Every day is unique for daily fantasy baseball, which is both a blessing and a challenge. Although we can’t simply plug and play our favorite studs day in and day out, each slate presents us with a chance for a new gem to vault us up the leaderboards.
Through the use of numberFire’s tools, we can better identify the players primed to succeed each day, making the process of filling out a lineup just that much easier. In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy looking team to put up some big point totals.
Which names stand out for today on the DraftKings main slate? Let’s check it out, starting with the pitchers.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitcher
Chris Sale ($11,800 on DraftKings): What an absolute beast. Chris Sale has put up an incredible 35.5 percent strikeout rate this season with a 2.93 SIERA. In addition, his 5.8 percent walk rate and 19.0 percent line drive rate which are both fantastic. On top of his elite numbers, he has a solid matchup as he takes on the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays have a 24.1 percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers with is the 12th-most in the Majors and their .302 wOBA ranks 22nd.
Adam Wainwright ($8,200): This is a very boom-or-bust matchup for Adam Wainwright. He's going to take on the Seattle Mariners tonight — a team with a 24.9 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers which is the 5th most in the Majors. However, they have also had solid offensive numbers against righties a 13th-ranked .327 wOBA. Wainwright has put up a not-so-great 21.5 percent strikeout rate which is a bit concerning, but he relies on groundballs and his 50.9 percent groundball rate is very good.
Value Pitcher
Cal Quantrill ($5,000): With just 36.2 Major League innings, Cal Quantrill is an interesting option tonight. He's extremely cheap and takes on one of the worst offenses in the league. While the San Francisco Giants do not really strikeout much as their 19th ranked 22.6 percent strikeout rate would indicate, their 28th ranked .295 wOBA is brutal. Quantrill doesn't have too many numbers that stand out, but like Wainwright, he relies on groundballs as his 50.5 percent groundball rate would indicate.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
George Springer ($5,900): In five starts this season, Peter Lambert has been terrible. He has given up seven home runs and exceeded five innings just once. Another matchup in Coors Field does not look great for him as the powerful Houston Astros continue their series in Colorado. George Springer especially brings a lot of power and has crushed right-handed pitching this season. He heads to Coors sporting a .420 wOBA and .308 ISO against righties which puts in a very tough spot this evening.
Freddie Freeman ($5,200): Speaking of hitters that smash right-handed pitching, Freddie Freeman has completely dominated against them this season. He has put up a .412 wOBA and a .278 ISO against righties in 2019 and has a fantastic matchup against Philadelphia Phillies struggling right-hander Nick Pivetta. With a horrendous 43.9 percent hard-hit rate and equally brutal 27.3 percent line-drive rate, along with a 2.25 HR/9 — all of which doesn't bode well for Pivetta tonight.
Aaron Judge ($4,800): He's missed plenty of time with injury but Aaron Judge is back and coming in at a relatively cheap price, all things considered. He has a .469 wOBA and just a .150 ISO this season against left-handed pitchers. But that is just 27 plate appearances, however, last season Judge crushed lefties with a .409 wOBA and .279 ISO. Opposing pitcher New York Mets' Jason Vargas has struggled this season with a very misleading 3.66 ERA compared to his ugly 5.09 xFIP.
Value Hitters
Scooter Gennett ($3,900): Scooter Gennett has played just four games this season and there is nothing exciting to see there, but tonight he has a great matchup and an opportunity to get the ball rolling on his 2019 season. Jhoulys Chacin has given up a 45.1 percent hard-hit rate and 40.0 percent fly-ball rate which has resulted in a 17.0 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate. In addition, he has a 10.8 percent walk rate and a slate-worst 5.42 SIERA. In 2018, Gennett put up a .375 wOBA and a .196 ISO against right-handed pitching, so there is some upside here tonight.
Chance Sisco ($3,700): This very powerful catcher has been an intriguing option as of late, especially against right-handed pitching. The power is incredible with a .433 wOBA and a stunning .426 ISO against righties at a very nice price. The matchup is going to be Ryne Stanek opening the game and Austin Pruitt coming in as a long reliever in all likelihood. Both of these pitchers are right-handers which is great for Sisco and while Stanek has been solid, Sisco will likely only see him once and then go on to Pruitt who has a career 4.46 xFIP in the Majors.
Mark Reynolds ($2,900): There is no guarantee that Mark Reynolds will be in the starting lineup, but given that the Astros will have a southpaw on the mound, it is the most likely situation for Reynolds to get into the lineup. Now, he's going to likely be pinch-hit for once a righty comes into the game, but getting a cheap bat like Reynolds in Coors Field for sub-3k is about as great a situation as one can have. The power has been modest this year with a .283 wOBA and .172 ISO against lefties, but the hitting environment is unmatched.
Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. 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.