MLB

FanDuel Pitching Primer: Tuesday 10/6/20

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Oct 6th, 2020
Divisional play kicks off in full swing, and that means we've got to nail the starting pitching slot. Who should we consider?

In daily fantasy baseball, success starts with nailing the starting pitcher spot in your lineup.

When compared to hitters, pitching performance tends to be much more predictable and stable throughout the course of the season. You know what you're getting from a top-level ace when you roster him: probably a dominant effort with only one or two implosions per season. In contrast, even the game's best hitters have days at the plate when they go 0-for-4.

As a result, lineup construction should begin with the starting pitcher. Which pitchers should you consider on today's main slate?

High-Salaried Option

Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay Rays

Vs New York Yankees
FanDuel Salary: $9,600

After pounding the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday with five home runs, can Tyler Glasnow slow down this New York Yankees juggernaut?

There's no doubt that they are solid at the plate -- they ranked fourth this season in team wOBA (.341), including a strong .200 isolated power (ISO) mark thanks to boppers Luke Voit, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

But they also present that swing-and-miss ability we crave: they logged a 21.7% strikeout rate this season, and that's where Glasnow shines. He rocked a whopping 38.2% strikeout rate this season, including a career-best 14.2% strikeout rate.

There are land mines all over the place with the aces today -- Walker Buehler faces the San Diego Padres, and Framber Valdez faces an Oakland Athletics team that also popped a few dingers yesterday as well.

Peep Glasnow for some serious upside potential.

Mid-Salaried Play

Max Fried, Atlanta Braves

Vs Miami Marlins
FanDuel Salary: $8,700

For some exposure to a poor offense we can attack, Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves makes for a saucy play on Tuesday.

The Miami Marlins have been decent on the bump but pretty poor at the dish. In fact, by many metrics, they are the league's worst offense of the teams remaining, including a 24.8% strikeout rate, .141 ISO, and lowly .308 wOBA.

Fried was outstanding in 165 2/3 innings a year ago, and he kept up that pace in 2020. While he doesn't post a gaudy strikeout rate, his 53.0% ground-ball rate helps him induce a ton of weak contact and stay in games for a long period of time (7-0 record this season).

Check out Fried as a solid mid-priced option.

Low-Salaried Play

Sean Manaea, Oakland Athletics

Vs Houston Astros
FanDuel Salary: $6,800

After not throwing in the Wild Card Round, Sean Manaea of the Oakland Athletics will take the bump against the Houston Astros, who hammered Oakland pitching a day ago.

While they were explosive yesterday, they struggled this season at the dish with only a .168 ISO and .311 wOBA. That makes them a prime target for us to look at.

While they didn't whiff at all (19.9%), Manaea was very solid this season with a 50.3% ground-ball rate and 20.3% strikeout rate. If you need a cheap pitching option, consider the lefty.

Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. 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.