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
Matt Boyd ($11,200 on DraftKings): Matt Boyd continues to be such a surprise, but he has also been completely dominant. He's got a legit 32.6 percent strikeout rate and while his 40.1 percent hard-hit rate is ugly, and there is no doubt he'll give up some home runs, but the upside is so high. He's got a 3.22 SIERA which is significantly better than the 3.91 ERA he sports. He'll take on a Kansas City Royals team that has struggled against left-handed pitching. Their 24.0 percent strikeout rate is the 10th-most in the Majors but their .289 wOBA sits way down at 27th.
Domingo German ($9,700): For a team that is so bad, the Toronto Blue Jays have become one of the most fun teams to watch. The young talent at the plate is fantastic, but they are still undisciplined. Domingo German is bringing a 26.6 percent strikeout rate to the table tonight — a number that is solid, but not quite elite. Since July 1st, the Jays have a 23.5 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers which is the 10th-most, but their .333 wOBA ranks 12th so there is some offensive pop to be concerned about.
Value Pitcher
Eric Lauer ($6,700): There really isn't much upside with Eric Lauer, but he has an intriguing matching against a Colorado Rockies team that has a 25.4 percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitching — tied for the fifth-most in the Majors. Lauer, however, has just a 19.2 percent strikeout rate and there are still other concerns in his game. He's giving up a 41.3 percent strikeout rate and is sporting a slate-worst 4.77 SIERA. These are the concerns, but the Rockies strike out a lot against lefties and the ballpark in San Diego favors pitchers.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
Freddie Freeman ($5,400): Freddie Freeman completely smashes right-handed pitching as evident by the absolutely elite .419 wOBA and .280 ISO. There is so much upside tonight as he and the Atlanta Braves take on Miami Marlins' Elieser Hernandez. He's got 107 innings in his career in the Majors and given up a horrendous .393 wOBA and .553 SLG against left-handed pitching — making up 47.2 innings of his career totals. He's got a 4.68 SIERA while being helped with a .264 BABIP, so his numbers could get worse as the season continues.
J.D. Martinez ($5,300): As most would have expected, J.D. Martinez is having a down season compared to last year. Now, that's not to say that his current season hasn't been solid, because it has been, but it has certainly been underwhelming. Well, tonight is a night we could see Martinez smash. Against left-handed pitching, he has put up an unfathomable .541 wOBA and .495 ISO. Yes, you are seeing those numbers correctly, and it is over 116 plate appearance which isn't an insignificant number.
Kris Bryant ($4,500): Another player that has smashed left-handed pitching this season — albeit not as much as Martinez — is Kris Bryant. He has put up an incredible .463 wOBA and .369 ISO against southpaws and has an interesting matchup against Cincinnati Reds' left-hander Alex Wood. Wood is still settling back into the rotation as he has returned from his back injury, but the numbers in his two starts haven't been great. However, his career numbers against righties are okay giving up a .300 wOBA and a .378 SLG.
Value Hitters
Franmil Reyes ($3,800): After being traded to the Cleveland Indians at the MLB Trade Deadline, Franmil Reyes hasn't been that great. However, he has crushed 27 home runs and has a ton of power upside. He's put up a .338 wOBA and his .289 ISO is a number that shows just how much power he can bring to the table. The matchup isn't the best, as Minnesota Twins' Kyle Gibson has been solid, but Gibson is still giving up a 35.0 percent hard-hit rate and 25.4 percent line-drive rate which could be interesting for Reyes.
Aristides Aquino ($3,800): Aristides Aquino has just 17 plate appearances in the Majors this season, so we won't look at that, but his numbers in Triple-A have been very encouraging. He has put up a .406 wOBA and .337 ISO and hopes to continue that offensive power in the big leagues. He has far from an easy match, though, as he takes on Cleveland Indians' ace Mike Clevinger. He's been a strikeout machine rocking a slate-high 36.9 percent strikeout rate, but he still gives up a 36.8 percent hard-hit rate and 27.0 percent line-drive rate which is beneficial for Aquino.
Sam Travis ($3,600): There is no guarantee that Sam Travis will get into the lineup, but against a left-handed pitcher, it is more likely than not. He's been acceptable against lefties this season putting up a .306 wOBA and .196 ISO. Of course, we want much better numbers than this, but you're getting a solid discount in a great matchup. Dillon Peters is giving up a 40.2 percent hard-hit rate and 36.6 percent fly-ball rate which has resulted in a 16.7 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate which is pretty terrible.
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.