FanDuel user “aaronklaw” used a single entry to take down a stacked field and bring home $20,000 in last night’s MLB Monster tournament.
The $300, 555-entry contest was loaded with names familiar in the Daily Fantasy community, including some successful high-volume players, but only 3.2 percent benefited from Johnny Cueto’s 11-strikeout complete game shutout.
That 24-point performance gave Aaron a significant edge over the majority of the field, and his inclusion of little-used Mariners Robinson Cano (7 points, 4.1 percent owned) and Austin Jackson (10.25 points, 5.9 percent) elevated him to the top spot with 58.25 points.
It always requires at least a minor leap of faith to deploy a handful of Mariners in a single entry – especially in offense-sapping Safeco – but given the prices plus the matchup, the choice must have been made a little easier.
Tigers spot starter Kyle Ryan has been pretty awful this year, and after getting shelled for five runs through 2.2 innings Tuesday night, he’ll probably be highly targeted for opposition stacks – assuming he gets another start.
Combine Ryan’s track record (17:14 K:BB, failing to make it to the fifth inning in three straight starts) with bargain bin prices at the top of the Seattle order, and the winning thought process becomes apparent.
Austin Jackson strikes out too much and doesn’t walk enough, but he’s been pretty good against lefties this year (.368 wOBA, .851 OPS) and as long as he’s at the top of the lineup at the minimum price, he makes an intriguing tournament play. Ditto for Cano, who is showing signs of life lately, but who still isn’t back in the good graces of the fantasy community.