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Its Thursday, which means another abbreviated and ugly slate, right? Wrong. Thursdays slate is a breath of fresh air. While only nine games are on the schedule, those nine contests are ripe with options. In addition to three hurlers garnering elite status, there are plenty of big names - Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels and David Price, to name a few - and a number of others filling up the middle tier as well. Thursdays like this dont come along very often, so enjoy it while it lasts.PitchingEliteJose Fernandez comes in behind Jacob deGrom in terms of Game Score, but hes still the days top option in my book. The right-hander leads baseball with a 13.1 K/9, which includes seven double-digit K games, and hes allowed more than two runs just twice in his last 13 outings. He faces a stiff test with a home matchup against the Cardinals, who sport an NL-best 114 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching this season and have scored the third-most runs in baseball. Then again, no other hurler on the days slate can match Fernandezs floor and ceiling. Hes not a must-play given the other options available, but investing in Fernandez is always money well spent.In terms of matchup, deGrom finds himself in a more appealing spot with a home tilt against the Rockies. The Rox lineups is largely sapped of its powers away from Coors Field, as they sport a .294 road wOBA this season that ranks second-worst in baseball along with a 24 percent strikeout rate. While he doesnt have Fernandezs strikeout upside (who does?) and is whiffing less than a batter per inning, its worth noting that hes posted a 10.3 K/9 over his last 11 starts. Fading Fernandez is always tough, but deGrom carries plenty of cash-game appeal.Third in the elite-tier pecking order is Chris Sale, who returns to the mound after his five-game suspension for a clubhouse incident that involved cutting up some throwback uniforms. If theres a time to fade the White Sox lefty, this might be it. For one, the Cubs mash left-handed pitching, as they sport a 118 wRC+ versus southpaws that ranks second-best in baseball. Secondly, hes actually been a suspect cash option of late, having allowed five or more runs in three of his last seven starts. Finally, Sales ceiling isnt what it once was now that hes pitching more to contact. I like Sale as a potential contrarian play in tournaments, but Im looking elsewhere in cash.SolidJohnny Cueto is rock-solid when it comes to cash games. Hes been terrific both at home (2.43 ERA) and on the road (2.63 ERA), and hes held an ERA of 3.00 or lower in each month this season. The Nationals may be one of the best team in the National League, but theyve been below average versus righties (93 wRC+) and havent put up much offense in the second half (84 wRC+). The Giants right-hander is definitely in play on Thursday.If youre not paying up for one of the elite, investing in Julio Teheran makes a lot of sense. Since the beginning of May, Teheran holds a 2.15 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with an 8.1 K/9. Better yet, hes matching up against a Phillies offense that cant hit right-handed pitching (82 wRC+) and has been absolutely brutal since the All-Star break, sporting a 62 wRC+ and 25 percent whiff rate.Cole Hamels draws a home start against Kansas City. The Royals are tough to strike out and are tougher on left-handed pitching than righties. That said, Hamels is getting them at the right time, as theyve been striking out at a 22 percent clip in July with a 77 wRC+ that ranks worst in the American League. Outside of a pair of rough starts against the Twins in early July, the Texas lefty has allowed one or zero runs in his other six outings dating back to June 12.Once one of the most stable options in DFS, John Lackey has stumbled a bit of late. Over his last six outings, hes been battered for a 6.38 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. So he cant be recommended for cash right now. That said, Lackey has been much better at Wrigley Field this year (2.84 ERA) than hes been on the road (4.68 ERA), and the White Sox can be exploited by right-handed pitching (87 wRC+), giving him some GPP appeal.The Angels may sit dead-last in the AL West, but their offense has been stinging the ball lately. In addition to sporting a 121 wRC+ so far in July, the Angels have posted a 113 wRC+ versus lefty pitching this season. That puts David Price in a tough spot. The lefty hasnt proven to be a safe cash-game commodity this season, and the Angels dont strike out enough to make him a great GPP play despite his K/9 rate of 9.6.StreamersRobbie Ray certainly has his limitations, but he also brings nice upside when the matchup is right. Such is the case on Thursday, when Ray lines up against a Brewers team that whiffs at a 24 percent clip versus lefties. For his part, Ray is whiffing 10.9 batters per nine, which ranks top-five in baseball. The southpaw makes for a fine GPP option and has some streaming appeal if you need strikeouts. Hes available in 87 percent of ESPN.com leagues.Zach Davies has quietly put up some pretty good numbers. Since June 1, the right-hander has posted a 2.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 8.0 K/9. Against an Arizona team thats below average against righties (89 wRC+) and strikes out at a healthy 23 percent clip, theres definitely some streaming value here. His ESPN.com ownership sits at just 33 percent.AvoidAaron Nola has hit a rough patch. Dating back to his June 11 start against Washington, the righty is 0-7 with a 10.61 ERA and 2.04 WHIP in seven starts. In those seven starts, he allowed five or more runs five times. A matchup against the Braves, which own the worst offense in baseball against right-handed pitching (75 wRC+), creates a glimmer of hope for DFS players. Even so, the cake matchup isnt enough for me to trust the Phillies right-hander on Thursday.HittingIts been a rough season for Jered Weaver, who owns a 5.32 ERA and has been hit hard by both right- (.375 wOBA) and left-handed hitters (.350 wOBA). It just so happens that the Red Sox, the best offense in baseball against right-handed pitching, are coming to town. Theyll be pricey, but this is a great stacking opportunity.Left-handed Baltimore bats should be on the radar against Kyle Gibson, one of the weakest pitchers on the slate. Chris Davis is the obvious play here, though Pedro Alvarez, switch-hitter Matt Wieters and Hyun Soo Kim, whos batting .355 versus right-handed pitching, are in the mix as well.With Ubaldo Jimenez taking the mound for the Orioles on Thursday, its a good time to load on Twins bats. Jimenez has been abysmal this season, posting 7.38 ERA in 18 games and 5.5 BB/9. Left-handed bats in particular have tattooed him for a .425 wOBA.We already highlighted Robbie Ray as a high-upside streaming option, but the fact remains that right-handed hitters have hit him pretty well in his career and Miller Park inflates power for right-handers. Jonathan Villar, Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy and Chris Carter are all in play here.Most likely to go yard: David OrtizLets go with Ortiz, who has hit 21 of his 24 homers this season off righties and is facing a pitcher (Weaver) who has had homer issues.Most likely to swipe a bag: Mookie BettsWell double-up on Boston hitters, who draw a perfect 10 steals rating against Weaver. Betts it he most likely wreak havoc on the basepaths in this one. Cheap Jerseys From China . