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 Double Up Lineup
- P: Johnny Cueto (CIN) vs. J. Nelson (MIL) — $9,500
- P: Jason Hammel (CHC) vs. V. Worley (PIT) — $7,200
- C: Joe Mauer (MIN) vs. J. Guthrie (KC) — $4,000
- 1B: Chris Davis (BAL) vs. A. Sanchez (BAL) — $4,700
- 2B: Jose Altuve (HOU) vs. J.A. Happ (SEA) — $4,200
- 3B: Nolan Areando (COL) vs. J. Shields (SD) — $4,200
- SS: Hidden
- OF: Charlie Blackmon (COL) vs. J. Shields (SD) — $4,300
- OF: Hidden
- OF: Hidden
For some reason the prices for the Rockies are lower than yesterday. Sure, James Shields is better than Brandon Morrow, but Shields isn’t an ace. I’ll gladly start my Rockies hitters against him. Corey Dickerson’s injury (mild plantar faciitis) worries me, which is why I’m not starting him. This is a gut call on Joe Mauer; Jeremy Guthrie struggles against lefties and Mauer should hit tonight and have at least 1-2 plate appearances with a runner on-base. Jose Altuve has a career .352/.389/.880 slash line against lefties; easiest pick for today. I debated between Prince Fielder and Chris Davis. Both are in good hitter’s ballparks and are facing young pitchers who struggle to get lefties out. I went with Davis because of the better supporting cast around him.
Johnny Cueto seemed like the easy pick. He’s pitching great and is facing a Brewers lineup without three of its best hitters. I almost went with David Price, but I think Jason Hammel can do well today. If you remove one month last year Hammel was exceptional and he’s still missing a lot of bats this year. On top of that he’s pitching in a great pitcher’s park.
