The following Spotlight Hitters were selected by Awesemo.com’s Director of Content Josh Engleman. Please check back later for notes/additional picks from Awesemo himself.
Matt Joyce
FD: $2900
DK: $3100
If the A’s have a high implied total (like today, where they rank 2nd on the slate) and Joyce continues to hit at the top of the order, he’s going to make regular appearances as a Spotlight Hitter. He gets a match-up against Miguel Gonzalez and the White Sox tonight. In the past 365 days, Gonzalez has the second worst xFIP among starters who have thrown 100 innings.
Eric Thames
FD: $3300
DK: $4600
Two caveats for this one. First, Thames has to play. He’s day-to-day right now, so keep an eye on his status. Second, this play looks significantly better on FanDuel, where Thames has a bargain price in a line-up with the highest implied total on the slate. There are plenty of options on the Brewers tonight, but getting the lefty/right match-up with Thames is the best allocation of resources.
Francisco Lindor
FD: $4600
DK: $4600
For the DraftKings peeps, I recommend taking a close look at Francisco Lindor. Lindor sports a career .285/.345/.466 line against righties, which is excellent for someone that plays shortstop. He draws a match-up against Jake Odorizzi, who is, AT BEST, a league average starter. Lindor shows up a lot on DraftKings as part of an Indians stack, but I’d be more than OK with rostering him individually if you don’t have a shortstop in your other stack.
Awesemo’s Notes
I agree with Josh that Matt Joyce is in a great spot as the leadoff hitter, and he will be one of my outfielders in cash on both sites at his low price. For shortstop, I think Lindor is a great option in stacks, but Trea Turner is better in cash for a similar price. The Nationals projection of runs is lower than the Indians, but Turner gets an elite number of steals which makes my projection for him higher than Lindor. Thames I have as the top option at 1st base with the high team total and positive platoon matchup, so like Josh, I recommend him in all formats.