Fantasy Spin July 31, 2015

It has been a very busy week off the diamond. Huge trades like David Price to the Jays, minor deals involving several more players and until 4:00 Eastern today, many last-minute moves are possible. This has a considerable impact on DFS, so it’s vitally important to make sure your guys are actually starting.

Enter early, before the best contests fill, then make any necessary lineup changes as close to game time as possible. DraftKings offers Late action (9:35, 2 games) and Turbo play (8:05, 6 games) but today’s sample lineup and Short List cover 15-game evening contests at 7:05.

Clayton Kershaw $14500 was scratched with hip soreness on Wednesday; while it can’t be too bad if he’s starting tonight, that’s a gigantic salary if he’s anything less than 100% or gets a quick hook. Matt Harvey $11200 has been very good, just not great enough to justify that price. Of the 5-digit guys, Madison Bumgarner $10300 is my choice, against an AL team that barely knows him. It’s possible that Johnny Cueto $10000 is dominant in his first start for the Royals, but there aren’t many stronger lineups or worse pitchers’ parks than Toronto.

There isn’t a low-priced arm “sure” to produce big fantasy points, but there are a few who might. Rookie lefty Carlos Rodon $6500 faces the Yankees off his best start yet — 6.2 shutout IP, 9 K and most impressively, no walks. Opposing hurler Nathan Eovaldi $6200 was also sharp on Sunday. With a ridiculous home-road split, Drew Hutchison $5600 is where he wants to be, with an upset chance vs. Cueto.

Plays of the Day

New to DK? Your first deposit earns a FREE entry into the $135K Moonshot at 7:05 — $10,000 to the winner and 11,025 teams out of 51,746 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 traded or hurt.

With stud batters at every other position, the highest-salaried catchers are not worth it. Travis D’Arnaud $4200 (elbow) is back for the Mets, Jonathan Lucroy $3300 is on a bit of a roll and Derek Norris $3200 went 5-for-5 with a homer last night,

Paul Goldschmidt $5600 deserves top billing at 1B, but Anthony Rizzo $4900 came through for us in a big way last night 3-4, HR, 3 RBI) and even more affordable, David Ortiz $4400 reached base all four times.

We were also pleased with Brian Dozier $4900 going deep on a profitable Thursday. Tonight, at home against a lefty, Howie Kendrick $3800 might be better value. I see pre-breakout signs for 2B/SS Addison Russell $3100 if you need a cheaper option.

Josh Donaldson $4200 was another productive selection yesterday (walk, double, HR) although Cueto is a tough foe. Matt Carpenter $4100 was 4-for-5 with a pair of bombs and the Cards can hammer Kyle Kendrick $4000. Our bargain pick 1B/3B Carlos Santana $3900 also blasted a homer.

SS is another spot where I’m being cautious. Carlos Correa $4900 is a 20-year-old superstar but I prefer him vs. LHP and at slightly lower cost. Jhonny Peralta $3700 could be part of a rout and with four hits in his first two games off the DL (hamstring), Asdrubal Cabrera $3100 appears revitalized.

Every AB for Bryce Harper $5500 against the Dark Knight will be exciting. Nelson Cruz $5100 has 5 HR in 10 games and faces a soft-tossing southpaw. We had Andrew McCutchen $4800 (3-for-5, 2 R) on Thursday and will stick with him. Although he’s the subject of trade speculation, Yoenis Cespedes $4400 was locked-in last night and is solid value if he’s still a Tiger. Shopping for OF bargains? Chris Young $3200 loves LH pitching, Rajai Davis $3200 also has a favorable matchup and Yasiel Puig $3400 responded to a couple of recent games off with a single and homer last night.

Pos	Premium	Bargain
SP1	Madison Bumgarner $10300	Nathan Eovaldi $6200
SP2	Clayton Kershaw $14500	Carlos Rodon$6500
C	Jonathan Lucroy $3300	Derek Norris $3200
1B	Anthony Rizzo $4900	David Ortiz $4400
2B	Brian Dozier $4900	Howie Kendrick $3800
3B	Matt Carpenter $4100	Carlos Santana $3900
SS	Carlos Correa $4900	Asdrubal Cabrera $3100
OF1	Bryce Harper $5500	Yoenis Cespedes $4400
OF2	Nelson Cruz $5100	Chris Young $3200
OF3	Andrew McCutchen $4800	Rajai Davis $3200