List but I recommend Tulo.
We generally price-adjust in the outfield, where there are decent possibilities at all levels of the salary scale. With 4 HR in as many games and two yesterday, Bautista is a must-start, Colabello remains a bargain and after filling in other positions, I’m shopping in the $4000 range for a third OF — Torii Hunter $4000 fits the bill. If you can afford Giancarlo Stanton $5600 or Andrew McCutchen $5100 by scrimping elsewhere, they deserve those salaries. 3B/OF Danny Valencia $3200 is yet another platoon specialist for Toronto who might pay his way.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Chris Sale $11400 | Mike Leake $6200 |
| SP2 | Shelby Miller $8400 | Lance McCullers $7400 |
| C | Russell Martin $4300 | Salvador Perez $3500 |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt $5500 | Eric Hosmer $3900 |
| 2B | Brian Dozier $4600 | Jace Peterson $3200 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $5300 | Mike Moustakas $3300 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki $4900 | Andrelton Simmons $3400 |
| OF1 | Giancarlo Stanton $5600 | Torii Hunter $4000 |
| OF2 | Jose Bautista $5400 | Danny Valencia $3200 |
| OF3 | Andrew McCutchen $5100 | Chris Colabello $3600 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season and we’re turning out attention to baseball for the summer. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.