MLB Lineups!!!

MLB Picks for Monday

C- Humberto Quintero KC- Quintero is the guy that catches Hochevar, so we don't even need to look at confirmed lineups later in the day (we will though). He's been swinging great to a clip of .286. He is only 3K because he doesn't provide much of anything else. The lineup for the Royals hasn't been too hot with him in it, but against a lefty in Duane Below things might change.

1B- Bryan LaHair CHC- LaHair is one of the hottest hitters in baseball as seen by his .406 batting average. He hits in the middle of that Cubs order, and is facing a righty in Worley today. He has hits in 8 of his last 10 including a 3 hit game yesterday.

2B- Jose Altuve HOU- It's hard to pick against the little guy these days. He's hitting .400 with 17 hits in his last 10 games. That's a great stat for anyone let alone someone that hasn't been in the big leagues for a full season. He's going to be facing RA Dickey, the knuckleballer, but he has been struggling as of late, so we don't like that to slow Altuve down.

3B- Miguel Cabrera DET- Miggy is one of the best hitters in the game, but honestly he hasn't shown that on a consistent basis like he usually does. Tonight he faces one of his favorite pitchers in the MLB. Miggy has a career line of 10 for 20 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs against Hochevar. Those are great numbers and he has been swinging it well as of late with hits in 8 of the last 10 including 4 home runs.

SS- Dee Gordon LAD- Gordon is one of those guys that can completely disrupt a game by getting on base one time. His batting average is low (.229), but he'll be facing Nicasio (3.65 ERA) today, a righty, that doesn't overpower people (10Ks in 12.1 innings).

OF- Josh Reddick OAK- Reddick is facing the struggling Buchholz (8.10 ERA) today IN Boston. That's a very favorable matchup for the lefty who has 7 hits in the last 4 games with 3 being for extra bases. We saw a stat yesterday showing that Fenway Park averages over 3 home runs a game. Could it be destiny?

OF- Michael Bourn ATL- Bourn is STROKING as of late. What's up with little guys hitting so well right now (Altuve and Bourn)? He has 18 hits in the last 10 games, but has only scored 6 runs. That's a low number considering he's been on base 24 times (6 walks) over those 10 games. The Braves are facing McDonald (1.63 ERA), but those numbers are skewed due to only throwing 11 innings as a starter. 

OF- Curtis Granderson NYY- Grandy is one of the hottest fantasy hitters in the game right now. He is averaging 5.12 points in the last two weeks of games. He has found his power stroke hitting 6 home runs in that time period. The best part about today is that he'll remain at home where he peppers the right field fence. He'll be facing Jason Hammel (1.38 ERA), but does anyone really think that'll last?

SP- Nick Blackburn MIN- We took a chance and went with Derek Lowe against the Angels yesterday and it proved to be beneficial to our squad. We like this pick, but not quite to Lowe's level. He's only 5K, so all we are looking for out of him is 2+ points. The Halos are struggling also.

SP- Jeremy Hellickson TB- Hellickson is pitching great this season (3-0 2.84ERA), and is facing an average offense. We have seen the Mariners come alive in the last week or so, but most of their success came off of average pitchers. Hellickson is easily a tier above that for us, and already gives up less than 1 hit per inning pitched (25 innings 21 hits).

RP- Fernando Rodney TB- Rodney should be a part of a low scoring game today as the Rays face King Felix. We think it'll be a pitching oriented game with no more than 6-7 runs scored total. Rodney didn't throw yesterday, so he'll be fresh and ready for the save opportunity.

NBA Picks Monday-Tuesday

G1- C.J. Watson CHI- Watson averaged 14 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in 14 games without Rose this year. Expect him to pick up the slack again with Rose out with a torn ACL. He's going to get a lot more minutes, and with not many "cheaper" plays this is one you almost have to roll with.

G2- Tony Parker SA- Parker had 28 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds last game vs. UTA. Parker also averages 22 points/game vs. UTA, 3 points over his season average. This is one of the better plays as Parker is one of the most rested guys in the league due to how the Spurs used him (and the big 3) during the regular season.

G3- Richard Hamilton CHI- Hamilton had a great game the other day when Rose was playing, and not Rose is out. Look for Rip to have another solid game even if he doesn't have his favorite point guard out on the floor with him. Watson will make due and catch Rip coming off of plenty of screens especially if Turner is trying to guard him.

F1- Luol Deng CHI- Deng scored 17 points and had 6 rebounds last game vs. PHI. With Rose out, Deng should look to score more as he did earlier in the season with Rose out. Watson isn't going to be able to score a whole bunch, so look to Deng and Hamilton.

F2- Kevin Durant OKC- Durant was 10-27 shooting, which needless to say is below average for Durant. Expect him to bounce back and shoot better/score more points next game. Durant also played 44 minutes!

F3- LeBron James MIA- James went off last game with 32 points and didn't even play 4 quarters. If he plays all 4 quarters next game, which is a safe assumption, he could score 40. Furthermore, get his season average in assists and rebounds which he didn't have last game due to not playing the full game.

