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Carty and Zola Draw First Tout Daily Blood. Again.

Derek Carty already has a ticket to the Tout Daily finals. So does Todd Zola. These two finished 1-2 in Week 1 Period 3 of the Tout Daily contest hosted by Draft Kings.

Howard Bender also has a ticket to the finals, and he finished fourth on the week, eight points behind Zola.

Sandwiched between the ticket holders was Steve Gardner, looking for a ticket of his own.

A csv file with each team’s picks and totals, plus point totals and draft percentage for all players, can be found at the link: contest-standings-41499229

The Top 2 finishers in each four week period win golden tickets to the September 1 finals.

Tout Daily Picks for June 9, 2017

The Tout Daily gang starts fresh in Period 3 of the contest hosted at Draft Kings.

So far, Todd Zola, Lenny Melnick, Howard Bender and Derek Carty have tickets to the September 1 final.

If you’re moved to try out Draft Kings, who are hosting Tout Daily this year, they have a special offer for new signups. Deposit $5 and gain free entry to a $3 contest. Click here to for more details and how to sign up.

Here are the picks from this week’s Touts:

CHARLIE WIEGERT

Top Pitchers…Not a lot of really good options today, so I’m going with Rich Hill ($8,100 vs. Cincinnati) against the Reds.  I’m hoping a blister does not pop up, and the Reds will be a little jet lagged flying to the West coast.  Montgomery is pitching at home against a Baltimore team that strikes out a lot, and he’s been really good lately, so I hope he has another stellar performance in him.

Top hitters…Aaron Judge ($5,300 vs. Baltimore) has been hot, he’s my money play.  Matt Adams has been hot too, and Matt Harvey has been giving up homers, hope that clicks also.  Justin Smoak returns to Seattle with 17 HR’s, perhaps he might have a little revenge in mind and hit #18!

PHIL HERTZ

Tanner Roark ($8,200 vs Texas) and Josh Donaldson ($4,800 @Seattle).

JEFF BOGGIS (@JeffBoggis)

Brian Johnson ($6,500 vs. Detroit) – If tonight’s starting pitcher was a movie, it would be called “Night of the living dead”. There are just no standout options and there are landmines everywhere. I wanted to roster Corey Kluber tonight, but there is a 70% chance of rain and I can take that chance. Rolling the dice on Brian Johnson for only $6,500. Let’s hope my team gets “back in black” in the DFS points total tonight! Roster Brian Johnson tonight if you want to beat Lawr Michaels in period 3, week 1 of our Tout Wars DFS contest! #BeatLawr

Bryce Harper ($5,300 vs. Texas) – Harper takes on right-handed pitcher, Andrew Cashner tonight. Harper is batting .314 with 14 HRs and 40 RBI against right-handed pitching this season. Roster Bryce Harper tonight if you want to beat Lawr Michaels in period 3, week 1 of our Tout Wars DFS contest! #BeatLawr

TIM HEANEY

Brad Peacock ($7,900 vs. LA Angels) Methinks I will not be the only one to list him as a tournament play. The Angels’ lineup has no wings without Mike Trout, and Peacock is showing off with strikeouts.

Jay Bruce ($4,700 @Atlanta) Sure, this is spending up, but a powerful LHB like Bruce against the scuffling Julio Teheran, who also has allowed 8 HR at SunTrust Park already, feels like a safe floor.

RICK WOLF

Brad Peacock ($7,900 vs. LA Angels) He has 17Ks in two games with less than 11 IP.  He throws sliders for strikes in his first pitch 45.8% of the time keeping batters off guard.  He has allowed .111 SLG, .311 OPS, .200 OBP with a K rate of 42.4%.  I get it that it is only 30 plate appearances for his opponents, but why should we think that his groove isn’t the best in his third start.  They face a Troutless Angels team so this seems like a good start.

He has 17Ks in two games with less than 11 IP.  He throws sliders for strikes in his first pitch 45.8% of the time keeping batters off guard.  He has allowed .111 SLG, .311 OPS, .200 OBP with a K rate of 42.4%.  I get it that it is only 30 plate appearances for his opponents, but why should we think that his groove isn’t the best in his third start.  They face a Troutless Angels team so this seems like a good start.

LAWR MICHAELS

Ervin Santana ($12,000 @San Francisco): Big Erv should rebound from his tough start and handle the young and struggling Giants in a pitcher’s venue.

John Jaso ($3300 vs. Miami): The lefty Jaso, who is a pretty good OBP guy (.329), going up against righty Vance Worley and his 6.59 ERA. Yum.

