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2014 Fantasy Baseball: The Daily Double Switch for July 28th

Christian Yelich Fantasy Baseball
Source: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America

Welcome back to the Daily Double Switch here at the Fantasy Fix. For those who aren’t yet Daily Fantasy baseball players at DraftKings, head over there via this link and join. DraftKings gives you $50,000 to draft eight hitters (one at each position) plus two pitchers. When you join they will double your initial deposit, up to $600, so it’s a great time to jump in.

Let’s take a look at today’s slate, and see where we can exploit the matchups! You can find me on twitter @RyNoonan if you have player specific questions.

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Game times and Weather

It’s a light Monday with just 10 games, all but one at night. The Padres are in Atlanta and have an early start at 12 EST. To make matters worse, we have the threat of rain in a few places today. Without question, please take a look as game time approaches. The forecast shows rain in Boston, New York, and Cincinnati.

Stacking options

There are so many ways to skin this proverbial Daily Fantasy Sports cat, and a very popular way to construct your DraftKings team is by stacking your roster with multiple players from one or two teams. Today, I’m using the A’s and the Marlins. Yes, the Marlins. They’re facing a familiar face in Jordan Zimmermann, and it’s a welcomed sight for these Marlins hitters.  Zimmermann hasn’t been quite as sharp lately, and will be making his fourth start of the season against Miami. To date, he’s given up 11 runs in 13 2/3 innings, including 21 hits. Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich are locks for my roster today, and I’ll check the Marlins lineup prior to first pitch for some other possible bargains.

Pitchers

On a day like today, with fewer games to choose from, I feel it’s best to load up on the safest place for points, and that’s your aces. Nothing is guaranteed, but I feel good about the chances of an ace (think $9,000+) returning a 20+ point performance. That makes both Yu Darvish ($11,400) and Madison Bumgarner ($10,100) attractive plays today. Darvish is facing a Yankees team that saw him last week for a brief, weather-impacted complete game. Madison Bumgarner gets the Pirates, who are 28th in wRC+ against left-handers this season. I think the spark is about to go out on Jesse Chavez ($8,000) like a candle in the wind. It’s about to die. The former journeyman middle reliever is blowing past his previous career high in innings pitched.  I anticipate that he’ll hit a wall sooner than later, but for now he’s rolling, and he’s facing the Astros today.

Catcher

Stephen Vogt ($3,800) is one of the hottest hitting catchers in the league. Funny thing is, he’s rarely catching. His ability to play first base, along with the corner outfield positions, is keeping Vogt’s bat in the lineup and he’s producing. He’s a catcher that doesn’t catch, ahhhhh my favorite.

First baseman

It’s not very often that we’re talking about an offensive weapon on the Mets, but Lucas Duda ($4,200) is killing it. He’s in a zone that’s worth riding out, and his cost is exceptional when considering his current ways. Ryan Howard is more expensive than Duda is today.

Second baseman

At second base today, I suggest you keep it simple. Keep your money in your pocket and spend no more than $3,000. Take a look at who gets the start for the Marlins, as both Ed Lucas and Donovan Solano are under budget. Same goes for Rangers teammates, Rougned Odor and Adam Rosales.

Third baseman

If you’re in need of power, Josh Donaldson ($5,100) is one of the best trade targets from here on out. He hasn’t produced quite like he did during his torrid April and May, but he’s still driving the ball and one of the league leaders in hard hit balls. I like the A’s to hang a crooked number on the Astros today, and Donaldson will lead the way. If you needed to save a bit of cash, than Nolan Arenado ($4,400) is your guy. It’s a weird split, but so far this season Arenado is way better on the road (116 wRC+) than he is at Coors (82 wRC+).

Shortstop

It was only a matter of time before Jed Lowrie ($4,300) got it going offensively.  He has hit .326/.344/.446 over the past month, and will continue to produce counting stats hitting in the middle of the A’s lineup. A stack of Lawrie, Donaldson, and Vogt should play well against Astros lefty Brett Olberholtzer.

Outfielder

I mentioned in the open that I’m betting against Jordan Zimmermann today, so that means my outfield starts with Giancarlo Stanton ($5,400) and Christian Yelich ($4,100). Yelich is playing well of late, and has hit Zimmerman well during their tiny head-to-head sample size. If you want to be aggressive, than Reed Johnson or Marcell Ozuna are likely to be the other Marlins outfielder today, and are worth a look. If you have money to spend still, A’s slugger Yoenis Cespedes ($5,300) would make that A’s stack quite formidable.

Good luck today!

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