There is no such thing as a sure thing. On Monday night, the Cy Young candidacy of Jacob DeGrom took a beating as he gave up three homers and didn’t get out of the third inning. My other “safe” pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma also got clobbered (7 ER in 4.2 IP) but thanks to a lineup that used riskier SP and bigger bats, we made a few bucks anyway.
In addition to the full 15-game slate at 7:05 Eastern, DraftKings has Turbo contests (8:05; 3 games), plus Late (9:40; 3 games) and Later (10:10; 2 games) offerings. Once again, there are a few high-salaried aces to consider.
Jake Arrieta $12500 and the Cubs (on a 21-5 roll) visit San Francisco in a game that means more to the Giants. Dallas Keuchel $11000 threw a 12-K, complete-game shutout against the Yankees on June 25.
Stephen Strasburg $10000 vs. James Shields $8900 could be a classic pitchers’ duel; every game is must-win for the Nationals, now 5.5 back of the Mets. Noah Syndergaard $10900 vs. Jerome Williams $4200 is a mismatch. However, those teams combined for 23 runs last night and Thor has not been great on the road.
Plays of the Day
The $160K Moonshot is just a $3 buy-in — FREE to new depositors — and pays out 12,800 guaranteed cash prizes. First place is worth $12,000. There’s a maximum of 61,331 teams and multiple entries are permitted. It closes at 7:05, though lineup changes can be made until each player’s game begins.
Among less-expensive SP, Derek Holland $6700 impressed after missing four months but may have trouble against the lefty-mashing Blue Jays. Josh Tomlin $5700 has turned in two quality starts since returning from a shoulder injury. Charlie Morton $7100 vs. Brad Hand $4000 in cavernous Marlins Park could be low-scoring.
Hitters can come from almost anywhere. Oakland scored 11 times in Seattle on Monday and their RH bats might stay hot against Mike Montgomery $5300. We keyed on the Tigers and Reds last night; they combined for 17 runs.
Travis d’Arnaud $4500 went 3-for-5 with his 8th HR on Monday to top the C options. Miguel Montero $3100 has enjoyed two rest days since going deep in consecutive games. Josh Phegley $3200 often starts for the A’s vs. LHP.
1B/3B Miguel Cabrera $5200 has hit Jered Weaver $6400 well over the years. Jose Abreu $4800 is much hotter in the second half (.957 OPS) than he was earlier. Mike Napoli $3600 seems happy to be back in Texas.
2B/SS Wilmer Flores $3600 had a great week last night — a double, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R — and that’s 11 hits in five games. Dee Gordon $4700 and Robinson Cano $3700 are also solid value at 2B.
Josh Donaldson $6400 is 6-for-18 with 2 HR vs. Holland if you can afford him. Miggy for $1200 less is a good deal and 2B/3B Anthony Rendon $3100 is fresh from a night off after homering in back-to-back starts.
Carlos Correa $4700 stands out at SS putting up, with Jhonny Peralta $4100 dangerous vs. a lefty. Last night, Eugenio Suarez $3500 scored 30 points; the unheralded Venezuelan now has a .944 OPS in August.
There’s no shortage of “live” OF in every salary range. A.J. Pollock $5800 and Jose Bautista $5400 top the pay scale. Mike Trout $5300 and Andrew McCutchen $4900 are equally potent at slightly lower cost. 1B/OF Mark Canha $3700 has an ideal matchup and Rusney Castillo $3600 is sizzling. We liked David Peralta $3300 yesterday (4-for-5) but prefer him against righties.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Stephen Strasburg $10000 | Brad Hand $4000 |
| SP2 | Jake Arrieta $12500 | Josh Tomlin $5700 |
| C | Travis d’Arnaud $4500 | Josh Phegley $3200 |
| 1B | Jose Abreu $4800 | Mike Napoli $3600 |
| 2B | Dee Gordon $4700 | Wilmer Flores $3600 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $6400 | Miguel Cabrera $5200 |
| SS | Carlos Correa $4700 | Eugenio Suarez $3500 |
| OF1 | Jose Bautista $5400 | Mark Canha $3700 |
| OF2 | Mike Trout $5300 | Rusney Castillo $3600 |
| OF3 | Andrew McCutchen $4900 | David Peralta $3300 |
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.