 

The June 5 Tout Wars FAAB Reports Links!

Todd Zola and his merry band weigh in on this week’s pickups in all the Tout Wars leagues. Be forewarned, one goofball thought picking up Dinelson Lamet and Adam Wainwright were good ideas. As the Pink Panther once said, The Goofball? C’est moi!

Mike Gianella’s Expert League FAAB Roundup is a weekly gem. Good analysis, goodly humor, an excellent analysis of Eric Young Jr. this week, with historical context. Plus details about a man named Cactus, and another man named Anthony. This week is a particularly good one. Even if you didn’t care for baseball you might enjoy it. Though, probably not.

 

Zola and Melnick Take Tickets in Tout Daily Period 2!

Todd Zola put up more than 150 points in Tout Daily at DraftKings for the second week in a row, which was enough to land him atop the standings in Period 2 of the contest, and win him a golden ticket to the finals.

Lenny Melnick, the third-week winner, finished second for the period, 11 points ahead of Vlad Sedler, whose hot streak ended with a crash in Week 4, when he finished with just 81.8 points, in 23rd place for the week. Sedler finished third for the period, tantalizingly close.

In what is becoming a theme, Zola rostered two aces (Kershaw—32 percent of teams did—and Strasburg—64 percent rostered him) and then relied on the kindness of lesser hitters. This week it was Yangervis Solarte, Nick Castellanos, and Franchy Cordero who left a mark.

The week’s winner was actually Tim Heaney, who finished Top 5 for the first time in the period, which left him in 12th overall. He started with Ty Blach (12 percent) and Michael Fulmer (32 percent), and then got big nights from a Detroit stack (Miguel Cabrera and JD Martinez) and Nolan Arenado.

We start Period 3 next Friday with a clean slate.

Period 1 winner, Derek Carty, has the most points overall so far this year. The overall points winner will earn an extra golden ticket to the finals.

You can see the whole leaderboard right here.

If you’re moved to try out Draft Kings, who are hosting Tout Daily this year, they have a special offer for new signups. Deposit $5 and gain free entry to a $3 contest. Click here to for more details and how to sign up.

The Legend, Lenny Melnick Wins Week 3 Period 2 of Tout Daily!

Lenny Melnick paid the price, rostered Max Scherzer and Chris Archer, two of the most expensive pitchers, and rode them to victory in Tout Daily’s Period 2 Week 3 contest.

With all that dough tied up in dominant arms that dominated, Lenny looked to Mike Trout and Kendrys Morales for offense, but the two combined for just 23 points.

It was, in fact, Martin Maldonado and Devon Travis, who put the legs into legend, scored 51 points between them and squeaked out a victory over Todd Zola.

Vlad Sedler had his third Top 5 finish in Period 2, and still leads the field in the season’s second contest. The period’s Top 2 finishers will win golden tickets to the season finale and a chance to vie for the championship, which is interesting because this period’s top two finishers, Melnick and Todd Zola, are tied for third right now, two points behind Michael Beller.

You can see the whole leaderboard right here.

Tout Daily DFS Picks for May 26th!

We’re halfway through Period 2 of Tout Daily and Week 2 winner Vlad Sedler has a slim lead over Week 1 winner Michael Beller, who in turn has a small lead over Andrea Lamont, who isn’t ahead of . . . you know, you can check out the whole leaderboard right here.

If you’re moved to try out Draft Kings, who are hosting Tout Daily this year, they have a special offer for new signups. Deposit $5 and gain free entry to a $3 contest. Click here to for more details and how to sign up.

Now, onto this week’s picks:

LAWR MICHAELS

Antonio Senzatela ($5900 vs. St. Louis): Looking to the rookie Rockie to confuse the Cards long enough for his offense to get a lead, and thus lead the way to a big week. The low-priced pitcher allows me to really go for offense this cycle.

Michael Conforto ($5000 @Pittsburgh): The solid Mets outfielder goes up against right-hander Chad Kuhl and his 1.61 WHIP. Oh boy.

