Cory Hanley

Chris Durell

Welcome to another TGIF edition of our daily fantasy baseball picks. It is the final Friday of the regular season with just three days remaining until the wildcard playoff games. The divisions all now all wrapped up but still a ton to play for as the weekend winds down. The Mets sit one game up on the Giants as the two hold the two final spots in NL over the Cardinals who sit just one game out. On the AL side of things, it’s the Blue Jays and Orioles tied and holding on to the final two spots with the Tigers just 1.5 games back and the Mariners just two games back. Make sure to double-check lineups before locking teams not in contention as they will be playing some youngsters to prepare for next season. Some tremendous value can be found in these situations. Let’s take a look at a few pitching and stacking options for tonight.

PITCHERS

Madison Bumgarner FD 10700 DK 11700
Opponent – LAD (Hill) Park – @SF
FD – 40.76 DK – 27.18

The Giants still have a ton to play for on the final weekend of the season as they sit just one game ahead of the Cardinals for the final wildcard in the National League. They will send ace Madison Bumgarner to the mound who has put together another fantastic season with 14 wins, a 2.71 ERA and elite 10.09 K/9 rate. He has been up and down lately, but you can expect a top effort tonight with the season on the line. He will face the Dodgers as -120 favorites which seem a bit low considering the Dodgers are locked into their playoff spot and will most likely sit some starters. The game also has a very low 6.0 over/under.

Taijuan Walker FD 7500 DK 8900
Opponent – OAK (Alcantara) Park – @SEA
FD – 30.86 DK – 20.21

Over in the American League wildcard, the Mariners don’t exactly control their destiny two games back with three to play, but all they can do now is win and hope the card spot falls their way. The will be tossing young Taijuan Walker to the mound tonight in a crucial situation. He has been up and down all season but has all the upside in the world as he has shown us with three 11 strikeout efforts this season. The latest coming just two weeks ago as he put up a complete game shutout against the Angels. He will get another great opportunity to shine in his final regular season start against the A’s who have lost nine of their last ten games and rank 27th in wOBA against right-handed pitching.

STACKS

Colorado Rockies vs. Brent Suter (Brewers)
Park – Coors Field

It is the final weekend of regular season baseball and our last chance to get some Rockies in our lineups as they won’t be participating in the post season. It should come as no surprise that they lead all 30 teams in wOBA and Isolate Power at home as Coors Field has historically been the best hitters park in the big leagues. They will look to close out the season strong and get a great matchup tonight as they are -160 favorites and projected to score close to seven runs. They will be going against Brent Suter making his first start since mid-August. He hasn’t allowed a run out of the bullpen in 12 appearances but has just an average K rate and could get exposed facing a strong hitting team more than once through the order.

Elite Options – Nolan Arenado, Carlos Gonzalez, DJ Lemahieu, Charlie Blackmon
Value Options – Nick Hundley, Ryan Raburn

Seattle Mariners vs. Raul Alcantara (Athletics)
Park – Safeco Field

The Mariners are desperate for a win sitting two games back of the AL wildcard and have been doing everything in their power lately. Over the last seven days, they have hit ten home runs and put up a 119 wRC+ with one of the best matchups on the board tonight. The park isn’t great, but they will be facing Alcantara who has been terrible since his call-up in September. In four starts he has allowed five home runs and 5.28 xFIP while striking out less than six batters per nine. The Mariners have been a Top 10 team hitting against right-handed pitching all season with their abundance of left-handed hitters throughout the lineup. Alcantara has also really struggled against right-handed hitters giving up a .462 wOBA and four of his five home runs. This puts Nelson Cruz in elite territory tonight.

Elite Options – Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager
Value Options – Norichika Aoki, Seth Smith, Adam Lind

Chris Durell

In this early week article, I am going to cover a few recaps from some of the prior week’s top matchups in the “What We Learned” section along with some defense vs. position rankings. I will then preview the Thursday night game from a DFS perspective if you just can’t wait until Sunday. Finally, I will have a look at each position and a few players to think about early in the week before giving you my top QB/WR stacks on Thursday/Friday.




What We Learned

This week we are going to start with the Monday Night Football game. It had the highest projected total of the entire week and didn’t disappoint as the two NFC South teams combined for 77 points. The game flow for Atlanta didn’t exactly go as planned if you played Matt Ryan as much as I did (equally as painful as I needed just one more TD pass from him to win in 3 season-long leagues). He completed 20 of 30 passes for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception and continued to look like an elite option. The Falcons took the lead early and ended up running the ball a ton with Devonta Freeman (14 carries for 152 yards) and Tevin Coleman (12 carries for 42 yards & 3 TD). Freeman(5) and Coleman(3) also combined to lead the team in targets. Julio had a rough night catching just one ball on seven looks and appeared not to be 100% healthy. Look for a bounce back game in week four at possibly very low-ownership. On the other side of the ball, the game flow worked in the Saints favor for fantasy purposes as their defense proves to be one of the worst in the league. Brees completed 36 of 54 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns with Coby Fleener and Michael Thomas both receiving 11 targets with Willie Snead out. Both made seven receptions and recorded a touchdown. Mark Ingram looked much better rushing 15 times for 77 yards (5.1 avg) and also had a touchdown vultured by none other than John “Kuuuuuuhn.”

In the Vikings/Panthers game, we learned that it was Jerick McKinnon, not Matt Asiata, who benefited from the Peterson loss as he got 16 carries against the Panthers. He only gained 45 yards, but Carolina is a top-ranked team against the run themselves. We also learned that as long as Sam Bradford is healthy Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph will be very viable fantasy options. Rudolph trails only the Panthers Greg Olsen in targets at the position with 26 on the season and hasn’t received fewer than eight in any game so far. The Panthers struggled all around as Cam Newton was sacked eight times and threw three interceptions. Look for a bounce back against the Falcons on Sunday.

