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-Salaried Play #1
Robbie Ray, Seattle Mariners
Vs. Texas Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $10,200
One of the best arms of the day that we need to consider is Robbie Ray, and man, what a matchup he has tonight.
First, let's focus on the brilliance of Ray. He may not be winning the Cy Young again this year, but he's been pretty damn good. He's recorded a 3.98 FIP this year over 177 2/3 innings pitched with a gaudy 27.8% strikeout rate. His 32.8% hard-hit rate would be the best mark of his career.
His opponent, the Texas Rangers, have really struggled at the plate. In the last two weeks, they have posted a .307 wOBA and an inflated 25.8% strikeout rate.
According to numberFire's projections, Ray is the top pitcher on the slate.
High-Salaried Play #2
Lance McCullers, Houston Astros
Vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Salary: $10,800
Over the last two weeks, the Arizona Diamondbacks have recorded the league's worst wOBA (.251), second-worst strikeout rate (27.1%), and eighth-worst ISO (.136 ). This is an easy team to attack with opposing pitchers down the stretch.
With Lance McCullers trying to get himself into prime playoff form, this could be a great opportunity. The right-hander has posted a 2.38 ERA over 41 2/3 innings pitched, with a 26.0% strikeout rate and a delightful 48.1% ground-ball rate.
McCullers is an intriguing option and is projected for the second-most FanDuel points tonight.
Mid-Salaried Play
Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels
Vs. Oakland Athletics
FanDuel Salary: $8,900
A salary-saving option who we need to be considering is Patrick Sandoval of the Los Angeles Angels tonight against the Oakland Athletics.
Over the last 14 days, the A's have really struggled at the dish. They've been middle of the pack with a .316 wOBA, but they've also put up a whopping 27.2% strikeout rate.
Sandoval has been strong this season. He has fired 137 1/3 innings while recording a solid 23.9% strikeout rate and 46.8% ground-ball rate. His 3.18 FIP shows he has been outstanding on the hill this year.
If you need to save at the position, Sandoval is someone to consider.
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.