Price: $11,800
After he looked a little shaky in 2016 due to a dip in strikeouts, Chris Sale is back to being one of those pitchers who is almost always going to be a top fantasy play when he's in action.
He had been outstanding before last season, with a skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) of 2.56 and 2.52, respectively, in 2014 and 2015 to go with strikeout rates of 30.4% and 32.1%. He has blown away those numbers in 2017, posting a 2.16 SIERA and massive 38.6% strikeout rate while also sporting a career-best 16.4% swinging-strike rate. He has fanned double-digit hitters in each of his last eight starts, and he's in a good spot to do it again tonight against a Texas Rangers team that has a 24.6% strikeout rate against southpaws this year.
The Boston Red Sox are huge -245 favorites today (the biggest on the slate), and both in terms of floor and upside, Sale is easily the day's top pitcher.