4 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 5/9/17
Justin Verlander, SP, Detroit Tigers
FanDuel Price: $9,500
Justin Verlander is the third-most expensive pitcher on the slate, but it's hard to call him the third best one.
Verlander had a marvelous 2016 that most didn't see coming, compiling a 3.42 SIERA and career-high 28.1% strikeout rate. But those numbers haven't carried over so far in 2017.
His strikeout rate is a respectable 22.6%, but the walk rate has ballooned to 11.0% and a worrisome 7.6% swinging-strike rate suggests the strikeouts have been on the luckier side. His SIERA is up to 4.55, and he also has a 35.9% hard-hit rate.
The questionable strikeout rate makes it difficult to recommend clicking that add button, especially when pitching in a hitting venue like Chase Field.
It's worth noting that the Arizona Diamondbacks go down swinging 24.4% of the time against righties, so in a multi-lineup situation you might consider him as a contrarian flyer. Despite the worrisome numbers, he does have outings of 49 and 53 FanDuel points.
Still, with safer options above Verlander, and value options with similar upside below him, it's probably best to pass here.