The Packers/Lions game was another high total that didn’t let us down. The Packers offense looked terrific with Eddie Lacy getting on track with 17 carries for 103 yards(6.1 Avg). Aaron Rodgers didn’t have to throw for volume on Sunday with just 205 pass yards, but he did throw for four touchdowns. Jordy Nelson was the beneficiary of two of those end zone strikes as he caught six balls on seven targets for 101 yards. Rodgers was very locked in on Jordy all game as no other receiver got more than three targets. Matt Stafford continued his hot start to the season throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers. He now sits third in passing yards (985), 6th in attempts (120) and Completion% (67.5) while sitting tied for 2nd in touchdowns with seven. He has clearly dialed in with Marvin Jones Jr. who has emerged as the #1 WR in Detroit. He caught six of his eight targets for a whopping 205 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. Jones sits 10th in the NFL in targets (29), 1st in yards (408) and sits with a crazy 22.7 yards per catch average.

There was a lot to be learned in the Bengals/Broncos game this week. Jeremy Hill finally broke out for the Bengals rushing 17 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns. He out carried Bernard 17-5 but it was, as expected, Bernard involved in the passing attack catching all five of his targets. It is going to be a tough pick between them each week and will mostly depend on game flow. AJ Green appeared a bit off Sunday and called himself out for a critical drop late in the game along with a few other missteps. He was still able to catch eight balls on targets for 77 yards but didn’t get in the end zone.

There was also a breakout game for the Broncos on Sunday as Trevor Siemian completed 25 of 35 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns. He helped both of his top receivers have big as well with Emmanuel Sanders catching nine balls on 13 targets for 117 yards and two touchdowns while Demaryius Thomas caught six of seven for 100 yards and a touchdown. The volume in the air could have had something to do with the off day of CJ Anderson who only mustered 37 yards on 14 carries (2.6 Avg). It doesn’t get any easier for CJ this week as the Broncos head to Tampa Bay to face the Bucs who are allowing under 100 yards per game on the ground.

Other Notable Things to Take Away from Last Week

If Rashad Jennings (NYG) does not return this weekend it will be Orleans Darkwa who will get the bulk of the work in the Giants backfield as Shane Vereen is now also out with injury.

Odell Beckham Jr. had his way with Josh Norman for the most part, and caught seven balls on 11 targets for 121 yards. Sterling Shepard continues to hold high value as the Giants #2 catching five of seven targets for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Ezekiel Elliott had a ton of volume on Sunday night with 30 carries while racking up 140 yards on the ground and also caught both his targets for another 20 yards receiving. His day could have been bigger Dak Prescott, Alfred Morris and Lance Dunbar all vultured touchdowns. Look for big things from Zeke moving forward.

In Tennessee we saw DeMarco Murray edge out Derrick Henry 16-10 in carries and 145-45 in yards. Murray also caught all five of his targets for 41 receiving yards. Murray remains the only viable RB option for the Titans in DFS.

Terrelle Pryor was superb for the Browns last week going ⅗ passing for 35 yards, rushing four times for 21 yards and a touchdown and also catching eight of his 14 targets for 144 yards and a touchdown. He can do it all and now sits 7th in the league in targets from a WR.

Jarvis Landry remains as one of only four WR left who has received double-digit targets each week after catching seven of his 12 targets for 120 yards and a touchdown. He is an elite playmaker and should be safe in cash games week in and week out.

In Tampa Bay, it was Mike Evans showing us his floor with another 13 targets and his upside catching 10 of them for 120 yards and a touchdown. He sits 2nd in targets (37) behind Antonio Brown. A sleeper option moving forward for the Bucs could be Adam Humphries who has seen his targets rise each week in the slot and caught nine of 12 this week for 100 yards.

Defense vs. Position Rankings

I have added this section now that we have more than a one-game sample size. I will take a look at some top defenses to target at each position based on their early play and compared to last years ranks. I won’t always list the bottom feeders but rather the teams that make excellent targets going into the next week. Let’s take a look.

Target the Atlanta Falcons
This weeks Matchup – Carolina Panthers

I am starting here for a few reasons. First, the Falcons have been involved in three straight shootouts allowing no less than 28 points in a game. They rank 29th in the league after three weeks allowing a total of 313 passing yards per game and have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to the QB position so far. Their corners have proved viable, but they have still allowed the 13th most FP to WR and 2nd to TE. I will be targeting the Panthers heavy this week after they were run over by the Vikings defense last week. Look for a big bounce-back effort from Cam Newton, Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen.

Target the Green Bay Packers in the Pass Game
This week’s Matchup – BYE

I didn’t mention it in the recap above so I wanted to touch on it here even though the Packers are on a bye this week. The Giants WR core of OBJ, Shepard and Cruz could have a monster game in week five as the Packers have allowed the 5th most passing yards per game (307) through three weeks. Their pair of corners (Sam Shields & Demarious Randall) are two of the worst rated in the league and can be torched at will.

Target the Miami Dolphins & New Orleans Saints in the Run Game

The two worst run defenses through three weeks have been the Dolphins and Saints. The have both allowed over 145 yards on average per game and both face teams with affordable options at RB this week. The Dolphins will face a very confident Jeremy Hill coming off a big game. The game flow should help him as well and he should most likely receive around 15 carries. The Saints will face the Chargers and Melvin Gordon this week. While Gordon didn’t get the yardage against the Colts he did get the volume with 16 carries and did score another touchdown giving him four through the first three weeks.

Thursday Night Football

This week we get a decent Thursday night game from a fantasy perspective. The Dolphins will face the Bengals in Cincinnati with the Bengals coming in as early -7 favorites. Both teams have a 1-2 record, but the Bengals have the clear edge on both offense and defense coming into this matchup. Game flow should dictate which players are going to have big days. After AJ Green called himself out after some key drops Sunday I look for him to get the ball early and often and can easily see a huge bounce back game with 8+ receptions, 100+ yards and a TD. Once the Bengals get ahead I see them turning to the run game and Jeremy Hill could be in for a huge game, especially in the second half. He is priced fairly on FanDuel at $7,000 but is a near must play on DraftKings at just $4,100. On the other side of the ball, I see a ton of value in a Tannehill/Landry stack as the Dolphins should be playing from behind for most of the game. DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills make decent value WR options for the Dolphins as well as Parker who has seen 19 targets in his two games played. While Stills has received 17 over his three games and is the deep threat in the offense.

