MLB 5/28/2019 : Working Around the Chalk

  We will focus on FanDuel GPP for the MLB season but the picks could easily translate over to DK and cash lineups in most cases. We will try to get a post out daily before the evening main slates during the week and hopefully bring you some winning picks. Without further ado let's get to it.

**FanDuel has a note up that the KC CHW game may start early cause of weather concerns. If it does they will not be awarding any points for players in the game. I'll fade this game completely unless the weather looks certain.

Bump It Up: (Pitcher we are paying up for)
(Stephen Strasburg): It's not an ideal matchup for Strasburg as he faces Atlanta on the road, but there aren't many aces on this slate and he has the highest ceiling by far. He also has the highest K% and swinging strike percentage of all the pitchers going tonight which is saying a lot on a 15 game slate.

Bump It Down: (Pitcher to pay down for)
(Trevor Richards $7500): He's pitching at home against one of the least feared lineups in the league. His strikeouts seem to be up lately and there's a better than usual chance for a win here versus the Giants. The Giants also have the 3rd lowest implied run total on the slate, and Miami is actually favored by Vegas which doesn't happen often.

Stacks for Cash: 
Rockies/Diamondbacks/Red Sox : These are the obvious stacks of the night with great hitting environments and horrible starting pitchers. Instead of stacking these teams, I'll sprinkle in a couple "one-offs" to try and differentiate. I would focus on Tapia from Colorado as my main piece as he should be batting leadoff and is only $3000.  After that you can sprinkle in and of the studs as they fit in your lineup. These are a given so let's get to some potential lower owned stacks.

Chicago Cubs- The Cubbies can always be a popular stack but tonight I think they go a little overlooked on the large slate with the teams mentioned above.  A 3 man stack should be able to fit with the likes of Schwarber, Rizzo and Baez since Bryant and Heyward are banged up and not looking likely to play. This is where the one-offs come in handy.

Philadelphia Phillies - Neither of the pitchers in this game have been particularly good, but I'll stick with the better offense of the two in the Phillies. I'm not with the full team stack though but would love to include Harper and Kingery in my lineups, even Matt Carpenter would fit in from the Cardinals side if you wanna do a super mini game stack.

Wave that baby bye bye: (HR calls)
$3900+: Bryce Harper
$3000-3800: Kyle Schwarber
$2000-2900: Brian Dozier

MattyIce@Dfstoday.com

Follow us on Twitter @DFSToday

MLB 5/21/2019: The Red(s) Wedding in Milwaukee

  We will focus on FanDuel GPP for the MLB season but the picks could easily translate over to DK and cash lineups in most cases. We will try to get a post out daily before the evening main slates during the week and hopefully bring you some winning picks. Without further ado let's get to it.

Bump It Up: (Pitcher we are paying up for)
Zach Greinke ($11000): Greinke has had 9 straight quality starts and gets a good matchup at San Diego against a predominantly righty lineup.  It's not often you see pitchers go 6 innings let alone 7 which Greinke has done in 5 of his last 7 starts.  A lot of people will pay up for Verlander if they are paying up, so save $1000 and plug in Greinke here.

Bump It Down: (Pitcher to pay down for)
German Marquez ($8200): Pitching away from Coors already gives German a nice bump and now he gets to toe the rubber in one of the better parks for pitchers in PNC.  He has elite strikeout potential and while the Pirates only hold a K% around 21, Marquez can find a way to miss bats and keep the ball in the ballpark.

Stacks for Cash: 
Cincinnati Reds - The Reds face Gio Gonzalez in Milwaukee and while Gio has been solid since deciding to play baseball again, the Reds have some pop in their lineup that can mash LHP. I'll be firing up Nick Senzel and Eugenio Suarez, then looking for some value with Phillip Ervin ($2000) and Jose Iglesias ($2400)

New York Yankees- If you stack the Reds like I suggest above and roll with Marquez at SP, that leaves almost $3800 per player to fill in your lineup. Yankees might be popular tonight but this is about as can't miss as you can get @BAL. With the Astros and Rangers garnering some ownership as well, the Yanks may sneak by as a lesser owned stack then we think. Fire up Gary Sanchez, DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres.

Seattle Mariners - Lance Lynn is one of those pitchers that has historically struggled against lefties and while the Mariners don't have many but they do have the big bopper in Dan Vogelbach who's hit homeruns in 5 of his last 6 games.  Don't be afraid to throw Haniger or Encarnacion in there, but if you're looking for another lefty Omar Narvaez could do the trick.

