The Daily Grind: MOAR Cookies

A Phillies-Mets doubleheader tomorrow opens up some nice opportunities in today’s Streaming Wars. Plus the entire Blue Jays lineup. Again.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. MOAR Cookies

1. The Daily Grind Invitational

My daily schedule continues to be in disarray for reasons. I didn’t have an opportunity to join yesterday’s Invitational thus it would be helpful if somebody shared the results of the top five so I can update the Leaderboard.

Here’s today’s Invitational on FantasyDraft which is hope to join because I love free money. That’s not a quip about your play either – a no rake GPP plus daily overlays equals free money for everybody!

If you have not signed up for FantasyDraft, please use this referral link for tracking purposes. If I understand properly, by using the referral, you will receive a 10 percent return on any rakes you pay.

2. Weather Reports

Chicago and Cincinnati are a modest storm risk. They’ll probably be fine, but you should confirm closer to game time.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Early Slate: Four games are early. Of the eight available pitchers, only one is an obvious mess. The other seven are pretty comparable in value despite an almost $8,000 spread between the most and least expensive.

Jose Berrios ($19,600) is certainly the best-regarded of the pitchers. He’s also the most likely to toss ace-quality numbers on the board. Versus a tepid Pirates lineup, this is a great price. He’ll be extremely popular. Berrios is opposed by Chris Archer ($17,100) who hasn’t adjusted well to his new team. Perhaps a visit to an AL park will have a calming effect.

Carlos Rodon is the second priciest at $17,600. I consider him a must-play for one very specific reason – he’s averaged over seven innings over his last six starts. Only a handful of aces match this kind of longevity. While there are some red flags in Rodon’s recent performance, a matchup against the Tigers balances them out. Jordan Zimmermann is startable too versus the strikeout prone White Sox. He’ll run you $15,500.

Kyle Hendricks ($14,500), Junior Guerra ($13,500), and Mike Leake ($11,900) are all fine too. They project to at least a point per $1,000.

Stack Targets: Brett Anderson

The aforementioned obvious mess. Also, feel free to stack ANY of the other pitchers.

Late Slate: Our night contest features 10 games. Gerrit Cole is hosting the Rockies at sea level – always a good opportunity for DFS value. Cole isn’t cheap at $23,700. It still strikes me as a bargain. Given that he’s the only premium pitcher in the slate, Cole’s ownership could exceed 40 percent.

Zack Wheeler has a lovely matchup against the Orioles at Camden Yards. I ain’t touching him for $21,200. That’s ridiculous. Then again, six of his last nine outings have lasted seven or more innings. He’s consistently posted over 20 points during the hot stretch. The Orioles have actually burned me a couple times in recent weeks which adds to my skittishness. Slumpy Dylan Bundy ($13,100) could outpitch Wheeler.

Nate Eovaldi ($18,100) is another guy who costs too much for what he is. I much prefer the ultra-volatile Vince Velasquez ($13,900) side of this matchup. And with them both working at power friendly Citizen’s Bank Park, I’d rather avoid the pitchers altogether.

Kevin Gausman ($16,800) should enjoy his new home in the NL East. All these games against the Marlins are extra spicy. In a good-for-Gausman kind of way. Not like Chipotle-runs. Jose Urena is slightly better than his $11,900 price.

Shane Bieber ($16,300) offers two conflicting narratives. His blend of command and strikeouts offers an ace-like ceiling. He also looks like a legitimately homer prone pitchers – low walk guys can be especially susceptible to home runs – and he’s pitching at Great American Ballpark today. So… I see a range of -10 to 30 points with a median around 16. He’s highly favored to defeat Robert Stephenson ($10,100). He was supposed to break out this season with the help of an improved slider. Instead, he’s spent nearly the entire year in Triple-A where he’s pitched to a 2.87 ERA with 10.75 K/9 and 4.54 BB/9. A surprisingly strong outing is possible. I think he’s probably a late-inning reliever.

Those who prefer to yawn may like Derek Holland ($15,000) at Hyun-Jin Ryu ($14,700). The latter was in the midst of a breakout season before injuries slowed him down. He has a history of showing rust upon returning. Still, I’d rather try Ryu than Holland.

Stack Targets: Eovaldi, Velasquez, Stephenson, Austin Gomber, Felix Pena, Luis Cessa, Jake Faria, Robbie Erlin

4. SaberSim Says…

Just looking at the night crew, Cole, Bieber, Velasquez, Gausman, and Pena are the preferred arms. I know the Padres are strikeout prone – nobody brings it up more than me – but Pena is way too prone to hard contact. Potential values include Pena (that passes my smell test), Velasquez, Bundy, Stephenson, and Marco Estrada. Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Ramirez, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez, and Francisco Lindor are the premium bats. Bargains include Brandon Lowe, Jonathan Villar, Franmil Reyes, David Fletcher, and Tim Beckham.

5. MOAR Cookies

Ronald Acuna is tired of being shown up by that Obi Juan Soto fella. Gotta like the oppo-power. The truly amazing hitters use all fields.

This was one of those peanut cookies with the hershey kiss in the middle.

How about this season from Jed Lowrie? The league is getting younger and younger. 34-year-old Lowrie says screw that noise.

If your leaguemates are always sniping future closers from you, get out ahead of them with the Phillies once and future closer ($1/mo paywall).