C1- Joakim Noah CHI- Noah had 12 points and 13 rebounds last game vs. PHI with Rose. With Rose out, that point total should increase. Also, the 76ers have no one that can out rebound Noah. If you watched the last game, you saw Noah drawing fouls going for offensive rebounds. That's a good sign for people picking him.

C2- Tyson Chandler NY- The Knicks got embarrassed! Chandler had 0 points, 0-3 shooting the other day while playing sick. There is no way he, or the Knicks let that happen two games in a row. Expect Chandler to bounce back.

Sunday's MLB Picks

C – Bryan Pena: KC likes using a platoon with Pena and Quintero, and today it looks like they are going with Pena against Minnesota. Pena has been hovering around .300 this year and he faces the struggling Jason Marquis.  Combine that with a value of under 5K, and you have a solid play on a day filled with early games.

1b – Joey Votto: Yes Votto only has 1 homerun, and yes he is batting under .300, but today he faces a triple A call-up (Jordan Lyles) who had a 5.36 ERA last year in 15 starts.

2b – Brandon Phillips: For the exact reason we are starting Votto, we are starting Phillips.  He faces Lyles today and Phillips is 5 for his last 11.

3b – Edwin Encarnacion: Mr. Encarnacion is red hot right now (a homerun in each of his last 2 games with 6 RBIs).  Here at OSF we love hot players so we will continue to play him until he lets us down.

SS – Alex Gonzalez: Today, Gonzalez faces a lefty in Jaime Garcia.  In 2011, Gonzalez hit 35 points better against lefties than against righties.  In addition, Gonzalez is hot as he is 6 for his last 13, and had a homerun last night.

OF - Jay Bruce: Not only is Bruce arguably the hottest hitter in baseball (3 straight games with a homerun, and 7 for 11 during those 3 games), but once again we must state the obvious, he is facing Jordan Lyles today.

OF - Alex Gordon: In Gordon’s last 3 games, he is 7 for 12 with 2 homeruns and 5 RBIs.  To make him even more enticing to play today, he is facing Jason Marquis (7.15 ERA).

OF - Andrew McCutchen: It’s so hard to pass up on a guy like McCutchen when he is under 7K.  We understand he doesn’t have any homeruns, but he does have 5 stolen bases and a .324 batting average.  And, who knows, maybe Tim Hudson will struggle in his 2012 debut today.

U - Mike Moustakas: Hitting right at .300, Moustakas is 10 for his last 22 and faces Marquis today.

U - Emilio Bonifacio: The whole Miami team is struggling offensively, and Bonifacio is no exception, but we have the weirdest hunch that Bonifacio will break out of it today with a 2 for 4 performance and a stolen base.  You heard it here first!

SP - Derek Lowe:  Frank Wren of the Braves has to be shaking his head right now; how in the world could someone who was so bad last year have a 3.00 ERA with a 3-1 record after 4 starts?  Lowe single handedly cost the Braves the playoffs last year.  But this year is a whole different story as he has been very effective in 3 of his 4 starts, and he faces an Angels team who is struggling with their sticks (23^rd in runs scored).

SP: Wade Miley - Who is this guy?  He was used as long relief earlier this season, but he is now a starter for the D-backs.  He is 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA, and in his first start of the season last week he went 6 innings and gave up just 2 hits, 0 runs, and had 7 Ks.  Oh, and we almost forgot to mention he faces one of the worst offenses in the league, the Marlins.

SP: Bartolo Colon – The old man is 3-2 with a 2.62 ERA, and even though he had the loss in his last start, he went 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs.  To make Colon even more enticing, he faces the Orioles who are in the bottom half of the league in almost every offensive category.

RP: Mariano Rivera – The Yankees have Sabathia going today, so we expect a low scoring affair against the Tigers with the future HOF pitcher picking up his 5^th save in a 3-2 ballgame.

MLB Lineup Round 2

Feeling cheated by a KC/MIN rainout and lineups not being confirmed until your picks are locked in? Well, we know we are, so we have made a new lineup with weather and lineups confirmed in almost all picks. Worst case scenario, we will be able to see the confirmed MLB lineups before our fantasy teams are locked. Hope this lineup might entice you into joining another league on Draftstreet, Daily Joust, or Draft Day!

NBA Picks Sat-Sun

Today's picks were as hard as any in the NBA this season. With the limited amount of teams comes limited selection. Each team is at least a good team, and there are no easy matchup problems like in the regular season. It also seems like the pricing became more expensive for the playoffs. Because of this, we are not making a team for NBA, and without blowing smoke up your butt can provide about 5-7 picks a day. 


G1- Tony Parker SA- Parker averages 4 more points per game vs. UTA this season that his season average. That coupled with the playoffs and coming off an off day, Parker should have a good game. Parker also averages 4 more points per game in wins this season, which the Spurs are projected to do... win.

G2- Joe Johnson ATL- Johnson is the only player on the Hawks who has had good games vs. the Celtics this year. He averages 4 more points per game than his season average and 1 more rebound.

F1- Carmelo Anthony NYK- We think Melo is going to try and take over this series offensively for the Knicks. Even though Amar'e is back, we don't think his production Melo's production is going to down much if at all. He is going to cost you some money at 18.7K, but he is averaging 28 points and 7 rebounds in the last 7 games.

