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 loaded Tuesday slate with every team in play today. Everyone gets to sleep in too, with the first pitch taking place on the east coast at 7:05pm EST. The Midwest is expecting rain today, and it could impact the games in Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. There are some appealing bats in those games, but luckily I’m not targeting any of the probable starters here, and neither should you.

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 Dodgers and the Rockies. We’ll need to watch that rain in Chicago before feeling safe with our Rockies today, but fire away with the Dodgers. Their 111 wRC+ as a team is third in the league when facing right-handed pitching, and they face Aaron Harang tonight, who’s struggled in his career against a few of the Dodger stars. Harang’s 4.34/2.06 FIP/ERA over the past month tells us that he’s doing it with smoke and mirrors again.

Pitchers

We’re not short on pitching options today, that’s for sure. The best play on the board today is Alex Cobb ($8,200). That feels like a discount to me; I would have been willing to pay $9,000 for him today at home. Outside of the silliness that is Clayton Kershaw, no one is pitching better than Tyson Ross ($9,700) right now. He’s priced like an ace, and rightfully so. I like his opponent, Lance Lynn ($9,000) here too. I don’t expect too many runs in San Diego. Steven Strasburg ($9,500) sees his divisional foes from Miami often, so I’m staying away. The Shark, Jeff Samardzija ($8,600) looks like a nice play against the streaky Astros too, but I’d rather save $400 and start Cobb. The highest price on the board is Cole Hamels ($10,700) against the Mets. I’d be more tempted to pay for Hamels but the Mets do fairly well against lefties typically.

Catcher

Remember when you could start Carlos Santana ($5,200) for $3,000? That was fun. Last week’s AL Player of The Week isn’t discounted anymore. Oakland’s trio of catcher-eligible players is appealing today. Watch the lineup but it’s safe to expect Steven Vogt ($3,800) to be in there somewhere. He hit second yesterday, which makes him even more valuable. If he gets the start, a cheaper option could be Brayan Pena ($2,900) in Cincinnati.

First baseman

There are three first baseman, all similarly priced, that make sense today. Who you go with depends on what strategy you employ. I’ll start with Lucas Duda ($4,200) who’s been on a tear of late. His OPS is .975 over the past 10 games, but he faces Cole Hamels, making his less likely to see my lineup despite the hot streak. The next option is Ryan Howard ($4,300). Howard has been platooned more of late, but I’d expect him to start today, with six career home runs in just 18 at-bats against Mets starter Dillon Gee. Lastly is Adrian Gonzalez ($4,300). I plan on using Dodgers later, so Gonzalez would fit that stack, hitting in the middle of the Dodgers lineup.

Second baseman

I did a bad thing yesterday. I started someone that I didn’t mention in my write-up, and he killed it. The thrill of winning is trumped by the guilt of not sharing. I rolled Ryan Goins ($2,400) out yesterday and he gave me a four hit game. His price keeps him on my radar. If I can afford to, I’ll be starting Dee Gordon ($4,500) today in most places. The table setter of my offensive stack is someone I want in the lineup.

Third baseman

I know some DFS players don’t love the batter versus pitcher stats, but I do. Like anything else, it’s a piece of the puzzle and not the end all be all. Yes, the sample sizes are often small, but there’s something to be said for a guy having success against a certain pitcher. That leads me to Adrian Beltre ($4,800) today. He’s seen Brandon McCarthy a bunch in his career, and owns a .389 career average against him. I’m nervous about weather in Detroit, but if it’s clear I like Nick Castellanos ($3,500) a lot. His significantly cheaper than Beltre, and Castellanos is a different player when at home and facing a left-handed pitcher. Watch him all week, he’ll face a lefty in five of his six games this week.

 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.  Ok, I’m cheating. This was my note on Lowrie from yesterday but it still applies. The only thing to note is he wasn’t in the middle, but instead was at the top of the lineup yesterday. Yes, please. If you start Howard at first base, than including his teammate Jimmy Rollins ($4,200) could make sense too. He’s 11-22 when facing Gee in his career. Hanley Ramirez ($4,800) plays in our Dodger stack, and has five career home runs against Harang, but again, watch your funds.

Outfielder

One way or another, I’m starting teammates in the outfield. If it stays dry at Wrigley, I like the Rockies outfielders today. Rockies left-handed hitters have a wRC+ of 123 against right-handed pitchers this season, and that’s good news for Carlos Gonzalez ($5,000), Corey Dickerson (4,800) and Charlie Blackmon ($4,700). If we’re piling on Aaron Harang, then both Matt Kemp ($4,400) and Andre Ethier ($3,500) look good today. Need a dong today? I like Giancarlo Stanton ($5,300) to take Steven Strasburg deep today.

Good luck today!

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