Wave that baby bye bye: (HR calls)
$3900+: Rhys Hoskins
$3000-3800: Dan Vogelbach
$2000-2900: Sean Kingery (let's try this again)

MattyIce@Dfstoday.com

Follow us on Twitter @DFSToday

MLB 5/20/2019 : Yu Must Be Crazy

     Two months into the season seems about an appropriate time to start to dabble in some MLB DFS. We will focus on FanDuel GPP for the MLB season but the picks could easily translate over to DK and cash lineups in most cases. We will try to get a post out daily before the evening main slates during the week and hopefully bring you some winning picks. Without further ado let's get to it.

Bump It Up: (Pitcher we are paying up for)
Chris Paddack ($10300): There's a few great matchups today but we're going with Paddack at home vs. Arizona.  He got beat around a bit last start against the Dodgers which could keep his ownership down. People also assume Arizona is a hitter's park but that hasn't really been the case since the humidor has been implemented.  Paddack is sporting an ERA under 2 and a WHIP as low as my GPA in college (which was not good).

Bump It Down: (Pitcher to pay down for)
Brad Peacock ($7800): Bradley can really pile up the Ks and the White Sox can help him out as they strike out as much as Chris Davis; second highest K% on the slate. The drawback of Peacock is that he rarely spreads his feathers for more than 5 innings, making those quality start points hard to count on. He will have a good chance for a win though as the formiddable Astros lineup will face the White Sox bullpen all game.

Stacks for Cash: 
Houston Astros - Facing a bullpen game from the White Sox, I would stack 1 through 9 if I could. If you want to differentiate in tournaments, be creative and look to include some value guys if they are on the lineup like Tyler White, Josh Reddick, and Tony Kemp. Springer and Altuve are banged up so there will be some real value to be had here.

Washington Nationals - These guys will also be popular but they are facing one of the worst pitchers in baseball and have a slight bump with a little wind blowing out to right. Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Geraldo Parra, and Adam Eaton look like great plays tonight.

Philadelphia Phillies - Yu must be crazy. Well maybe a few years ago, but I'm loving the Phillies against Darvish especially since he looked okay last outing. People will think Darvish is back and I'll say Yu can't be serious.  He has only went 6 innings or more once this year, which means the Phillies get to face a Cubs bullpen that hasn't exactly been great. I'll load up on the lefties but don't be afraid of the righties either. Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and Jean Segura can be considered.  Look out for the Night Kingery at $2400 as well if he's in the lineup.

Wave that baby bye bye: (HR calls)
$3900+: Juan Soto
$3000-3800: Josh Donaldson
$2000-2900: Sean Kingery Ryon Healy

MattyIce@Dfstoday.com

Follow us on Twitter @DFSToday

2/3/2019 - 2019 Superbowl Patriots vs Rams

Big Game Showdown Slate

     We are back with a look at the biggest game of the year in the NFL. Fanduel and Draftkings are getting crazy and offering "in game showdowns" including second half only and fourth quarter only.  Luckily those aren't in my state because as random as they are, I'm sure I would be playing them.  We will look at how we are building our lineup on both FD and DK, then end with a few of our favorite prop bets. Let's get into it.

1/20/2019 - 2019 NFL Playoffs - Conference Championship Preview

"Own Work" By Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0

Conference Championship Games

      This is historically always the best weekend in football and we have the four best teams in the league going at it.  From a fantasy perspective we have the option of a two game slate or a single game showdown slate for each game.  Both types are going to require you to differentiate from the popular plays and find those low owned players that can go off and win you a GPP.  Both games are predicted to be close high scoring games.  We will briefly look at both of them and give you some key plays/values that could break the slate.

NBA Daily Fantasy Strategy - Part 1 (Minutes, Usage, and Injuries)

"NBA Referee" by Keith Allison is licensed under CC by 2.0

 How do I build the Optimal DFS Lineup for NBA?  

 
     Now that NFL is winding down, we are going to start shifting to NBA analysis.  There are quite a few things that go into an optimal NBA lineup build, and we will dive into those various aspects.  The perfect build takes into account all types of factors, and how you weigh each factor to come up with your projection numbers.  You can easily go and grab point projections from various sites and run strictly off of those, but so can everyone else you are going up against.  The way to differentiate yourself is how much you weigh each factor when comprising your projections.

1/13/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Eagles @ Saints

 "Nick Foles" by Matthew Straubmuller licensed under CC by 2.0

Sunday 1/13/2019 4:40pm EST

Philadelphia @ New Orleans (-8) 51 O/U

     This game has all the makings of a trap game for the Saints. They're coming off a bye, and resting their star players in week 17.  They have the easiest matchup of the weekend according to Vegas and are the Super Bowl favorites.  On the other side the Eagles have all of the momentum coming off a double doink win in Chicago with their unsung hero Nick Foles leading the charge.  If I were a betting man, wait I am. Well if I had the dough to lay down on this game, give me the Eagles to win outright at +320 on FD Sportsbook. Sports betting is coming soon everywhere and we can't wait to get into that analysis. Until then we are focusing on building our daily fantasy lineups, so here it goes.