F2- Dirk Nowtizki DAL- Nowitzki rose from star to superstar status last season at this time. He took over the 2011 NBA playoffs and lead his team to the championship. We don't think he can elevate his team to the NBA Finals again, but we do think he is going to try and win every game for the Mavs. The OKC vs DAL showdown should be a higher scoring affair too.

F3- Matt Barnes LAL- Barnes is going to continue to get solid playing time over the next 7 games while World Peace is suspended. In his last 6 games, he is averaging over 26 fantasy points which is great for his 12K cost. We wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't consistently put up these numbers considering Kobe is going to take his fair share of shots though.

C1- Al Jefferson UTA- Jefferson averages his standard season average vs. the Spurs. However, Jefferson has been the largest benefactor of off days in the NBA this season. That coupled with the fact that it's the playoffs, and Jefferson should have a great night.

MLB Picks for Saturday

C- Bryan Pena KC- We have used Royals catchers a bunch this season, and today is no different. Pena is a switch hitter facing the veteran Jason Marquis. Marquis got roughed up a bit in his last start against the Yankees, but was able to tough it out and make it 6.1 innings. We love this matchup for the Royals against the Twins.

1B- Joey Votto CIN- Votto has hits in his last 3 games with RBI in 2 of the last 3. We would like to see more power out of him and hopefully the guys around him and start to swing it better too. Votto's value goes down greatly if he isn't put in RBI situation. Harrell is a good matchup for Votto and Jay Bruce today.

2B- Dan Uggla ATL- Uggla has hit lefties well this season and is facing Bedard today. With McCann out, we still like Uggla to get into RBI situations often. He has hits in 8 of his last 10 including 3 home runs and a double.

3B- Edwin Encarnacion TOR- Encarnacion has surprised everyone this season and has been not only productive, but healthy this whole time. He hit a home run and a double last night, and we like him to stay hot against Kevin Millwood (7.04ERA).

SS- Starlin Castro CHC- Castro is hitting .342 with 10 RBI, 9 runs, and 8 stolen bases. The only thing Castro doesn't do is hit bombs. No complaints here though as he goes against the righty Joe Blanton (4.34ERA).

OF- Alex Gordon KC- Gordon has been one of the hottest hitters in the last few games. He has 7 hits in the last 3 games including 2 home runs and a double. Throw in a stolen base and 3 walks and you're thinking wow only 7.5K?

OF- Jason Kubel ARI- Kubel has raised his batting average .126 points in the last 10 games! Simply amazing considering he is hitting .333 now. He is coming off a night in which he went 4-4, and in the last 10 games he has 16 hits. He is facing the righty in Sanchez (2.79ERA), but we like this matchup considering how the Diamondbacks are playing as of late.

DH- Billy Butler KC- Butler is hitting .309 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI this season. He might be facing a righty today, but it's Jason Marquis. Butler has been one of the best and most consistent hitters for the Royals this season, and we think it continues today off of the subpar Marquis.

SP- Tyson Ross OAK- Ross has pitched great so far this season. He will be home facing an Orioles team that is an average offensive club. Ross, the righty, will have good matchups against Jones and Reimold today.

SP- Randy Wells CHC- Wells is a crafty pitcher with decent experience in the big leagues. The lefty will be facing the bad Phillies offense today. He won't be facing any of their big 3, so there is a better chance the Cubs win (although the Cubs just beat Halladay yesterday). 8.5K is a solid price for a guy that will go 5 innings with a couple of strikeouts and few earned runs.

RP- Santiago Casilla SF- We saw Casilla pitch for the first time two days ago and were amazed. He has very electric stuff and easily struck out the Reds best hitters to end the game. With a better Lincecum than we have seen in the last few starts of his, we like the Giants to win a close one.

MLB Picks for Friday

C – Brain McCann: First of all, McCann is cheaper than David Ross…don’t ask us why that’s the case.  McCann has been struggling lately, but we believe the cleanup hitter for one of the hottest teams in baseball will get back on track tonight against Burnett and the Pirates.  McCann and the Braves had the day off on Thursday, so he should be fresh.

1b – Adrian Gonzalez: The Red Sox 1^st baseman is hot, 5 for his last 8, and faces John Danks tomorrow who is 2-2 with a 5.11 ERA.  We understand Danks is a lefty, but Gonzalez is known for going the other way against lefties, and hit .321 vs. lefties last year.

2b – Dustin Pedroia: Pedroia is facing Danks as well tomorrow, and Pedroia hit a scorching .358 last year vs. lefties.  In addition, Pedroia is hitting .391 in his last 5 games.

3b – Pablo Sandoval: Kung Fu Panda has had at least 1 hit in every game this year.  He is a very consistent player who is batting .329 with 3 bombs, 13 RBIs and 13 runs scored.  He is an automatic play at 7.3K.

SS – Troy Tulowitzki: Tulo is batting .320 over his last 4 games, and he faces a AAA call-up in Chris Schwinden who will take Mike Pelfrey’s spot in the rotation. 

