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 Play
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
At Philadelphia Phillies
FanDuel Salary: $11,200
There's three big-time arms on Friday's main slate -- Zack Wheeler, Julio Urias and Max Scherzer. For my money, Scherzer is the pick to click.
He's currently sporting a career best 36.2% strikeout rate, and the Philadelphia Phillies -- who are missing regulars Didi Gregorius and Bryce Harper -- own a 25.3% strikeout rate over the last two weeks.
With the strikeouts giving him a huge ceiling and sturdy floor, Scherzer ranks as the slate's number-two arm in our projections.
Mid-Salaried Play
Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
Vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Salary: $8,700
Looking for our model's top-rated dude on tonight's main slate? Look no further than Freddy Peralta, who we peg for 34.8 FanDuel points.
The Milwaukee Brewers continue to churn out incredible arms. Over 56 2/3 innings pitched, Peralta has racked up a 37.2% strikeout rate, and his leash is getting longer as he's gone for 100-plus pitches in back-to-back starts. He's had fewer than seven punchouts just once this year, and that came in his 2021 debut.
He's up against an Arizona Diamondbacks offense that is around the league average in wOBA and strikeout rate. Arizona has a mere 3.40 implied total today.
It's rare for us to be able to get access to this kind of strikeout upside at a salary of just $8,700. Take the savings and enjoy the ride.
Low-Salaried Play
Cody Poteet, Miami Marlins
At Pittsburgh Pirates
FanDuel Salary: $6,900
Going with a low-salary arm on tonight's slate is very risky. With so many high-upside hurlers taking the ball, at least one of them is bound to have a big day. But if you're intent on saving coin on the mound -- maybe to pay up for Coors bats -- Cody Poteet has a good matchup.
He's taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have been a pretty woeful offense this season. They have been even worse over the last two weeks, carrying a .285 wOBA (third-worst) with a 23.5% strikeout rate in that time.
This is a big-time opportunity for Poteet, a rookie. In the first 21 1/3 innings of his career, Poteet has struck out a respectable 23.2% of hitters, and his 4.9% walk rate is excellent -- although his minor-league track record doesn't suggest he'll be a high-strikeout guy in the bigs.
Poteet is a decent dart throw if you're dead set on spending down at pitcher.
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.