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . 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GLASGOW, Scotland -- The World Anti-Doping Agency calls its ongoing project to revamp its structure and load up with increased regulatory punch The Way Forward, but that path will continue to meander through the past for at least a little while longer.?At Sundays WADA Foundation Board meeting, deputy director general Rob Koehler called for Russian sports officials to acknowledge the countrys pervasive, government-enabled doping culture, calling that acceptance vital to being fully welcomed back to global competition.Vitaly Smirnov, appointed by Russian president Vladimir Putin to bring the countrys sports establishment back into good graces, said that admission would never come. We know the [doping] system did not exist, he said. Detailing his 35 years in high-level positions in elite sport dating back to the Soviet era, he said nothing nefarious could have happened without his approval.So there. That non-meeting of the minds sums up where Olympic sport has been stalled for years, without public accountability or consequences for anyone other than the athletes themselves.?Individual athletes were held to the highest standard, punished even if they inadvertently ingested a banned substance. Yet the systems that surrounded them could be dysfunctional or corroded and avoid paying much of a price. WADA limited itself to suspending labs and flunking national anti-doping agencies for incompetence, but as athletes from those countries kept showing up at the start line, it became increasingly clear that a system created 16 years ago to harmonize rules across borders harbored deep inequities in testing and enforcement.?WADA has launched a salvo to try to break the stalemate, saying it can and should regulate any entities that sign its code, including national Olympic committees and international sports federations. In a new, graduated set of sanctions presented publicly Sunday for the first time, WADA would impose oversight, fines and -- as a last, drastic resort -- the threat of an Olympic ban in cases where it finds sustained, deliberate sabotage of its rules.?Canadas Rene Bouchard, the veteran government administrator who led the WADA committee that came up with the new standards, called them the opposite of political, as far as Im concerned -- its open, its known. The draft will now undergo legal review, but Bouchard and others made it clear they want to put it into practice as soon as possible.?Sterner sanctions could gain impetus next month if, as expected, the conclusion of law professor Richard McLarens investigation adds to the already considerable evidence that Russian doping was state-sponsored. Part II of his report is slated to be released Dec. 9.?Joseph de Pencier, CEO of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations, predicted the report would uncover more skulduggery in a way thats very detailed and cant be dismissed as allegations. ?It sure would be nice to see some contrition, he said of Russias sports establishment.?But scrutiny of WADAs plans will be intense and resistance is inevitable. Potential collateral damage to innocent athletes will be a hard needle to thread.dddddddddddd The International Olympic Committee, which has commissioned its own investigation of Russia, will almost certainly resist encroachment on its turf and its traditional role as sole gatekeeper for its flagship event. That was amply demonstrated last summer when it steamrolled WADAs objections and made most Russian athletes eligible for the Rio 2016 Games.?In recent months, the IOC has oscillated between pledging support to WADA and attacking it. Beckie Scott, the retired Olympic champion cross-country skier and chair of WADAs Athlete Committee, labeled those broadsides an effort to destabilize and undermine WADA ... the only fight that should be taking place is the fight for clean sport.?The feud is complex because its familial. The overlap between the two bureaucracies is written into WADAs structure and embodied in its current president, IOC member Craig Reedie, who was elected unopposed for another three-year term Sunday. If WADA succeeds in extending its regulatory reach, the potential conflicts of interest could multiply. Sunday, the agency committed to forming a working group that will review governance and ethical standards.?Max Cobb, president and CEO of the U.S. Biathlon Association, said he would prefer to see IOC members excluded from WADA executive positions. Like many whose sports have been dented by doping, Cobb, who attended Sundays meeting as an observer, is impatient with the infighting and wants to see concrete progress. You wonder whether theres a desire to really resolve this, or if its just turf wars and pleasantries being exchanged, he said.?WADA is bidding to expand its jurisdiction and authority at perhaps the most demanding and transitional time in its history. Many of the governments that fund it, the national anti-doping agencies that implement its rules, and the athletes who submit to them have raised their voices and are putting pressure on the agency to assert itself.?The agencys to-do list includes figuring out how to grow its budget to match its bigger ambitions, including a beefed-up investigative unit; drawing up a template for an independent global testing entity; and implementing a new policy for encouraging and rewarding whistleblowers. Cyberattacks by Russian hackers exposed athletes medical information by leaking therapeutic use exemption documents this year -- payback for WADAs stance that Russia should be banned from Rio -- and forced a $200,000 IT upgrade.?The events that propelled WADA to this juncture may seem to hark back to the Cold War, but Edwin Moses, the double Olympic hurdles champion and chairman of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency board, balks at too simplistic a narrative for the sides that have been taken.?Me being an American has nothing to do with it, he said of his support for a stronger WADA. I dont want your daughter, your son, under the impression they have to take drugs to compete. Thats corrupt. And that right is not just for American athletes. ' ' '