MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 8/6/15
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.
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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.
Top Pitchers
High-Cost Pitcher
Jason Hammel – With only five games on tonight's slate, reliable pitching is a bit hard to find. With that said, Hammel is the pitcher that I trust the most for cash games. In his 20 starts this season, Hammel has earned a very respectable 3.27 FIP, 3.35 xFIP and 3.27 SIERA while striking out 8.85 batters per nine innings. The Cubs' starter has held both lefties and righties to under a .290 wOBA with a FIP below 3.30 against batters from both sides of the plate as well. Although a matchup with the Giants is less-than-ideal, Hammel is still the safest pitching play on the board tonight and can be had at a reasonable price across the industry.
Alternative Option: Chris Heston
Cost-Effective Pitcher
Mark Buehrle – Generally speaking, I don't usually recommend pitchers who are pitching at Rogers Centre, but with such a limited selection tonight Buehrle is definitely on my radar. Although he does not strike out very many batters -- he averages just 4.47 strikeouts per nine innings -- Buehrle is a ground ball pitcher who rarely gives up the long ball and gets a solid matchup against the Twins tonight. Despite the fact that they are much better against lefties than righties, Minnesota ranks just 15th in wOBA (.308) and 18th in wRC+ (94) against southpaws on the year, making them a viable team to target every night. While I am not supremely confident that Buehrle will shut the Twins down, he is the inexpensive option where I will be spending my money on a night with few reliable places to do so.
Alternative Option: N/A
High-Cost Hitters
Mark Teixeira – The Yankees are one of the hottest hitting teams in all of baseball right now. They lead the league in wOBA (.368), wRC+ (135), ISO (.215) and OPS (.857) since the All-Star break and have been absolutely obliterating left-handed pitching all season long. Teixeira has been a huge part of New York's success since day one, especially against left-handed pitching. The veteran first baseman has amassed a ridiculous .411 wOBA, .346 ISO and .984 OPS against lefties this season and gets the pleasure of facing off with Red Sox' rookie southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez tonight. Look for the Yankees to have another huge game against the rival Sox tonight and for Teixeira to play a major role in their offensive output.
Hanley Ramirez – The once feared CC Sabathia has become a shell of his former self as of late. The Yankees' veteran pitcher has seen his FIP balloon all the way up to 4.85 this season while he has struggled mightily to slow down right-handed bats, giving up a .395 wOBA with a horrific 5.63 FIP to righties on the year. Red Sox' slugger Ramirez has been very good against left-handed pitching this season, racking up a .327 wOBA and .229 ISO against southpaws this season. With tonight's game taking place at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium and the over/under currently at 9, Ramirez looks like an excellent value at $4,000 on DraftKings and $3,500 on FanDuel. Do not hesitate to plug him into your lineups in all formats tonight.
Alternative Option: Dee Gordon, Alex Rodriguez
Cost-Effective Hitters
Chris Young – As I mentioned earlier, the Yankees have just destroyed lefties this season. Much of the reason for their success against left-handed pitching comes from the batt of their veteran outfielder Young. Although he has had very little success against right-handed pitching this season, Young has straight-up obliterated southpaws. He has amassed a whopping .473 wOBA, .324 ISO and 1.127 OPS against left-handed pitching, yet, due to the fact that he is not an every-day starter, his price tag remains at an insanely low $3,300 on DraftKings and $3,200 on FanDuel. Young is dollar for dollar my favorite player on the board tonight.
Derek Dietrich – Braves' rookie starter Matt Wisler has not faired well against left-handed bats this year. So far this season, Wisler has allowed lefties to hit for a .379 wOBA while he has accumulated an abysmal 6.14 FIP and 5.95 xFIP against lefties through eight starts. This bodes extremely well for Dietrich, who has amassed a .366 wOBA and .232 ISO against righties and should be batting in the middle of the order for the Marlins tonight. With only five games on tonight's slate, finding value may be a difficult task, but at just $2,800 on DraftKings and $2,200 on FanDuel, Dietrich could provide some much needed cap relief if you are looking to stack a high-priced team like the Yankees.
Alternative Option: Kyle Schwarber
