If salaries were no object, most of us would predict Clayton Kershaw $14400 to be the best-performing SP in tonight’s baseball pools at DraftKings. Fellow Cy Young contender Max Scherzer $12500 would have his supporters. At those prices, neither is exactly must-start.
Six other SP cost at least $10000; a case can be made for each. Matt Harvey $11300 and Masahiro Tanaka $10200 are solid value. Scott Kazmir $9500 was great in his latest after three sub-par outings.
Plays of the Day
The huge $250K Swing For The Fences tournament is only a $3 buy-in — FREE to new depositors — and pays out 18,230 guaranteed cash prizes. First place is worth a cool $100,000. There’s a maximum of 95,825 teams with multiple entries allowed. Deadline is 7:05, with lineup changes allowed until each player’s game begins.
There are smaller player pools in Turbo contests (8:05; 4 games) plus Late (9:40; 3 games) and Later (10:10; 2 games) DFS action. Our sample lineup and Short List covers all 15 ballgames.
The Tigers have always hit R.A. Dickey $5800 well, most recently a 4-run first on July 4. Former Blue Jay Matt Boyd $4000 won’t last long against Toronto’s lefty-mashers. In order to load up on bats from that game, we can’t afford any of the stud pitchers.
Rookie Aaron Nola $8000 might get enough run support from the surprising Phillies to outduel Ian Kennedy $9000. At a bargain price, Raisel Iglesias $7800 won’t strike out 13 again but he’s been very good for a month. Three straight quality starts for Kevin Gausman $5600 (and five of six) make him playable, even in Texas.
C Travis d’Arnaud $4500 has become quite a hitter — three HR in five games — and faces a rookie lefty. If you’re with me on the DET @ TOR stack, James McCann $2800 is affordable.
Edwin Encarnacion $5300 is one of many 1B worth considering. There’s a good chance he’ll have men on base all night. 1B/OF Michael Cuddyer $3200 is rested and should be back in the lineup against a southpaw.
2B Ian Kinsler $4500 had two singles and a HBP when he last faced the knuckleballer. Touted here yesterday for $500 more, Kolten Wong $3200 scored 12 PTS and can keep it going. Rookie 2B/SS Kelby Tomlinson $2100 remains dirt-cheap after his first career homer, a grand slam.
Toronto’s MVP candidate Josh Donaldson $5700 is an obvious play. If you aren’t committed to that approach, Mike Moustakas $4100 stayed hot (3-for-4) and David Wright $4000 is back to a more reasonable salary.
Troy Tulowitzki $4300 is a must-use as the table-setter for my Jays-heavy lineup. The brilliant Francisco Lindor $4000 and 2B/SS Wilmer Flores $3600 are reasonable alternatives.
Jose Bautista $5300 committed an embarrassing 3-run error on Thursday and should waste no time atoning. J.D. Martinez $5100 has taken the knuckler deep. As the final piece of the stack, Chris Colabello $4000 is a logical play. However, in a ridiculously small sample size, Rajai Davis $3600 has five hits and a walk in 9 PA vs. Dickey. Whoever starts between Davis and Anthony Gose $3000 might surprise. Nelson Cruz $5600 would be the #1 choice in many other strategies. Teammate Franklin Gutierrez $3800 hits fifth vs. LHP.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Clayton Kershaw $14400 | Raisel Iglesias $7800 |
| SP2 | Masahiro Tanaka $10200 | Kevin Gausman $5600 |
| C | Travis d’Arnaud $4500 | James McCann $2800 |
| 1B | Edwin Encarnacion $5300 | Michael Cuddyer $3200 |
| 2B | Ian Kinsler $4500 | Kelby Tomlinson $2100 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $5700 | Mike Moustakas $4100 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki $4300 | Wilmer Flores $3600 |
| OF1 | Jose Bautista $5300 | Franklin Gutierrez $3800 |
| OF2 | Nelson Cruz $5600 | Chris Colabello $4000 |
| OF3 | J.D. Martinez $5100 | Anthony Gose $3000 |
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.