FanDuel Pitching Primer: Monday 9/13/21
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
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Salary: $10,900
Let's be super clear -- this play comes with some major risk, and is certainly not for the faint of heart. Buyer beware on Clayton Kershaw.
Returning from what seemed like a superfluous Injured List stay, the southpaw comes back tonight after a singular rehab start in Triple-A (three innings pitched with 49 total pitches). That's the major concern tonight -- how long will the lefty go?
Now, here's the good news -- he possibly gets the best matchup he could have asked for coming off of the Injured List. He ramps up against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have logged a woeful .308 wOBA and 23.1% strikeout rate in the last 30 days. Assuming he can get to five innings at least tonight, he could be in line for a huge play.
Other options to consider if the Kershaw pitch limit is a concern: Yu Darvish ($9,200), Sandy Alcantara ($10,600)
High-Salaried Play
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
At New York Mets
FanDuel Salary: $9,800
If you are looking for perhaps a less risky, but an arm we rate as the highest projected option on the slate, Adam Wainwright could make a lot of sense.
The veteran right-hander has been insanely brilliant this season -- and while many highlight his outstanding 2.78 ERA at Busch Stadium in over 1,200 innings, Wainwright's excellence has not been limited simply to his home digs. Since the All-Star Break, the righty has posted a scintillating 2.16 ERA, and his brilliance has been bolstered by 0.57 HR/9 over this stretch of starts.
The New York Mets have been a bit murky at the plate -- they've only recorded a .318 wOBA and 24.0% strikeout rate in the last month -- so play Wainwright with confidence.
Low-Salaried Play
Rich Hill, New York Mets
vs. St. Louis Cardinals
FanDuel Salary: $7,500
With only an over/under of 7.5 runs, the New York Mets and Cardinals jump off the page immediately. And while we already highlighted one of the game's starters, it would be a fool's errand to ignore Rich Hill as well.
Hill profiles as an interesting play tonight -- the Cardinals clock in with only a .317 wOBA in the last month, and their .172 ISO is also pretty mediocre as well.
Since the calendar turned to August, Hill has been an even better pitcher this season -- he's fired a 3.37 FIP, limited homers to only a 0.80 HR/9 mark, and whiffed just under a batter per inning. If you need a lower-salaried pitcher to roster some pricey bats, peep Hill.
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.
