The following Spotlight Stacks & Hitters were selected by Awesemo.com’s Director of Content Josh Engleman.
Indians (#1 DraftKings / #1 FanDuel)
- Jose Ramirez
- Francisco Lindor
- Michael Brantley
- Melky Cabrera
This one is easy. The Indians have the second highest implied total of the slate in a matchup with Homer Bailey and the Reds. Cleveland has crushed right handed pitching this year, with a 107 wRC+ and 41% hard contact rate. Depending on your roster construction, you can replace Melky with Yonder Alonso or Jason Kipnis. I have similar amounts of all three guys. Yan Gomes looks good for a catcher. Skip Greg Allen if he’s hitting 8th. There’s no need to use Allen with Melky hitting higher in the lineup.
Diamondbacks (#2 DraftKings / #2 FanDuel)
- A.J. Pollock
- Paul Goldschmidt
- Steven Souza
- Eduardo Escobar
With the highest implied total by a mile, the Diamondbacks are going to be incredibly popular. That popularity won’t change my outlook. If you have the extra cash, feel free to grab David Peralta. It’s a bit easier to make a stack without him, but he still grades out well on both sites. Daniel Descalso is one of the better value plays on FanDuel. You can make a case for Ketel Marte on DraftKings, but he’s a bit of a tough sell on FanDuel. Honestly, I’ll roster just about anyone against Bartolo Colon.
Tigers (#5 DraftKings / #3 FanDuel)
- Nick Castellanos
- Mike Gerber
- Jose Iglesias
- Jeimer Candelario
Get ready everyone. It’s the battle we’ve all been waiting for: Reynaldo Lopez vs. Artie Lewicki. Lopez is currently second worst among qualified starters in xFIP (5.66). Oddly enough, he’s sandwiched in-between his teammates Lucas Giolito and James Shields. If anyone has the ability to make the Tigers bats seem better than they are, it’s Lopez. Let’s be clear, the Tigers offense is dreadful. Only Castellanos projects as more than a league average bat. They have a terrible 74 wRC+ against right handed pitching this season. Most signs point in the opposite direction when it comes to the Tigers. The key to everything, though, is salary. This crappy offense has been a part of 49 wins this season. Weird stuff happens every day in this sport. That’s why rostering guys on the Tigers is a solid play. They’re easily the best value because of how cheap they are.
No one in the Tigers projected lineup has a salary north of $3000 on FanDuel. Only Castellanos and Candelario are higher than $2200. That‘s insane! You can roster any combination of the Tigers along with one of the $10K pitchers and an expensive stack. They unlock everything. Detroit is what I call a conduit to upside. Focus on the top of the order, since everyone is cheap. The bottom of the order is tough to justify when everyone is a bargain.
