RADIO
I have a lack of entertainment in my intro today. Maybe I'll make up for it tomorrow, we'll see. For all of you that are still standing in the FanDuel free entry Survivor tournament (which hopefully is none of you since I'm giving away all of my thoughts), best of luck. Three more rounds until we play for the money.
Thursday, July 8th has three day games and seven evening games. All day slates are not my thing, but as you'll find out below, it might be a cool day to try one. For those of you who like the big slates with more variance that allow you to see all of the starting lineups before lock, check back tomorrow. Let's break it down!
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Offenses to Target for FanDuel DFS
Chicago White Sox (vs. R.A. Dickey, RHP)
If you’re a BvP type of person, enjoy this paragraph, because it’s one of the few times I will use it in my analysis. I am not a huge believer in BvP. Usually. In the case of R.A. Dickey, batters’ histories can be very telling. Dickey is a knuckleballer, and usually you can either hit a knuckleball or you can’t. In the case of the Chicago White Sox, there’s a few of them who can.
For starters, Alexei Ramirez is 5-13 against Dickey with two homers. Melky is not far behind, batting 5-15 with one dinger. Even Adam LaRoche seems serviceable here. Sure, he’s only 4-19, but one of those hits was a homer. Also, LaRoche has notched six walks against Dickey in his career. Maybe that means he sees the knuckleball well, who knows. Lastly, my favorite BvP play in this lineup is Jose Abreu. I used the first baseman earlier in the season when he was 2-3 with two home runs against Dickey. Now, Abreu is 3-6 with three home runs. Yes, it’s a very small sample size, but Abreu is clearly capable of hitting one out here.
The best part about this stack is that it w0uld usually have very low ownage and should be very inexpensive. The worst part is that it’s during the day, so there’s a lower variance of players chosen in a three-game slate. That really ruins the potential greatness of this stack unless you want to try to play in an all-day slate, but that’s a whole different monster.
Atlanta Braves (vs Kyle Kendrick, RHP)
You would think that wasting an offense like the Braves on the Coors Field boost would be a complete waste, but maybe there’s more to it. This week Atlanta has started to show some power that was hiding in their lineup. Not only is Cameron Maybin continuing to rake, but Kelly Johnson is hitting just fine in the middle of the order. Both guys have a great chance to go deep on Kyle Kendrick. I would also be fine with picking Jace Peterson or the hot-hitting Nick Markakis despite their lack of power this year. Hey, it’s Coors. Anything can happen. I can’t decide whether this stack will be highly owned or not. Usually Coors Field players always are, but the Braves are so frowned upon that this might be a rare contrarian stack in Colorado.
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. Severino Gonzalez, RHP)
After my two risky picks above, I decided to throw this one in here for all you newbies. News flash: Whenever the Dodgers play a right-hander that is not an ace, they are stackable. Severino Gonzalez meets those credentials and more, and I certainly think this will be the most popular and safest stack of the night.
Honorable Mentions: Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees
DFS Starting Pitchers to Target for FanDuel
Zack Greinke (SP, LAD) - $11,200
Well, for starters, Greinke hasn’t let up a single run in his last four outings. That’s more than 27 innings of no-run work. He was able to hold his opponents to four hits or less in those starts too. The Phillies have been hitting better lately, but I don’t see that trend continuing, especially against an ace like Greinke. With Felix Hernandez facing a red hot Angels team and Garrett Richards in the other dugout, I think Greinke’s your safest bet on Thursday.
Jose Fernandez (SP, MIA) - $9,900
I can’t argue with either Hernandez or Richards as strong tournament plays, but I think the pitcher with the highest value upside is the young flamethrower in Miami. Fernandez was hitting 97 and 98 fairly consistently on the gun, and his command was excellent for a player coming off of Tommy John surgery. It’s very possible that the Reds tag him for a few homers, but they are also very prone to strikeouts. With a poor pitcher on the mound for Cincy, Fernandez has a solid chance for a win. It’s risky pick, but it could very well pay off.
DFS Infielders to Target for FanDuel
Yan Gomes (C, CLE) - $2,300
The FanDuel gods have no respect for poor Yan Gomes. The young catcher had at least one hit in six of his last seven games before last night’s 0-3 performance, and his price is still just above the minimum. Word on the street is that Gomes is finding his “comfort level,” and if that’s the case we’re looking at a dangerous hitter in the middle of a great lineup. Take advantage.
James Loney (1B, TAM) - $2,500
Loney’s price won’t be this low for long. After a lengthy DL stint, Loney has come back strong with hits in five of his six games since the injury. He also has five RBI in that span. Tampa Bay is not the greatest lineup to use in FanDuel, but Loney is making it much more useful in short order.
Jace Peterson (2B, ATL) - $3,700
Because of the steep price tag, Peterson should be fairly low owned on Thursday. However, his 103 wRC+ against righties and ability to leave the yard on any given day makes the risk worthwhile. I mentioned the sneaky Braves stack above, but I don’t mind Peterson as a solo play either if you have money to spend.
Nolan Arenado (3B, COL) - $5,000
Yes, this is a ridiculous price. Yes, Arenado is 4-28 since his two-homer game on June 28th. However, both of those things might make him extremely unowned. If you choose to go with a cheaper pitcher, Arenado against a lefty at Coors is a perfectly viable place to spend your money.
Alexei Ramirez (SS, CWS) - $2,300
Whether you go for the sneaky White Sox stack I mentioned earlier or you just use Ramirez by himself, his close to minimum salary is a steal for a proven knuckleball hitter. All the evidence you need is in the stacking section above. Save some money at shortstop on Thursday.
DFS Outfielders to Target for FanDuel
Preston Tucker (OF, HOU) - $3,000
Here’s a heater for ya (outside of the obvious J.D. Martinez heater): Tucker has eight hits in his past three games. Tucker has a 145 wRC+ against righties like Cody Anderson, and he seemingly has runners on base all of the time. $3,000 is certainly doable for a hitter in this position.
Andre Ethier (OF, LOS) - $2,400
I’m dumbfounded that Ethier’s price is still this low against a right-handed pitcher, especially one like Gonzalez. Use Ethier and his .375 wOBA with confidence on Thursday.
Ryan Raburn (OF, CLE) - $2,300
Speaking of great wOBA splits, Raburn has a .395 wOBA against lefties. He too is just above the minimum price and is another great way to save your salary at the outfield position without feeling like you’re losing value.
Good luck with your FanDuel and DFS lineups RotoBallers!
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