Go ahead and roster Carrasco tonight in the pitcher spot and feel really confident about it. Carrasco is against a very underwhelming team tonight in the Angels, who don’t really seem to hit well aside from Trout. However, even Trout racks up the K’s which should mean well for a strikeout pitcher in Carrasco. As a huge favorite to win, expect Carrasco to have 40+ point upside tonight at home.

Contreras was my original pick at catcher but he is not starting. Catcher is slim tonight but I like Martinez’ spot the most tonight against Ian Kennady.

I have no issue spending up for Rizzo tonight at first base. He’s my chalk cash play tonight for the same reason as I mentioned above. Anytime James Shields is pitching, I’m going to target him heavily, especially when it’s against an offensive team like the Cubs.

I’m going with Odor of the Texas Rangers at second tonight. Texas is going to be extremely warm and humid tonight, which is always a good thing on the offensive side of things. Odor packs a punch with his bat (pun intended) and should grab himself an extra base hit or two, while sporting a reasonable price.

Again, I’m targeting James Shields tonight and the middle of that Cubs lineup. Expect tons of production from Bryant. Don’t question it, just plug him in at third.

I’m going with Elvis Andrus at short tonight. For the same reasons as Odor, I like Andrus hitting in a humid ballpark tonight and in the front of that Rangers lineup. Andrus has had a very productive year for the Rangers and has found himself reaching base very often. Aside from the Cubs, the Rangers are my next favorite team to target tonight.

I’m a huge fan of Bradley Zimmer. Zimmer is having a great rookie year and has been a pleasant surprise for this Indians club. Normally, I’m on the Zimmer train since he has been batting lead-off, but mistakenly didn’t go with him last night, which ended up being the difference in winning and losing. Zimmer is coming off of his first career grand slam and couldn’t have anymore confidence. Expect Zimmer to put up another solid night against Nolasco of the Angels.

Zimmer is the only guy that I’m going with outside of the Cubs and Rangers. These two teams are just too chalky to fade in cash games. Schwarber should be batting in the middle of the lineup again (5th or 6th) and should find himself batting with guys on base.

Mazara was one of my out field picks, but taking out Contreras at catcher left me a little bit of salary. I like Bonifacio for his price tonight against Sanchez. Sanchez gives up boat loads of hits and Bonifacio has been on a tear as of late. Expect him to put in work batting second tonight.

Leave comments or message me with questions @fd_guru on twitter! Thanks

We have seen young stars explode like fireworks across Major League Baseball this first half of the 2017 season. July 4th was no exception as we see the trends continue with guys like Aaron Judge and Andrew Benintendi. Don’t be afraid to pay top dollar salary as we’ve seen these guys flourish in the first half of the season.

All Rise-

The Bronx Bombers are as cold as ice but Aaron Judge remains boiling hot as the Yanks lone run off J.A. Happ yesterday came from none other than Judge. His 28th bomb came in the 4th inning off of a low-middle pitch which he pulled to left center. Judge’s display of unbelievable power this first half is nothing short of remarkable and he shows no signs of slowing down. With about a week and a half until the All Star break, Judge is not done and could easily have over 30 dings before the mid summer classic is played. Continue to plug Judge away into your daily fantasy lineups not only as a source of power, but hitting for contact consistently as well (.329 avg).

Benny Biceps-

The Boston Red Sox are on fire, winning 8 of their last 10 games. Attempting to make distance between them and the Yanks in the East. The Sox are not only winning but doing it in style with a lot of help from their young star studded outfield. Yesterday on the 4th, the outfield kicked it into high gear once again and Andrew Benintendi went off. Going 5 for 5 with 6 rbi’s, the 22 year old had 2 ding dongs (11,12) that he blasted into the hot Texas night. His average rose to .288 on the year and we have seen Andrew produce time and time again when plugged into the Boston lineup. Although Farrell loves to put the young stud in the lineup regularly, he sometimes gets the night off against left handed pitchers in favor of the specialist Chris Young.  Don’t be afraid to fire Benny into your lineups and pay top salary for constant fantasy points as he does it all and seems to always find a way on base (.361 OBP).

