**UPDATED: Wednesday 6/24, 4:25 PM**
The general rhetoric of pursuing a hot streak in betting, Daily Fantasy included, is to simply “rinse and repeat”. An easy confidence-in-mantra to lean on when you’re in the thick of it, but as we all know, those waves come to a conclusion and sometimes an abrupt one.
However, what would one suggest upon a streak of the pale opposite? Every bit as easily achieved as one may know, a losing streak is the backhanded delivery of what begins with wishful thinking, that inevitably becomes gut-punchingly exhausting and can result in some heavy doses of downerdom.
How do you right the ship? It’s a question we eventually ask ourselves, but how it’s handled varies drastically.
When it comes to KBO DFS as an exemplary parallel for cross-reference, I found myself scratching my head just this past week or so (not with just KBO either) in terms of wondering why what had worked for me before has certainly not been keeping me afloat now.
The definition of insanity is doing something in repetition and expecting a different result. Well, if you’re anything like me and get caught up with a process that works for you, breaking free from that mold temporarily, permanently, or modifying it going forward can be a bit of an internal struggle.
Without going too far into any one reason, as they will vary by person and scenario, the need for flexibility is evident. Be willing to adapt and grow to the evolving circumstances per sport, along with the field. And ultimately you will find your rhythm once again, so long as you keep track of what you’re changing in your process along with the reasons why.
Hitters
Baek Ho Kang (1B/OF), KT Wiz (vs. NCD)
While the KT Wiz aren’t necessarily hitting on all cylinders, Baek Ho Kang has been a constant for the Wiz, at the same time his fantasy price tag has as well. And while cost doesn’t necessarily prove evident to getting what you pay for, the KT first baseman has the numbers to certainly back it up.
Baek Ho Kang is fifth overall in home runs in the KBO with 10, fourth overall in wRC+ at a blazing 186, and fourth overall in wOBA at 0.476. His daily fantasy translation to the monotony I just uttered: 14.22 DKFP averaged in his past nine games and 30.00 DKFP in his last game, versus Lotte Giants. This is time frame is somewhat relevant beyond recency considering it marks his return from a wrist injury that caused him three weeks absence.
I often am a boisterous cheerleader of under-the-radar value players, as they tend to be available by the bunch, but when it comes to spend-up talent worth every penny (at least in my opinion), Baek Ho Kang is a splendid textbook example of a player well-warranted of it.
Hee Dong Kwon (OF), NC Dinos (vs. KT)
A hero unsung among Dinos, Hee Dong Kwon has been a force to be reckoned with at the plate, and still well beneath the Bargain line of $3,600. Being at such a value price while batting in the cleanup part of the order is rather remarkable, especially considering the roster that he’s a part of helping clean up for.
Since May 31, Hee Dong Kwon has averaged 11.92 DraftKings Fantasy Points per game, including a 25-DKFP performance in his last game played. Hitting for .351 in 2020, the NC Dinos outfielder is actually $400 cheaper than his last outing going into Tuesday morning’s slate (a ridiculous $2,600) against a shaky Odrisamer Despaigne.
If Hee Dong Kwon proceeds to excel in these next couple of games against the Wiz, I would anticipate a price hike going into the weekend against Doosan and will still be worth nearly any fathomable asking cost at that rate. With a wRC+ of 175 ranking seventh in the KBO overall and an outstanding 1.033 OPS, Hee Dong Kwon fits nicely into the end of a 1-5 stack, or the start of the other half of the Dinos bats.
Other Bats For The Work Week:
High ($4,600+):
-Jin Sung Kang (1B/OF), NCD
-Roberto Ramos (1B), LG
-Aaron Altherr (OF), NCD
-Eui Ji Yang (C), NCD
-Sung Bum Na (OF), NCD
-Preston Tucker (OF), KIA
-Tyler Saladino (3B/OF), SAM
-Mel Rojas Jr (OF), KT
-Jung Hoo Lee (OF), KIW
Mid ($3,600-$4,500):
-Won Seok Lee (3B), SAM
-Dae Ho Lee (1B), LOT
-Jin Hyuk No (SS), NCD
-Ji Wan Na (OF), KIA
-Chang Pyung Kim (2B/3B), SK
-Keon Chang Seo (1B/2B), KIW
Bargain ($2,000-$3,500):
-Min Sang Yoo (1B), KIA
-Sung Gyu Lee (2B/3B), SAM
-Kang Min Kim (OF), SK
-Chi Hong An (2B), LOT
-Hye Sung Kim (2B/SS), KIW
-Joo Hwan Choi (1B/2B), DOO
-Yong Taik Park (OF), LG
Pitchers
Chris Flexen, Doosan Bears (vs. SK)
Following forgotten yesteryears in a dreary stint as a New York Mets relief pitcher, Chris Flexen has rebounded in the KBO as one of the cornerstone starters of the Doosan pitching staff. And heading into a work week against the SK Wyverns, currently 2.5 games out from last place ahead of Hanwha.
Chris Flexen’s numbers have hardly been fantasy-friendly in all but a couple of starts, but there are some standout numbers that are worth digesting before writing him off entirely. Flexen’s strikeout percentage of 20.6% ranks him eleventh overall in the category across all pitchers in KBO, and his 3.29 ERA is good enough to sit him eighth overall at that stat juncture as well.
And while the fantasy numbers have been hard to come by, he’s proven against talent as he pulled a 32-point DraftKings fantasy performance out of his pocket against the NC Dinos a few weeks back when they were really starting to posture as the league’s top team.
Given Tuesday’s pitching menu, Chris Flexen will likely be a chalk selection in lieu of his quality of opponent at the ceiling performance capability on paper. Flexen is a Cash Game play with some very plausible tournament upside.
David Buchanan, Samsung Lions (vs. HAN)
Outside of Jin Sung Kang and the NC Dinos, I feel like I have raved and ranted plenty about David Buchanan in previous articles (and with great reason). And now, he draws the inevitable must-start against Hanwha this week which I would highly recommend getting a fair share of rostering.
With a rather impressive 1.21 WHIP that ties him for tenth-best in the KBO (with William Cuevas), Buchanan draws a Hanwha offense representing the second-most total strikeouts (311), least runs scored in the KBO (142 runs, 13 behind SK), and lowest OPS (0.631).
These numbers scream “START ME” in the sake of the Samsung right-hander, damn near regardless of the ownership and fantasy salary he’s tagged with on Wednesday or Thursday. Closest thing to a lock-button pitcher this week.
Other Pitchers For The Work Week By Day:
Tuesday:
-Aaron Brooks, LG
-Chae Heung Choi, SAM
-Drew Rucinski, NCD
-Odrisamer Despaigne, KTW (CONTRARIAN)
Wednesday:
-Dan Straily, LOT
-Tyler Wilson, LG
-Min Woo Lee, KIA
-Hui Kwan Yu, DOO
-Yong Dong Heo, SAM (CONTRARIAN)
Thursday:
*Much of the same as yesterday, being that 4/5 games PPD*
-Dan Straily, LOT
-Tyler Wilson, LG
-Min Woo Lee, KIA
-Hui Kwan Yu, DOO
Stacks
While I will be getting to just about stacks from every team in the next three days, the following are going to be favorites that I’ll be chasing for a variety of reasons rolled into one ranking (in numerical order):
