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 where 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-Salary Play
Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
At Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Salary: $11,000
No, this isn't a case of deja vu, but we are going to recommend Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies again on this turn through the rotation.
Nola has been outstanding this year. In 166 2/3 innings pitched, he's recorded a 2.68 FIP and 25.1% K-BB% walk rate, and he's limited homers to 0.86 HR/9.
Not only has Nola been great, but he's also got one of the best matchups of the day. He's facing an Arizona Diamondbacks team that's in the bottom half of the league in team wOBA, isolated power, and hard-hit rate.
Compared to some other top options like Zac Gallen ($10,800) and Max Fried ($10,500) who have difficult offenses to match up against, Nola has a far easier path to success.
He is our top projected hurler on the day, and given the upside opportunity, Nola is a great play today.
Mid-Range Play
George Kirby, Seattle Mariners
At Detroit Tigers
FanDuel Salary: $9,200
Quietly ripping off an impressive rookie campaign, George Kirby may be the top play of the day, even if he doesn't have a lofty salary.
Kirby has some marks that we can't ignore. Over 97 2/3 innings pitched, he's recorded a 21.7% K-BB% rate, and he's allowed only a 32.4% hard-hit rate.
If those marks don't get you jacked up, let's peek at the Detroit Tigers' marks against right-handers this year. They are clearly the league's worst offense with a 72 wRC+, 25.1% strikeout rate, and a .266 wOBA.
Kirby could totally go off tonight, so don't ignore this elite matchup.
Value Play
Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals
Vs. Oakland Athletics
FanDuel Salary: $6,800
If you want something a bit more spicy, let's go nuts today with a low-salaried option in Erick Fedde of the Washington Nationals.
Look, Fedde is not without flaws. In just 97 2/3 innings, his 4.91 FIP isn't exactly sparkling. A 6.5% K-BB% rate isn't particularly special, nor is 1.29 HR/9 allowed.
He has done a very decent job of limiting hard contact, though, sporting a 29.6% hard-hit rate.
And the Oakland Athletics are a delightful matchup. Against righties, they rank second-worst in team wOBA (.272) and wRC+ (81), and they've logged a 23.6% strikeout rate in the split.
He isn't usually a great option, but he could be one on Tuesday.
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.