I did not win the $1,000,000 top prize at DraftKings last night — duh, I’m still here — but didn’t lose my $20 buy-in either. Finishing at #5564 out of more than 90,000 teams was good enough to win $40.
What a life-changing result for “cylusballin,” who did finish first (and 4th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 21st, 24th…) to win at least another $75,000 in addition to becoming a millionaire.
We’re back at it with a full Wednesday evening MLB slate. Not all September ballgames are created equal. The Cubs are still trying to get home field advantage in their probable wild-card date with Pittsburgh, so Jake Arrieta $14000 will be given a long leash.
Texas has taken two in a row from the Astros to move into first place in the AL West. Dallas Keuchel $11600 is determined to be the stopper tonight, and should get enough run support from his mates against Martin Perez $4200.
The Yankees must face Chris Archer $11900 after losing a tough one last night. In the too-little-too-late department, the Nationals and Gio Gonzalez $8000 are a good bet to sweep the Phillies. David Price $12500 vs. Shelby Miller $8300 might be a tossup. Miller is a perfect example of why W-L records are worthless; he’s 5-14 despite a 2.86 ERA and 156 K, the best season of his promising career.
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 57,498 teams, with multiple entries permitted. First place wins $12,000. Enter by 7:05; lineup changes are allowed until each player’s game begins.
The Twins don’t get enough respect. Just 1.5 games out of a wild-card spot, an extremely sharp Ervin Santana $7500 takes the mound against rookie Daniel Norris $5000, back from missing four weeks with an oblique strain.
That’s not to suggest ignoring games that don’t affect playoff races. DFS opportunity can be found anywhere. I like Erik Johnson $4400 and the White Sox bats, after they got trounced 17-6 on Tuesday.
Travis d’Arnaud $5000 deserves to be the top-salaried top C. Miguel Montero $3200 had two hits off Gerrit Cole in the first half of yesterday’s twin bill and faces A.J. Burnett $7900, whose return from the DL (elbow) was far from his peak performance.
Jose Abreu $4800 and Anthony Rizzo $4700 are such good value at 1B, wish there was a Util spot. Joe Mauer $3600 is playable against lefties.
Dee Gordon $4100 went 4-for-5 with a rare home run last night and costs $200 less if you expect him to stay hot. 2B/3B Justin Turner $3500 had three hits in last night’s marathon and faces another LHP.
Miguel Sano $4700 is overdue for a long ball or two. 1B/3B Todd Frazier $4100 has homered in two of his last three and 1B/3B Travis Shaw $3400 hit another one out last night.
Francisco Lindor $4200 vs. Carlos Correa $5100 comes down to price, as both are facing hittable lefties. Corey Seager $3200 is great, and inexpensive — if he doesn’t get the night off.
Bryce Harper $5900 more than paid his way last night (2 HR, 4 RBI, 37 PTS) and obviously loves hitting in Philly. Yoenis Cespedes $5500 has been the Mets’ MVP since his arrival and Nelson Cruz $4600 put the boomstick to #42 last night. Able to afford only one premium OF, I’m keying on Jason Heyward $3500, who missed the cycle on Tuesday by a triple. Facing a southpaw, Nolan Reimold $2600 should be prominent in the O’s lineup, and Ryan Raburn $2400 is another platoon specialist with occasional power.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Jake Arrieta $14000 | Ervin Santana $7500 |
| SP2 | Dallas Keuchel $11600 | Erik Johnson $4400 |
| C | Travis d’Arnaud $5000 | Miguel Montero $3200 |
| 1B | Jose Abreu $4800 | Joe Mauer $3600 |
| 2B | Dee Gordon $4100 | Justin Turner $3500 |
| 3B | Miguel Sano $4700 | Travis Shaw $3400 |
| SS | Francisco Lindor $4200 | Corey Seager $3200 |
| OF1 | Bryce Harper $5900 | Ryan Raburn $2400 |
| OF2 | Nelson Cruz $4600 | Nolan Reimold $2600 |
| OF3 | Yoenis Cespedes $5500 | Jason Heyward $3500 |
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.