Tuesday's slate presents us with all 30 teams in action, so we're going to have our work cut out for us to sift through all the options. No pitcher hits the $10,000 threshold, but, worry not, as we still have a nice selection of choices, led by Aaron Nola in an enticing spot against the road-tripping Colorado Rockies. Things get a little trickier on the hitting side, where we have quite the bevy of viable offenses, including some of the usual suspects in the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians.
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On that note, let's highlight some of the top options for today's FanDuel main slate.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitchers
Aaron Nola ($9,500 on FanDuel): We have some solid arms to choose from at the top of the pitching list, such as high-strikeout guys in Mike Foltynewicz ($9,000) and Eduardo Rodriguez ($8,500), but the top choice for cash games is Aaron Nola, who checks in with a 3.42 SIERA, 24.8% strikeout rate, and 6.8% walk rate. Nola also carries the batted-ball marks we like to see, holding opposing batters to a 53.7% ground-ball rate and 27.3% hard-hit rate. It's worth noting his punchouts have gone up as the season has progressed, producing a 29.5% strikeout rate since the beginning of May. The visiting Colorado Rockies get a major park-factor downgrade away from Coors Field, and their lowly 3.22 implied team total reflects a league-worst 75 wRC+ against right-handed pitching.
Value Pitcher
Jon Gray ($7,500): Traveling away from Coors may be a downgrade for the Rockies' offense, but their loss is also Jon Gray's gain. Despite some miserable surface stats -- avert yours eyes from that 5.66 ERA -- Gray is still putting up nice peripheral numbers, with a 3.47 SIERA, 25.7% strikeout rate, and 7.0% walk rate. In addition to dealing with the shenanigans of Coors, Gray has suffered from an unlucky .379 BABIP, by far the worst among qualified starters. Perhaps some good fortune might finally await him against the Philadelphia Phillies, who hold a woeful 26.9% strikeout rate against righties. If you're willing to trust the numbers under the hood, you could find yourself with a steal at this low price point.
Caleb Ferguson ($5,500): Caleb Ferguson's MLB debut didn't exactly go swimmingly last week against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing four earned runs over just 1 1/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts. That's hardly the type of performance that will boost your confidence, but just look at that salary -- he's practically same price as tonight's most expensive hitter, Jose Ramirez ($5,200). It's a YOLO move to be sure, but Ferguson has shown some promise in the minors, posting a 1.53 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 47 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season. The visiting Texas Rangers also take a park-factor hit at Dodger Stadium (3.52 implied team total), and they have struck out at a 24.3% clip to southpaws. Know the risks of rolling with a relative unknown (remember Boston's Jalen Beeks last week?), but it's a gamble worth considering in tournaments.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
Mookie Betts ($4,500): Look who's back! Mookie Betts surprisingly came off the disabled list on Monday, jumping right back into action in his usual leadoff spot. As luck would have it, the Red Sox also have one of tonight's top matchups against David Hess, sporting a luxurious slate-high 5.34 implied total. Hess has posted a 3.07 ERA through five starts, but appears to be living on borrowed time given his uninspiring 5.18 SIERA and 13.6% strikeout rate. No one surpassed Betts' league-leading .480 wOBA while he was sidelined, and we're getting a pretty good discount here, as he was regularly going for over $5,000 prior to his injury.
Michael Brantley ($4,300): Despite a somewhat underwhelming performance on Monday, Cleveland gets another amazing matchup tonight, displaying a 5.06 implied team total versus James Shields (5.06 SIERA). After curiously allowing just four home runs over his first 11 starts, Shields has allowed six over his last two outings, which is much more like the the DFS dinger machine we've come to know over the last couple seasons. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor ($4,900) are great plays, as always, but given their hefty price tags, we may have an easier time fitting in Michael Brantley and his .380 wOBA instead. Brantley appears healthy and revitalized in 2018, displaying improved power, with a 39.4% hard-hit rate and .217 isolated power (ISO), while maintaining an elite strikeout rate (8.7%).
Value Hitters
Carlos Correa ($2,700): Carlos Correa has missed the last four games with side discomfort, but if he's back in there tonight, he's practically a must-play following a surprising price drop during his absence. Daniel Mengden is hardly the sort we should be afraid to use an inexpensive Correa against as Mengden owns a modest 4.33 SIERA and 16.1% strikeout rate. Correa hasn't managed to match last year's marks so far, but he holds a solid career .361 wOBA and .211 ISO against right-handed pitching.
Jake Lamb ($3,100): Excluding a recent price hike during a trip to Coors Field, Jake Lamb has remained a low-cost investment for a guy with his power upside. He'll oppose right-hander Trevor Williams tonight, who's only mustered a 4.80 SIERA, and over his career against lefty bats he's allowed a .336 wOBA. Meanwhile, Lamb is producing a 41.9% hard-hit rate through 98 plate appearances, and he posted a .386 wOBA and .270 ISO against righties in 2017. Also give Daniel Descalso ($2,800) a look at second base as he continues to impress against righties with a .395 wOBA and .252 ISO.
Jedd Gyorko ($2,400): It's a bullpen day for the San Diego Padres, and it's hard to see them getting off the right foot with left-hander Matt Strahm and his 6.06 SIERA leading the festivities. Long relievers Robbie Erlin or Bryan Mitchell could follow, but in all it's not the most threatening group, with the St. Louis Cardinals getting an inviting 4.82 implied team total. Jedd Gyorko should get the start against the southpaw, and he has put up a ridiculous .433 wOBA and .304 ISO when having the platoon advantage since the start of last season.
Kenyatta Storin is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Kenyatta Storin also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username yatters. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.