The MLB weekend begins with several excellent pitching matchups. Gerrit Cole $10000 gets the edge over Lance Lynn $10200 in the second of a 4-game series between divisional rivals. Cole Hamels $10700 goes against Madison Bumgarner $11100 in San Francisco and Michael Pineda $8100 vs. Clay Buchholz $6900 at Fenway will be exciting.
It’s possible to use exactly the same lineup in All-Day contests (15 games; 4:05 Eastern) as you do in the evening (14 games; 7:05) if you ignore the Battle of Chicago — White Sox at Cubs. DraftKings also offers Turbo (8:05; 4 games) and Late pools (10:10; 3 games) but today’s sample lineup and Short List includes the full schedule.
Needing two SP, we’re cost-conscious and the midrange is promising. Rookies Noah Syndergaard $8200 and Mike Montgomery $7500 have impressed. Ervin Santana $7800 was surprisingly sharp in his first start after serving a long suspension. I’m going with him and Buchholz to load up on premium hitters.
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As always, if you overspend on arms, you need to come up with some bargain bats. Stacking five or six guys from one team can pay off. Toronto at Kansas City could turn into a slugfest and the Padres visiting the Rangers has potential.
At C, we liked Yasmani Grandal $4100 on Thursday for $200 more (2 R, 1 H, 1 BB) and the Dodgers can hit Jimmy Nelson $7200. Or go with Salvador Perez $3500, who smacked his 14th homer last night.
Among healthy 1B with positive matchups, Joey Votto $4900 and Prince Fielder $4700 are solid plays. Adam Lind $4400 costs a few dollars less; his 10-game OPS is 1.182 as the last-place Brewers have gone 8-2. C.J. Cron $3200 is a great price.
We predicted success for Dee Gordon $4800 last night (2 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 SB) and expect another sharp performance. 2B/3B Jonathan Schoop $3400 has some pop, especially vs. southpaws.
Josh Donaldson $4800 and Nolan Arenado $4600 are excellent 3B choices but Manny Machado $4200 is more affordable. It’s not a position to go ultra-cheap.
We’re still waiting for Troy Tulowitzki $4700 to explode and he’s the top SS, but Alcides Escobar $4100 has been hot and for the budget-conscious, rookie Francisco Lindor $3100 is heating up.
Bryce Harper $5700 or Mike Trout $5500? I’ll stick with the Angels’ superstar. If you can’t afford either, Nelson Cruz $4800 and Brett Gardner $5000 in the next group. Melky Cabrera $4100 is playable only in All-Day events; try Yasiel Puig $4000 at night. Chris Colabello $3000 and 3B/OF Danny Valencia $3000 are cogs in the Jays’ lefty-mashing machine.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Gerrit Cole $10000 | Ervin Santana $7800 |
| SP2 | Madison Bumgarner $11100 | Clay Buchholz $6900 |
| C | Yasmani Grandal $4100 | Salvador Perez $3500 |
| 1B | Adam Lind $4400 | C.J. Cron $3200 |
| 2B | Dee Gordon $4800 | Jonathan Schoop $3400 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $4800 | Manny Machado $4200 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki $4700 | Francisco Lindor $3100 |
| OF1 | Brett Gardner $5000 | Chris Colabello $3000 |
| OF2 | Mike Trout $5500 | Danny Valencia $3000 |
| OF3 | Nelson Cruz $4800 | Melky Cabrera $4100 |
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.