1/13/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Chargers @ Patriots

"Tom Brady" by Keith Allison is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Sunday 1/12/2019 1:05 pm EST

Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots (-4) 47 O/U

     The Patriots have actually looked human this year and somewhat beatable but only giving 4 points at home to the Chargers? The Chargers advanced cause they played a one dimensional team that couldn't adjust. That won't be the case when they play a Patriots team that flourishes in the playoffs, with a head coach that is the king of adjusting.

1/12/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Cowboys @ Rams

"Travis Frederick, Richard Ash, Ezekiel Elliott" Cropped Photo, Original by Keith Allison is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Saturday 1/12/2019 8:15pm EST

Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Rams (-7.5) 49 O/U

     I feel like this game will go largely forgotten in fantasy.  There's not a lot of star names besides Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley, with Gurley being banged up.  Also, with the emergence of C.J. Anderson, the Rams will look to lighten Gurley's load more than they did throughout the season.  I would be surprised if Gurley sees the 25-30 touches that he was seeing earlier in the year.  Speaking of earlier in the year, the Rams were looked at as the best team in the league and unbeatable starting 8-0.  Since then they have went 5-3, had a bye in the first round, and do not necessarily have any momentum going into this game.

1/12/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Colts @ Chiefs

"Andrew Luck" by Keith Allison is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Saturday 1/12/2019 4:35pm EST

Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs (-5) 57 O/U

     The NFL Divisional Round brings us a brand new week and a chance to rebound from last week.  Those wildcard games were not fun to watch from a fantasy perspective, but we kind of knew that going into the weekend with all of the low game totals.  This week starts out with a bang in a matchup with two offenses that can put up points quick; hence the 57 over/under!  Let's not dwell on last week and get right into analysis for this game.

01/06/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Eagles @ Bears

"Bears Game-013" by Anthony Doudt

Sunday 1/6/2019
Philadelphia @ Chicago (-6.5) 41.5 O/U 

     Neither of these teams faced each other in 2018 so unlike the other games there’s not as much to go off of. I do like the Bears defense, but I expect their offense to struggle in this game. They find themselves relying too much on their young quarterback and Tarik Cohen. If you have any money on this game as I do, take a risk and go with the Eagles. They are the underdog so you will get better odds for you money. - JMoney

01/06/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Chargers @ Ravens

Sunday 1/6/2019

Los Angeles Chargers @ Baltimore Ravens (-3) 42 O/U

    I don’t know if being a Ravens fan helps or hinders me in this analysis, but here goes nothing.  As much as I want to believe that the ground and pound game plan can stick, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before teams adjust.  Then I think to myself how come teams haven’t adjusted yet?  It’s been 7 games with Lamar at the helm and with a 6-1 record, the Ravens can very well continue to be successful.  One of those wins was in Los Angeles, just a few weeks ago against a tough Chargers team.  So let’s look and see how that game went.

01/05/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - MonkeyKnifeFight Picks

     For those of you that have not heard about Monkey Knife Fight (MKF) let us introduce you to this new type of online sports gaming. We have tried it out and really love what MKF has to offer. Each game you enter is essentially a parlay of prop bets.  The potential payout varies depending on which game you choose, starting at 1.8x and going up to 20x your wager. Each game you can invest as little as $2.00 and as much as $500.00. Interested in checking it out?  Sign up via the link below and receive $10.00 in free play (no deposit necessary).

https://www.monkeyknifefight.com/r/dfstoday

01/05/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Seahawks @ Cowboys

"Ezekiel Elliott" by Keith Allison is licensed under CC by 2.0

Saturday 1/5/19

Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys (-2.5) 42.5 O/U

    Week 3 seems like so far away now that we are in the first round of the playoffs.  A team’s identity hasn’t even been established at that point yet and is constantly developing as the season goes along.  When these teams met in week 3 their identities were very similar then as they are now.  Run first teams with solid defenses looking to control the time of possession.  Let’s take a look into the game stats and players that played a key role, then move on to some slate analysis.

01/05/2019 - NFL Playoffs 2019 - Colts @ Texans

"Deshaun Watson" by Keith Allison is licensed under CC by 2.0

Saturday 1/5/19

Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans (-1) 49 O/U

        It's so tough to play a team for the third time in the same season.  It's good for us in DFS though because we get a good sense of how the game may go.  Of course the playoffs are a different animal but there is definitely something to be said when common themes arise after the first two matchups.  So first things first, let's look at some key stats from each game.