OF – Michael Bourn: In Bourn’s last 8 games, he is 14 for 29 with 2 stolen bases.  He faces RHP A.J. Burnett today.

OF – Andrew McCutchen: In his last 7 games, McCutchen is 11 for 33, but he is still homerless.  At under 6.5K, plug him into your lineup because our crystal ball says he hits homerun #1 today vs. Tommy Hanson.

OF – Jay Bruce: Bruce is hot which includes a 3 for 4 performance with a homerun.  The batting average is beginning to soar upwards as he is 10 for his last 24.

U – Mike Moustakas: After a dismal start, Moustakas is now batting .290 for the struggling Royals, and is 9 for his last 18.  5.5K?...yes go ahead and start him today against Carl Pavano.

U – David Freese: The 2011 World Series MVP winner has started this year hot.  He is batting .339 with 4 homeruns and 18 RBIs, and Wednesday he had a homerun with 3 RBIs vs. the Cubs.

SP – Jake Arrieta: As the OSF team is watching Moneyball right now, we do feel bad for picking a pitcher against the A’s today.  But Oakland is awful this year offensively as they are almost dead last in every offensive team category.  Yes, Arrieta has been average with a 4.01 ERA, but the A’s offense is ridiculously bad.

SP – Eric Hacker: Hacker will make his first start of the year for the Giants after being called up.  He is 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA in AAA, and he faces the Padres who are almost as bad as the A’s offense (29^th in batting average, 25^th in runs scored).

SP – Ross Detwiler: In 3 starts this year, Detwiler is 3-0 with a .56 ERA and a sub 1.00 whip.  Yes, the Dodgers have one of the top 10 offenses in the MLB (and Matt Kemp is on fire), but we couldn’t resist playing a pitcher who has a sub 1.00 ERA and under 10K.

RP – Craig Kimbrel: Kimbrel is 7 for 7 in save opportunities so far this season, and the Braves have been one of the hottest teams in the MLB.  The Braves had the day off yesterday giving Kimbrel the night off.  We believe the Braves will continue this run and squeak out a victory today vs. the Pirates with Kimbrel picking up save number 8.

NBA Recap From Yesterday

Daily Joust Freeroll!!!!!!!!!

We have partnered with DailyJoust.com to give our users an opportunity to compete in Daily Fantasy games this baseball season and they have a $250 MLB Baseball Freeroll Tournament Friday April 27^th starting at 7pm EST.

Here are the details:

- Create your team with a 1 million dollar salary cap:  C, 1B/DH, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, SP.

- It's **FREE to enter and there are $250 in prizes up for grabs

Follow these 2 steps to play Friday:

1. CLICK HERE to register at DailyJoust and make your selections for the contes.

2.  Watch the live scoring on DailyJoust to see how your team stacks up against the competition.

MLB Picks for Thursday

C- Tyler Flowers CWS- For now there is only one lineup posted (Mets-Thole), and we don't like that pick just yet. So, we have gone with Flowers thinking there is no way Pierzynski has to catch today with the extra inning affair he had to deal with yesterday. He is facing Doubront (an SP we like), but we also don't think he'll give up zero hits.

1B- Adam LaRoche WAS- LaRoche is hitting over .300 on the year, and is only at 6K. Volquez has some great stuff as a pitcher, but it also has led to control problems. We like him to walk 2 guys, and hopefully it'll be the guys in front of LaRoche, so he can drive them in.

2B- Dustin Ackley SEA- Ackley has been swinging the stick very well against the Tigers the last two games. We like him to hit 2nd today for the Mariners, and he is facing Porcello. Porcello didn't even make it to the second inning against the Rangers giving up 10 hits and 8 runs. Even if he's pitching a lot better then that we still like Ackley against the righty sinker baller.

3B- David Wright NYM- Wright rewarded us with a home run yesterday as we liked him against Buerhle. He is under 7K in price considering he is hitting over .350 with 10RBI and is a guarantee to be in the middle of the Mets lineup.

SS- Mike Aviles BOS- One of the things we look at the most when it comes to taking hitters is how hot they are as of late. Aviles is up there at the top right now. We know he is facing Humber today, but the matchup doesn't scare us. We actually have 3 Red Sox players on our team tonight. They are swinging it very well and we expect it to keep up today.

OF- Alex Gordon KC- Gordon has been under performing this season and he showed signs of last year's version of Gordon with the home run. He has a good matchup going against the righty in Tomlin (4.86ERA).

OF- Luke Scott TB- Scott is a righty killer and is facing Williams (7.71ERA) for the Angels. He's hitting to the line of .298 with 4 home runs and 15 RBI. He has hits in 5 of the last 6 games and we like him to continue this hotness against Williams. 

OF- Marlon Byrd BOS- Byrd was recently traded to the Red Sox, and his price is only 3K. We aren't sure exactly how often Byrd is going to be used, but if he is in the lineup today then we love this play. He is facing a righty today, so there is a slight chance Byrd won't be used, but we'll keep you updated. 

SP- Felix Doubront BOS- Doubront is averaging over 1 K per inning and is facing a dismal offense in the White Sox. Boston should definitely get the win here even if they are facing Mr. Perfect (Humber). His ERA is 3.94 this season which isn't the greatest, but we like it for the 8K price.

