MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 5/28/13
We know that people play all sorts of fantasy platforms, not just from from our friends at StarStreet but on other platforms such as FanDuel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud as well. So once again, we have four optimized rosters, all for you, the numberFire reader. One is for free here; the others can be found in our Premium section.
As always, the full tables for today's action are available at our Daily Fantasy Projections page. Make sure to check it out to see where the best values are for your team.
Our baseball projections are updated throughout the day, so make sure to come back to double-check your optimized rosters for any last-minute lineup changes. Since most action happens later in the day, we will be ignoring the early games (if there are any) and focusing solely on the late contests. That way, you can use and tinker with our optimized rosters throughout the day.
StarStreet Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Harvey | SP | 23.04 | $27,000 | 0.85 |
| Ryan Dempster | SP | 17.69 | $22,900 | 0.77 |
| Mike Trout | CF | 15.41 | $8,400 | 1.83 |
| Robinson Cano | 2B | 14.74 | 6300 | 2.34 |
| Alex Rios | RF | 12.95 | $5,400 | 2.40 |
| Chase Headley | 3B | 12.85 | $5,400 | 2.38 |
| Jimmy Rollins | SS | 12.54 | $5,400 | 2.32 |
| Adam Dunn | 1B | 11.84 | $5,200 | 2.28 |
| Starlin Castro | SS | 12.26 | $5,200 | 2.36 |
| Will Venable | OF | 14.1 | $4,300 | 3.28 |
| Russell Martin | C | 10.61 | $4,100 | 2.59 |
Fan Duel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud Optimized Rosters
For the optimal rosters for the other main players, be sure to check out our brand new Daily Fantasy Optimized Rosters for our Premium members. We know that you're killing it with our picks; maybe now you'll help us continue to help you win each night, every night.
Access to the optimal rosters is immediate, and you'll have it constantly updated for the latest injury news and updates from around the league. The best news of all? For new subscribers, you can use the promo code WELCOME and get it 50% off what was already the reduced price. Think of the savings!
The Three Top Pitchers
Chris Sale - The Chicago Crosstown Classic is unlike any other game. It's a war, fought between opposing, contradictory sides impassioned within the throes of tradition and honor and nope, who am I kidding? The Cubs hold a .300 team OBP and are trotting out a pitcher with a 1.566 WHIP. Sale, meanwhile, holds the fifth-best WHIP among qualified major league pitchers at 0.922, bolstered by a 24.7 percent strikeout rate. His 0.43 projected wins and 5.68 projected strikeouts are no joke.
Joe Blanton - Take a look at what I wrote last Thursday concerning Blanton and his record. And what happened? Blanton's first win! Granted, it came with only one strikeout, but baby steps here people. His 1-7 record and 6+ ERA still isn't indicative of how well he's actually pitched. The Dodgers may hold a .330 OBP, but Blanton's control and projected 1.63 walks should lead him to a decent night.
Alfredo Figaro - Looking for a really low-priced option? Then go big or go home. Alfredo Figaro has exactly four career starts, and none of them have come since 2010. None of those starts went particularly well, either. And all 15 of his appearances this year have been in relief. So what makes him a halfway decent option? Getting his wildness under control: Figaro has only allowed walks on 5.2 percent of his opponents' 115 plate appearances this season. Given that Minnesota's main contributor to an average OBP is its high walk rate, facing a low-walk pitcher should limit their overall offensive effectiveness.
Top High-Priced Hitters
Mike Trout - 100 percent true stat: Mike Trout has scored two runs in six of his past seven games. 100 percent true stat: his .570 slugging percentage is ninth among qualified major league batters. Hyun-jin Ryu may hold a 23.2 percent strikeout rate in his first major league season, but his 8.5 percent walk rate and 2.3 percent homerun rate are right around MLB averages. Don't be fooled by his 5-2 record, Ryu has pitched like a league-average guy this year, and Trout can take advantage.
Chase Headley - Mariners starter Brandon Maurer has a 1.672 WHIP, 22 percent line drive rate, and only strikes out 15.5 percent of opposing batters. Granted, he's also on one or two of our optimized rosters tonight, but that has more to do with the weakness of the San Diego offense as a whole. One guy who isn't weak, though, is Mr. Headley. That 29 percent line drive rate has me drooling, especially against a guy with a .358 BABIP. With not many other solid 3B options other than insanely-priced Cabrera, I'll take him in a heartbeat.
Mid-Range Cost-Effective Hitters
Will Venable - Am I concerned that he didn't play a single game over the weekend, and he's got a late game tonight? Yeah, a tiny bit. But did that drive down his cost enough where his seven homerun power and eight stolen base speed becomes a steal, especially against Maurer's 4.1 percent homerun rate? Absolutely. I'll absolutely take his 0.33 projected stolen bases, 0.20 projected homeruns, and 0.71 projected runs tonight, numbers that put him in the top ten best-producing outfielders regardless of cost.
Starlin Castro - Yeah, I know he's facing Chris Sale. But on the flip side, Sale's .235 BABIP is unsustainable, and Castro holds a .332 BABIP for his career, way above the roughly .295 MLB average. Given the other shortstop options, we'll take Castro's low cost - we have him projected at 0.91 singles tonight, which means a solid number of runs chances (0.67 projected) as well.
