Tout Daily is back! Once again, the Tout Warriors will be competing in a private league, matching wits and trading barbs for 21 weeks, with the goal of being crowned 2017 Tout Daily Champion.

This year’s competition will be run on DraftKings. The site features two starting pitching and tighter pricing than some of the other DFS companies. The weekly contests will be publicly viewable, though you need to have a DraftKings account to see it. If you don’t have a DraftKings account, we have a deal where you can register and deposit just $5 and DraftKings will award you a free entry into one of their $3 contests. Here’s the link:

https://www.draftkings.com/gateway?s=889582753

Each Friday afternoon, the Touts will share a pitcher and hitter they’re using in that night’s contest. We’ll post them here in time to help you set your own lineups that evening.

Brian Walton, Mastersball.com, @B_Walton

On a day with a wealth of starting pitching options, I had to pass on the two very expensive aces in Thor and Cueto so I did not have to scrimp on hitting. A sneaky pitching pick is Houston’s Dallas Keuchel ($9600), about whom many are likely wary. After all, we may put more stock in his disappointing 2016 than his Cy Young Award-winning 2015. Still, the right-hander is off to a good start in 2017 and pitches tonight in the cavernous Oakland Coliseum.

Though I could not afford Syndergaard, I like his backstop, Travis d’Arnaud, especially at just $3000. Over the last three starts, the red-hot hitter is 7-for-13 and draws Edinson Volquez of the Marlins on Friday night. However, watch the lineups as d’Arnaud caught all 16 innings on Thursday so is a candidate to be given a day off.

Mike Gianella, Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella

Top hitter: Freddie Freeman. Opposing pitcher Jhoulys Chacin is weaker against lefties and Freeman has played like an elite hitter thus far

Top pitcher: Noah Syndergaard. Clayton Kershaw is always tempting. But the price difference between Thor and Kersh allowed me more flexibility in my lineup. Thor in a pitcher’s park against a tired Marlins team is my play

Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis

Top Pitcher

Clayton Kershaw (LAD) $13,500 – Kershaw allowed back-to-back homers for the first time in his career during his last outing at Colorado. I look for him to bounce back at home against Arizona tonight.

Julio Teheran (ATL) $8,500 – If you want to save some salary cap money, Teheran is the 12th highest player on the board. He owns a 0.00 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He wants to be the first starting pitcher to win a game in the new Atlanta Braves stadium.

Top Hitter

Freddie Freeman (ATL) $4,600 – Going to stack as many Atlanta Braves players tonight for several reasons. This is their 1st regular home game of the season. This is their 1st regular season home game ever in this ballpark. The Braves face San Diego Starting pitcher, Jhoulys Chacin, who owns an 8.10 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

Tim Heaney, Rotowire, @Tim_Heaney

Adam Duvall, CIN vs. MIL ($4,300): Tommy Milone at Great American Ball Park, against a 30-homer bat. Have to take that, right?

Julio Teheran, ATL vs. SD ($8,500): Call me chalky, but in a stacked slate for pitching, his price offers the best return on investment among the aces. He should mow down the Padres.

Jeff Erickson, Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson

Hitters: Reds RHs (Duvall, Suarez) at home vs Tommy Milone

Pitcher: Thor

Charlie Wiegert, CDM, @GFFantasySports

Pitchers…winging it the first week.  I’m going to be contrary and hope my long shot pitcher, Adalberto Mejia shows some of the stuff he was showing in spring training.  After his first dreadful start, this could be a make it or go back to the minors start, so his second start against the White Sox better go go at home!  And Danny Duffy, yeah pitching for the worst team in baseball, another long shot.  But if my two long shot pitchers come through with 15-20 points each, I could win the week.

Hitters…with the $ savings on pitchers, I’m able to load up a bit with Trout, Braun and Myers.  Taking a couple early season “hot” players, Solarte, Sano and Lindor, and hoping Salvador Perez and Carlos Santana go deep tonight.

Gene McCaffrey, Wise Guy Baseball, @wiseguygene

Pitcher – Aaron Sanchez was the most effective SP in the AL last year, still a bit under the radar.

Hitter – Marcus Semien is off to a slow start but he’s walking and running and he slugged .655 off lefties on the road last year.

Phil Hertz, Baseball HQ, @prhz50

I’m wearing my Orange and Blue tonight:  Thor against a Miami team that’s going to be tired; and Cespedes who’s on one of his patented hot streaks.

Lawr Michaels, Mastersball, @lawrmichaels

Clayton Kershaw ($13,500): Facing the Diamondbacks at home, Kershaw is expensive, but the Snakes have among the lowest walk rates (7.4%) and highest strikeout rates (24%) in the Majors thus far. Over 91 at-bats against lefties, Arizona is hitting .220-2-10. Advantage Clayton.

Yunel Escobar ($3100): Escobar has come out of the blocks hot, hitting .366-1-4 over his first 41 at-bats, following consecutive .300 seasons. The right-handed hitter gets to face lefty Danny Duffy at home, and for $3100, a single and a walk mean a profit. And, if anyone can do that, it is Escobar.

Howard Bender, Fantasy Alarm, @rotobuzzguy

Love me some Dallas Keuchel against the A’s tonight. His ground ball rate is fierce, his strikeout rate will climb (A’s whiff 21.6% of the time vs LHP and who can forget Oakland’s feeble .241 wOBA with a 57 wRC+ against southpaws?

I’ll stick with the hot bat of Eric Thames who is hitting 2nd again tonight against Scott Feldman. Nice little LHH vs RHP match-up here and Feldman, despite some nice surface numbers, still has trouble keeping the ball in the yard.

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