SP- Edwin Jackson WAS- Jackson is a part of a pitching staff that has under a 2ERA from the rotation. Jackson is the one dark spot, but we don't see it being like this anymore. He has a very favorable matchup today pitching in San Diego against an average offense. Like Doubront he also Ks up more than 1 guy an inning.

RP- Sean Marshall CIN- Marshall is a tough choice today because of the lack of closer options. We like the Reds to win today, and we also think it'll be a close game like yesterday. He did throw yesterday against the Giants, but he had 2 days off before that so we don't see any hesitation to not throw him back-to-back days.

NBA Picks Thursday

G- Jodie Meeks PHI- Meeks played 40 minutes, had 19 shots, 27 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds, needless to say, all above his season average. Andre, Brand, and Williams have all been announced as "resting" last night and tonight so expect more of the same.

G- Evan Turner PHI- For the same reasons as Meeks, we like Turner tonight. These nights when you don't know exactly who is going to be playing what minutes you kind of have to role the dice, and we rolled it for 278 last night so we aren't changing anything for tonight. Turner had 41 minutes, 29 points, 29 shots, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists... all over his season average.

F- Ryan Anderson ORL- Anderson had a huge night last night. 24 points and 13 rebounds and 15 shots. Anderson is also averaging 21 and 10 over his last 5 games and we expect him to play the entire game which will become a factor for some players on some teams.

C- Greg Monroe DET- Monroe is coming off of 2 off days and he has played well vs. the full 76ers lineup throughout the season, not to mention their depleted lineup of backups who will be playing tonight.  Monroe is averaging 14 rebounds in his last two games.

C- Tyson Chandler NY- Chandler is having a great year and CHA gives up huge points and rebounds to opposing centers. Expect more of the same tonight. Especially with the possibility of them resting Melo and Amare and the fact Melo and Amare are both inconsistent. Need to stay around twitter to see updates on whether his minutes will be effected tonight.

U- John Wall WAS- Wall went off last night. 21 points, 13 assists, and 7 rebounds. Expect more of the same tonight vs. a Miami team who is resting their stars and could honestly care less about the game.

*Demarcus Cousins SAC- Cousins has been a beast in his last 2 games putting up 32/7 and 29/10. We expect a full compliment of minutes and another great performance as Pau Gasol is likely out tonight and it'll be an even thinner team for the Lakers tonight.

Daily Joust Freeroll!

We have partnered with DailyJoust.com to give our users an opportunity to compete in Daily Fantasy games this baseball season and they have a $250 MLB Baseball Freeroll Tournament Friday April 27^th starting at 7pm EST.

Here are the details:

- Create your team with a 1 million dollar salary cap:  C, 1B/DH, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, SP.

- It's **FREE to enter and there are $250 in prizes up for grabs

Follow these 2 steps to play Friday:

1.  CLICK HERE to register at DailyJoust and make your selections for the contes.

2.  Watch the live scoring on DailyJoust to see how your team stacks up against the competition.

 

MLB Picks for Wednesday

C- Wilin Rosario COL- Rosario is our pick if you happened to join an early league.  He's only 5K, and he's starting the first game today against the Pirates. He has some decent numbers hitting .261 with a home run. The rookie is also facing a non dominant hand in McDonald (3.45 ERA 6 Ks in 15.2 innings).

1B- Adrian Gonzalez BOS- Gonzalez is 7.6K and is hitting over .300 with 2 HR and 12 RBI.  He is facing the young right handed Hendriks. The Red Sox exploded for double digit runs last night, and we like them to stay hot against this contact pitcher.

2B- Dan Uggla ATL- Uggla seems like a great pick today as he is priced under 7K, and is facing a soft tossing lefty in Lilly. Lilly won't be able to get under the hands of Uggla today which is one of his soft spots. Lilly has pitched very well this season in 12 innings (0.69ERA), but we don't like that to last long as the Braves bats have been a lot better since the beginning of the year.

3B- David Wright NYM- Wright is hitting over .365 this season with 2 home runs and is facing the lefty in Mark Buerhle. Buerhle has been pretty successful this season owning an ERA of 2.66. We like Wright for an extra base hit or two against this contact pitcher (12Ks in 20.1 innings).

SS- Clint Barmes PIT- We are unsure how Barmes came out and played like he did last night, but for his 2.6K price today there is no reason to think if he plays he can't get 2 fantasy points today. We have the liberty of seeing the lineup of this game before the league closes, so this is a low risk high reward play here.

OF- Josh Hamilton TEX- Hamilton is one of the best hitters in the game right now (see his 12K price). With the money we saved from using Barmes, we are going with the hottest hitter against Phil Hughes IN Texas. That just sounds so great as a fantasy matchup.

OF-Andre McCutchen PIT- McCutchen just missed a home run yesterday against the Rockies and ended up with a big 2RBI double that was huge for his fantasy status. He is under 7K on Draftstreet, and we love it even with him facing the righty in Nicasio.

