Darrin Ruf (1B-PHI) - Ruf had a huge night against the Mets and Jon Niese Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with a home run and six runs driven in. The huge night raised Ruf's disappointing slash to .245/.292/.406. it was his first start since August 27, a game in which he also homered, and with seven long balls in 192 at-bats, the power is certainly there. Ruf entered the game hitting an insane .365/.430/.581 against lefties, so those numbers continued to rise against the southpaw Niese- Ruf is hitting just .150 versus RHP, so this is a huge DFS alert. Use Ruf against all lefties, especially if you can get him for $3,000 or less.
Yohan Flande (SP-COL) - Starting a Colorado pitcher in Roto or DFS leagues is probably not going to work out well except occasionally, but the Rockies' most reliable starter right now perhaps outside of Jorge De La Rosa. Tuesday, Flande allowed two runs over five innings in a no-decision against the Diamondbacks. He walked three and struck out five in lowering his ERA to 4.04. through 55.2 innings, Flande's 37:20 K:BB is far from inspiring, but something has to give with the home runs, of which he's allowed 11. Tuesday, Flande racked up nine GB outs to ZERO FB outs but still allowed a home run. In fact, in his last three starts, he's recorded an impressive 32:10 GB:FB ratio. The grounders should eventually serve him well, making Flande a worthy NL-only streaming option.
Phil Gosselin (2B-ARI) - Gosselin received his second consecutive start at second base on Tuesday, and I must say that there are worst places to hit in a lineup than second ahead of Paul Goldschmidt. After going 0-for-4 Monday, Gosselin proceeded to go 2-for-4 with a double, his first HR of the year, and four RBI against the Rockies. The big day left Gosselin batting .319/.373/.489 in 47 at-bats while leaving us wondering whether Chris Owings is out of a job. Gosselin hit .344 in Triple-A last year, so he has shown some ability to hit for average, and hitting in front of Goldschmidt should allow him to see some good pitches. He won't hit too many HRs or steal a lot of bases, but depending on playing time, he can be an asset in the AVG and Runs categories in deeper leagues. He's priced at just $2,300 in Draft Kings leagues, so if you can get him at that price while confirming that he's indeed starting, Gosselin could be a DFS asset.
Javier Baez (2B-CHC) - Not all prospects can have the immediate impact of a Kris Bryant or Kyle Schwarber, and that was certainly the case with Javier Baez who hit just .169 in 52 games for the Cubs a year ago. He looks to have found his stroke again in the minors, batting .328/.391/.526 with 13 home runs and 18 steals in 74 games. Baez has also cut his Triple-A K% from last year's 30% to 24.3% this season, offering some hope that he can in time hit for a decent BA. Still just 22, Baez has plenty of time to refine his approach at the plate, but his power/speed combination could offer some upside to fantasy owners this year. We'll have to see how it plays out, but for now I'd put money on Baez getting more at-bats than Starlin Castro the rest of the way. If you're thinking of using Baez in Draft Kings leagues (no salary listed yet), make sure he's in the lineup first, but he could provide an excellent return on a salary that's likely to be in the $2,500 range.
Darnell Sweeney (2B-OF-PHI) - The key piece in the Chase Utley deal with the Dodgers, Sweeney is getting an extended trial as the Phillies look towards 2016. The Phillies should have openings in the outfield and at second base (assuming they view Cesar Hernandez as a shortstop), so Sweeney has a golden opportunity to shine this month. Tuesday didn't hurt, as he led off against the Mets and went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and three RBI. Sweeney is now batting a healthy .263/.417/.632 in 19 at-bats with a surprising two home runs. Sweeney this year in Triple-A hit a so-so .271/.332/.409, with nine homers and 32 stolen bases. He walked in 8% of his PA's, a number that we'd like to see improve if he's going to stick in the leadoff spot. Still, if he's getting regular playing time, Sweeney is well worth his $2,000 Draft Kings price tag.
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