MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 8/14/13
We know that people play all sorts of fantasy platforms, not just from from our friends at StarStreet but on other platforms such as FanDuel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud as well. So once again, we have four optimized rosters, all for you, the numberFire reader. One is for free here; the others can be found in our Premium section.
As always, the full tables for today's action are available at our Daily Fantasy Projections page. Make sure to check it out to see where the best values are for your team.
Our baseball projections are updated throughout the day, so make sure to come back to double-check your optimized rosters for any last-minute lineup changes. Since most action happens later in the day, we will be ignoring the early games (if there are any) and focusing solely on the late contests. That way, you can use and tinker with our optimized rosters throughout the day.
Fantasy Feud Optimized Lineup
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Beachy | SP | 6.46 | $109,920 | 0.06 |
| David Ortiz | DH | 3.56 | $93,808 | 0.04 |
| Justin Upton | LF | 2.42 | $93,600 | 0.03 |
| Adrian Beltre | 3B | 2.42 | $90,896 | 0.03 |
| Jarrod Parker | SP | 6.25 | $83,840 | 0.07 |
| Matt Holliday | LF | 2.36 | $82,160 | 0.03 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 1B | 2.27 | $80,912 | 0.03 |
| Chris Capuano | SP | 6.35 | $66,560 | 0.10 |
| Robinson Cano | 2B | 2.83 | $64,272 | 0.04 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | C | 2.62 | $61,984 | 0.04 |
| Kyle Seager | 3B | 2.48 | $59,072 | 0.04 |
| Carlos Gomez | CF | 2.7 | $58,656 | 0.05 |
| Jean Segura | SS | 2.29 | $54,288 | 0.04 |
Star Street, Draft Kings, and FanThrowdown Optimized Rosters
For the optimal rosters for the other main players, be sure to check out our brand new Daily Fantasy Optimized Rosters for our Premium members. We know that you're killing it with our picks; maybe now you'll help us continue to help you win each night, every night.
Access to the optimal rosters is immediate, and you'll have it constantly updated for the latest injury news and updates from around the league. The best news of all? For new subscribers, you can use the promo code WELCOME and get it 50% off what was already the reduced price. Think of the savings!
The Top Three Pitchers
Brandon Beachy – Beachy was one of the best starters in baseball early in 2012, boasting a 2.00 ERA and a 7.56 K/9 in 81 innings to start the year. But then he went down with Tommy John surgery, and is only now getting back to pitching in the majors. He’s been a little rusty in his first three starts back – he’s got a 5.00 ERA so far – but don’t be fooled. He’s improved in each of his three starts, from a 3.2 inning, 7-run disaster to an 8-inning 0-run gem his last time out. Today is the third straight day we’ve recommended a Braves starter facing the Phillies, and there’s a reason for that: The Phils are 12th in the NL in runs scored.
Jarrod Parker – Parker was the latest in a line of out-of-nowhere pitching success stories for Oakland last year, posting a 3.47 ERA and pitching Oakland to a surprise AL West pennant. This year though, he’s striking out fewer batters, walking more, and his ERA is up to 4.04. There is hope, though! He’s facing Houston tonight, and the Astros are 26th in baseball in runs scored, 29th in batting average and 1st in strikeout percentage.
Chris Capuano – Capuano is a fairly middling starter who has the benefit of facing the Mets tonight. New York is effectively last in the NL in batting average (ahead of only the lowly Marlins, who barely count) and second-to-last in slugging, ahead of the Giants and, of course, the Marlins. Capuano is also developing a somewhat curious feat-or-famine trend: In his last nine outing, he has either allowed no runs (five times) or five runs (four times). His last outing, he gave up five, so he’s due for another run-free start!
Top High-Priced Hitters
David Ortiz – Ortiz has always feasted on right-handed pitchers, and today he gets another one. Enter Esmil Rogers, who has allowed left-handed hitters to hit a Cabrera-like .325/.400/.512 off him this year. That’s no small sample size fluke either; In the past three years, Rogers has given up a .309/.395/.465 line to left-handers.
Justin Upton – Upton really has put up a tale of three seasons. Initially he was great, then he was terrible, and now he’s back to being great again. Since the All-Star Break, he’s hitting .320/.377/.567 with six home runs, all of which have come in August. He will also be facing lefty John Lannan tonight, and Upton has put up a 1.011 OPS against southpaws on the year.
Cost-Effective Mid-Level Hitters
Jean Segura – Among shortstops with at least 250 plate appearances this season, Segura’s got the fourth-best wRC+, and one of the guys ahead of him (Jhonny Peralta) is suspended for the rest of the year as part of the Biogenesis case. It’s almost impossible to find better offensive production from the shortstop position. On top of that, Segura is currently riding a nine-game hit streak.
A.J. Pierzynski – Pierzynski’s 13 home runs tie him for fourth among AL backstops, so he’s a nice option for some cheap power from that position. He’s facing rookie Tyler Thornburg tonight, a righty, and has hit 19 points higher and slugged 39 points better against righties for his career.