Week 4SUN/MON Top Games to Target

In this final section, I am going to cover a few games that could be very optimal for daily fantasy. I will be using the Player Lab tool on the website to look specifically at things like Vegas Totals, Opponent Defense rankings, past performances and most of all future projections.

San Diego Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints

As it sits on Tuesday afternoon the Chargers are -3.5 point home favorites with week four’s highest projected total of 43.5 points. Looking at the Player Lab tool on the website this game is one of just three with a Vegas Total of 48 or greater that has a thin spread of -4 or less. This means the game should stay extremely competitive throughout giving a ton of players fantasy value. I will start on the San Diego side where I will have a ton of Melvin Gordon exposure this week as he will once again get the bulk of the carries and gets his best matchup, possibly of the entire season. The Saints have allowed a league-worst 149.3 rushing yards per game. You can also feel safe with Philip Rivers this week as he is once again projected for over 40 pass attempts. His top targets will be Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams. On the other side of the ball, the Vegas projections have the Saints in another very favorable game flow situation. Their defense has been horrific which is forcing Brees to throw a ton (140 attempts in 3 weeks) and resulted in him leading the league in passing yards (1,062) through three weeks. Even with the high-volume passing, he has only thrown one interception this season while tossing eight touchdowns. The matchup is definitely on his side as the Chargers sit 30th in passing yards allowed per game (322) despite having one of the best corners in the game in Jason Verrett. Without Willie Snead on MNF Brees targeted rookie Michael Thomas 11 times, Brandon Coleman eight times and newly acquired Coby Fleener 11 times. I won’t be worried too much about Verrett shutting one WR as the Saints do a good job of moving their receivers around the formation. Another thing to note with the Saints is that the pricing for this week was released before Monday Night Football meaning a TON of value.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

This is a matchup between two teams who had completely opposite results in week three. The Chiefs are coming off a dominating defensive game where they picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick six times (one Pick 6) and caused three fumbles, recovering two of them with one going for a touchdown. The Steelers, however, were on the losing end of a beat down as the Eagles blasted them 34-2 in a game where Big Ben wasn’t exactly spot on. Both teams will be getting back their star RB this week with Le’Veon Bell returning to the Steelers and Jamal Charles returning to the Chiefs. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin suggested Bell will be in for a big workload and is in close to peak physical condition. Charles, on the other hand, is returning from injury and even if he starts could be limited with Spencer Ware doing a stand-up job. The Chiefs are currently six-point underdogs so Jeremy Maclin should see another double-digit target day. He is currently ranked 10th in the league with 29 targets through three weeks. Look for Big Ben to get back on track this week after a dismal effort last week. He is most likely going to be low owned as well. Antonio Brown will once again be an elite option and #1 target monster in the NFL after an 18 target week against the Eagles. He is one just four players who have received double-digit targets each week and leads the entire league with 40 on the year. Sammie Coates is a GPP only play as he doesn’t get the share of targets you would like but has home run upside as a deep threat.

Thanks for reading this week’s article and stay tuned later in the week for my Favorite Stacking options for the weekend.

Chris Durell

Welcome to the last hump-day edition [sad face] of our daily fantasy baseball picks. With just one afternoon game we will focus on the 14-game main slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET tonight.

We are closing in on the end of the 2016 regular season with just five days remaining with many teams still in the hunt for October. Five of the six divisions have been locked up leaving the Red Sox with a magic number of one going into tonight. Between the AL and NL, there are also six teams with a realistic chance of taking one of the two wildcard spots in each league. It’s going to be an exciting race to Sunday evening. Let’s take a look at a few pitching and stacking options for tonight’s slate.

PITCHERS

Cole Hamels FD 9900 DK 10700
Opponent – MIL (Anderson) Park – @TEX
FD – 36.41 DK – 23.94

The pitching is really thin tonight with only two aces on the mound. You will have to make the decision between Jake Arrieta who is at the top in salary on both sites or Cole Hamels. I lean Hamels as he has the slight edge on the projections when looking at PTS/$ value due to the $500 discount on DK and $1,100 discount on FD. Hamels has put together an impressive first full season with the Rangers with a 15-5 record and 3.30 ERA that is backed up by a 3.86 xFIP and elite 9.02 K/9 rate. He had struggled a bit coming down the stretch but rebounded nicely in his last start, limiting the A’s to six hits and zero runs over seven innings while striking out seven batters. The Brewers are a better team against left-handed pitching but have struggled a ton lately ranking 22nd in wRC+ with a 27.5% K rate over the last 14 days.

Jose De Leon FD 7400 DK 8500
Opponent – SD (Perdomo) Park – @SD
FD – 36.3 DK – 23.61

Young prospect Jose De Leon will get the ball tonight for the Dodgers who have wrapped up their playoff spot by winning the NL West. De Leon was called up in September when rosters were expanded after months where many thought he should have already been in the rotation. He dominated at the Triple-A level this season going 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA and high 11.57 K/9 rate. Jose has flashed that upside in his first three starts with the Dodgers striking out 14 batters in 14.2 innings. The issue has been the long ball, but the good news is he gets a matchup in the worst hitters park in the majors tonight. The Padres also rank dead last in wOBA and wRC+ against right-handed pitching. If he can get into the 5th or 6th inning, he should easily be able to crush his value tonight.

STACKS

Detroit Tigers vs. Zach McAllister (Indians)
Park – Comerica Park

One thing I will often do when looking for my stacks for the night is to look at the bottom of the starting pitcher salary on both sites. Tonight it is the same guy, Zach McAllister. Zach has pitched out of the bullpen this season, and while he comes with a high 9.48 K/9 rate, he will be now facing batters more than once if he makes it that far. Mcallister is walking almost four batters per nine with an xFIP(4.53) that is nearly one full run worse than his ERA(3.58). Add to it that he will be facing a Tigers team that has been red-hot, ranking 2nd in wOBA and wRC+ over the last 14 days and McAllister could be in for a long night, (or a short one depending on how you look at it).

