Jason Hammel (SP-CHC) - With a 9.1 K/9 and 3.73 ERA, it's been a productive season for Hammel, even if the recent results haven't been up to par. Tuesday against the Pirates, Hammel lasted just 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits with a 5:3 K:BB. That leaves Hammel with a 5.81 ERA in his last 10 starts after he had lowered it to 2.82 back on July 21. . He has raised his K/9 a full point over last year's 8.1 while maintaining a solid BB/9 at 2.2. Though he didn't surrender a home run Tuesday, Hammel still has a 1.2 HR/9 on the year, a mark that has been over 1.1 in each of the last three years and over 1.1 for his career. He's still worth running out there in deeper formats, though in 12-team mixed leagues, he should sit on the bench or the waiver wire for the time being. Hammel's Draft Kings salary this week clocked in at $8,500, but for me to go near him at all this year, it's going to have to drop more in the $6,000 range.
Matt Holliday (OF-STL) - Holliday was activated off the disabled list Tuesday, though he was not in Tuesday's lineup. Holliday will be considered an everyday player the rest of the way according to team officials, but after playing just 63 games this season due to quad issues, we have to wonder how effective he will be. Before his latest DL stint, Holliday was hitting .290/.409/.420, continuing to exhibit the type of plate discipline that has allowed him to post a .370+ OBP in each of the last 10 years including this one. That said, his streak of nine 20+ HR seasons will come to an end given that he's homered just four times all season. Don't expect much power, and you should find him useful. Holliday's Draft Kings salary checks in at $4,000, which is a few hundred more than I'd want to pay right now.
Darin Ruf (1B/OF-PHI) - With Ryan Howard dealing with a knee injury that could keep him out for a while, Ruf stands to benefit most it would seem. Ruf's playing time has been sporadic and he's hit just .240/.288/.389 in 226 PA's, though he at least has some power with his seven home runs. Ruf showed good promise in 2013 when batting .247/.348/.458 with 14 home runs in 293 PA's, but he's now 29 and it's more and more likely that a seat on the bench is going to be his primary role for the rest of his career. Still, if you're in deep leagues looking for cheap, short-term help, Ruf is worth a look. Ruf is even more intriguing in Draft Kings leagues, where if you need a cheap option and the Phillies are facing a lefty, Ruf has destroyed southpaws to the tune of .373/.432/.602 in 83 at-bats this year. Ruf's salary for Wednesday's action against lefty Gio Gonzalez is just $2,100, so I'll probably have him on more than one of my lineups for that one.
Jacob DeGrom (SP-NYM) - The slim chance that DeGrom had at notching an NL Cy Young this year vanished in a span of five innings Tuesday at home against the Marlins. DeGrom surrendered six runs on 10 hits. He didn't walk a batter while fanning five, but it was his second six-run outing in his last five starts, a span in which his ERA has risen from 1.98 to 2.64. DeGrom probably still finishes in the top-five given his ER and impressive 189:36 K:BB in 181 innings. The 27 year-old got a bit of a late start to his career (he's three months older than Clayton Kershaw believe it or not), but he's clearly a top-10 overall starter. Chalk this one up to a bad day at the office.
Tom Koehler (SP-MIA) - I recommended Koehler to a friend for his Draft Kings lineup Tuesday and it paid off, as the Marlins righty outdueled Jacob DeGrom, firing six innings of one-run ball. He allowed five hits and posted a middling 4:4 K:BB, but that's still enough for his third consecutive start, and one in which he lowered his ERA to 3.90 in 29 starts over 170.2 innings. His ratios are mediocre for the most part at a 6.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9, but at home, Koehler clocks in with better ratios and a 2.97 ERA. If you can get him at home against a middling offense, I'd go as high as $7,500 on Koehler in Draft Kings leagues.
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