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
Stephen Strasburg ($10,500 on DraftKings): A matchup against the Atlanta Braves is far from an ideal one, but Stephen Strasburg has been pretty great this year. He comes into tonight's matchup with a 29.1 percent strikeout rate, 6.1 percent walk rate and 3.44 SIERA. Now, on the Braves side of things, they do not strike out that often as their 22.4 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitching is the 18th-most and their .332 wOBA against righties is the 9th-best. But on a night when the masses will likely flock to Trevor Bauer, Stras is an appealing GPP play.
Matt Boyd ($9,600): When you consider all of the big-name pitchers on this slate, it will probably be a surprise to you to learn that Matt Boyd leads the way tonight with an incredible 32.1 percent strikeout rate, 3.24 SIERA and a 5.1 percent walk rate -- all slate-best marks. While his 39.9 percent hard-hit rate is a bit of a concern, his matchup is a solid one. The Cleveland Indians' 24th-ranked .305 wOBA is an encouraging number. Boyd could pop at lower ownership today.
Value Pitcher
Kyle Gibson ($6,800): Kyle Gibson had a fantastic stretch earlier in the season but has really fallen back down to earth. That is OK as this price tag helps make him a worthwhile cheap SP2 option tonight. He is sporting a modest 23.7 percent strikeout rate and 4.09 SIERA while relying on a 48.6 percent groundball rate. He has a pretty ho-hum matchup against the Oakland Athletics -- a team with the sixth-lowest strikeout rate (20.8 percent) and 14th-ranked wOBA (.320) against right-handed pitching.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
Yordan Alvarez ($5,200): When you dominate right-handed pitchers like Yordan Alvarez does, you're in play against any righty. When you are facing a horrific right-handed pitcher, this makes the play an absolute no-brainer. Alvarez has put up an insane .442 wOBA and .348 ISO against right-handed pitching and is lucky enough to face Los Angeles Angels' hurler Matt Harvey. Harvey has struggled immensely, giving up a 41.6 percent hard-hit rate and 27.9 percent line-drive rate. He is a disaster waiting to happen in this matchup. Just make sure Alvarez is in the lineup after sitting Wednesday with a knee issue.
Tyler O'Neill ($4,400): Tyler O'Neill has been fantastic over the last three weeks and will look to continue that against Cincinnati Reds' Tanner Roark. O'Neill has been great against righties, posting a .404 wOBA and .297 ISO in the split. Roark, on the other hand, struggles with just a 22.6 percent strikeout rate, and his 37.3 percent hard-hit rate and 27.8 percent line-drive rate are great numbers to pick on.
Gary Sanchez ($4,300): Gary Sanchez brings a ton of power to the plate. He'll take on the Tampa Bay Rays, who will put Charlie Morton on the mound. Yes, it's a very difficult matchup for Sanchez. However, his power is pretty tough to ignore. Sanchez brings a .348 wOBA and elite .308 ISO against right-handed pitching into tonight's game, and while there are not many holes in Morton's resume, it just takes one swing for Sanchez to pay off value at this price.
Value Hitters
Albert Pujols ($3,900): Albert Pujols is clearly in the twilight years of his career, but he is still producing some decent pop, especially against left-handed pitchers. He has a modest .317 wOBA but an acceptable .238 ISO. He'll face Houston Astros' lefty Wade Miley, a pitcher who is giving up a 37.3 percent hard-hit rate and owns a 4.54 SIERA and 20.5 percent strikeout rate.
Luis Arraez ($3,900): Not only have I never written up Luis Arraez, I don't even know if I've rostered him this season. I probably have, but it's been few and far between. Anyway, it's tough to ignore a .380 average, 10.7 percent walk rate and 7.1 percent strikeout rate from a rookie. He's showing great patience at the plate, which is in-line with his minor league numbers. He doesn't bring much power to the plate -- as his .160 ISO against righties indicates -- but he's got a nice matchup versus a struggling Mike Fiers. Fiers has a brutal 5.26 SIERA and is giving up a 38.8 percent hard-hit rate, and as a result, the Minnesota Twins carry the night's top implied total (5.50).
Wilson Ramos ($3,300): Two catchers in one article seems insane, especially when the two pitchers they're facing are Morton and Madison Bumgarner. But the prices are great, and the numbers are there to warrant a play. Wilson Ramos been fantastic against southpaws this season, boasting an elite .416 wOBA and .212 ISO in the split. He's got a .434 on-base percentage against lefties, compared to just a .314 on-base percentage versus righties. Walks and strikeouts are no issue for Bumgarner, but it's the 46.1 percent hard-hit rate and 25.9 percent line-drive rate MadBum is surrendering that Ramos can thrive on.
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.