Stop Sleeping on Jimmy! Jimmy Nelson that is…..

We here at Guru HQ LOVE LOVE LOVE value guys, especially for our GPP tournament lineups. If you are plugging in a tournament lineup or want to get really bold for a cash lineup look no further if you think you found a reliable, consistent value pitcher. Milwaukee’s starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson showed again yesterday that he can be and will be an above average pitcher this season. With a month of June 2.88 ERA, Nelson is doing work and doing it consistently. Although it was against a struggling Baltimore Orioles lineup, Nelson looked great yielding 0 runs over 7 innings pitched with 8 punch outs. In his prior start June 29th against Cincinnati, he yielded 2 runs over 7 innings but was dominant looking while striking out 11 Reds. Nelson is an impressive 7-4 this year with a 3.20 ERA overall and 112 K’s in 104 innings pitched. Jimmy will close out his strong first half with a start against the struggling Yankees on Sunday.

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Pick 1 – 76er’s 

Markelle Fultz, 6’4” Point Guard, Washington

The Sixers drafted the obvious number one in Fultz. Fultz has superstar written all over him with his 6’4” body and extremely athletic ball handling. The 6er’s are developing arguably the most exciting young core in the league. The best surprise here was Dario Saric coming into his own last year and making a big name for himself. However, Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz all have injury history and will always cause concerns for that 6er’s staff. Don’t have high expectations for this upcoming season, as all three big names have yet to play consistent NBA minutes, never mind with each other.

Pick 2 – Lakers

Lonzo Ball, 6’6” Point Guard, UCLA

Like the first pick, this pick was no surprise. The Lakers previously dealt Russell to the Nets which sent everyone the idea that the Lakers were going to go with Ball. Ball plays a very similar game to Russell, but clearly the Lakers feel more confident with the younger Ball and his talents from UCLA. We’ll see if Ball and the Big Baller Brand can make a name in Los Angeles.

Pick 3 – Celtics 

Jayson Tatum, 6’8” Small Forward, Duke

It was a question whether the Celtics were going to use their pick or trade it away for a star. We all kind of knew that the Celtics were going to pick Tatum if they were to use their pick. Tatum is just another young player to add to the plethora of young talent in Boston. His tall 6’8” stature fits well into the Celtics rotation as they have had issues with Forwards in the past. We will see if the Celtics can pull off a trade for Heyward, George, or Griffin in the near future to have Tatum and Brown learn from.

Pick 4 – Suns

Josh Jackson, 6’8” Small Forward, Kansas

Josh Jackson is an incredible talent out of Kansas. The Suns look to have a bright future ahead of them now with Booker, Chriss, and Jackson. Expect the Suns to still have issues winning games for now, as they still need to develop their team. There’s rumors going around that Bledsoe could be dealt away at anytime, meaning more weight on Booker’s shoulders. The Suns staff look to Booker to be their rising star and face of their franchise for the next 10+ years. Jackson should be able to mesh well with this fast moving offense, due to his incredible hustle and athleticism. We will see if Jackson can leave it all on the court and stay out of trouble off the court in Phoenix.

Pick 5 – Kings

De’Aaron Fox, 6’4” Point Guard, Kentucky

The Kings got themselves an excellent passer and scorer with Fox. Fox really shined in Kansas and created great looks for all the players who played alongside him on the court. He has been compared to John Wall’ court presence, but lacks the ability to shoot the long ball, which is a bit concerning in the way the NBA is played today. We Will see if Fox can establish himself as the PG 1 for the King’s future.

Cash Plays

Shabazz Napier ($4,900) – Napier’s price went up after his 42.7 fantasy point outburst on Monday, but he’s still not pricey enough to fade him tonight as he takes on the New Orleans Pelicans. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum will both be out again tonight, opening the door for Napier to see a ton of court time against a weak Pelicans defense. New Orleans has given up the 6^th most fantasy points to shooting guards on the season (50.8 a game), so Napier should be in store for another high scoring fantasy night.

Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot ($5,700) – TLC is another guy who’s price has dramatically increased as of late. It is justified, however, due to the fact that he’s posted at least 23 fantasy points in each of his last 9 games. He’s also been seeing 35-40 minutes of court time during that stretch, which is insane for a guy priced at $5.7k. He’s probably the safest cash game play tonight at shooting guard as he takes on the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. 

Paul George ($9,900) – Paul George was having another great game on Monday before getting ejected in the 4^th for his 2^nd technical foul of the game. He was still able to put up 41.9 FP with the court time he saw, but that number could have easily exceeded 50 had he finished the game out. He should be in store for another great game tonight as the Pacers are still in a must win game, as they are only 1 game ahead of the Bulls and Heat for the 7^th seed. George should take control of tonight’s game against the Hawks, so make sure to plug him into your lineup.

James Johnson ($6,500) – Another guy who’s team is in a must win game tonight is James Johnson of the Miami Heat. The Heat are currently sitting tied with the Bulls for the 8^th seed in the eastern conference. They are going to need all hands on deck tonight in order to come out with a win against the Washington Wizards, and that starts with their power forward James Johnson. Johnson has been a popular cash game pick as of late, as he’s posted 28.9+ fantasy points in each of his last 4 games. That trend should continue tonight as he faces a Wizards defense that has given up the 6^th most fantasy points to power forwards this season (45.7).

DeAndre Jordan ($8,000) – The Clippers are still tied with the Jazz for the 4^th seed as the two teams head into tonight’s games. Doc Rivers most definitely wants home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and all they need to do is win tonight since they already won the season series against Utah 3-1. All of the Clippers stars should see at least 3 full quarters, and if the Kings can find a way to keep the game close they’ll see a full games worth, making them all phenomenal fantasy plays tonight.

Tyler Ulis ($6,400) – Ulis is still priced in the mid-$6k range, all while averaging 35-40 minutes a game. That’s simply too much court time to pass up on. Not to mention, teams this late in the season are likely to rest a lot of their guys, while the Phoenix Suns are doing the exact opposite. They’ve been developing their young guns for the entire 2nd half of the season, and the same will be in store tonight when they take on the Sacramento Kings. Ulis is a safe cash game play tonight that should easily be able to score you 30+, which he’s done in 3 of his last 4 games.

Nicolas Batum ($6,600) – No Kemba Walker means a whole lot more usage for Nic Batum, who has actually been playing really well even with Kemba on the floor. He’s hit 33+ fantasy points in 5 of his last 6 games, and only needs 33 FP to reach value again tonight. He should be a safe lock for 30+ minutes tonight and shoulder a lot of the scoring load for the Hornets offense.

Wilson Chandler ($6,500) – No Gallinari or Barton tonight means there will be a whole lot more opportunities for Chandler to score, much like he did in early March when injuries hit what seemed like just about the whole Nuggets team. He should be pretty owned and therefore a safe cash game play. At $6,500 he needs 32 fantasy points to reach value, which he should easily be able to do against a Mavericks team that has nothing to play for.

Skal Labissiere ($4,500) – Labissiere has been a focal point for the Kings offense as this season winds down, playing back to back games of 27+ fantasy points. Priced at only $4.5k, Fanduel has done very little to match his price to his productivity. He’s a steal tonight as he goes up against the Suns, which is an elite matchup for opposing power forwards. Skal should be able to feast against them on his way to easily reaching value for your lineup.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,600) – KAT is probably the easiest cash game call of the night as he goes up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The T-Wolves are another team that have nothing to play for, but that also means that they are giving their young guys a lot of court time in the hopes of developing them for the future. Obviously KAT doesn’t need to prove anything, but there’s really no reason to sit the 21-year-old superstar. Regardless of his fantasy point outcome, he will be highly owned and is not the guy to pass on tonight in cash games. Make sure to get him into your lineups.

