I didn't play any early games today, not because I didn't have time. Heck, I was in bed sick most of the day. But because I couldn't find any way to put a lineup together on FanDuel or DraftKings that I felt good about (Ok, I did enter a tournament on Victiv).
I couldn't put together a lineup I liked primarily because of Max Scherzer.
And then Max Scherzer goes out and throws a No Hitter.
There was little doubt in my mind that Max Scherzer had the most talent of any of today's pitchers. But the price was so High ($12,600 on DraftKings; $11,500 on FanDuel), that I could not put together a lineup I felt could put up the necessary additional points from my hitters without more luck than I normally have or could reasonably hope for. And he was playing a decent opponent in the Pittsburgh Pirates.
So then I tried to make lineups without Max Scherzer, and there were a few I liked I liked the price on Justin Turner, Adam Lind, Randall Grichuk to name a couple. But this would mean that the teams I was competing against would have Scherzer, while I'm fielding John Lackey and/or Trevor May (On Victiv I played the NY Mets/Noah Syndergaard) When the top tier Pitchers are toeing the rubber, you have to understand they are out there in DFS waiting to crush you if you don't play them. Either pay up or be prepared for the worst. I chickened out.
Now, no one is ever going to predict a no hitter, but today if you didn't have Scherzer, your day was pretty much done. I'll show you a list of the top 5 pitchers from the day's games (not counting the 10pm games) here.
Top 5 Pitchers on Draft Kings
Top 5 Pitchers on FanDuel
You kind of expected the dramatic separation on Draft Kings with the 10 point bonus for a no hitter that site gives (5 for the No-No, 2.5 for the Shutout, 2.5 for the complete game). However, the dropoff from #1 Pitcher to #2 Pitcher was nearly two home runs on each side. I could have gotten lucky and faced someone who started Corey Kluber over Scherzer to save a little money, but I didn't want to risk it. [Interestingly, Jon Lester pole vaults ahead of Jesse Hahn into the number two slot on Draft Kings despite Hahn's Win and extra inning pitched, solely because of the doubling of the reward for K's on Draftkings].
There are many things to try to avoid in Daily Fantasy Baseball, which I call "Landmines." The principle one is the stud pitcher floating out there somewhere waiting to kill you. Whenever Clayton Kershaw or Scherzer or Chris Sale is taking the mound you need to be aware of this fact, especially when you make the decision not to roster them. If someone had the balls to start Chad Bettis against me, I would simply tip my cap to my opponent and hand over my money. If someone beat me with Max Scherzer today that would be on me.
The moral of the story is:
Beware the "Landmines" that exist in DFS: If a stud pitcher is playing today, he must be accounted for in your daily lineup and wagering calculations, whether you roster him or not.
And there's no taking away from what Max Scherzer did today. If Jose Tabata didn't figure out a way to get hit by a pitch, we could have been looking at a perfect game. And Scherzer's Game Score of 100 puts him in elite territory marking one of the top 9-inning outings in pitching history, putting him up there with the likes of Clayton Kershaw and historical players like Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, and, of course, Kerry Wood (remember I'm a Cubs Fan). I was glad I got to enjoy the game rather than be frustrated by it. Sometimes sitting it out is good for you.
I couldn't put together a lineup I liked primarily because of Max Scherzer.
And then Max Scherzer goes out and throws a No Hitter.
There was little doubt in my mind that Max Scherzer had the most talent of any of today's pitchers. But the price was so High ($12,600 on DraftKings; $11,500 on FanDuel), that I could not put together a lineup I felt could put up the necessary additional points from my hitters without more luck than I normally have or could reasonably hope for. And he was playing a decent opponent in the Pittsburgh Pirates.
So then I tried to make lineups without Max Scherzer, and there were a few I liked I liked the price on Justin Turner, Adam Lind, Randall Grichuk to name a couple. But this would mean that the teams I was competing against would have Scherzer, while I'm fielding John Lackey and/or Trevor May (On Victiv I played the NY Mets/Noah Syndergaard) When the top tier Pitchers are toeing the rubber, you have to understand they are out there in DFS waiting to crush you if you don't play them. Either pay up or be prepared for the worst. I chickened out.
Now, no one is ever going to predict a no hitter, but today if you didn't have Scherzer, your day was pretty much done. I'll show you a list of the top 5 pitchers from the day's games (not counting the 10pm games) here.
Top 5 Pitchers on Draft Kings
Top 5 Pitchers on FanDuel
You kind of expected the dramatic separation on Draft Kings with the 10 point bonus for a no hitter that site gives (5 for the No-No, 2.5 for the Shutout, 2.5 for the complete game). However, the dropoff from #1 Pitcher to #2 Pitcher was nearly two home runs on each side. I could have gotten lucky and faced someone who started Corey Kluber over Scherzer to save a little money, but I didn't want to risk it. [Interestingly, Jon Lester pole vaults ahead of Jesse Hahn into the number two slot on Draft Kings despite Hahn's Win and extra inning pitched, solely because of the doubling of the reward for K's on Draftkings].
There are many things to try to avoid in Daily Fantasy Baseball, which I call "Landmines." The principle one is the stud pitcher floating out there somewhere waiting to kill you. Whenever Clayton Kershaw or Scherzer or Chris Sale is taking the mound you need to be aware of this fact, especially when you make the decision not to roster them. If someone had the balls to start Chad Bettis against me, I would simply tip my cap to my opponent and hand over my money. If someone beat me with Max Scherzer today that would be on me.
The moral of the story is:
Beware the "Landmines" that exist in DFS: If a stud pitcher is playing today, he must be accounted for in your daily lineup and wagering calculations, whether you roster him or not.
And there's no taking away from what Max Scherzer did today. If Jose Tabata didn't figure out a way to get hit by a pitch, we could have been looking at a perfect game. And Scherzer's Game Score of 100 puts him in elite territory marking one of the top 9-inning outings in pitching history, putting him up there with the likes of Clayton Kershaw and historical players like Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, and, of course, Kerry Wood (remember I'm a Cubs Fan). I was glad I got to enjoy the game rather than be frustrated by it. Sometimes sitting it out is good for you.
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