Good morning FANation. Did you miss me? Probably not, and I should probably take this time to thank the awesome FantasyAlarm team for covering for me while I spent a long weekend in Cincinnati. I was too busy running the Flying Pig Marathon and watching the Reds blow out the Giants to play much DFS, which in the end is probably a good thing. By the time the All-Star Break rolls around I am almost always ready to put down my DFS research for a few days, so taking a break a month into the season is a good way to rest and recharge. I would never tell anyone not to play DFS, but sometimes it is good to look at things with fresh eyes.

I feel fresh and ready to go Thursday, and it probably doesn’t hurt that there are only 11 games on the docket. While the Optimal Lineups will focus on the main slate, the Playbook and Rankings will include the early games in case you want to indulge in some afternoon DFS.

No team in Thursday’s slate is a heavy Vegas favorite, which makes choosing pitchers for cash games a bit tricky. I’m still going to hunt wins, obviously, but the safest pitchers will be the ones who go deep into games and rack up strikeouts. The eight worst teams in baseball in wOBA all play Thursday, so while there aren’t many stud pitchers to choose from, there are plenty of nice matchups and value plays.

Unless there is some unexpected value once the lineups come out, I think I am either paying up at catcher or punting it. Paying for the top guys shouldn’t be a problem since there isn’t much reason to pay for pitching, but catcher is almost always a good place to save some money, and Thursday is no exception. The other position where you can try to save is the outfield. I have included value options at the other positions, but for the most part, I will pay up in the infield.

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-