If you’ve never played daily fantasy baseball before, it’s time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you’re able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every day.
And while there are many platforms to play daily fantasy baseball on, one of our favorites is from our partners over at DraftKings.com. Never played over there before? It’s time for that to change. Sign up now and use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition. You won’t regret it.
As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the things completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until the games start, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.
To get a general idea of who we're picking in tonight's slate, check out the video below, courtesy of Periscope. And be sure to follow us on there, @numberFire!
Top Pitchers
High-Cost Pitcher
per FanGraphs -- Votto makes for a great play.
Jose Altuve - The Astros face lefty JA Happ tonight, which means Altuve is certainly in play. Last year, Altuve had a .440 wOBA against left-handers, good for a .414 batting average. His power isn't necessarily there (he's 5'5'', people), but he'll be able to give you a high floor for cash games in a plus matchup.
Alternative Option: Edwin Encarnacion
Cost-Effective Hitters
Dustin Ackley - The last three times the Mariners faced a right-handed starter, Dustin Ackley hit either first or second in the lineup. Tonight they get right-hander Roberto Hernandez, meaning we could certainly see the same. Ackley isn't a strong hitter, but does have a .306 wOBA against righties, which is far better than what he sees against lefties. If you throw him into your lineup, it's just a price play. But our algorithm does like him a fair amount.
Chris Owings - A righty, Owings actually has hit right-handed pitching better throughout his career (442 plate appearances) than left-handed pitching. Like Ackley, his numbers aren't going to blow you away, but he's a really cheap play each night, and batted second in the D-Backs order last night. The Diamondbacks get Yovani Gallardo tonight, and Vegas has their team total hovering the 4.5 mark. That's enough reason to get some cheap exposure to that lineup, and that's what you can do by using Owings. Just make sure he's in a favorable part of the order.
Alternative Option: Ike Davis