Elite Options – Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Upton, Victor Martinez
Secondary Options – Cameron Maybin, J.D. Martinez, James McCann

Boston Red Sox vs. Bryan Mitchell
Park – Yankee Stadium

Who else is at the bottom of the salary list? Bryan Mitchell of the Yankees who is just another guy as the team appears to be prepping for next season already. In his first four starts, Mitchell has struggled with control walking seven batters while only striking our nine in 18 innings. If you are not missing bats at the major league level, you are going to get hard (32.3% hard contact) and post less than ideal numbers (4.50 ERA and 5.26 xFIP). Things don’t get any easier tonight as he will face the #1 offensive team in the league looking to clinch the AL East and home-field advantage through the ALCS.

Elite Options – Mookie Betts, David Ortiz, Xander Bogaerts, Dustin Pedroia
Secondary Options – Hanley Ramirez, Jackie Bradley Jr.

As always, thank you for reading and good luck in the final week of the season!

James Leer

As Tuesday pushes forward, we gather our collective breaths in remembrance of a magical evening with the Marlins. We will remember the Jose chants, the upper deck Dee Gordon shot, and Bour’s first career triple. But, life eases on, and we have a lineup to fill. Here are today’s top candidates.

Max Scherzer FD 11300 DK 14200
Opponent – ARI (Koch) Park – @WSH
FD – 39.07 DK – 26.1

Little can be said that hasn’t already been stated about Max Scherzer. He’s stunningly brilliant and elite in every way. You can’t help but to cheer for him, whether it’s going for YET another no-hitting pitch bid, or attempting to break the strikeout record in a single game. To no one’s surprise, he currently leads all of the majors in strikeouts (267) and WHIP (.929). He leaves more runners on base than any other pitcher in the majors (81.8%). The Diamondbacks, while blowing out the Nationals last night, are left baffled at his deliveries. Expect the Nationals to bounce back, against a team that struggles against righties on the road this year.

STACKS

Chicago Cubs vs. Ryan Vogelsong (Pirates)
Park – PNC Park

The Cubs come into the game having an extremely hot offense as of late. Over the course of the last 14 days they are nearly number 1 in every department. Having a .478 SLG, a .368 wOBA, a .377 OBP, and a 4.8 WAR, not much can stop them on their way to the NL pennant. Coupled with the fact that Ryan Vogelsong struggles against them, the Cubs should have no problem hitting him all over PNC Park. Vogelsong’s career has been on a landslide, struggling versus the long ball this season he has a 1.37 HR/9. His K/9 today is one of the lowest with 6.84.
Chicago has shown a tendency to hit him well this season, with a .533 SLG and a .388 wOBA, you would be hard-pressed to find a better offense in the game today.

James Leer

Slated to pitch today, Marlins ace, Jose Fernandez, left us much too early after a boating accident. A haunting "TBD" on MLB.com appeared early this morning where "Fernandez" once was. The Marlins will have to play their first game since losing their team leader; undoubtedly, there will be a lot of emotion involved. Even on his days off, the always smiling, always jovial, Fernandez, will remain within the hearts, of not just the players, but everyone that loves this game we call baseball.

Let’s proceed the best we can as we play out these last few remaining days of MLB Daily Fantasy.

PITCHER

Kyle Hendricks FD 10100 DK 12000
Opponent – PIT (Kuhl) Park – @PIT
FD – 36.00 DK – 20.1

On a bit of the higher salary spectrum, Kyle Hendricks has a lofty price tag. However, he’s proven that he is certainly worth it. Hendricks comes into today, posting 21 straight starts with three or fewer earned runs, the longest streak in MLB. If that sounds impressive, that’s because it is. He leads the majors with a 2.06 ERA, has a .95 WHIP, and a 29% strikeout rate.

Adam Conley FD 7100 DK 5500
Opponent – NYM (Colon) Park – @MIA
FD – 28.4 DK – 14.10

If you’re looking for value, look no further than Adam Conley. After the aforementioned tragedy, there is little chance of the Marlins losing this game. They will come out on the field with endless vigor and intense passion and get the win in honor of Fernandez. Another important factor, Conley’s numbers versus the Mets have been impressive so far this season, with an allowed wOBA of .242, SLG of .283, and OBP of .258. While he does have control issues at times, he makes up for it in his K/9 rate which is a healthy 8.41.

STACKS

Cleveland Indians vs. Buck Farmer (Tigers)
Park – Comerica Park

The Indians are the top stack target today as they are one game away from clinching the American League Central. Going against young right-hander Buck Farmer, it’s possible that the Indians open up their artillery shells and explode. Farmer, going 5-6 with a 4.32 ERA, has less than mediocre results in AAA ball. Expect a lot of runs from the Indians, as they hit Farmer all over and out of the field. Favorite player targets include: Francisco Lindor, Tyler Naquin, Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Severino (Yankees)
Park – Rogers Centre

The Blue Jays are on a hot streak winning seven games out of heir last ten. During the last seven games, they have an impressive .359 wOBA and .451 SLG. Putting up runs all over the field, this should continue as they chase a Wild Card spot versus fill-in right-hander, Luis Severino.
Severino moves out of the bullpen into a spot-start in place of the injured Masahiro Tanaka. Severino’s numbers versus the BlueJays are what I find most attractive in this spot. With Justin Smoak, Josh Donaldson, Kevin Pillar and Jose Bautista all homering off of him in relief appearances this season, things can go bad very quickly for The Yankees.

Chris Durell

Week two is in the books and by now we should all have taken a deep hard look at was has been crushing it and taking home all the money in tournaments. If you haven’t, here is a breakdown. Stack, stack, stack!!! Not just a QB/WR either. In week one we saw both Milli Makers won with a Brees/Cooks/Snead stack and week two saw all the money taken home with Newton/Benjamin stacks with most having Olsen on those lineups as well. Don’t be afraid to include of your starting QB’s top options when making your lineups.

Let’s dig in and take a look at a few stacks that could be very profitable in week three. As always I like to start my research with the Player Lab found under the NFL tab on the homepage. I will first check off the High Vegas O/U filter (usually 48 or higher depending on the week). Then for QB’s and WR’s I will also check off the Poor Defense vs. Pass filter (usually have it set to a rating of 20th or worse) but early in the season I open it up a bit. This gives me a tremendous start to the projected top stacks for the week. As we all know, though, it doesn’t always work out that way, and this is why it’s so nice to have over 15 different filters to choose from to narrow the field of players down. Game flow is everything in football.