Cash Plays

Jerian Grant ($4,000) – My favorite low-priced point guard of the night is Jerian Grant of the Chicago Bulls. Rajon Rondo is out again for the Bulls matchup with the Orlando Magic, a team giving up the 4^th most fantasy points to point guards over their last 10 games (54.5). Filling in for Rondo over the last 2 games he’s posted 30+ minutes and 35.1 and 28.1 fantasy points, respectively. He’ll have another shot to succeed tonight as the Bulls look to secure the 8^th spot in the East.

J.R. Smith ($3,900) – The Cavs are once again resting what seems like their entire team tonight. LeBron, Kyrie, and Love will all be out, and Tristan Thompson is also likely to sit. I can’t really imagine anyone other than J.R. will really pick up the scoring load, so he’s a great play tonight at under $4k. Cleveland will be going up against a Heat defense that is usually great at containing shooting guards, though they have recently slipped up over their last 5 games, giving up 38.7 fantasy points a game to the position.

Paul George ($9,900) – Paul George has absolutely taken control of the NBA over the last few weeks, posting a minimum of 40.5 and a max of 72.3 fantasy points in his last 5 contests. George and the Pacers are currently in the middle of a playoff push as they hold onto the 7^th seed, though it is only by 1 game. These last 2 games are essentially must wins for them, so you can bet PG13 will try and take control to give Indiana the best chance to win. They’ll be facing the 76ers tonight, a team that has given up the 2^nd most fantasy points to small forwards over their last 5 games (56.8).

Richaun Holmes ($6,100) – Holmes once again finds himself in our cash game plays for his matchup with the Indiana Pacers. With Dario’s minutes restriction Holmes has really taken control of the 76ers frontcourt, posting 27+ fantasy points in 4 of his last 5 games. The same should be in store tonight as he goes up against an Indiana team that gives up 44.4 fantasy points a game to power forwards. Philadelphia definitely doesn’t have anything to play for, so they’re just giving their young guys a lot of run down the stretch. Holmes has been a big beneficiary of this scheme, making him a safe cash game play as this season winds down.

DeAndre Jordan ($8,200) – The Clippers are still fighting with the Jazz for the 4^th seed and home court advantage in the playoffs. Because of this, any Los Angeles player is a great start as Doc Rivers is likely to give them some insane minutes in these crucial games. The Clips will be facing off with a tough Houston Rockets team, so the game should still be highly competitive and the starters should remain in for a majority of the game. Also, Houston is giving up just about the most fantasy points I’ve seen this season to one position over their last 5 games (63.9 to centers.) If that isn’t enough incentive to plug DeAndre into your lineup I don’t know what would be.

GPP Plays

Goran Dragic ($7,900) – With so much value at the point guard position tonight it seems unlikely middle-priced guys like Goran Dragic will have a high own %. This is great news for tournament players as Dragic is priced under $8k and has been seeing a ridiculous amount of minutes as the Heat attempt to hold onto the 8^th seed in the East. He should see minutes in the high 30s once again tonight as Miami faces off with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He needs 39 to reach value, and should easily be able to do that against a defense that is giving up 50.1 fantasy points a game to point guards on the season.

Nicolas Batum ($6,600) – I mentioned in a previous article, but Nic Batum is so underpriced, especially after back to back 41+ fantasy points games, He’s reached his $6,600 price tag 4 times in his last 5 games and is in a great position to do the same tonight against the Bucks. Milwaukee, on average, gives up 40.7 fantasy points a game to shooting guards. Batum should have no issues against them tonight and is a great call in tournament play.

Kevin Durant ($9,900) – Oddly enough, guys Jimmy Butler and Paul George are both priced similarly to Durant for Monday’s slate due to their recent production and Durant’s recent injury. Although their price is up there, these guys are still going to be popular plays as they are right in the middle of playing for playoff positioning. This means Durant is likely to get over looked as the Warriors no longer have anything to play for. KD will be seeing good minutes, though, as Golden State attempts to get him some court time before playoffs start. He doesn’t even need 50 to reach value, though he should easily be able to reach that number as the Jazz are already short-handed with no Gordon Hayward. Durant should be a lower owned star and a great start in GPP play.

