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
Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox
Vs. Seattle Mariners
FanDuel Salary: $11,200
One of the league's best arms was one of the latest draft picks in terms of season-long drafts. Carlos Rodon, the pride of Indiana State, has given the Chicago White Sox a beastly three-headed monster at the top of their rotation.
Sporting a 36.6% strikeout rate this year -- easily the highest mark of his career -- Rodon's sparkling 1.83 ERA and 2.38 FIP are among the league's best marks. With a 7.0% barrel rate and 28.2% hard-hit rate, as well, he's clearly shown he belongs among the elite.
And, his matchup tonight is arguably one of the best. The Seattle Mariners strike out plenty (26.6%), and their team wOBA of .290 is certainly on the struggle bus. Play him with extreme confidence.
Mid-Salaried Play
Chris Paddack, San Diego Padres
Vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Salary: $8,500
Chris Paddack has been a hotly debated pitcher in fantasy circles the last few years. Here's the problem that he's shown: he has plenty of life in a fastball and changeup combination, but with the lack of a third pitch offering, he's gotten tattooed.
Enter a curveball, a pitch he's developed and showcased over his last few starts. It's not a shock that he's whiffed 20 batters in his last 11 innings, rocking a 3.28 ERA over that time frame.
And something is just off with the Arizona Diamondbacks, losers of 23 straight road contests with a .295 wOBA and 24.1% strikeout rate. To save some cash, pivot down to Paddack.
Low-Salaried Play
Domingo German, New York Yankees
At Boston Red Sox
FanDuel Salary: $6,500
I think there's gonna be a crap ton of runs scored tonight at Fenway Park, so eyeballing hitters in this matchup certainly makes a ton of sense. But if you like living on the edge, right-hander Domingo German is an interesting option.
While German has gotten beaten up a bit recently, getting pounded for an 11.88 ERA over 8 1/3 innings, this is a Boston Red Sox team that has struggled at the dish recently. Over the last two weeks, they sport a 25.8% strikeout rate, and they hover around league average with a 106 wRC+.
There are some great bats available tonight, and if you need to move to a cheaper play, peep German.
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.