Note – I am not going to be looking at the Monday Night Football game in this stacks article moving forward as it is no longer included on the main slate on either site. I will be adding a stacking option to the early week article which will be geared towards the Monday-Thursday slate of games that is becoming more popular this season.

STACK TARGERTS

Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
QB – Matthew Stafford
Elite WR – Marvin Jones Jr.
Value Options – Golden Tate, Eric Ebron

There are two games with a projected total over 48 on Sunday with the Chargers visiting the Colts and the Lions visiting the Packers. I like the Lions as my top stack for a few reasons. Vegas has them as pretty big dogs(+7.5) even though both teams come in with 1-1 records. I do feel the Packers are the better team, and we should see a nice bounce back effort from A-Rod this week. I lean Stafford who comes in cheaper on both sites and sits inside the top 10 in pass attempts through two weeks with an average yards per attempt that is close to two yards higher. Marvin Jones Jr and Golden Tate have flip-flopped salaries since the start of the season with Jones Jr. now the most expensive option. He has been remarkably consistent and is one of only five wide receivers to get double-digit targets in each of the first two weeks. Tate has been disappointing with just 54 yards, but he been heavily targeted (16) and appears to be playing at less than 100%. He has become a value play and could even come in very low-owned with a lot of people turning to Anquan Boldin after his TD last week. He has the toughest matchup out of the three WR’s as the Packers strongest corner is Quinten Rollins out of the slot. If you want a low-owned TE, this week consider Eric Ebron if he is a full go. He has received 12 targets to start the season including a team-leading three in the end zone. With Ameer Abdullah out of the picture and the Lions expected to be down early Stafford could end up attempting well over 40 passes this week.

San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts
QB – Philip Rivers
Elite WR – Travis Benjamin
Value Options – Tyrell Williams, Antonio Gates, Melvin Gordon

Sticking with the same filters the other team stack that stands to me is Philip Rivers and Company. Much like the Lions stack I favor the underdog on the road as they will most likely be down in the second half and forced to throw the ball. Once again, game flow is king when nailing these stacks. I feel the Chargers could be an elite tournament stack due to ownership as the team lost Danny Woodhead and Keenan Allen for the season. Philip Rivers is also coming off a game where he only attempted 24 passes due to the run-heavy game flow but still completed 4 TD passes. Expect the yardage total to rise this week. Travis Benjamin has quickly become Rivers favorite target, and he has stepped up in a big way catching 13 balls on 14 targets for 147 yards and two touchdowns. His price is still sitting at a very affordable price and could take a big jump after Sunday’s game. From a value perspective, you should also consider Tyrell Williams who has accumulated 132 and a touchdown in the first two weeks. Gates missed practice on Thursday and if he doesn’t play it only increases the value of stacking both Williams and Benjamin. It will also increase their ownership. If he plays, he is a touchdown dependant value TE that could be combined with either of the WR options.

Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns
QB – Ryan Tannehill
Elite WR Options – Jarvis Landry
Value Options – DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills

The overall Vegas total is very low, but that is mainly due to the projection for the Browns offense which is now running Cody Kessler at QB with Clipboard Jesus backing him up. We will get to the Dolphins defense in the next segment. For the offense, the Dolphins are projected to score the 3rd most (26.25) points of any team on Sunday which automatically puts them in consideration as a top stack. He is coming off an impressive effort against the Patriots last week completing 32 passes on 45 attempts for 387 yards. While he most likely won’t see 45+ attempts this week, 40 isn’t out of the question as the run game lost Arian Foster and will be relying on the inexperienced Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake. Joe Haden is the Browns top corner and one of the top corners in the league and plays from the left side of the defense where he will most likely face DeVante Parker most of the day. This sets up nicely for Jarvis Landry who is one of five players to receive double-digit targets through the first two weeks with ten likely being the floor this week. If it’s value you are looking for you can always take a shot with Kenny Stills who operates as the deep ball threat but only sees around five targets per game. Very boom or bust low-owned option.

Defense/Running Back Stack of the Week

Miami Dolphins Defense vs. Cleveland Browns
RB Option – Kenyan Drake

I am adding this to the weekly stacks article as Running Backs and Defenses are critical and have feelings too. But seriously, did you see the Vikings Defense in Week One? If a team can score a defensive touchdown and force multiple turnovers, it can make all the difference in just cashing and cashing in big. More times than not I will stack a Defense and Running Back in cash games based on game flow. If a defense is shutting down the opposition that means they are most likely leading in the second half which usually leads to increased carries for the running back. This slow pace is most times not conducive for a lot of points in tournaments but can get a running back a ton of garbage time points.

If you have been living under a rock and not sure which defense to use this week, here ya go! The Dolphins should easily be the chalk and are setup for a giant day against the Browns who are starting rookie Cody Kessler. The choices are limited as RGIII is out for the season and Josh McCown is out for at least a couple of games. It was just a few days ago the Browns brass said of Kessler “He is just not ready to play”. It could be a long day for Kessler and backup Clipboard Jesus. Expect multiple sacks and turnovers giving the Dolphins the highest floor and potential ceiling of any team on Sunday.

Looking at the running back situation for the Dolphins without Foster in the lineup it appears to be a timeshare to start with Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake both getting a chance to prove themselves not just for this game but for the future job. Ajayi was left home in week one due to attitude problems and when he came into the game last week when Foster went down he under performed with just 14 yards on five carries and also lost a fumble. Drake has almost 100% tread on his tires as he never rushed over 100 times in either of his four years in Alabama as he sat behind stars such as Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, TJ Yeldon, Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry. He rushed twice last week for 12 yards and also received two targets in the passing game. I prefer Drake who looks more like the goal line option and could get the TD share. He could also be the lower owned of the two making him viable in GPP’s this week.

Chris Durell

Welcome to another TGIF edition of our daily fantasy baseball picks. Friday brings us one afternoon matchup between the Cardinals and Cubs and a large 14-game slate that kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The pitching is a little thin at the top tonight making it a great night to save on the mound and load up on the bats. Let’s take a look at a few pitchers and stacking options to help you cash in tonight!

