Who are the Touts picking tonight? (You can follow tonight’s action, or make some of your own at RTSports.com.)
Jeff Boggis is going to try to use Chris Sale ($9,700 @ Yankees) (The obvious choice is Chris Sale, but you have to pay a hefty premium ($500 higher than the second highest pitcher). I am willing to roster Chris Sale at $9,700 and look for hitter bargains to justify the high price tag on Chris Sale tonight. Sale faces the New York Yankees tonight against Luis Severino who currently owns a 6.12 ERA. Sale should get plenty of run support tonight, but I don’t think he will need it. Sale has now won 7 straight games and sports a 1.79 ERA, a 0.77 WHIP, and a 10/47 walk to strikeout ratio. Matt Harvey is an intriguing option at $9,200, but this is his first time ever pitching at Coors Field in Colorado.) and Jackie Bradley Jr. ($4,100 vs. Houston) (A bargain price for the hottest hitter over the past two weeks. In this two week span, Bradley has 5 home runs, 21 RBIs, 1 stolen base, and batting .468. Bradley is $2,600 less than the highest salaried outfielder (Mike Trout at $6,700) tonight. Bradley is scheduled to face Houston starting pitcher, Lance McCullers of Houston, who is coming off the disabled list.) tonight. Note, however, that there is a significant chance of rain tonight in Boston, so make sure the game is going to be played before rostering Bradley.
Phil Hertz will go with Rich Hill ($6,700 @ Tampa Bay) and Kevin Plawecki ($2,200 @ Colorado) for cheap at Coors.
Law Michaels is looking at Gio Gonzalez ($7,100 vs. Miami) to tame the Marlins, and ideally bag some whiffs, while thinking at Coors, Yoenis Cespedes ($5,400 @ Colorado) drives the Mets and the ball into the Rockies.
Tim Heaney picks SS Jonathan Villar ($3,800 vs. SD) because hosting Christian Friedrich at Miller Park smells like a profitable day for one of fantasy’s most surprising hot starters, and SP Nathan Karns ($6,200 vs. LAA), because Safeco Field will help even more against one of the league’s coldest offenses.
Charlie Wiegert is paying the price and taking Chris Sale ($9,700 @ Yankees) against a beat up Yankee team that is struggling to score runs. He should rack up 8-10 k’s, and be in line for a win. He’s also going to ride the hot hand of Daniel Murphy ($4,700 vs. Miami) against Tom Koehler, and stack a few players in the Mets @ Colorado game.
Ray Murphy takes Nathe Karns ($6,200 vs. LAA), who is taking a step up this year and draws the struggling Angels at Safeco, with a very reasonable price point, and notes that Jeremy Hellickson has had problems with the long ball and with LH hitters, so when he ventures into Cincy tonight I will very likely be using both Joey Votto ($6,300 vs. Philadelphia) and Jay Bruce ($4,900 vs. Philadelphia).
Gene McCaffrey goes with Steven Wright ($4,200 vs. Houston), assuming the weather holds up, you can’t beat the bang for the buck, and Michael Conforto ($4,900 @ Colorado) is too good to stay quiet in Coors Field.
Scott Swanay selects Chris Tillman ($6,000 vs. Detroit) tonight and hope that he continues his early-season success against a Tiger team that strikes out a lot and has been only middling in the power and on-base percentage departments so far this year. He’ll also pick against Minnesota’s Ricky Nolasco for the second Friday night in a row, this time hoping that Jason Kipnis ($5,100 vs. Minnesota) will be the beneficiary of Nolasco’s largesse.
Jeff Erickson has two wishes: Kevin Plawecki ($2,200 @ Colorado), please be in the lineup tonight! Cheap catcher, in Coors, homered earlier this week. Captain Obvious pick. And Rich Hill ($6,700 @ Tampa Bay), I’m a little worried about the platoon factor, but he has high strikeout upside against the team with highest strikeout percentage in baseball, at an affordable price.
Brian Walton finds it interesting that six of the top seven starters are on the road Friday. He’s going with the best of the best, Chris Sale ($9,700 @ Yankees) at Yankee Stadium. The Indians’ ace has a sub-2.00 ERA this season and a career 2.14 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 21 innings in the Big Apple. And when is Bryce Harper ($6700 vs. Miami) a bad pick? Well, he has been especially good against Marlins starter Tom Koehler. In fact, six of Harper’s nine hits (in 28 at-bats) against Koehler left the park. He drove in 11 while at it.
Eno Sarris points out that Christian Friedrich wasn’t particularly good in Triple-A for the Padres, so he’s stacking Brewers righties — Ryan Braun ($5,900 vs. San Diego) and Chris Carter ($4,900 vs. San Diego) — in particular. Home cooking bratwursts in Milwaukee. As for pitching, nobody can figure out when to swing at Rich Hill’s ($6,700 @ Tampa Bay) curveball, and as long as his arm stays on tonight, he should be fine in Tampa. And cheap!
Mike Gianella goes with Ryan Braun ($5,900 vs. San Diego). He says: I just can’t quit Braun, and the matchup at home against a marginal left-handed pitcher is way too much to pass up, even at this price. He also likes Edinson Volquez ($6,900 vs. Atlanta) and says, rather than go with a big time arm, I decided to go mid-level and play what I hope is a great matchup against Atlanta. Volquez has a 3.02 ERA at home dating back to 2015 (compared to a 4.20 ERA on the road). Volquez isn’t someone I’d normally play in DFS, but picking him allowed me to take advantage of some stronger hitters on a slate that looks very soft on the whole on the pitching side.
Steve Moyer says that recommending Chris Sale ($9,700 @ Yankees) tonight is like telling a friend to buy a Ferrari when he tells you he needs a car. Maybe it’s not all that much less obvious, but I’ll say Josh Tomlin ($5,900 vs. Minnesota) takes advantage of the hapless Twins. As for hitter, look for Xander Bogaerts ($5,100 vs. Houston) to give Lance McCullers a rude welcome back.