daily fantasy sports articles

It is finally here! Big Bash is back for another season and BBL08 kicks off Wednesday night with the Brisbane Heat hosting last year’s winners the Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba. This is the first of 56 regular season fixtures and kicks off qualifying for the most exciting contest of the summer, Draftstars’ “Biggest Bash” Contest.

If you are new to Big Bash DFS, we have an overview of all the DFS contest on offer throughout BBL08.

We also have full profiles of the squads of all eight Big Bash teams, so you can read up on any of the Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers players you may not be familiar with prior to building your lineups.

The Gabba is an extremely high scoring venue with an average first innings score of over 180 over the past three seasons. Batters generally have a fun time on what is usually a fast, true deck and with an average run rate of over 9 runs per over it can be hard for bowlers to earn the economy rate bonus on Draftstars.

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.

BATSMEN

It is no surprise to see the Bash Brothers Chris Lynn ($22,400) and Brendon McCullum ($16,000) top the projections for the Heat as they have been vitally important to their team’s fortunes in recent seasons. Both are match-winners who can score at a rate fast enough to earn a Strike Rate bonus if they get going and a big score from either can make or break the slate for you. It is worth noting they are generally high owned but come up against one of the better BBL bowling attacks so the opportunity is there to fade one of them, but there is enough value on the slate that fading both may be unnecessary.

Max Bryant ($8,000) has yet to play a BBL game but has got the nod from Heat coach Dan Vettori to open up with McCullum. Bryant is a powerful hitter of the ball and turned heads in the JLT One-Day Cup when he scored the fastest ever fifty for Queensland. He is a minimum price with maximum opportunity so presents as an excellent value option for your lineups.

Alex Carey ($21,200) had a stunning BBL07 which resulted in his inclusion to the Australian T20 side. He can make a match-winning score at the top of the order and has the bonus of keeping wicket so his opportunity for scoring points is high, but with that opportunity comes a high price tag. His opening partner Jake Weatherald ($17,500) had a dreadful start to BBL07 but hit his straps late in the season with his maiden BBL ton coming in the final. He is prone to an early dismissal which would be a lineup killer at his salary, but his upside means he should remain under consideration despite his low value figure.

Jimmy Peirson ($9,300) has been the source of a number of cameo innings in his BBL career but it is worth noting his 23.36 projection is heavily influenced by his former role opening the batting. With young Max Bryant getting the nod to partner Brendon McCullum at the top of the order, Peirson appears set to bat further down the list which will limit his upside unless the Strikers’ bowlers run through the top order.

BOWLERS

Rashid Khan ($19,000) took BBL07 by storm with 18 wickets in his 11 matches and an economy rate under 6. The Gabba is not renowned as a spin friendly pitch in T20 contests but the Heat top order like the ball coming onto the bat so they may be vulnerable to his wily ways. He holds a stack of appeal despite his expensive price tag.

Mitch Swepson ($10,000) comes up with a high value rating here, predominantly due to his lower price tag. As a leg spin bowler he is prone to inconsistency but averages nearly a wicket a game across the past two BBL seasons and he has been the tightest bowler in the Heat lineup across that time with a mean economy rate of 6.75. Those figures project nicely at this price tag so he is one player you can save money with to fit in a couple of the bigger names.

Billy Stanlake ($12,600) is a fast bowler who sends them down from a great height and the bouncy Gabba pitch should be to his liking. He has averaged 1.2 wickets per innings over the past two seasons at an economy rate around the 6.5 runs per over mark, which would provide him with vital Economy Rate bonus points if he can replicate those figures here. He also appears well priced for a bowler who can score points in both of the major bowling statistical areas.

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