Checking Back In: DFS Results/Advice

So I promised to check back in on my team in an edit, and I realized that a quicker followup might make more sense. So, here's a stub of an article that will do two things: tell you how badly I did in gambling yesterday and make even more suggestions for those of you deep enough in the hole to follow my advice. So here we go!

HOW DID I DO:

Not great, Bob! My deSclafani pick was beyond miserable, as he walked four guys, struck out one, and pitched not very long. he got me three points, which is grim for a pitcher. Meanwhile Rubby de la Rosa, who I predicted would be a real pushover? He was insanely good, earning 18 points for his owners and basically shutting out all those Padres picks I made. At least I swapped out Will Middlebrooks, who was on the bench. Yuck.

But that leads me to a much shorter list: who worked out. My A-Rod pick was actually pretty good! About 30 percent of the league also owned him, so it's not like I was brilliant here, but I did get a homer out of him, and he would've had two if not for Delmon Young's incredible defense (??????). Paul Goldschmidt also did me proud, earning 9.5 points which made him totally worth the investment cost. And Mike Trout hit a homer, so hey, I'll forgive the other three outs he made.

And in terms of my second-tier picks? Caleb Joseph was a very productive choice for backstop last night, though Yonder Alonso was an absolute pit at first. Moral of the story? Draft guys who are playing in tiny ballparks, but know there's no sure thing.

TONIGHT'S PICKS

So, in lieu of a full write up (I'll do those again I promise, just not tonight), I'm going to identify three really good deals, then give you my full lineup in prep for our next meeting. Hopefully I do a bit better this time.

Matt Harvey

Okay so if you read my preview for this game, I think Harvey is going to eat. And especially in a league setup where there's no real penalty for home runs. If you think the Phillies will muster more than a couple of solo shots against Harvey in a best case scenario, you're nuts. Now, yes, people will own Harvey, and yes, he's expensive (10,600!!) That seems to go against rules one and two of my FanDuel philosophy. That said, sometimes, there's just too good a pick to ignore; yes, the 15 points Harvey gets will be shared by a third of the league, but if you don't have them, you're definitely not staying afloat, are you?

Alternative choices: Trevor Bauer (8100), Nate Karns (6500)

Kris Bryant

He's cheap (3700), which reflects the fairly traditional scoring of FanDuel -- if this were an OBP league, he'd be a monster. But Bryant, drought notwithstanding, is going to hit a homerun someday, and I wouldn't bet against tonight being the night -- he's in Milwaukee, he's against an inconsistent Jimmy Nelson, and he's hit like a million doubles already. It's a nice gamble and probably a few guaranteed points if not a guaranteed jackpot. High ceiling, high floor -- what's not to like?

Alternative choices: Josh Donaldson (3600 -- this was one I nearly went with!), Luis Valbuena (3000)

Marcus Semien

Yeah, I know, gross -- a former White Sox prospect. But Semien has been pretty darn good this season, and he's quietly earning more points per game than flashier options like Starlin Castro, Ian Desmond, and Troy Tulowitzki. And he costs a lot less than those dudes too, at 2900. And you want to bet the dudes at the office playing this in their freetime have heard about the eight hole hitter in Oakland putting things together? Likely no. Great low ownership play here.

Alternative choices: Xander Bogaerts (2600), Alcides Escobar (2400)

Happy hunting!