Aaron Gordon ($6,300) – Despite one 14 fantasy point dud last week, Gordon has been an elite start at the power forward position, posting 31+ fantasy points in 5 of his last 6 contests. Also, in 2 of those games he posted 50+, with one of them being a monster 58.7 FP effort against the Boston Celtics. In this instance, Gordon displayed insane upside, making him a nice call in tournaments in Orlando’s last 2 games. He’ll be facing a Chicago Bulls team he should be able to rough up, considering they’ve given up the 3^rd most fantasy points to power forwards in their last 5 games (50.9).

Cody Zeller ($5,000) – I hardly ever roll with Cody Zeller in my lineups, but I like him tonight as he goes up against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Hornets are currently 3 games out of the 8^th seed with only 2 games left to play, which, if you need help doing math, means they are out of playoff contention. With nothing left to play for it seems likely the Hornets give the still young Zeller some great court time, with absolutely no pressure to do well. He only needs 25 fantasy points to reach value and will be going up against a Bucks defense that has given up the 11^th most FP to centers on the season.

Cash Plays

Russell Westbrook ($13,500) – Again, it almost doesn’t even need to be said tonight, but between Westbrook and Harden, Russ is the clear cut cash game play as he chases history against the Denver Nuggets. He missed his 42nd triple-double of the season by 2 assists last game, but this game in Denver could be his last really good chance at obtaining the record. He should have another insanely high own % and you’re not going to want to pass on him.

Devin Booker ($8,100) – Booker’s price once again has not moved. I don’t know what else Fanduel wants us to do other than plug this guy into our lineups. He’s scored 33+ fantasy points in 8 straight games and has scored 40+ in 4 of his last 5. The kid is simply shooting too much to pass on him at this price. He’ll be facing a Dallas Mavericks team tonight that has allowed the 7th most fantasy points to shooting guards in their last 5 games.

Andrew Wiggins ($7,700) – Wiggins has absolutely destroyed the lakers in their previous meetings this season, and he gets another chance to do that tonight at the Staples Center. Neither team had anything to play for, so you can count on the young bucks on both sides getting a lot of court time tonight. Wiggins needs 38 to reach value, and he should easily be able to do that against Los Angeles’ weak defense.

Larry Nance Jr. ($4,300) – Nance is another guy who’s price didn’t move, which is surprising considering the hot streak he’s on to finish the season. He’s scored 20+ fantasy points in each of his last 4 games, and that’s all he needs to reach value again tonight. Plug him into you cash game lineup and watch the kid go to work tonight against the Timberwolves.

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,200) – With the season winding down its hard to know whether or not teams are going to try and rest their guys for playoffs. I hate to give you another high-priced cash game guy, but KAT just seems like the safest center tonight for his matchup with the Lakers. As previously noted, the T-Wolves are not a team looking to rest their guys. KAT has an elite matchup tonight against a weak Lakers defense and is definitely a star to at least consider as a safe cash play.

Cash Plays

Russell Westbrook ($13,500) – It almost doesn’t even need to be said, but Westbrook is a clear cut cash game play for tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns. He only needs 1 more triple-double to break Oscar Robertson’s all-time record for a season, so you can bet Westbrook and the rest of his teammates will be aiming for this accomplishment at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns have also given up the 2^nd most fantasy points to point guards over their last 5 games (62.2). If other point guards can do this against Phoneix’s weak backcourt it’s hard to imagine the kind of damage Russ should be able to do. Regardless, he’s the star you’re going to want to reach up for as he chases history and the 2017 MVP award.

Devin Booker ($8,100) – Booker didn’t shoot well from the field on Wednesday (7-24), but he was still able to put up 36.1 fantasy points against the Warriors. It was definitely an outlier kind of game considering Booker definitely shoots better than his performance, but he still threw up the 20+ shots I thought he would. As the season winds down it sees obvious Earl Watson has given Booker the go-ahead to take as many quality shots as he can get, and that will continue to be the trend tonight as the Suns face the Thunder.