PITCHERS

Drew Pomeranz FD 8700 DK 8700
Opponent – TB (Archer) Park – @TB
FD – 36.57 DK – 24.12

Since coming over from the Padres in mid-July, Pomeranz has been down a winding road. He has shown flashes of his double-digit K upside but also has four or more earned runs in four of his 12 starts. Three of those bad games came at home in the most unfriendly pitcher’s park outside of Coors Field. On the road is where Pomeranz excels as he has limited the opposition to two earned runs or less in four of his five road starts with the Red Sox. The good news today is that he is back on the road as he gets a big park upgrade going to Tropicana Field to face the Rays. He met them in Tampa on August 25th allowing seven hits but just two earned runs and a whopping 11 strikeouts. The Red Sox are red hot right now winning eight straight and are starting to run away with the American League East division. Look for the hot streak to continue on Friday making Pomeranz one of the top value plays of the day with an excellent win potential.

James Paxton FD 7300 DK 8400
Opponent – MIN (Gibson) Park – @MIN
FD – 29.16 DK – 19.05

Dipping down even further in the value bin is hard-throwing southpaw James Paxton. He has a fastball that averages 96.9 MPH and throws it 62% of the time generating an above average 11.6% swinging strike rate. He also comes with excellent control and is walking under two batters per nine and sits with a nice 3.61 xFIP for the season. He gets one of the better matchups of any pitcher tonight as the Mariners are -140 favorites facing a Twins team that holds the worst record in the major leagues to this point with just 55 wins under their belt. The Twins have been decent against lefties all year ranking 14th in wOBA, but they are struggling overall lately ranking dead last in almost all offensive categories and striking out at a 27.5% clip. Look for the Paxton and Mariners to come out strong as they try and jump up the standings and into the wildcard hunt.

STACKS

Baltimore Orioles vs. Shelby Miller (Diamondbacks)
Park – Oriole Park at Camden Yards

After getting swept by the Red Sox in their latest four-game series, the Orioles should be angry and come out swinging tonight. They have fallen a half-game out of the second wildcard and sit on the outside looking in at the moment. It will be a welcome site seeing the Diamondbacks come to town with their league worst 5.19 team ERA. The offense has been the least of their worries this season as they have scored the 10th most runs(709) in the majors and rank 3rd in wOBA(.335) and wRC+(107) against right-handed pitching. The O’s are projected for about 5.75 runs tonight, and I would not be surprised to see them go over that total. The elite options for the Orioles are Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis and Manny Machado with value options in Hyun-Soo Kim, Matt Wieters, and Pedro Alvarez.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Gio Gonzalez (Nationals)
Park – PNC Park

The Pirates are another team on the outside looking in at the wildcard with little time to make up ground. They come in as slight favorites(-115) tonight at home against Gio Gonzalez and the Nationals. They could be a sneaky stack that could come in low-owned due to their lower run projection(4.08) tonight. I feel that is low as the Pirates rank 4th in wOBA(.340) and 2nd in wRC+(114) against left-handed pitching, and Gio Gonzalez is nothing more than an average starting pitcher and has struggled mightily lately. Twice in his last two starts he has allowed six earned to the weak hitting Atlanta Braves which raises some red flags. Starling Marte was lifted from last night’s game with back spasms which sucks as he was making long-awaited return. You can roll with Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco and Jung-Ho Kang with confidence if you want some value consider Sean Rodriquez, Francisco Cervelli and David Freese who all hit left-handed pitching with a .400+ wOBA.

James Leer

Welcome to the Thursday edition of MLB Daily Fantasy with a 10-game main slate on tap. As we bring in the official first day of Autumn, that can mean only one thing; post-season baseball is right around the corner. Let’s take a look at the top options for both pitchers and team stack targets.

PITCHERS

Justin Verlander FD 10000 DK 12400
Opponent – MIN (Santana) Park – @MIN
FD – 37.25 DK – 24.79

If you’re looking for the best arm on the slate this evening, look no further than Justin Verlander. Verlander, by our numbers, is the highest projected pitcher on the mound tonight. Coming into the game against a lackluster Twins offense, Detroit is staying motivated by chasing a playoff spot. Verlander is having a bounce-back season after struggling last year with an extremely attractive 9.7 Ks/9, his highest since 2009. While most of his numbers are generally solid, (.281 allowed wOBA, .374 allowed SLG), he is having trouble with the longball this season (1.22 HR/9). However, against the middle-of-the-road Minnesota bats, Verlander should have no problem easing out the Win.

STACK TARGETS

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chase Anderson (Brewers)
Park – Miller Park

With two bad pitchers on the mound, we should have a high-scoring affair at Miller Park tonight. The better choice of the two to stack should be The Pirates. While Pittsburgh doesn’t have a ton of power, they find a multitude of other ways to get on base and create runs. In the last 30 days, they are 2nd in the league with an astounding 10.7 BB%, 5th with a .337 wOBA, and have a .426 SLG. Combine that with the fact that they are up against Chase Anderson and you have a recipe for a Pirates field-day. Anderson, a young right-hander, has the rare displeasure of having worse numbers against righties than lefties. Having a horrific .557 SLG and a .386 wOBA versus Righties, with an overall xFIP of 4.68 I see no reason why the Pirates shouldn’t slide into victory.

Main Stack – Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco, Jordy Mercer, Sean Rodriguez
Sneaky Stack – Andrew McCutchen, Grgory Polanco, Jordy Mercer, Jung-ho Kang

Chris Durell

In this early week article, I am going to cover a few recaps from some of the prior week’s top matchups in the “What We Learned” section along with some defense vs. position rankings. I will then preview the Thursday night game from a DFS perspective if you just can’t wait until Sunday. Finally, I will have a look at each position and a few players to think about early in the week before giving you my top QB/WR stacks on Thursday/Friday.