JEFF BOGGIS

Top Pitchers

Jacob DeGrom ($12,100 @Pittsburgh) Mother nature played a role last night and I expect much of the same in tonight’s slate of baseball games. I thought about starting Stephen Strasburg (WAS vs. SD) tonight, but there is currently a 60% chance of rain. I don’t want to have to make a last-minute decision of juggling starting lineups in case Strasburg’s game is rained out or delayed. DeGrom has the same salary as Strasburg at $12,100 and will take up roughly 25% of my salary. DeGrom has 76 Ks in only 56 IP. Roster Jacob DeGrom tonight if you want to beat Lawr Michaels in period 2, week 3 of our Tout Wars DFS contest! #BeatLawr

Mike Clevinger ($8,000 vs. Kansas City) Clevenger rocks the mullet haircut with business up front, party in the back. He took a no-hitter into the 7th inning against Houston in his last start and is filling in nicely for the Indians while Corey Kluber is on the disabled list. Along with the mullet, Clevenger is sporting a nice 1.56 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 19 Ks on 11 IP. Roster Michael Clevenger tonight if you want to beat Lawr Michaels in period 2, week 3 of our Tout Wars DFS contest! #BeatLawr

Manny Machado ($4,400 @Houston) He is dirt cheap tonight and it’s time that he emerges from his early season slump. Machado faces Houston right handing pitcher, Joe Musgrove, who owns a 4.06 ERA on the season. Machado is hitting only .210 with 6 home runs and 15 RBI against right-handed pitching this season. Tonight, he breaks out of his slump. Roster Manny Machado tonight if you want to beat Lawr Michaels in period 2, week 3 of our Tout Wars DFS contest! #BeatLawr

MIKE GIANELLA

Max Scherzer ($12,700 vs San Diego) He’s almost an automatic play for me regardless of price/matchup, but the Padres feels like a gimmie.

Matt Carpenter ($4,600 @Colorado) Sits at the top of a St. Louis stack at Coors this evening. Coors hasn’t had too many high octane games yet, but with the summer approaching, we’re just about due.

PHIL HERTZ

Jacob DeGrom ($12,100 @Pittsburgh)

Matt Carpenter ($4,600 @Colorado)

BRIAN WALTON

OK, the Scherzer pick was easy, but now where to scrimp? Do you hamstring your offense or seek out a bargain SP2? I am going with the latter, specifically Zack Godley ($6,300 @Milwaukee) of Arizona at just $6300. The right-hander has been sharp in his four starts, with a 1.05 WHIP and a .195 batting average against. Godley pitches in Miller Park Friday night, but against a Milwaukee lineup that will be without Ryan Braun.

Speaking of scrimping, I am saving some money at first base on Friday night, picking up interim Brave Matt Adams ($3,300 @San Francisco) for just $3300. In five games since the trade from St. Louis, Adams has five extra-base hits and four RBI. In the smallest five at-bat career sample against Giants starter Matt Cain, Adams has a single, double and three RBI.

TIM HEANEY
Jake Arrieta ($9,200 @LA Dodgers): Going against the grain a bit here, but Arrieta looks to have figured some things out. I’ll call his name while everyone else runs away from the Justin Turner-less Dodgers.

Aaron Hicks ($4,300 vs. Oakland): It’s a bit pricey, but it definitely plays toward Hicks’ performance vs. LHP, and Manaea should endure a little resistance from a steady Yankees home offense.

RICK WOLF

Jose Bautista ($4,800 vs. Texas) In daily fantasy sports, owners try to find players who are the opposite handedness of the pitcher to get a natural edge.  Well, Jose Bautista is right handed, but hitting just .154 vs LHP in 2017.  Conversely, in the last 14 days, the bat-flipping Bautista is the best hitter vs RHP from either side of the plate.  He is hitting .571/.638/1.036 making his OPS a crazy 1.674.  He faces AJ Griffin who after twirling a gem has gone back to back with awful performances giving up 13 earned runs in less than a full 9 innings.   Bautista is at home and in the two hole, so invest with confidence.

Max Scherzer ($12,700 vs San Diego) Know it is the chalk, but look at the matchup.  The Padres strikeout the fourth most and after tonight it may be second as they are only eight strikeouts behind the Milwaukee Brewers.  No team can see the Rays with a telescope with more than 85 strikeouts more than the next team.  Scherzer is a sure thing for the strikeouts with at least 6 strikeouts in each of his last ten outings.  He is striking out 42% of RHH this year which is tops in the majors.  He relies heavily on his slider, throwing it more than 40% of the time to RHHs.  He costs more, but is a sure thing tonight.

GENE McCAFFREY

Max Scherzer ($12,700 vs San Diego) is a must at home against the strikeout-prone Padres. No sense messing around with a 30-point game his over/under, and I’ll take the over. This means a cheapish #2 is also pretty much a must, and I choose Aaron Nola in a close call over Mike Clevinger, who is impressive but a bit walk-prone.

