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There are two slates on FantasyDraft tonight – the main slate starts at 7:05 pm eastern and covers 10 games, while the late slate starts at 10:00 pm.
Must Play SP: Clayton Kershaw, LAD ($19,700) vs SF
Even if Kershaw doesn’t look quite as dominant as he once was, he’s still got just a 2.51 ERA in the last month and has a 3.11 FIP on the year. He comes as an awesome value as only the fourth-most expensive pitcher on the slate. The Giants have just a .302 wOBA versus lefties this year, so Kersh will have no issues with them. He’s got a higher floor than any other pitcher going tonight.
Honorable Mention: Luis Severino, NYY ($23,000) vs NYM
Value SP: Andrew Heaney, SD ($16,300) at SD
Heaney is a solid pitcher with a fantastic matchup who should give you great value at this price. His FIP and xFIP sit at 3.86, and he’s got a 3.87 SIERA, so there’s no disparity around the quality of the season he’s had. The Padres have a weak .306 wOBA against southpaws and have the third-highest K-rate at 23.9%. Heaney also gets to face them in one of the best pitcher’s parks in baseball. Expect a big night from him.
Honorable Mention: Sean Reid-Foley, TOR ($8,300) at KC
IF Yonder Alonso, CLE ($8,200) at CIN (RHP Homer Bailey)
Sorry, Homer Bailey, but you weren’t fooling anybody after two good starts – Bailey got rocked by the Mets in his last time out and now has a 6.19 ERA on the year. He’s one of the best pitchers to stack against on tonight’s slate, and I’m loving Alonso at this price. Alonso has 16 homers in 321 plate appearances against righties this year and can easily add to that total against Bailey, who has a 1.91 HR/9. Even if he doesn’t go deep, Alonso should drive in some runs.
Honorable Mention: IF Joey Votto, CIN ($8,500) vs CLE (Clevinger)
OF Daniel Palka, CWS ($8,100) at DET (RHP Artie Lewicki)
Palka has quietly been crushing the ball over the last month, with seven homers and an .893 OPS out of the White Sox cleanup spot. He’s in a nice position batting behind Jose Abreu and has big power potential against Lewicki, who has a 4.76 ERA on the year. Palka will likely go overlooked by others, so you can get his production at a low ownership rate.
Honorable Mention: IF/OF Nicholas Castellanos, DET ($7,600) vs CWS (Lopez)
Value: IF Devon Travis, TOR ($7,600) at KC (RHP Brad Keller)
Travis is by no means a great hitter, but he is batting second in the Blue Jays order and has batted .295 over the last 15 days. That gives him plenty of value at this price against Brad Keller, who has a measly 15.6% K-rate and a 5.73 Deserved Run Average. Toronto should score some runs, so Travis can get involved from the two-hole.
Honorable Mention: OF Marcell Ozuna, STL ($7,200) vs WAS (Milone)
Top Stack: Braves vs Marlins (RHP Merandy Gonzalez)
Merandy Gonzalez is being recalled from double-A to make his first career start after putting up a 4.32 ERA. He’s got a 5.71 ERA in 17 1/3 MLB innings this year and is clearly not a major league caliber starter. Freddie Freeman ($8,600) and Ronald Acuna Jr. ($8,800) are both underpriced elite bats, and I like Ender Inciarte ($8,000) as well.
Honorable Mention: White Sox at Tigers (Lewicki)