OF- Emilio Bonifacio MIA- Bonifacio should fair well today against the knuckleballer in Dickey. We like his singles and speed approach against this kind of pitcher. The knuckleball is also a tough pitch for catchers to throw basestealers out.

SP- Adam Wilk DET- Wilk pitched alright against the Rangers last weekend going 4 innings giving up only 2 earned runs, but also gave up 10 hits with it. We don't see the Mariners matching up like the Rangers did that day. Add into the fact that the Mariners just went above their average in possibly every offensive category last night and we like Wilk even better tonight. Lightning can't strike twice can it?

SP- Trevor Cahill ARI- We are jumping on the Cahill train tonight as he faces the Phillies. We really like how Cahill has thrown this season not to mention he is facing a bad offense tonight. The Phillies can't possibly swing it well two days in a row against this arm.

RP- Francisco Cordero TOR- Cordero is the closer as long as Santos is out (over 4 weeks). We like a close ball game between the O's and Jays tonight with the Jays coming out on top. Cordero is used to closing and should have no problem doing so tonight.


Weather Report:
*CIN vs SF- 60%
*LAD vs ATL- 60%
*SD vs WAS- 50%
*CHC vs STL- 50%

7PM Games:

NBA Picks Wednesday

*Beware of players resting for the playoffs. We would advise you to wait until NBA playoffs to play daily fantasy NBA tonight, but if you must then here are our top picks:

G1- Daequan Cook OKC- Cook scored 19 points, his season high last night in one quarter when the Thunder rested their start players. If they rested the entire fourth quarter last night, they will definitely rest them in the 4th again tonight if not more.

G2- Thabo Sefolosha OKC- Sefolosha scored 11 points last night and recorded 10 rebounds in the only game this year that he played over 40 minutes. With the Thunder resting their stud players, Sefolsha could get a lot more minutes and another possible  double-double.

G3- Jodie Meeks PHI- Meeks played well earlier in the year as a starter which is what he should do tonight as Brand, Iguodala, and Williams are all not playing.

F1- Tim Duncan SA- Duncan averages 23 points and 11 rebounds vs. the Suns this year. 8 points and 2 rebounds over his season average. Duncan is also averaging 19 points/game over his last 5 games. Make sure SAS don't rest their starters or their big 3 before playing Duncan.

F2- Glen Davis ORL- Davis has been a beast in Howards absence. Charlotte is also known for giving up huge points to opposing big men. Howard 20/20, Monroe 25/11, Cousins 29/10 are just a few examples. Davis is also averaging 19 points per game over his last 3.

C1- Marcin Gortat PHO- Gortat is averaging 23 points and 15 rebounds vs. the Spurs this year. With the Suns being eliminated from playoff contention, we aren't sure who else to pick at this point. Have to use money somewhere, and giving Gortat some good minutes seems likely to us.

C2- Spencer Hawes PHI- Hawes should get more minutes with Brand, Iggy, and Williams resting. That means he should easily get a 2.0 value.

MLB Picks for Tuesday

C- Humberto Quintero KC- Quintero is the regular catcher behind the plate when Sanchez is on the mound for the Royals. Making our lineup this early, we like finding this cheap of a catcher (3.7K) this early in the morning. We also like his matchup against Derek Lowe today who has given up a ton of hits this season.

1B- Eric Hosmer KC- Hosmer has hits in 4 straight games and is facing a pitcher he saw just last week (Lowe). Lowe is a guy that gives up plenty of hits, so it was only right to take one of the best hitters on the Royals especially since he has home runs in 2 of his last 3 games.

2B- Kelly Johnson TOR- Johnson is back priced under 7K and is a solid pick tonight versus Tommy Hunter. Johnson hit a home run last night and seems to be more patient as of late (7 walks in last 3 games).

3B- Pablo Sandoval SF- Sandoval came up big for us last night with a home run, and we will reward him today with another day of being on our squad. He is facing Mat Latos (8.22 ERA) today and we are licking our lips over it. As long as he is in the lineup (we'll keep you updated) he should have another great day.

SS- Mike Aviles BOS- Aviles has had a great season so far for the BoSox. He is hitting .291 on the year with hits in 9 of the last 10 games. He is averaging 1.3 hits per games over that period of time which is consistent and almost always ending in positives considering he only has 5 Ks over that time. Blackburn is facing the Sox today and we like a high scoring game out of them.
 
OF- Justin Upton ARI- Upton is 6.3K! This is a must play considering how great of a hitter he has been the last couple of years and how he played last night. Don't be afraid of his injury because if he plays today then he is going to be effective. We fully expect him to play, but will still keep an eye on the lineups just to make sure.

OF- Jordan Schafer HOU- Schafer is one of our favorites as of late. He is a 5.8K leadoff hitter that has a wee bit of pop. He Ks way too much to be an effective leadoff hitter, but against the soft tossing Wolf he can't possibly K right?

OF- Andrew McCutchen PIT- It's only right for us to play McCutchen today considering last night's game got postponed and it's the same matchup today. He is a .351 hitting 6.7K hitter. That's crazy considering he is the best hitter on the Pirates, and not just some fluky hitter right now. His matchup against Moyer is to die for. 

