We came close enough by stacking Cubs and using Jake Arrieta on Thursday to consider similar tactics tonight. They must do good business at Wrigley with these 4:05 Eastern start times on Friday, but it’s had to consider that game in DFS contests at DraftKings.
There are All-Day contests at 4:05 Eastern that do include the ATL @ CHC tilt. You can also join 2-game Turbo contests at 8:10, Late pools (8:40; 5 games) and even Later action (10:05; 4 games.) The 14-game slate at 7:05 provides plenty of opportunity and the biggest payouts.
Chris Sale $13200 goes head-to-head with Felix Hernandez $9900 in one high-powered duel of aces; Carlos Carrasco $10100 takes on Masahiro Tanaka $9800 in another. In the opener of a big series with wild-card and divisional implications, David Price $12300 is favored on the road against Hector Santiago $8000.
Madison Bumgarner $12200 is in the best form of any hurler — two pinch-hitting appearances since his last start have lowered his PPG and may have reduced a salary that deserves to be $2500 higher. Johnny Cueto $10000 is the logical choice against Henry Owens $6500.
Plays of the Day
New to DK? Your first deposit earns a FREE entry into the All-Day $10K Moonshot — the winner gets $800 and 780 teams (out of a maximum 3,833) earn cash. All prize money is guaranteed even if it doesn’t fill. It’s normally a $3 buy-in, and multiple entries are allowed. Enter by 4:05; lineup changes can be made until each player’s game begins.
For a second SP, Justin Verlander $7300 and Chris Bassitt $6900 are the safest plays. The risk/reward guy is Jerad Eickhoff $4600, making his MLB debut for the Phils. The big righty, part of the Cole Hamels trade, has struck out 126 and walked 39 in 133.1 IP, mostly in the PCL.
The last time Bartolo Colon $6000 pitched at Coors Field (May 1, 2014) was disastrous. I’d tout Jon Gray $5500 again, but his rookie workload is being limited with short outings. He does figure to get enough run support that we’re stacking Rockies.
Nick Hundley $3700 is a .343 hitter in Colorado and costs less than 1B/C Buster Posey $4200.
At 1B, Ben Paulsen $3200 is not only inexpensive, he bats fifth for a team that might (we hope) score ten runs. Paul Goldschmidt $5600 would be the choice in many other scenarios.
2B/3B D.J. LeMahieu $4300 rested on Thursday and fits the Colorado strategy. Hot 2B/OF Ben Zobrist $4400 might be a better play and local product Chase Utley $2900 should make his Dodgers debut.
Nolan Arenado $5100 is a reasonable compromise if you can’t afford 3B Josh Donaldson $5500. If you need to save more, consider 2B/3B Jonathan Schoop $3600.
After three hits on Thursday, Jose Reyes $4700 must be a sparkplug again for our stack to pay off. Carlos Correa $4900 vs. a lefty is tempting.and 2B/SS Kiké Hernandez $2500 (no longer OF-eligible) continues to be underpriced, despite 11 hits in six games.
Carlos Gonzalez $5400 and Charlie Blackmon $4500 are very much on my radar but we can use only six Rockies and I can’t afford both. Bryce Harper $5200 is an obvious premium play; teammate Jayson Werth $3400 a possible bargain. It’s also hard to resist Adam Jones $5200 but we need to cut costs somewhere and Stephen Piscotty $3400 fits the bill. Don’t forget about Chris Colabello $3300, usually in the potent Jays lineup vs. lefties.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Madison Bumgarner $12200 | Justin Verlander $7300 |
| SP2 | Felix Hernandez $9900 | Jerad Eickhoff $4600 |
| C | Buster Posey $4200 | Nick Hundley $3700 |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt $5600 | Ben Paulsen $3200 |
| 2B | D.J. LeMahieu $4300 | Chase Utley $2900 |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado $5100 | Jonathan Schoop $3600 |
| SS | Jose Reyes $4700 | Kiké Hernandez $2500 |
| OF1 | Carlos Gonzalez $5400 | Chris Colabello $3300 |
| OF2 | Bryce Harper $5200 | Jayson Werth $3400 |
| OF3 | Adam Jones $5200 | Stephen Piscotty $3400 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Until basketball returns, we’re offering baseball tips on weekdays. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.