What We Learned – Week Two NFL

We saw a ton of RB injuries which will make Week 3 interesting when trying to find value. Matt Asiata is a likely candidate as he will get a lot of carries now that Adrian Peterson has officially been ruled out. The Giants lost Rashad Jennings in the second half after he injured his hand. The Giants do expect him to play for Week 3 versus the Redskins but expect Shane Vereen to benefit, especially on DraftKings with full point PPR. Jonathan Stewart suffered a hamstring injury after just five carries which paved the way for Fozzy Whittaker to receive 16 carries and rushed for an even 100 yards. No exact timetable for Stewart’s return.

Other notable injuries from Week Two include:
Danny Woodhead – Out for season
Doug Martin – expected to miss three weeks
Ameer Abdullah – Lions have placed him on IR, which requires him to miss eight weeks
Thomas Rawls – Bruise, should play this week
Arian Foster – Groin issue, expected to be a long shot to play

The highest projected game and potential fantasy gold mine turned out to be a flop between the Giants and Saints. After a 400+ yard/4 TD effort in Week 1 Drew Brees only threw for 263 yards and 1 TD on Sunday while Eli Manning didn’t toss a TD but threw for 368 yards, which is promising. It was Sterling Sheppard not Odell Beckham Jr. going off this week catching all eight of his receptions for 117 yards.

It was also an odd game between the Steelers and Bengals in a match that saw 786 yards of total offense in which Antonio Brown and AJ Green were both held under 40 yards. For the Bengals it was Giovani Bernard benefiting from the Bengals trailing for the majority of the game as he received 11 targets, catching nine of them for 100 yards and a TD. Two of the three Steeler TD’s were caught by Tight Ends Jesse James and Xavier Grimble. Moving on!

The Cardinals bounced back after a Week One loss to the Patriots by dismantling the Buccaneers on Sunday. Carson Palmer was a huge DFS value last week, especially on DraftKings at $6,900, and he didn’t disappoint throwing for 308 yards and 3 TD’s. He once again proved his favorite target is Larry Fitzgeraldwho caught six of his 11 targets for 81 yards and a TD. Next in the pecking order is clearly RB David Johnson who didn’t have the best days rushing(12/45/0) but caught three passes on five targets for 98 yards. On the other side of the ball, Jameis Winston laid an egg after an excellent week one. He threw for just 243 yards and 1 TD with four interceptions on the day. His one TD went to his stud wideout Mike Evans who caught just six of his league leading 17 targets in week two. It was disappointing to see so many drops, but it is very promising seeing him get that many targets.

Defense vs. Position Rankings

I have added this section now that we have more than a one-game sample size. I will take a look at some top defenses to target at each position based on their early play and compared to last years ranks. Let’s take a look.

Quarterback/Wide Receiver
I will group these two positions together as they correlate very closely as most of a QB’s targets will be to his WR’s.

After two weeks the top team to target your QB/WR stacks against is the Oakland Raiders. With promises coming into the season, they have been awful so far allowing 819 passing yards and 7 TD’s with five going to WR’s. They will now travel to Tennessee to face the Titans making a Marcus Mariota/Tajae Sharpe stack very intriguing.

The other big standout team that has ranked poorly vs. QB’s and WR’s is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The have given up just 419 yards through the air but 6 TDs and no interceptions. Wide Receivers have recorded 330 of those yards with five of the six touchdowns. They draw the Ravens this week and the big arm of Joe Flacco and his two top wide receivers, Steve Smith Sr. (15 targets) and Mike Wallace (12 targets).

Running Back

The biggest standout when looking for defenses to target your running backs against is the Indianapolis Colts who have allowed almost ten more fantasy points per game to RB’s than any other team. They have allowed 236 yards on the ground with 3 TD’s, while also giving up 15 receptions on 18 targets for 155 yards and 2 TDs. Melvin Gordon should be on your radar this week for sure.

The other team I will be heavily targeting this week will be the Kansas City Chiefs facing Matt Forte and the Jets. The Chiefs allowed the Chargers duo of Woodhead/Gordon to rush for 146 yards and 2 TDs in week one and allowed the Texans to rush for 97 yards in week two. This week they get Forte who has already seen 52 carries for the Jets, accumulating 196 yards (3.8 yds/carry) and three touchdowns.

Tight End

The top team to target at the position has been the Lions which could be a little skewed after week one saw Dwayne Allen and Jack Doyle catch seven balls for 88 yards and three touchdowns. Things didn’t get much better against the Titans in week two as they allowed Delanie Walker six catches for 83 yards and one touchdown. The Packers don’t offer much in the way of TE targets but if you wanted to stack QB/WR/RB you could always punt with Jared Cook who has received eight targets in the first two weeks.

I will also be heavily targeting the Falcons until they can prove they can stop a TE in the red zone. They allowed the Bucs to score twice (Myers/Sefarian-Jenkins) in week one and then allowed Clive Walford to catch six balls for 50 yards and a touchdown in week two. This week they get a division rival in the Saints on Monday Night Football. Coby Fleener has disappointed so far catching just three balls but has received 12 targets which is Top 10 at the position. The other nice thing about Fleener is the price has dropped and so will
the ownership.

Thursday Night Football

At this point, I have not decided whether I want some exposure to the Texans/Patriots this Thursday. The game currently sits with the Texans slightly favored, as it is still unclear who the Patriots will start at QB with Jimmy Garoppolo who could be cleared to play. However, it is very doubtful. If it is rookie Jacoby Brissett starting, I am tempted to load up on the Texans defense. The Patriots rank in the bottom of the league after two weeks in fantasy points against QB’s and WR’s so stacking Brock Osweiler with DeAndre Hopkins or Will Fuller makes a terrific GPP play this week.

Week 3 SUN/MON Top Games to Target

In this final section, I am going to cover a few games that could be optimal for daily fantasy. I will be using the Player Lab tool on the website to look specifically at things like Vegas Totals, Opponent Defense rankings, past performances and most of all future projections.

Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

I am jumping right through Sunday and into the Monday Night Football game. The game is not available in the Millionaire Makers on either site as usual but presents an excellent opportunity if you play the Sun-Mon slate on FanDuel or Thurs-Mon slate on DraftKings. Looking at defensive rankings over the first two weeks these teams bot rank in the bottom four of total yards allowed with the Saints ranking 21st (903 yards against). This would surely explain the highest Vegas projected total (54) of the week. After two games both Matt Ryan (730 yards/5 TD) and Drew Brees (686 yards/5 TD) sit inside the Top 5 at the QB position and both have elite options to get the ball to week to week. Julio Jones has not been 100% so far this season, but it has hardly shown in the box score as he has recorded a TD in each of the first two games and is coming off his first 100 yard game of the season. He gets an extra day of rest and should be ready to go for MNF.

