Hope you took some of my suggestions on Saturday and made money at DraftKings. The main purpose of this column is to provide food for thought — by improving even slightly on my player picks, you’ll beat me (and many others) often enough to turn a steady profit.
It’s a typical MLB Sunday with every team in action, 13 matinees and just two evening games. Early contests (1:05) are where the big money is, with Late (4:05; 5 games) and Later (7:05; 2 games) action also available.
On the mound, Cole Hamels $10600 vs. Shelby Miller $8600 is an interesting potential duel. The Indians managed just three hits off lefty Jeff Locke; today hard-throwing RH Gerrit Cole $10000 will try to blank them again. Former top prospect Mike Montgomery $7600 waited years for his MLB debut; after six terrific starts he remains a bargain.
Sunday is almost always getaway day, and many players — especially catchers — are rested in day games after night games. For example, Jonathan Lucroy $3800 has caught three straight on the road, one of them 11 innings, and Milwaukee is at home tomorrow. If you plan to use him, have a Plan B in place.
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Sorry there’s no Cody Anderson today (an excellent SP at a bargain salary) but Carlos Rodon $5400 has some upside. Ivan Nova $6700 vs. Erasmo Ramirez $5200 could be one of those games where both teams and the umpiring crew are in a hurry to leave town.
We picked C Brian McCann $4800 on Saturday (for $800 less) but he took the day off. Buster Posey $4400 and the Giants have to deal with Jordan Zimmermann $9200. The injury to Miguel Cabrera means more of recently-returned Alex Avila $3300 at 1B, so James McCann $3100 will keep catching a lot of games.
It’s a War of the Roses sequel as Rubby De La Rosa $6900 and Jorge De La Rosa $6900 meet in Phoenix. Rubby went a strong 7 IP at Coors on Tuesday but the bullpen blew the save. Paul Goldschmidt $5600 and the D-backs’ RHB have an ideal matchup. Adam Lind $4300 helped the Brew Crew score seven yesterday off another righty. C.J. Cron $3000 drove in six of the Angels’ 13 runs last night.
Jose Altuve $5100 at Fenway vs. a rookie lefty? Tough to beat. There are several good 2B in the midrange, like Ian Kinsler $4200 and Robinson Cano $3800, and rejuvenated 2B/3B Jedd Gyorko $2900 has six hits in the first three games of this series.
3B is loaded; Manny Machado $4700 and Todd Frazier $4900 top the list. Aramis Ramirez $3700 has had a lousy season until the last ten games — 1.272 OPS — and I’m counting on him to stay hot.
Carlos Correa $5100 deserves top billing at SS and Xander Bogaerts $4300 continues to pay DFS dividends. However, we’re saving money and stacking Milwaukee bats, so Jean Segura $3600 (3-for-4, SB) is the choice.
Ryan Braun $4800 is a no-brainer once committed to our strategy, but avoid Carlos Gomez $4700 (hand) who was hit by a pitch last night. Teammate Gerardo Parra $3500 is on a string of four multi-hit games. By saving at other spots, we can afford Bryce Harper $5500, who added to his legend on the Fourth of July, or the red-hot J. D. Martinez $5000. If you loaded up elsewhere and need to save in the OF, A. J. Pollock $4200 and Kole Calhoun $4100 are great value. Ultra-cheap Grady Sizemore $2800 is the new leadoff man for Tampa.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Gerrit Cole $10000 | Erasmo Ramirez $5200 |
| SP2 | Jordan Zimmermann $9200 | Mike Montgomery $7600 |
| C | Jonathan Lucroy $3800 | James McCann $3100 |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt $5600 | Adam Lind $4300 |
| 2B | Jose Altuve $5100 | Jedd Gyorko $2900 |
| 3B | Manny Machado $4700 | Aramis Ramirez $3700 |
| SS | Carlos Correa $5100 | Jean Segura $3600 |
| OF1 | Ryan Braun $4800 | A. J. Pollock $4200 |
| OF2 | Bryce Harper $5500 | Kole Calhoun $4100 |
| OF3 | J. D. Martinez $5000 | Gerardo Parra $3500 |
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.