Crosswalk

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Happy Wednesday to all DFS players.

Today, like all days, we’ll be running through DraftKings and FanDuel plays for the MLB. I hope you’ve had a successful week thus far, so let’s keep the momentum going.

Today’s best Vegas lines:

Boston (-151) vs Minnesota, Game 1: O/U – 8

Boston (-152) vs Minnesota, Game 2: O/U – 8.5

Saint Louis (-152) vs Milwaukee: O/U – 7

San Diego (-143) vs New York Mets: O/U – 6.5

Out of the games above, I think the safest & best value play for H2H & GPP will be James Shields (DK: $9400, FD: $9300). They are at home in a pitcher’s ballpark vs a struggling Mets’ offense. With such a low over/under, look for Shields to give you 7 strong innings, with the potential for double digit strikeouts. Feel comfortable slotting him into all of your lineups tonight on DraftKings and FanDuel. I love his price.

My pitcher ranks based on Vegas lines, value & price:

  1. James Shields (DK: $9400, FD: $9300)
  2. Cole Hamels (DK: $10100, FD: $9900)
  3. Francisco Liriano (DK: $10000, FD: $9300)
  4. Corey Kluber (DK: $10400, FD: $11000)
  5. Sonny Gray (DK: $8600, FD: $10100)
  6. Jon Lester (DK: $9900, FD: $9700)

For GPPs, consider Eduardo Rodriguez. He is dirt cheap and had a strong major league debut last week. He won’t be highly owned, so this is a spot on DK to use him as your SP2 and spend more on hitting. The O/U is 8 for the game, so that doesn’t give me any pause. The only thing that worries me is that Minnesota has some lefty killers on their team. The price overrides my concern for that. Give him a whirl.

Pitchers to stay away from today:

Chris Sale – While he is favored in this game and facing a lefty-heavy team, his inconsistency still concerns me. For how expensive he is along with an Over/Under fluctuating around 8.5 and 9, I think the options above are much better suited for your lineups.

John Lackey – The Over/Under is 7. He is favored. Why would you not start him? Well, based on his statistical trends over the past 6 starts, Lackey is like clockwork. He will give you 1 good start, and 1 mediocre start. While he has held opponents to 3 or less runs in his last 5 starts, the amount of hits and lack of strikeouts could be a concern today. While Milwaukee has struggled this season, they are starting to hit the ball again. I’m just staying away from him today based on price and stats.

Moving over to the hitting side…

I’m not going to tell you the obvious like starting Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout. If they fit in your salary cap, play them. Especially in cash games.

The below names are people you should be targeting for value today, as they have great numbers versus the opposing pitcher:

Catcher

Yan Gomes  (DK: $3900, FD: $2500)– Vargas couldn’t strike anyone out if he tried. The Indians are road favorites and Gomes is batting .400 in 10 AB with a HR off of Vargas.

Yasmani Grandal (DK: $4800, FD: $3300)– The Over/Under is high, he’s batting over .350 vs Bettis who is an underwhelming pitcher. I love his power upside.

Jason Castro (DK: $3500, FD: $2300) – The ‘stros are hot right now, and Castro is playing better. He has a .400 average in 10 AB with a HR vs Miguel Gonzalez.

First Base

Mike Napoli  (DK: $4400, FD: $3200)- .353 with 2 HR vs Hughes

Adam Lind (DK: $3900, FD: $2600)– .440 in 29 AB vs Lackey and a great price

Ryan Zimmerman (3B eligible) (DK: $4200, FD: $2800)– hitting .429 vs Buerhle

Ryan Howard (DK: $3800, FD: $3000)- .400 in 15 AB with 2 HR vs Leake

Second Base

Dustin Pedroia (DK: $4100, FD: $3100)- .433 in 30 AB with 5 HR. Need I say more?

Shortstop

Troy Tulowitzki (DK: $5000, FD: $4500)– The SS market is often bare. He’s playing in Coors field and is 2 for 3 off Bolsinger with a HR.

Johnny Peralta (DK: $4100, FD: $3700)– Has been on fire as of late. He is the much cheaper option from Tulo, and is hitting .571 vs Nelson in 7 AB.

Third Base

Mike Moustakas (DK: $3200, FD: $2600)– He’s facing Kluber so you will get him cheaper today. He is hitting .483 in 29 AB vs Kluber.

Nolan Arenado (DK: $5100, FD: $4200)– It would take multiple fire departments to put out his hot streak right now. The Over/Under is 10.5, it’s at Coors Field, and he has 1 HR in 5 AB vs Bolsinger. I’d start him.

Outfield

Andre Ethier (DK: $4400, FD: $3300)– LHB vs RHP at Coors field. He has a greap wOBA vs Righties and has been hot this week. Great value play should you go for the more expensive options around him.

Randal Grichuk (DK: $3200, FD: $2300)- .400 vs Nelson and has been hitting in the middle of the order. He’s still cheap relative to his production, so he is another good option if you’re trying to save some money.

George Springer (DK: $4700, FD: $3700)– Has been hitting much better as of late and has the SB upside. He has 1 HR in 6 AB vs Miguel Gonzalez and is hitting atop of the improved Astros’ lineup. I like using him tonight in all formats.

Nick Swisher (DK: $3400, FD: $2200)– Yes, he is still around and playing quite nicely as of late. Swisher will be a very cheap option, and in GPPs, I love his upside. He is hitting .316 in 16 AB with 2 HR vs Vargas and will be around the 5 or 6 hole tonight.

Other GPP punt play options:

Jeff Baker .636 in 11 AB with 1 HR vs Lester

Adam Rosales .545 in 11 AB with 3 HR vs Sale

As always, please ensure your players are in the lineup tonight, and watch the weather forecasts.

Good Luck!

Twitter: @AdamHartzell1

 

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