Mohamed Sanu makes a viable value option and has received 13 targets in his first two games with the Falcons. The running back situation isn’t a complete time-share but Tevin Coleman is going to take some snaps away from Devonta Freeman but not enough for me to consider rostering him. I think if anything the situation keeps Freeman’s price in the value area and his ownership down making him a great GPP option. On the other side of the field, Drew Brees has Brandon Cooks (18 target/13 receptions/211 yards/2 TDs), Willie Snead (17/14/226/2) and rookie Michael Thomas (11/10/114/0) to toss it to while Mark Ingram finds his stride at RB after struggling to open the season.

San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts

On Sunday I will focus a lot of my lineups around the Chargers/Colts game which has the second highest total(52) of the week and has a thin -2.5 spread with the home team coming in as the early favorites. This is another situation of bad defenses facing off as the Colts rank 30th (848 yards allowed), and the Chargers sit 22nd (801 yards allowed). I lean the Colts offense over the Chargers as Andrew Luck is an elite QB. He has bounced back nicely after an injury-shortened season in 2015 and has passed for 582 yards in the first two weeks with five touchdowns and just one interception. Leading the way for the receiving core for Luck is TY Hilton who has received the most targets by a wide receiver not named Mike Evans. Donte Moncrief was the #2 in the system until he left with an injury Sunday. If he is unavailable this Sunday, Hilton will continue to see huge volume and Phillip Dorsett could become the value play of the week at the position. On the other side of the ball, Phillip Rivers and Co. make for an attractive play in cash games or as a part of a stack that won’t cost a ton of salary. The loss of Keenan Allen in week one and Danny Woodhead in week two have opened up big opportunities for Melvin Gordon, Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams while old reliable Antonio Gates makes a tournament play only due to his TD dependent value.

Thanks for reading this week’s article and stay tuned later in the week for my Favorite Stacking options for the weekend. If you have any questions or comments hit me up on Twitter(@jager_bombs9). Cheers!

Chris Durell

Welcome to another Hump-Day edition of our DFS baseball picks. We have a smaller split slate today with three early games highlighted by a terrific matchup for the Rockies at home. The 12 game evening slate kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET and is jam packed with ace pitchers in exceptional spots. Let’s take a glimpse at a few pitching and stacking options for tonight’s action.

PITCHERS

Chris Sale FD 11000 DK 14000
Opponent – PHI (Eickhoff) Park – @PHI
FD – 38.96 DK – 25.72

Sale has, what appears to be, the best matchup of the entire slate which says a lot with so many aces on the mound. He gets a slight park upgrade going to Citizens Bank Park tonight where the White Sox are big -160 favorites against the Phillies who rank 29th in wOBA(.283) and wRC+(73) against left-handed pitching with a 22.7% K rate. They have also been striking out at a ridiculous 29% rate over the last 14 days. Sale has K’d ten or more batters in three of his last five starts and will have a great shot to continue that trend tonight.

Kenta Maeda FD 9000 DK 9300
Opponent – SF (Moore) Park – @LAD
FD – 32.42 DK – 21.35

If you don’t feel comfortable paying elite prices for pitching take a shot with Kenta Maeda tonight who is in a great spot to pick up a win. The Dodgers are heavy -165 favorite at home to the Giants who sit just five games back in the NL West. Maeda has been very consistent lately limiting his opponents to three earned runs or less in 10 straight starts with a 3.21 ERA and 8.52 K/9 rate. Maeda has an appealing floor at a price in the low $9K range and is safe in cash games but may have limited upside for large GPP’s as the Giants K under 20% of the time.

STACKS

Colorado Rockies vs. Luke Weaver (Cardinals)
St. Louis Cardinals vs. German Marquez (Rockies)
Park – Coors Field

This game alone makes it worth playing the three-game early slate or all day slate on Wednesday. Vegas is projecting the total at 12.5 runs right now with the Cardinals coming in as slight -135 favorites. Luke Weaver looked decent in back to back starts before an error derailed his start. The Giants scored six unearned runs off five straight hits before Weaver got the hook in the 3rd inning. In seven starts during his rookie season, he has a satisfactory 2.87 xFIP but has struggled with the long ball, giving up a 17.9% HR/FB rate. Look for Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and DJ Lemahieu to get to him early and often forcing another early exit so they can tee off on the bullpen.

On the other side of the field, the Cardinals get a huge park upgrade once again as they look to sweep the series in style. The Cards rank 4th in wOBA(.331) and 2nd in wRC+(108) against right-handed pitching this season and face off with a pitcher making his first career start. In three relief appearances in September, he has struggled walking four batters in his first 5.1 innings while striking out just three. The Cardinals are one of the few teams you can find stacking value from the leadoff spot all the way through to the seven spot on most nights. They can all contribute power as well as they have shown over the last 14 days where everyone but Jedd Gyorko has homered off the Cards with 20 or more at bats.

Texas Rangers vs. Jered Weaver (Angels)
Park – Globe Life Park in Arlington

Both the Red Sox/Orioles and Angels/Rangers games have high 10 Vegas totals today, but I lean the Rangers for a few reasons. First of all, Globe Life Park in Arlington has been a much better hitter park this season, especially as the year has gone on. The biggest thing that sways me towards the Rangers is the actual team projection. The Rangers are huge -190 home favorites while the Red Sox and Orioles game sits at a pick-em. While you would think the Rangers would be better against southpaws, they have been a bit better against right handed pitching this season ranking 9th in wOBA(.326) and 8th in ISO(.177). Start with the new leadoff man Carlos Gomez then add Ian Desmond, Carlos Beltran, Adrian Beltre to complete the top four of the order then consider value plays in Roughned Odor, Jonathan Lucroy and Nomar Mazara in the bottom half of the lineup.