MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 9/9/13
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.
StarStreet Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taijuan Walker | SP | 19.20 | $18,800 | 1.02 |
| Tim Lincecum | SP | 21.29 | $26,900 | 0.79 |
| Dan Uggla | 2B | 11.64 | $4,500 | 2.59 |
| Lucas Duda | LF | 12.68 | $4,900 | 2.59 |
| Michael Cuddyer | RF | 14.19 | $6,500 | 2.18 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 13.78 | $7,400 | 1.86 |
| Pedro Alvarez | 3B | 13.26 | $5,000 | 2.65 |
| Shin-Soo Choo | CF | 14.14 | $7,300 | 1.94 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | SS | 13.67 | $6,300 | 2.17 |
| Wilson Ramos | C | 11.86 | $4,500 | 2.64 |
| Andrelton Simmons | SS | 13.28 | $5,900 | 2.25 |
Fantasy Feud, 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
Taijuan Walker – The Mariners will be shutting down their prized pitcher after Monday, but fortunately for us, we get him in daily fantasy against the lowly Astros. Given his cheap cost on most daily sites, he's a must start, as we see him giving up just a little over two runs in a little over 6 innings versus Houston. It doesn't hurt that Houston's got by far the lowest nERD score in baseball according to our metrics.
Tim Lincecum – Lincecum pitched poorly in his last outing, but still got the win. He should be able to bounce back tonight at home against the Rockies - a team with struggles of their own. The Giants have lost four of seven, and though Lincecum is 0-2 with an 8.00 ERA against Colorado this season, we think he's capable of getting six or seven strikouts in San Fran. Keep in mind, Lincecum typically performs better at home than on road, as his WHIP is 1.193 versus 1.500.
Gio Gonzalez – To keep their middling playoff hopes alive (are they even middling at this point?), the Nats are going to need continuous big outings from their big pitchers. Gonzalez had a mediocre outing last week against the Phillies, but only produced one earned run due to poor fielding. Before that, Gio was stellar versus the Marlins. The Nats need the win, and the Mets are in the bottom half in runs scored this year, too. Gonzalez has a lot of upside tonight.
Top High-Priced Hitters
Shin-Soo Choo – Choo will be facing the ex-Red, Travis Wood, in Cincinnati tonight, and he's actually been pretty bad against him throughout his career. Choo is just 1-10 with 6 strikeouts versus the left-hander, but has gotten a hit in 11 of his last 12 games. The Reds are hot, and Choo is a big reason why.
Paul Goldschmidt – Goldschmidt's a beast in L.A. this year, having hit six dingers in Dodgers Stadium with a .348 batting average. He's been slumping a little as of late, but we think he can have a big game tonight, even with a fairly tough pitching matchup.
Cost-Effective, Mid-Range Hitters
Pedro Alvarez – Alvarez gets Yu Darvish tonight in Interleague play, a pitcher coming off a poor 5-inning performance against the A's last week. Darvish is actually 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA over his last four starts. Though Pedro only has one RBI in his last 11 games, we think he's ready to put up the 9th-best fantasy point output among batters tonight against the struggling Darvish.
Dan Uggla – It's never fun to put Dan Uggla in your daily fantasy lineup, but his cheap cost against a bad opponent is worthwhile. He'll face Henderson Alvarez, a pitcher who can probably hit just as well as he pitches (that's not necessarily a good or bad thing). Uggla's been very Uggla-like, but has actually contributed a positive WPA over his last two games.
