There are four ballgames on Wednesday afternoon. Early and All-Day DFS contests at DraftKings close at 2:10 Eastern. There’s also Late action at 8:05 on just two games; we prefer the 11-game evening pools at 7:05.
While this is a basketball site, and the Spin is playing MLB until the NBA returns, DK covers every major sport and is offering the largest fantasy football contest of all time. The NFL $10M Millionaire Maker has a $2 million top prize, $1 million to second place and $7 million more in guaranteed payouts. 125,700 teams will earn cash from a maximum of 572,500 entries.
Within a salary cap of $50,000, select 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 DST and you can make unlimited lineup changes until 1:00 Eastern on Sunday, September 13. It’s a $20 buy-in for two chances at a million bucks.
Matt Harvey $11000 was at his best on Friday, striking out nine Nationals and allowing just one run in a huge battle atop the NL East. Madison Bumgarner $10600 and Johnny Cueto $10100 are other high-priced SP who deserve those salaries. Scott Kazmir $9300, pitching well for the Astros, is slightly more affordable.
Making his first AL start, Luis Severino $4600 is an excellent risk/reward choice as #2 SP. The 21-year-old righty touches 98 on the radar gun, owns a nasty slider and baffled minor leaguers with his changeup. After eight starts in Double-A (48 K, 10 BB in 38 IP) and 11 in Triple-A (7-0, 1.91 ERA) he’s deemed ready. There’s no such thing as a sure thing and the Red Sox can hit, but if the kid isn’t nervous and doesn’t overthrow, expect six or seven strong innings.
Plays of the Day
New to DK? Your first deposit earns a FREE entry into the arly $60K Moonshot — the winner gets $4,000 and 4,625 teams out of a maximum 22,988 earn cash. All prize money is guaranteed even if it doesn’t fill. It’s normally a $3 buy-in, and multiple teams are allowed. Enter by 2:10; you can make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.
Although intangibles can’t be measured, they do exist. A flurry of deadline trades not only improved the Blue Jays on the field, but has made them visibly more confident and more focused. They won a low-scoring game last night and now are leading the race for the second wild card. Facing callup Tyler Duffey $4000 tonight, the bats could explode again.
1B/C Buster Posey $5100 is on a roll if you can afford him. Brian McCann $4300 homered last night and might straighten out a knuckleball. Jonathan Lucroy $3200 is affordable if you’re loading up elsewhere.
Mark Teixeira $5500 continues to shine, Lucas Duda $5000 has 9 HR and a 1.538 OPS over his last 10 and the Giants including Brandon Belt $4100 have a good matchup vs. Williams Perez $4500.
There’s no need to overspend at second base. 2B/3B Matt Duffy $4000 is my top choice, 1B/2B Yangervis Solarte $3500 is hot on the road and ultra-cheap 2B/SS Ryan Goins $2400 has five hits (including a rare homer) in his last three.
3B Josh Donaldson $5300 clubbed homer # 28 on Tuesday, his fourth in six games. Matt Carpenter $4600 has gone deep four times in his last five. 2B/3B Anthony Rendon $3300 remains inexpensive and is due to break out.
As the price rises for Carlos Correa $5600, Troy Tulowitzki $4400 becomes the best value at SS. We still like 2B/SS Addison Russell $3000 to finish his first season strong.
Bryce Harper $5400 deserves to be the top-salaried OF. If Toronto scores in bunches as expected, Jose Bautista $4900 figures to be in the thick of things. Yoenis Cespedes $4900 is a nice fit in the 3-hole for the surging Mets, and rookie teammate Michael Conforto $4000 has already homered in this series. Possible bargains include Colby Rasmus $3400 (3 BB last night) and Gregor Blanco $3000, who reached base four times and scored four runs.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Matt Harvey $11000 | Rubby De La Rosa $7200 |
| SP2 | Scott Kazmir $9300 | Luis Severino $4600 |
| C | Brian McCann $4300 | Jonathan Lucroy $3200 |
| 1B | Lucas Duda $5000 | Brandon Belt $4100 |
| 2B | Matt Duffy $4000 | Yangervis Solarte $3500 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $5300 | Anthony Rendon $3300 |
| SS | Carlos Correa $5600 | Troy Tulowitzki $4400 |
| OF1 | Bryce Harper $5400 | Michael Conforto $4000 |
| OF2 | Jose Bautista $4900 | Colby Rasmus $3400 |
| OF3 | Yoenis Cespedes $4900 | Gregor Blanco $3000 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season and we’re turning our attention to baseball for the summer. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.