SP- Josh Collmenter ARI- Collmenter is facing the 27th ranked OPS in baseball today in the Phillies. They are well below average in every category offensive compared to the rest of the National League even. We like Collmenter's changeup to be effective against this type of offense.

SP- Max Scherzer DET- Scherzer is facing the 28th ranked OPS in the MLB today. The Mariners offense is more potent than the Phillies (More 2Bs, 3Bs, and HRs), but Scherzer has more potent stuff. He is pitching at home in a pitcher's park, and is in a matchup that favors the Tigers to win.

RP- Henry Rodriguez WAS- Rodriguez has put up some great numbers this season and is 4-4 on saves. Lidge on the other hand has already blown two saves, and was the last one to attempt the save for the Nationals. Rodriguez is fresher and better and should get the save opportunity tonight.

Weather Report:
*No games seem to be in jeopardy of a rain out today.

Random Fact:
*Derek Lowe has 3 strikeouts this season in 18 innings pitched.

NBA Picks Tuesday

Sorry, we forgot to do Roto Grinders lineup yesterday.


G1 Klay Thompson GS- Thompson is averaging 20 points 4 assists and 4 rebounds this year vs. New Orleans. That is 8 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds higher than his season average. Futhermore, he is averaging 23 points per game over his last 5 games. Couple that with the off day on Monday and Thompson should have a great day.

G2- Charles Jenkins GS- Jenkins is averaging 17 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds in his last 3 games. 12 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds over his season average. With all the Golden State injuries Jenkins should have another great game.

G3- Thabo Sefolosha OKC- Admittedly a risky pick. However, with Harden out, he played 41 minutes last game with a season high 10 rebounds vs. the Lakers, a good rebounding team. He is right on the border of a risk pick for our standards but he will be in our lineup vs. a poor SAC defense.

F1- Jason Thompson SAC- Thompson averages 11 points and 8 rebounds vs. OKC this year, both over his season averages. He is averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds over his last 5 games, both over his season average, however those were both with DeMarcus Cousins in the lineup. Cousins is serving a suspension for April 24th. BE CAREFUL... it is being appealed so keep an eye on it. Whether he plays or not, Thompson is still a good pick.

F2- Kevin Durant OKC- We usually try to stay away from the obvious picks but with a short night we had to. He is averaging 32 points and 9 rebounds over his last 5 games and a double-double vs. SAC this year at 28 and 11. Durant had an off day Monday after a long road trip and should be glad to be home.

F3- Jared Dudley PHO- Dudley averages 16 and 6 vs. the Jazz this season 4 points and 2 rebounds over his season averages. He is also averaging 14 points per game over his last 5, 2 points over his season average. Dudley had an off day Monday, and a sub par shooting night in his last game at 33% from the field. Look for him to bounce back tonight.

C1- Jeremey Tyler GS- Who? Exactly what I said until I looked at the numbers. If Cousins was in I wouldn't consider it, but Tyler has averaged a 2.2 fantasy value over his past 5 games, which is better than the rest of the centers who are playing tonight. Jefferson's points are way down vs. PHO and Gortat's rebounds are way down vs. UTA. Cousins isn't playing. Horford, Kaman, ZaZa, Lopez are all hurt and Jordan hasn't had near the success he had since before the Clippers got Kenyon Martin.

C2- Kendrick Perkins OKC- For a lot of the same reasons as Tyler, Perkins is going against a bad defense where his points and rebounds vs. them are higher than his season averages. With no true rebounder for SAC on the floor, Perkins could easily grab 10 boards.

NBA Picks Monday

G- Kemba Walker CHA- Walker has not been shooting the ball very well as of late, however he played well last night scoring 13 points and we expect more of the same tonight with Augustin still listed as questionable. Walker is playing another poor defense in WAS. He is averaging 31 minutes, 12 points, 4 assists, and 5 rebounds over his last 6 games. He averaged 17 points and 7 assists when Augustin was out earlier in the season.

G- Andre Iguodala PHI- Iguodala averages 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists and is pretty consistent with those numbers which is why we rarely pick him. However, he pulls in more rebounds vs. poor rebounding teams, and he has been scoring 17 points/game over his past 5 games.

F- Kevin Seraphin WAS- Seraphin is averaging 16 and 6 over his last 5 games, 9 points and 2 rebounds over his season average. He also averages 5 more points in games the Wizards win, which they more than likely should.

F- Ersan Ilyasova MIL- Ilyasova missed a game with a thigh injury but he is back now. He had 17 points and 17 rebounds last game, and has had a double-double his last two games. Toronto is another below average defense, who has given up big points to opposing forwards so far this season.

C- Spencer Hawes PHI- is averaging 13 points and 9 rebounds this season vs. New Jersey. Hawes is coming off an off day and should have no problem reaching his season average of 9 points and 7 rebounds.

C- Nene WAS- Nene let us down the other day but we are going right back to him after his off day. CHA gives up huge numbers to opposing big men, 20/20 with Dwight Howard, and 25/11 with Greg Monroe.

