The Daily Grind: DFS, Streaming, and More for August 17

Agenda

1. The Daily Grind Invitational and Leaderboard
2. Daily DFS
3. SaberSim Observations
4. Tomorrow’s Targets
5. Factor Grid

1. The Daily Grind Invitational and Leaderboard

In what might have been the lowest scoring 15-game contest I’ve ever seen, Andrewconz edged out a victory with only 117 points. Kenta Maeda and Raul Mondesi were his top performers. The leaderboard is updated.

Here’s where I give you guys a pep talk. The Invitationals have been losing steam in recent weeks, and it’s not even September yet. Now’s your chance to surge up the leaderboard and maybe make a few bucks in the process. It’s $2 per day and you have a 25 percent chance (or better) to win something on a given day. We’ll be on DraftKings today.

2. Daily DFS 

Yesterday’s Grind

Early: We have a nice five game contest in the early slot. The big name pitcher is Stephen Strasburg, but he’s pitching at Coors Field. Weather conditions are excellent for power today – usually they’re below average and the ball still flies. Jon Gray is on the other side of this one. He has the potential to out-pitch the big gun.

J.A. Happ is the hot hand with big numbers over the last month and a half. All but one of his outings have been above average – in part because the Jays are supplying him with wins. Happ is opposed by the crumbled remains of the Yankees offense, replete with fresh blood.

Chris Archer is just about the least trustworthy “ace” on the market. Despite rarely winning and occasionally melting, he generally supplies average starts. He has a good matchup versus the Padres.

Carlos Martinez is also a viable option against a volatile Astros offense.

Stack Targets: Christian Friedrich, Matt Cain, Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia

Late: The 10-game late slate includes more aces and some mid-tier options. Jon Lester versus the strikeout prone Brewers probably has the highest ceiling. A 10 strikeout, complete game victory is possible. More likely, you’re looking at seven innings, eight strikeouts, and a win. Offensively, the Cubs will have to try a little opposite Jimmy Nelson.

I love Yu Darvish’s matchup versus the Athletics. However, I doubt he’ll eclipse the 100 pitch mark. He’s not the most efficient guy, so that caps him around six innings. Think of him as a very high floor, modest ceiling ace.

David Price against Baltimore and Carlos Carrasco versus the White Sox are also viable ace plays. They’re relatively affordable too.

Scott Kazmir should prove popular. He’s paired with the Phillies brutal offense. The Dodgers should supply plenty of run support too.

Four bargains are worth a gander in my opinion. Tyler Skaggs is the most talented of the bunch, but I hate to target the homer-heavy Mariners offense. Skaggs appears to be a little homer prone too.

Either side of Mike Foltynewicz versus Kyle Gibson could turn out well. The Twins let their pitchers run with a lead. If Gibson is having one of his good days, an eight or nine inning outing with about six strikeouts is possible. Folty has flashed upside, but it’s been over a month since his last big DFS outing.

Last and probably least is Sean Manaea. He’s interesting for so many reasons, but I can’t quite bite the bullet opposite the Rangers. When he faced them in late July, he recorded nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings. He also allowed 11 hits.

Stack Targets: Cody Martin, Anthony Ranaudo, Zack Godley, Jonathon Niese, Andrew Cashner, Jake Thompson, Anibal Sanchez

3. SaberSim Observations

Only one name is way out of place on the top five list – Lester, Skaggs, Darvish, Archer, and Carrasco. Personally, I’d flip the projections for Skaggs and Happ (ranked 12th). Stacks include Coors Field, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Indians, Trout, Reds, Dodgers, and Blue Jays.

4. Tomorrow’s Targets 

Pitchers to Start: Everyone’s already caught on to Joe Musgrove, so you’re going to have to roll the dice on a Shoemaker bounce back or this Dodgers-Phillies game. The percentage play is to use Ross Stripling versus arguably the worst offense in baseball. Stripling a typical “good” spot starter – the kind with some strikeouts, a low walk rate, and some feel for contact management. You should still expect a 4.00 ERA.

Also consider: Jerad Eickhoff, Rodrigo Lopez, Matt Shoemaker

Pitchers to Exploit: We all wanted Jose Berrios to be good this year. The transition from Triple-A to the majors is difficult. Berrios hid his below average command in the minors by blowing away opponents. In the majors, they’re punishing his center-cut pitches while still taking walks. He’ll be a solid starter someday – just not today.

Also consider: Clay Buchholz, Matt Boyd, Rob Whalen, Dillon Gee, Paul Clemens

Hitters (power): After homering twice in his return to Philadelphia, it’s safe to say that rumors of Chase Utley’s demise were premature. Tomorrow is a particularly good day if you need a spot second baseman.

Also consider: Alex Dickerson, Yangervis Solarte, Ryan Schimpf, Joe Mauer, Derek Dietrich, Aaron Hill

Hitters (speed): Jorge Polanco may not be the best bet to steal a base tomorrow, but I really, really like him. I see him as a future 15/15 hitter with excellent contact rates. For now, the power is more dream than reality.

Also consider: Travis Jankowski, Michael Bourn, Ben Revere, Cesar Hernandez

5. The Factor Grid

The table below indicates which stadiums have the best conditions for hitters today. The color coding is a classic stoplight where green equals go for hitters. The weather conditions are from SI Weather’s home run app. A 10/10 means great atmospheric conditions for home runs. A 1/10 means lousy atmospheric conditions.

Coors gets its own color today.

The Link.

This post is not brought to you by any DFS platform. The current author is quite pleased to present a DFS ad free environment.