Kyle Anderson ($3,600) – With the Spurs resting their main guys tonight there is a whole lot of value from a variety of San Antonio’s bench. However, my favorite play is small forward Kyle Anderson. The last time Kawhi Leonard was out and Anderson got the spot start he put up 33.6 fantasy points in 32 minutes of action. He is likely to see that kind of court time again tonight, so he has the potential for the same kind of production tonight against a tanking Mavericks team at American Airlines Center.

Larry Nance Jr. ($4,300) – Larry Nance Jr. was potentially the start of the night for us on Wednesday when he put up 31.8 fantasy points in 21 minutes of action. He didn’t see the kind of court time we hoped for, but his solid production in the 1^st half was enough for him to easily exceed value. That great game came against a great Spurs defense also, which will not be an issue tonight as he faces the worst defense against power forwards in the Kings. Sacramento is giving up 49.9 FP to power forwards in their last 10 games, which is the most in the league during that stretch. Nance should see a little extra court time tonight and have even more production than he had on Wednesday.

Dwight Howard ($7,500) – There are a few options you can go with at center tonight, but with Paul Millsap out I’m likely to throw Dwight Howard into my cash game lineup. With Millsap out in March Howard really shouldered a lot of responsibility on both ends of the court. With a high intensity game against the Cleveland Cavaliers that is likely to continue tonight. He should easily reach a double-double , and with Tristan Thompson out he should gobble up a plethora of rebounds. Make sure to at least consider him when you’re making your cash game lineup.

GPP Plays

Kyrie Irving ($8,500) – Everyone and their mother will be reaching up for Russell Westbrook tonight, so the next highest priced guy, Kyrie Irving, is unlikely to get any love. Kyrie hasn’t technically reached value since March 19^th against the Lakers, but his price tonight is manageable because of it. A matchup tonight against a fellow Eastern Conference playoff team in the Hawks is also likely to be motivation for the Cavs guys to play well, so I think Kyrie is a great call in GPP play tonight.

David Nwaba ($3,900) – I may be a bit biased to this kid considering he is a fellow Cal Poly kid, but he is really have success for the Lakers as the season winds down. He’s seeing 25-30 minutes a night for Los Angele’s second unit, and he’s making the most out of it. In his last 3 games he’s averaging 10.7 points and 4 rebounds game, which are solid numbers for a guy priced at $3,900. Last Saturday he also showcased his upside, posting 19 points and 6 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. For a guy primarily known for his defense those are some great offensive numbers. A matchup with the Sacramento Kings tonight should definitely be of benefit to him, as they’ve given up the 2^nd most fantasy points to shooting guards on the year (44.2).

Gordon Hayward ($7,800) – I’m generally a no-go on Hayward, but a home matchup tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game they need to win seems like a great time to roll the dice on him. The Jazz are currently a half game up on the Clippers for the 4^th seed and home court advantage in the playoffs, so Hayward and the rest of the Utah Jazz should come out highly motivated to win against a fellow Western Conference team. At $7,800 he needs 39 to reach value, which he most definitely can do against a team that is giving up the 8^th most fantasy points to small forwards in their last 10 games (44.3).

Willie Cauley-Stein ($6,300) – Cauley-Stein has my favorite matchup of the night as he goes up against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. The Lakers are giving up by far the most fantasy points a game to power forwards (48.9). In his last games against the Lakers he was able to put up 20ish fantasy points, but DeMarcus Cousins was also still in Sacramento. With Cousins now gone, Cauley-Stein is the main guy in the Kings frontcourt, and is likely to have a great game tonight against a weak Laker’s defense.

Hassan Whiteside ($8,500) – Hassan Whiteside has now posted 30+ fantasy points in 20 straight games, a remarkable feat for a guy that only needs 42 to reach value from night to night. In 8 of those games he’s put up 40+ FP as well, so he basically reaches value more times than not. He’s fresh off a 13 point/20 rebound effort against the Charlotte Hornets, and has a decent matchup tonight against Jonas Valanciunas and the Toronto Raptors. I see him easily reaching value tonight and obviously has the upside for much more.