I finally gave in and I’m going to give daily fantasy sports (DFS) a shot this year. This is my first year playing so there will be bumps in the road, but if you read my fantasy guide you know I am going to be overly prepared before I do something.
I’m playing at Draft Kings so all of my analysis and picks will be based on their scoring system.
My Strategy
To maximize your scoring potential you need to find pitchers who throw a lot of innings, strikeout a lot of batters and have a good chance for a win. Since you also lose points for hitters reaching base (hits, walks, hits batsmen) you want to avoid high strikeout, high walk pitchers (Francisco Liriano for example). Also, if they’re walking a lot of batters their pitch counts will be high, which means they won’t pitch deep into games.
With hitters you want players who will hit for extra bases because the scoring increases progressively for extra base hit type. Also, there are no penalties for hitters making outs so you can draft a Mike Zunino and not worry so much if he goes 0-4 with three strikeouts. Power is emphasized in the scoring so it’s imperative to find players who are going to hit home runs and make hard contact.
Speed is another way to find easy points at a low cost, but you want to make sure you grab players who have a high stolen base success rate because you lost points for every caught stealing.
Last Note
This is the most obvious thing, but it has to be said. You are responsible for your own lineup. It is your decision to play or not play a specific player or in general. I’m giving the best analysis I can and if you agree then, that’s great. I’m going to be wrong sometimes. In fact I’ll probably be wrong a lot because like I said at the start I am a beginner there’s going to be a learning curve.
My 50/50 Lineup
- P: Max Scherzer (WSH) — $12,200
- P: Felix Hernandez (SEA) — $11,600
- C: Roberto Perez (CLE) — $2,500
- 1B: Billy Butler (OAK) — $3,500
- 2B: Devon Travis (TOR) — $3,400
- 3B: Alex Guerrero (LAD) — $3,100
- SS: Hidden
- OF: Carlos Gonzalez (COL) —$3,200
- OF: Hidden
- OF: Hidden
With all the rain on the east coast I didn’t feel comfortable picking those players who are playing on the east coast. With a lot of aces going tonight I wanted to go with the two best options despite their cost (trying something new). I debated between Felix Hernandez and Zack Greinke, but I went with Hernandez because of the higher strikeout potential.
In regards to my hitting I looked for values. Carlos Gonzalez has been terrible, but he’s batting third and is hitting in front of Troy Tulowitzki. I also debated between Gonzalez and fellow Rockies teammate Corey Dickerson. I wanted to go with Dickerson, but since the plantar fasciitis in his left foot diagnosis was made public Dickerson has made little to no hard-hit contact. Also, with Gonzalez batting third he has a higher chance of getting one more plate appearance. Billy Butler has always mashed lefties and tonight he faces a below average lefty in John Danks.
