FanDuel Price: $11,900
Jake Arrieta has followed up his 2015 Cy Young award-winning season with an equally impressive start to 2016 en route to an 11-2 record.
His strikeout rate has actually improved from a season ago, and while 9.83 strikeouts per nine innings isn’t in the elite category, he’s shown major upside with three games of 10-plus strikeouts this year.
His most impressive ability, however, is limiting hard contact. Opposing batters have mustered just a 21.6 percent hard hit rate this year, certainly influenced by Arrieta’s top-notch 56.5 percent ground ball rate. When it’s that hard to make solid contact, it’s easy to see why he’s only allowed three home runs in 15 starts this season.
Arrieta will face the Reds tonight, who are a great matchup for right-handed pitching. Versus righties, they’re 25th in strikeout rate at 23.0 percent and 26th in wOBA at .297.
Arrieta is tonight’s most expensive pitcher for good reason and as a massive -240 Vegas favorite, he’s tonight’s top option by far.