Sometimes those ultra-expensive aces pay off, as Clayton Kershaw did with a 15-K masterpiece on Wednesday. There isn’t such a player on a slow baseball Thursday. The only difference between All-Day contests at DraftKings (1:10 ET) and evening play at 7:05 is the White Sox at Twins game. Neither Jeff Samardzija $8500 nor Kyle Gibson $7900 is in peak form, so consider hitters from that one or ignore it entirely.
We’ll focus on the five night games, where Francisco Liriano $11300 vs. Taylor Jungmann $10200 is the “marquee” matchup. The Brewers are giving their big rookie six days between starts and he beat the Pirates impressively on July 19, so this really could go either way.
Jordan Zimmermann $10400 has faced the Braves four times this year alone — he’s 2-0, with a 1.88 ERA and a K/BB of 18/6 in 28.2 IP. It would be a surprise if he doesn’t outpitch rookie Matt Wisler $4900, as this one means far more to the still-alive Nationals.
On cruise control and relaxed, the Royals clobbered Detroit 12-1 last night and face another hittable lefty in Matt Boyd $4500. If the Tigers have completely given up, Edinson Volquez $9100 might get an easy W.
Plays of the Day
The $135K Moonshot is a $3 buy-in (FREE to new depositors) that pays the top 11,025 finishers from up to 51,746 teams, with multiple entries permitted. First place wins $10,000. Deadline is 7:05, with lineup changes allowed until each player’s game begins.
Mat Latos $7300 vs. Colin Rea $6000 is hardly a stellar duel, though it’s a pitcher’s park in San Diego. The more obvious place for counting stats is Coors Field, where Ryan Vogelsong $5200 might be in big trouble. As recently as August 16, Chris Rusin $4700 pitched a complete-game shutout at home, but the lefty followed that up with a nightmare outing. How will the Giants’ hitters respond to being swept in that crucial L.A. series? They could be drained, or take out their frustrations.
Zimmermann and Volquez is a safe SP pairing; Zim combined with Rusin is far riskier, probably not suitable for 50-50 lineups. However, that approach does let you stack Colorado batters.
OF Carlos Gonzalez $4300 is an .059 hitter (1-for-17) off Vogelsong, more overdue than overmatched. CarGo’s 2-HR, 7-RBI explosion last night makes the price irresistible. OF Charlie Blackmon $4800, SS Jose Reyes $4500, 3B Nolan Arenado $5700 and 2B/3B D.J. LeMahieu $4300 complete the top five in the order, often followed by C Nick Hundley $3800 and 1B/OF Ben Paulsen $3500. If recently-recalled 1B/C Wilin Rosario $3100 starts, he’s our sixth Rockie (the maximum from one team.)
1B/C Buster Posey $5000 has a nifty 1.200 OPS over his last ten and would be a likely leader if the Giants make it a slugfest.
Our top selection yesterday at 1B, Kendrys Morales $4400 homered for the fourth time in eight games. Stay hot, big guy. Paulsen or Rosario might be bargains even if you’re not stacking.
2B/OF Ben Zobrist $4300 costs the same as LeMahieu and is certainly a reasonable choice. 2B/3B Anthony Rendon $3700 is slightly more affordable.
While Arenado deserves that big salary, so does 3B Miguel Sano $5200 after going deep in three straight games. Little-known Cheslor Cuthbert $2000 just hit his first career home run filling in for Mike Moustakas $4500 (hamstring) so Moose may get to rest another day.
I’m not crazy about Reyes’ defensive range at SS or attention span but he reached base four times on Wednesday. Jean Segura $3400 is hot enough (3-for-5; 9-for-18) to consider even against Liriano.
Lorenzo Cain $5200 was 2-for-3 when he fouled a ball off his leg; in a 12-0 game he was removed to put some ice on it. Feel free to use him, just make sure he starts. Because I’m committed to CarGo and Blackmon, there isn’t a lot of cap room for a third OF. Alex Gordon $4200 is back, though not playing every day just yet. Jayson Werth $3600 is finally heating up after a frustrating season. Even cheaper, OF/SS Eduardo Escobar $3200 has a 1.242 OPS in his last ten. Newest Royal Jonny Gomes $2400 doubled and walked last night in three trips; he should start again this evening.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | J. Zimmermann $10400 | Edinson Volquez $9100 |
| SP2 | Francisco Liriano $11300 | Chris Rusin $4700 |
| C | Nick Hundley $3800 | Wilin Rosario $3100 |
| 1B | Kendrys Morales $4400 | Ben Paulsen $3500 |
| 2B | D.J. LeMahieu $4300 | Anthony Rendon $3700 |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado $5700 | Cheslor Cuthbert $2000 |
| SS | Jose Reyes $4500 | Jean Segura $3400 |
| OF1 | Charlie Blackmon $4800 | Eduardo Escobar $3200 |
| OF2 | Carlos Gonzalez $4300 | Jonny Gomes $2400 |
| OF3 | Lorenzo Cain $5200 | Jayson Werth $3600 |
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.