Several good budget choices tonight, but Starlin Castro ($3,500 vs. Oakland) at The Stadium against lefty Sean Manaea and a weak Oakland bullpen is close to a can’t-miss, at a mere $3500.

CHARLIE WIEGERT

Mike Clevinger ($8,000 vs. Kansas City) had a great last outing and gets KC at home, maybe lightning will strike in same spot again!

Betts and Bogaerts ($5,200 and $4,900 vs. Seattle) vs Gallardo, Bour who has been red hot, and Harper to go deep tonight.

JASON COLLETTE

Mike Clevinger ($8,000 vs. Kansas City)

Welington Castillo ($3,700 @Houston)

The May 22 FAAB Reports for Tout Wars!

Todd  Zola and the merry lads at Mastersball have the words and numbers for all the leagues and let us know what happened this week. Check it out here.

Mike Gianella’s NL and LABR reports are always full of wisdom and wit. This week’s is here.

Draft Kings Picks for Tout War Daily, From the Touts. May 19, 2017

Michael Beller got off to a nice start in Period 2 Week 1 of the four-week contest. Week 2 goes off tonight.

Here are Tout Picks for tonight’s contest:

CHARLIE WIEGERT

The last time Taijuan Walker ($8,400 @SD) pitched good was April 27th vs San Diego. He gets them again tonight and I’m hoping for another 10+ KO performance.

Nolan Arenado ($5,200 @Cincinnati) and Charlie Blackmon ($5,300) against Reds rookie pitcher Bonilla, and hot hitters Jose Altuve, Jonathan Lucroy and Aaron Judge.

GENE McCAFFREY

Luis Severino ($8,800 @Tampa Bay) has 17 Ks in 56 PAs vs. the Rays lineup, which means his expected performance range is mediocre-to-great. Which is a lot better than poor-to-mediocre.

Assuming the game is played, Brandon Crawford ($3,300 @St. Louis) has hit Michael Wacha well and he’s cheap.

JEFF BOGGIS

Chris Sale ($13,000 @Oakland) has been on fire and he is worth paying top dollar to roster him this week. Over this past 5 starts, Sale is 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA and averaging over 7 innings pitched and 11 strikeouts per game. He pitches on the road tonight at Oakland where he owns a 2.49 ERA and 0.83 WHIP on the road this season. You must be more savvy when rostering your hitters to justify Sale’s top salary at $13,000, but he can carry your team tonight. Roster Chris Sale tonight if you want to beat Lawr Michaels in period 2, week 2 of our Tout Wars DFS contest! #BeatLawr

Chris Taylor ($3,700 vs. Miami) By rostering Chris Sale at SP, I must find hitter values and I think I have that tonight with Chris Taylor. After going 0/3 on Wednesday, he was given the day off on Thursday and rested for tonight’s game. Taylor will face left-handed pitcher, Justin Nicolino tonight. Chris Taylor is hitting .381/.500/.571 with 1 HR and 1 RBI against lefties this season. He also has a 0.923 OPS over the last 14 days. Roster Chris Taylor tonight if you want to beat Lawr Michaels in period 2, week 2 of our Tout Wars DFS contest! #BeatLawr

BRIAN WALTON

With the big money likely on Chris Sale, I will save $4600 by leading with Alex Wood ($8,800 vs. Miami) and field a decent offense. With a 2.27 ERA, 48 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings and back to back double digit strikeout games, Wood is finally stepping to that long-anticipated next level. Making this play even better is the arrival of the toothless Miami offense in Dodger Stadium Friday night.

On offense, my pick of the day is scalding-hot J.D. Martinez ($4,700 vs. Texas). Over his last 25 plate appearances, the Detroit outfielder is 8-for-16, including five home runs, 11 RBI and he took nine walks to boot. There should be little contest between this Martinez and Rangers starter Nick Martinez (5.04 ERA) Friday evening.

LAWR MICHAELS

Charlie Morton ($8,700 vs. Cleveland): Morton has slipped into the Astros groove, adding three MPH to his fastball, averaging 18.7 fantasy points per game. That means pairing him with Alex Wood gives me solid arms and big time bats. The move is also a crapshoot, as I am assuming my mates will go for Chris Sale against the Athletics, which is certainly the called for pick.  But, going against the grain Week II gives a chance to jump by my mates with a good day, and still affords two more weeks to try and rectify a potential Morton meltdown.

Lorenzo Cain ($4,100 @Minnesota): Cain is having a solid year despite those around him, averaging eight points while facing lefty Hector Santiago, who has pitched pretty well, but is indeed vulnerable to the long ball.