Maybe the baseballs were juiced on Thursday, with 87 runs scored in only six games. It was easy to find hitters; we touted the Rockies (11 runs), Nationals (15) and Royals (15) in yesterday’s Spin. We even picked Chris Rusin as the best cheap pitcher; the lefty delivered a complete-game victory and our sample lineup scored 212.45 points, a personal best. Hope you cashed too.
There’s no such thing as momentum in daily fantasy sports. Friday is a whole new season. Sure, it’s tempting to re-invest the profits at DraftKings, but the only “carryover effect” I consider is a team that’s in a swoon or on a hot streak.
In All-Day action at 2:20 Eastern, the Cubs host the D-Backs, with Jon Lester $9600 worth considering as Paul Goldschmidt (personal) is out. I’m content to ignore that game and play exclusively at 7:05, though Turbo (8:10; 3 games), Late (8:40; 4 games) and Later contests (10:05; 3 games) might appeal to some of you.
Jacob DeGrom $11400 had an unfortunate blip on his fantastic season when he tried to pitch on August 24 despite food poisoning and got clobbered. He bounced back nicely five days later and should be at his best in Miami tonight. While Corey Kluber $11700 can be superb, he’s had some trouble against the Tigers and is slightly better at home.
Plays of the Day
The $150K Moonshot is a $3 buy-in (FREE to new depositors) that pays the top 11,780 finishers from up to 57,948 teams, with multiple entries permitted. First place wins $12,000. Deadline is 7:05, with lineup changes allowed until each player’s game begins.
Supposedly Carlos Martinez $10100 has a sore back; he was scratched on Tuesday. I suspect he’s fine, but might be limited to 6 IP or thereabouts. Rookie Luis Severino $9400 has terrific stuff, but a tendency to walk batters has so far prevented him from working deep into games. It’s been a down year for Big Game James Shields $8700 though he made only one mistake in 7 IP last time out. Joe Kelly $6400 went 6-0 in August (not easy) with a 2.68 ERA, a remarkable turnaround that is no mirage.
Extreme bargain SP with upside are always nice. Kris Medlen $4700 has been handled carefully in his return from a second Tommy John surgery. Stretched out to 90 pitches, he’s looked sharp in two wins. Martin Perez $4500 is similar — often injured, the former top prospect seems healthy for now.
1B/C Buster Posey $4600 faces a lefty he knows at Coors Field. Blake Swihart $3800 had two more hits and a steal on Wednesday for a 1.113 OPS in his last ten. Josh Phegley $3300 usually starts and often produces vs. LHP.
After his 27th homer on Wednesday, the second-half numbers are .399/.576/.748 for Joey Votto $5200 — incomprehensible. He gets the edge over 1B/OF Chris Davis $4700, who has belted 19 HR in his last 167 AB. Kendrys Morales $4300 is en fuego (4-for-5, 4 RBI as our top pick last night) and hard to leave out against a third straight southpaw.
Also sizzling is 2B/OF Ben Zobrist $4200, who has a .948 OPS for his new club. You can go cheaper at second but there’s no need to pay more. Acquired for Chase Utley $2500, rookie Darnell Sweeney $2400 is a regular for the Phils, combining extra-base pop with speed.
Third base is overflowing with talent. Josh Donaldson $5500 is the AL MVP frontrunner, Nolan Arenado $5600 a two-way superstar and 1B/3B Miguel Cabrera “owns” Kluber (19-for-35, 5 HR.) Hard to pick just one, especially when 1B/3B Ryan Zimmerman $4200 is destroying baseballs.
SS Jose Reyes $4700 got the job done for us last night but I feel silly for not touting stud prospect Corey Seager $2700 in his MLB debut. I thought the Dodgers might let him watch for a while and occasionally pinch-hit. Now it looks like Jimmy Rollins $2700 is a bench player — entirely on merit. OF Joc Pedersen $3300 took over the leadoff spot for the Dodgers, but Seager could work his way up the order very quickly.
We told you Lorenzo Cain $5100 (27 PTS) was fine, and all but guaranteed that Carlos Gonzalez $4700 would improve his .059 AVG against Ryan Vogelsong. CarGo homered and doubled to raise it 99 points, then added another bomb and a single against the bullpen for a 42-point game, after “only” 38 the previous night. Teammate Charlie Blackmon $4900 also stayed hot. Bryce Harper $5000 was pitched around, never swung the bat and still scored 18 PTS (4 BB, 4 R, 1 RBI) so he hopes to get challenged by Julio Teheran $6900 this evening. If you spend more than me on pitching, bargain OF include lefty-masher Ryan Raburn $2500, Reds leadoff man Jason Bourgeois $2500 and powerful rookie Domingo Santana $3000 — Milwaukee’s prize in the trade of Carlos Gomez $4100.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Corey Kluber $11700 | Kris Medlen $4700 |
| SP2 | Jacob DeGrom $11400 | Martin Perez $4500 |
| C | Buster Posey $4600 | Josh Phegley $3300 |
| 1B | Joey Votto $5200 | Kendrys Morales $4300 |
| 2B | Ben Zobrist $4200 | Darnell Sweeney $2400 |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado $5600 | Ryan Zimmerman $4200 |
| SS | Jose Reyes $4700 | Corey Seager $2700 |
| OF1 | Charlie Blackmon $4900 | Domingo Santana $3000 |
| OF2 | Carlos Gonzalez $4700 | Jason Bourgeois $2500 |
| OF3 | Lorenzo Cain $5100 | Ryan Raburn $2500 |
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.