daily fantasy sports articles

BBL08 returns to Sydney on Sunday night with the Sydney Sixers hosting the Brisbane Heat at the SCG. The Sixers have just begun a five game stretch at home but made a terrible start with an eight wicket loss to the Renegades last match. This dropped them to 4-5 and another loss would have them in danger of losing touch with the top four. The Heat were in all sorts of trouble on Thursday night when the lights went out, giving them a share of the points. Last time these two teams met, the Sixers chased down the Heat’s 164 at Metricon Stadium thanks to 57 from Henriques and 46 from Silk, after Chris Lynn smashed 84 off 55 balls.

The Sydney Cricket Ground has traditionally been a bowler-friendly deck and this season has been no exception. The Sixers successfully defended 164 here against the Scorchers in their first game, but lost to the Stars when they could only manage 130 and then got cleaned up by the Renegades in their last game when they struggled their way to 115. We have been recommending playing extra bowling in your lineups where possible and this remains a viable strategy until proven otherwise.

The Draftstars “Biggest Bash” contest qualifiers are the talk of the Australian DFS industry and you can win your way in on this match. Simply enter up to 10 lineups in the $2 qualifier and if you win you could be spending the night of the Big Bash final in style at Club 23 at Crown Casino, playing for a share of $150,000!

Our latest winning qualifier interview is with Adam Rathjen aka “Milanos1987”. Read how he used the weather gods to his advantage and be inspired by his recent DFS success!

Read our other interviews we have done with qualifying winners this season:

• Jason Knox aka “Knoxinator” won the first qualifier of the season with a solitary $2 lineup!
• Shaun O’Neill aka “THE_BEARD” booked his ticket into the final thanks to one of three lineups he entered while at the pub with his girlfriend!
• No one knows who the “Donkey” is but he will also be at the final after riding Ashton Turner to victory!
• Brent Trannore aka “Brento” came from the clouds thanks to a couple of big blows from Dan Christian to slide into 1^st place and win a trip with the better half to Melbourne for the final!

Are you new to Big Bash DFS? Picking the right games to play is a vital skill in building your bankroll. There are a number of sites offering a wide range of contests so we have an article looking at the best games to suit you.

If you need more information on some of these players you can check out our squad profiles of the Sydney Sixers and the Brisbane Heat before you start building your lineups.

This season at DFR we are providing Draftstars Cheat Sheets for the 13 players named in each squad, offering projections and a salary-based value figure. Cricket is a volatile DFS sport so player scores can vary greatly from match to match, however we aim to provide a figure based on historical data as a starting point for your lineup construction. We have also added in each player’s scores in the past three matches so you can see their recent form at a glance.

BATSMEN

With the Brisbane Heat’s last game being abandoned, you won’t see the terrible start they made to their batting innings included in their past performances. They were 2-10 when the lights went out, with their stars McCullum (0) and Lynn (4) both back in the sheds. However, the big three are still the obvious targets in this Heat lineup, with Chris Lynn ($22,400), Brendon McCullum ($18,600) and Max Bryant ($15,000) the only three batsmen to do any sort of damage for the Heat this season.

If you are looking to go outside the obvious for the Heat, then the injection of Jimmy Peirson ($8,000) to number 4 last game should encourage you. His numbers don’t necessarily reflect it but he has been in pretty good nick this season, just limited by opportunity. He was considered highly enough to open the batting in past seasons and has the additional fantasy benefit of taking the gloves. At minimum salary he is a viable cheap option who can help you include just about anyone in your lineup.

The Sixers also present a cheap batting options in the form of Daniel Hughes ($9,500) and James Vince ($9,800). Hughes missed out last game with a duck but that followed very acceptable scores of 36, 24 and 61 (off 40 balls). Given he has scored 90+ fantasy points twice already this season and has moved into an opening role, he presents undeniable upside at his salary. Vince made 28 in his BBL08 debut before failing last time but his drop in salary looks a genuine overreaction. His high projection reflects his strong BBL07 form and given he is likely to bat number 3 he will have every opportunity to cash in on this low price.

BOWLERS

Steve O’Keefe ($15,400) is one of the leading wicket takers in the tournament so far and enjoyed returning home to take another pair of wickets last game. The Heat batting lineup is somewhat susceptible to spin given they thrive on their fast, bouncy home deck and O’Keefe is the perfect man to take advantage of this. At a very fair salary he deserves to be one of the popular bowling options.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman ($16,500) is going to love getting to the SCG. The young spinner has been excellent for the Heat this season with a fantasy average above 46 and only twice has he scored under 44 points in a game. He is one of the safer options in your lineups at a reasonable salary so exposure to him seems a must.

While the spinners generally hold firm at the SCG, there was a bit in the pitch for the fast men last game. Josh Lalor ($11,100) will be suited if the conditions are similar and was most impressive against the Renegades in their last completed match when he took 2/12 off his 3 overs. He took two wickets the last time the Sixers played the Heat and is generally under owned. If you are looking to go against the grain and play some faster bowlers, he projects well at this salary.

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