Week 8 Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice: Lucroy among players to target – Sporting News

Last week we endorsed Zack Grienke as a big-time daily fantasy baseball value, and all he did was pull down two wins with a 14 K/1 BB ratio and just four earned runs in 15 innings. It’s safe to say Greinke is back on track and his salary will once again return to high-end status. Strategy-wise, it’s time to adjust.

Ben Zobrist was good, but not worth his high salary as predicted, and Brandon Drury was respectable for his price point. Add in Tommy Joseph’s big night in last week’s DFS lineup and we had ourselves a very strong showing. But momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher, even in daily fantasy. So, it’s back to the grind!

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Here are the trends, matchups and information you need to know for Week 8 in the world of DFS. 

FanDuel and DraftKings strategy

PLAYER AT PEAK SALARY:

Bryce Harper ($5.1K DraftKings)

It’s not often Harper find himself with the label “avoid,” but I have my reasons this week. Besides being in a mini slump, he has some pretty substantial negative sample sizes to scare you away this week. His BvP matchups are plain terrible on paper. Outside of one matchup against Adam Wainwright (.400 BA), the other six pitchers he’ll face have limited Harper to a .231 BA or worse. This includes a .045 average versus Matt Harvey and a .111 mark against Jaime Garcia. He’s still the most dangerous hitter in baseball, but at his current price tag it’s hard to feel good about that hefty of a budget investment.

PITCHER PRICED BELOW VALUE:

Nate Karns SEA ($8.5K FanDuel/$8.8K DraftKings)

Karns is in the top 20 starting pitchers in K/9 (9.4) and has more strikeouts this year than his rotation mate Felix Hernandez. Yet, for some reason, he still gets no love from the salary algorithm. That’s perfectly fine! This week he has two home starts ahead of him. The first against the Oakland A’s and the second versus the San Diego Padres on Memorial Day. Both lineups have plenty of swing-and-miss in them, and Karns could easily lock down two victories with some nice point totals. He’s a perfect 3-0 at Safeco Field this year with a 3.25 ERA. He may match many of the 10-plus strikeout aces both nights.

HITTER PRICED BELOW VALUE:

Jonathan Lucroy ($3.1K FanDuel/$3.4K DraftKings)

Lucroy was riding a mini hot steak before running headfirst into the Mets’ starting staff. That group could douse any flame. Lucroy faces five RHPs this week, and he’s been mashing righties all year (.346/.400/.538). Lucroy also owns Alfredo Simon, whom he faces Saturday (.583 BA, two HRs). The only lefty he’ll take on is Brandon Finnegan, whom he has one homer off in a limited sample size. Lucroy is on a mission to play himself into a deal that sends him out of Milwaukee and to a contender. Take advantage of one of the better offensive catchers in baseball coming off of a bad weekend. 

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Daily fantasy baseball hitter strategy

The Red Sox have a very favorable schedule this week. First, they play at home against Colorado where they are 16-9 on the year. They are No. 1 in the league in runs scored at home (167) by a wide margin. They also lead the league in BA, OBP, SLG and OPS at home. The Rockies staff is very hittable and will struggle in the AL ballpark with the DH in play. Over the weekend, Boston flies north to Toronto, which is another notorious hitter haven. The Blue Jays staff at home is pitching to a collective 4.48 ERA. Expect some big offensive outputs for the BoSox this week, so take advantage with a few of their players.

The Nationals have the fourth-best home ERA (2.88) in baseball, and Stephen Strasburg will take the ball twice against the Mets and Cardinals. The Mets will be without Lucas Duda and have a hard time manufacturing runs outside of long balls. The Cardinals are a stronger offensive road club, but they’ve been average over the past 10 days as a collective. Nats starters should have an advantage in Week 8.

Daily fantasy baseball lineup picks

Finally, here’s a look at Tuesday’s Relative Position Value per Dollar Lineup (RPVPD) for DraftKings. RPVPD is the Fantasy Black Book’s DFS player evaluation tool, which is only available to Fantasy Alarm subscribers. For more optimal lineups, DFS tools like RPVPD, and season-long rankings and advice, head to FantasyAlarm.com for the DFS Playbook and much more!

Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17) is the seven-time best-selling author of the Fantasy Black Book Series for baseball and football. He hosts Fantasy Sports Tonight on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and the Dear Mr. Fantasy Podcast.