U- Jrue Holiday PHI- is averaging 16 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, all above his season averages. He is also averaging 17 points per game over his last 5 games. Furthermore, Holiday averages 2 more points per game in games the 76ers win, which they should.

U- John Wall WAS- Wall recorded a double-double on back to back nights points and assists. He almost averages a double-double vs. CHA this year and do to his past two games we predict he will record his third in a row. Also, it’s always nice when a player can throw in defensive points like wall can, averaging 2 steals and block his past 5 games.

Also, Gerald Henderson CHA is averaging 20 points in his last 5 games. He is also going against a poor defense in WAS. He scored only 12 points in his only game vs. WAS this year, but he didn’t get 30 minutes, and it was a huge blowout favoring WAS. Henderson is also averaging 19 shots/game over his last 4 games.

Monday's MLB Picks

Roster

Infield

Pos	Name	Salary
C	David Ross (ATL-C)	$4,827
1B	James Loney (LAD-1B)	$5,823
2B	Dan Uggla (ATL-2B)	$6,354
3B	Pablo Sandoval (SF-3B)	$6,966
SS	Starlin Castro (CHC-SS)	$8,196

Outfield & Utility

Pos	Name	Salary
OF	Ryan Braun (MIL-OF)	$8,333
OF	Andrew McCutc… (PIT-OF)	$7,462
OF	Jordan Schafer (HOU-OF)	$5,798
U	Josh Reddick (OAK-OF)	$5,789
U	Brett Lawrie (TOR-3B)	$7,066

Pitchers

Pos	Name	Salary
SP	Kyle Kendrick (PHI-SP)	$9,065
SP	Bartolo Colon (OAK-SP)	$10,071
RP	Jonathan Pape… (PHI-RP)	$3,214
P	Jaime Garcia (STL-SP)	$11,021

Total Salary $99,985

Over / Under($100k)$15

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C - David Ross: Brian McCann hasn’t had an off day in 4 games, so we believe Ross will draw the start especially since LHP Chris Capuano is pitching.  Ross matches up well vs. the lefty.  Furthermore, Ross is less than 5K making him a must play as he has 4 hits in 8 at bats this year.

1b – James Loney: Loney had the day off yesterday against the lefty Wandy Rodriguez, but had a pinch hit single.  Loney is batting a dismal .200 this year, but is 9 for his last 26 with a homerun on Saturday.  He matches up well against Atlanta’s right handed pitcher Jair Jurrigens (0-1 8.10 ERA).

2b – Dan Uggla: Uggla is a LHP killer and he faces Capuano today.  He has 2 homeruns in his last 5 games, and has a 5 game hitting streak.  In addition, he us 6.3K…a low risk play with a lot of upside.

3b – Brett Lawrie: Today right handed hitting Lawrie faces LHP Bruce Chen.  Lawrie is also very hot (10 for his 32, and has at least 1 hit in 8 of his last 8 games).

SS – Starlin Castro: Riding a 10 game hitting streak, Castro is batting .356 on the young season with 7 stolen bases.  He is also facing a LHP in Jaime Garcia.

OF – Ryan Braun: Finally broke out of a 0-16, Braun hit a homerun and a triple on Saturday.  As long as the former NL MVP is under 9K, we recommend plugging him into your lineup.

OF – Andrew McCutchen: Batting .377 this season, McCutchen has not hit a homerun yet, but has 9 runs scored and 3 stolen bases.  He is facing my grandpa today (LHP Jamie Moyer).  We like the matchup especially since McCutchen is under 7.5K.

OF – Jordan Schafer: Schafer has at least 1 hit in 6 of his last 7 games which include a homerun and 4 RBI yesterday.  He also has added 6 stolen bases this year, and he is under 6K.

U – Josh Reddick: A 3 hole hitter less than 6K is a steal plus Reddick is 10 for his last 30. 

U – Pablo Sandaval: The Kung Fu Panda is valued under 7K after starting the season with a .333 batting average and 2 bombs and 10 RBIs.  Just because he is facing Johan Santana, don’t be afraid to plug him in.

SP – Kyle Kendrick: Kendrick will take the place of the injured Lee today.  Kendrick has only seen action out of the bullpen this year so it is uncertain how many innings he can go, but he faces a Diamondback team that is really stuggling offensively due to all the recent injuries (27^th in batting average).   Jason Kubel leads their team in batting with a .255 batting average.  Ouch.

SP – Bartolo Colon: Yeah Colon is still a pitcher in the MLB, and he is 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA this year.  He has not given up an earned run in his last 2 starts, and he threw 38 straight strikes in his last outing.  He faces the White Sox today who are 21^st in batting average. 

SP – Jaime Garcia: Garcia is 2-0 this season with a 3.06 ERA which includes a win in his last start where he went 7 innings and only let 1 run score.  He faces the Cubs today who are in the bottom third of every team offensive category this year.

RP – Jonathan Papelbon: The Phillies play the Diamondbacks today, and Kendrick is making his 1^st start of the season as he usually makes his appearances out of the bullpen.  Kendrick won’t have the stamina to go more than 5 innings which means the Phils will rely on their bullpen to close out the game.  Look for Papelbon to pick up his 6^th save of the season today as the Phils win in a close one.