Not only was Clayton Kershaw (hip) scratched to turn Tuesday’s DFS landscape upside down, Troy Tulowitzki $3900 became a Canadian hero in his Blue Jays debut, with a homer, two doubles, 3 R, 3 RBI and terrific defensive play. Because salaries were set before that performance, he costs $200 less tonight. Motivated, loving the park and facing lefty Danny Duffy $5000 makes Tulo as close you’ll see to a must-start.
Early contests at DraftKings began at 12:10 Eastern, involving only two games and with Max Scherzer $13200 one of those “hard to pay for, hard to leave out” puzzles. Good luck if you’re alive there. We’re slightly more interested in Late contests (8:10, 5 games) but are focused primarily on the 11-game evening action at 7:05.
Chris Sale $13200 tops a talented array of pitchers. Jake Arrieta $12100 is having an excellent year and Carlos Martinez $10300 also deserves his salary. I’m looking slightly cheaper to invest in several high-priced bats. Shelby Miller $9700 faces a Phillies team that is being dismantled and Scott Kazmir $9300 spun seven shutout innings in his first start for the Astros.
Last time out, Phil Hughes $6800 kept his old teammates scoreless for 7 IP in an 11-1 rout. I like the Twins to support him against J.A. Happ $5300 and no matter who you pick as #1, he’s a bargain #2. Ultra-cheap Chris Bassitt $4200 is capable of a quality start.
Plays of the Day
New to DK? Your first deposit earns a FREE entry into the $110K Moonshot at 7:05 — $10,000 to the winner, 8,421 teams out of 42,146 earn cash. It’s normally a $3 buy-in, multiple teams are allowed and you can make lineup changes until each player’s game begins, should someone be injured/ill/traded/benched/suspended.
Saving money on the mound makes all of the RH batters for Toronto as affordable as they are playable. Although Russell Martin $4300 is a solid C, a rested Salvador Perez $3300 might also do some damage in that game.
Joey Votto $5500 is the money’s-no-object choice at 1B, Anthony Rizzo $4600 just snapped a homerless drought and 1B/3B Carlos Santana $3900 enjoyedd a productive series against the Royals.
Gotta like Brian Dozier $4600 at home vs. a southpaw. 2B/OF Ben Zobrist $4200 has a good matchup in his first game for a new team and rookie 2B/SS Addison Russell $3000 is on our radar.
Josh Donaldson $4600 could go off this evening at a surprisingly low salary. The All-Star hits best at home, vs. LHP. I like the price on Aramis Ramirez $3300 and all the Pirates RH bats against an unproven Reds lefthander.
Tulowitzki would still be the #1 pick at SS if he cost $1000 more. Excellent value doesn’t guarantee three more extra-base hits. Jose Reyes $4000 will also be trying hard for his new club. 3B/SS Jung Ho Kang $3700 is worth considering.
I was leery about Jose Bautista $4600 yesterday; love him tonight for $700 less. I doubt that anyone else has touted Melky Cabrera $4300 for all seven consecutive multiple-hit games. He faces a knuckleballer tonight but could not be in better form. Andrew McCutchen $4800 is not bad as a third OF. If you spend more than me on pitching and need bargains, Nick Markakis $3200 and Preston Tucker $3200 fit the bill. Even on the road against a tough pitcher, Corey Dickerson $3300 remains underpriced.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Chris Sale $13200 | Phil Hughes $6800 |
| SP2 | Scott Kazmir $9300 | Chris Bassitt $4200 |
| C | Russell Martin $4300 | Salvador Perez $3300 |
| 1B | Joey Votto $5500 | Carlos Santana $3900 |
| 2B | Brian Dozier $4600 | Addison Russell $3000 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $4600 | Aramis Ramirez $3300 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki $3900 | Jung Ho Kang $3700 |
| OF1 | Jose Bautista $4600 | Corey Dickerson $3300 |
| OF2 | Andrew McCutchen $4800 | Preston Tucker $3200 |
| OF3 | Melky Cabrera $3800 | Nick Markakis $3200 |
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