The Daily Grind: Strasburg Disabled

Those battling on the waiver wire will find some decent but bland pitchers available tomorrow. The hitters are much more tempting. Get the full scoop via Streaming Wars.

UPDATE: Matt Meiselman and I talked about tonight’s DFS slate in more detail if you’re interested in such things.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. Romo’d

1. The Daily Grind Invitational

Giantr00 absolutely crushed us yesterday. Combining Tyler Skaggs, Jon Gray, Mike Trout, and Khris Davis did most of the damage. However, everybody contributed to the victory. Congrats and Leaderboard.

We’ve got the standard parameters on FantasyDraft tonight. It’s a pretty healthy sized contest for a Thursday night. See ya there.

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

Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are very modest storm risks. Just take a quick peek before rosters lock. It should be fine.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: With Stephen Strasburg scratched, Trevor Cahill is the top priced pitcher at $19,500. I just submitted a not-quite-glowing recommending Cahill on DRAFT, a very different sort of DFS experience. They ranked him 14th. I thought he was around eighth best. The rosy outlook focuses on his average of six innings per start, about a strikeout per inning, and high ground ball rate. A more pessimistic approach might note his shaky command since returning from the disabled list. Also, the Rangers lineup is clicking in part because Globe Life Park turns into a bandbox in the middle-summer months.

Thus, I have now recommended to use Cahill on one site and recommended against him on another. I mean, you could totally use him. There’s a decent chance I’ll use him. The GPP upside of a full rebound seemingly outweighs the risk of a flop.

Rich Hill ($17,700) at Anibal Sanchez ($16,100) figure to represent two popular targets. Personally, I think Sanchez’s Goldilocks run may be (temporarily) at an end. That Dodgers lineup is terrifying. As such, Sanchez is probably the contrarian target. Hill is always a high variance GPP play.

Nick Kingham ($17,600) hosts Steven Matz ($12,700) at PNC Park. That Matz price looks plenty tempting. Yes, I know the Pirates are a hot offense. They also have a modest 95 wRC+ against left-handed pitching – a figure which completely jibes with their personnel. Like FantasyDraft, I also prefer Kingham to Matz. However, I submit that the two are much closer in value than the $5,000 salary spread indicates.

This is turning into a wordy episode. Sonny Gray ($16,100) is a weird option. His peripherals are Cahill-like, but his actual performances are usually terrible. Adding further confusion, he’s at homer friendly Yankee Stadium hosting a terrible Royals offense. I think this all adds up to a top value in this slate, but who can tell?

Let’s rapid fire a few of these. Wade Miley ($13,200) at Dereck Rodriguez ($15,500) both look playable due to low prices and AT&T Park. I flat out prefer the Miley side of the equation – even before considering price. Kyle Gibson seems relatively matchup proof – at least that’s the conclusion I draw from his actual results. Maybe it’s just small sample nonsense. I’ll find a place for him on at least one roster for just $14,900. Ranger Suarez ($13,600) costs more than Tyler Mahle ($12,100) which is just all kinds of wrong. Mahle’s a good bargain. Suarez should cost under $10,000.

Stack Targets: Tommy Milone, Hunter Wood, Bartolo Colon, Alex Cobb, Jakob Junis, Dan Straily

Milone is filling in for Strasburg. Expect a short start.

4. SaberSim Says…

The Sim vindicates my confused endorsement of Gray. He’s the top rated pitcher followed by Hill, Rodriguez, Sanchez, and Miley. Values include Mahle, Gray, and Miley. On the hitting side, spin up shares of Khris Davis, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Rhys Hoskins, and Matt Olson. Bargains hunters can go for Adrian Beltre, Robinson Chirinos, Joey Gallo, and Olson.

5. Romo’d

Davis was cold for a time. Now he’s hit six home runs in his last four games. Here are the two most recent. I love that the A’s are contending in the supposedly broken American League. A just World Series would include pit the Athletics against the Phillies. I would have said the Braves except for that whole cheating thing.

Juan Soto may be Vladimir Guerrero Sr. with plate discipline.

What do you do when your ROOGY closer has to face a pull-happy lefty? Move him to third base.