Welcome to today’s daily fantasy post! Remember that you can find our posts on the new DFS home page, as well as the fantasy page. Bookmark those sites now!
Also, please scroll to the bottom of this article to see the latest tweets from Ryan Fowler (@FOXSportsFowler), D.J. Foster (@FOXSportsFoster), Adam Meyer (@FOXSportsMeyer) and me (@jhalpin37). That way, if information surfaces for any last minute changes, you can see our thoughts instantly.
Let’s get to today’s interesting facts, using DraftKings prices. There are 14 games on the night slate, with only the 12:10 p.m. ET Rays-Marlins start left out of our DFS proceedings. Please note that much of the information in this post is being published several hours prior to game times, so check MLB lineups later to confirm that any recommended players are included.
5 Things to Watch:
1. Two aces headline the SP proceedings, with Chris Sale ($13,800) a -190 favorite over the Indians, and Stephen Strasburg ($13,400) a -168 favorite over Matt Harvey and the Mets. As great as Sale has been, he’s averaging 29.8 DK points per start, Strasburg’s strikeout rate is quite a bit higher (75 K in 61 IP), and the Mets whiff more than the Indians.
2. There’s a third ace on the board, and he’s at a much friendlier salary. David Price ($8,900) has averaged 29.9 points in two starts since Red Sox assistant pitching coach Dustin Pedroia noticed a mechanical flaw in his delivery. Price is a strong play vs. the Rockies at Fenway as a -212 favorite.
3. Yo, BvPers: Hanley Ramirez ($4,300) is 11-for-28 with six walks and a couple of homers vs. Jorge De La Rosa … Anthony Rizzo ($4,500) is 10-for-22 with two homers vs. Michael Wacha … Jarrod Saltalamacchia ($3,000) has three homers in 25 at bats vs. Jeremy Hellickson … Buster Posey ($3,700) is 11-for-25 with two homers vs. Andrew Cashner.
4. Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast for the Angels-Rangers game. If you hope to start players from those teams, you’ll need to make sure the game is played.
5. Bargain hunters: Astros C Jason Castro ($2,800) has been heating up, with 74 DK points in his last nine games … Speedy Royals rookie 1B/OF Whit Merrifield ($2,000) batted second on Monday, and could do the same tonight if Mike Moustakas (knee) is out again … Brewers 3B Hernan Perez ($2,000) isn’t much of a power threat, but he steals bases and sometimes bats high in the order. Perez has averaged 7.4 DK points over his last five starts … White Sox SS Tyler Saladino ($2,700) batted second on Monday. If he’s in that spot again, he’s playable after averaging a not-so-horrible 5.9 DK points over his last nine starts … Melky Cabrera ($2,900) has averaged 7.6 DK points over his last nine games, and has been in the cleanup spot for the last three.
Now, Adam Meyer’s daily fantasy baseball suggestions for Tuesday…
Yesterday’s recap:
In last night’s post, we suggested three pitchers who had a grand total of zero earned runs in 26 innings of work, with 19 strikeouts: Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, and Rich Hill. If you add the home runs from Miguel Cabrera (two!) and Nick Castellanos, you probably had a profitable day.
Must-Start of the day: Jackie Bradley Jr., BOS
Normally, I stick to batters who are slated in the top five (maybe six) of the batting order, but that goes out the window for Bradley. He has a 27-game hitting streak and he’s batting .387 this season against southpaws. I don’t care where John Farrell writes his name, I’m starting Bradley.
Deal of the day: David Price, BOS
On DraftKings, immediately add Price and don’t think twice (sorry, i’m not sorry, for the rhyme). His Sox are the biggest favorites on the board, yet Price is the eighth-most expensive pitcher for the night. He’s allowed two earned runs or less in back-to-back starts and even struck out 12 batters in one of those outings.
Avoid of the day: Bryce Harper, WAS
Even though Matt Harvey is struggling this year, Harper is 1-22 (.045) with seven strikeouts against him.
Stack of the day: Boston Red Sox
The over/under is 8.5 and Boston is the big favorite. Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts, Chris Young, Jackie Bradley Jr., and even Josh Rutledge are all playable tonight. Choose your four wisely.
Starting pitchers:
Stephen Strasburg, WAS – The big DFS sites have big differences on prices, especially today. Strasburg is the fourth-most expensive pitcher on FanDuel and the second-most expensive option (by a lot) on DraftKings. So, Stras is the play on FD. He’s struck out at least 10 batters in two of the last three games.
David Price, BOS – “Deal of the day”
Chris Sale, CWS – If you think the Stras/Harvey battle will be too close to call, then Sale is the guy for you. He’s struck out nine batters in two of the past three games and hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in the last seven performances.
Jeff Samardzija, SF – On DK, this could be your SP to pair with Price. Much like Johnny Cueto, the Shark already faced the Padres twice this season: 13.2 IP, 15 Ks, and two wins.
Catchers:
Bryan Holaday, TEX – He has a .200 ISO against righties.
Victor Martinez, DET – He has a .205 ISO against righties.
Stephen Vogt, OAK – I failed to mention him yesterday. Vogt’s price is low and he’s batting in the top three now that Josh Reddick is out.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DET – (See “5 Things”)
First basemen:
Hanley Ramirez, BOS – He has a .292 ISO against lefties.
Albert Pujols, LAA – He has a .205 ISO against lefties.
Miguel Cabrera, DET – He has a .316 ISO against righties.
Second basemen:
Rougned Odor, TEX – He has a .224 ISO against righties.
Jose Rutledge, BOS – He has a .545 wOBA against lefties.
Ian Kinsler, DET – He has a .200 ISO against righties.
Third basemen:
Yunel Escobar, LAA – He has a .250 ISO against lefties.
Nick Castellanos, DET – He has a .254 ISO against righties.
Adrian Beltre, TEX – He has a .189 ISO against righties.
Shortstops:
Xander Bogaerts, BOS – He has a .292 ISO against lefties.
Carlos Correa, HOU – The price is leveling out for this power-hitting shortstop. Correa also has a .204 ISO against righties.
Outfielders:
Mike Trout, LAA – Though he only has a .133 ISO against southpaws this season, Trout has a career .234 ISO against left-handed pitchers.
Mookie Betts, BOS – He has a .321 ISO against lefties.
Chris Young, BOS – He has a .250 ISO against lefties.
Jackie Bradley Jr., BOS – He has a .438 wOBA against lefties.
Nomar Mazara, TEX – He has a .208 ISO against righties.
J.D. Martinez, DET – He has a .241 ISO against righties.
Whit Merrifield, KC – Cheapest DK price you can get and he batted second last night.
