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Madison Bumgarner FanDuel 9600 DraftKings 11100 DraftStreet 21314
Bumgarner has been dynamite recently, and while Washington is a less than ideal opponent - Bumgarner still has easily the best upside of the big name guys going today. Wainwright is way more expensive, and our system has Bumgarner projected for a fraction of a point less at 1,300 savings (on FanDuel). This is the difference between a superstud and a pretty good hitter - and it's an easy savings to take in my mind.
Corey Kluber FanDuel 8700 DraftKings 10700 DraftStreet 20448
The only thing dinging Kluber here is the Royals' relative lack of strikeouts. Still, though - I think Kluber will pin down the royal with little to no difficulty.
Josh Beckett FanDuel 7500 DraftKings 9300 DraftStreet 16410
Beckett's not the ace he used to be, but he's still plenty of pitcher. And the Reds are quietly awful. Even accounting for Joey Votto's contributions this year, the Reds are the third worst run scoring team in the majors. Leake's pitch to contact approach should favor the free swinging Dodgers - who should put up a ton of runs in short order.
Also considered: Francisco Liriano, Ian Kennedy
Catcher
Wilin Rosario FanDuel 3100 DraftKings 4000 DraftStreet 5826
Mike Minor is a fine pitcher, but pitchers a heck of a lot finer than him have been humbled and then some by Coors Field. Rosario makes his living hitting left handers at home, and given te lack of other terrific options, I'll be playing him heavily.
Derek Norris FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 7087
Norris rocks a nearly 1k OPS against left handed pitching, and while the park and pitching match-up leaves something to be desired, you just have to trust me on this one - guys with platoon splits like Norris can hit all but the very best opposite handed pitchers.
Carlos Ruiz FanDuel 2500 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 4593
Chooch is nearly platoon neutral, and he's terrific at home vs. pitchers of any handedness. Kennedy is having a nice season K wise, but Ruiz is walking more than he strikes out this year, and the price is just too low for him to be ignored - especially on FanDuel.
Also considered: Robinson Chirinos, Evan Gattis
Freddie Freeman FanDuel 3700 DraftKings 4900 DraftStreet 7398
Whatever Coors magic Nicasio once had is long gone, and the owner of 42 Ks and 20 BBs in 60+ IP is facing a lefty that crushes any right hander, much less one who sucks, and in Coors field. Freeman will be a nearly universal start today, as much as one can be in baseball.
David Ortiz FanDuel 3800 DraftKings 4600 DraftStreet 7911
Even in his advanced aga, Papi can put the ball in the seats. And Tillman. Oh, Tillman. He could be charged for crimes against humanity after his last start against Texas, and I don't see it going that much better against the Bosox.
Chris Davis FanDuel 3700 DraftKings 4400 DraftStreet 6860
Brandon Workman has exceeded my incredibly low expectations for him this year, but not by much. He's got 10 Ks and 8 BBs as a starter, and guys like Davis just feast on not-quite-major-league-pitching. Davis isn't quite at MVP levels this year to be sure, but he can still murder poor right handed pitching.
Lots of great options at 1b today - also considered Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera, Jose Abreau.
Ian Kinsler FanDuel 3200 DraftKings 4900 DraftStreet 8063
Kinsler holds an incredible 137 wRC+ against left handers for his career, and now he's facing a guy who it feels impossible to remember was once a good pitcher. Danks is going to get railroaded in this game, and Kinsler should be right in the center of it all.
Jason Kipnis FanDuel 2600 DraftKings 4200 DraftStreet 6791
Bold prediction: Something is wrong with Yordano Ventura. After getting off to a terrific start, he's had 7 Ks and 5 BBs in his last 3 starts, and is particularly susceptible against left handers. That works out well for Kipnis, whose wRC+ is 24 points higher against righties. Ventura will have a nice career, but this start will be one he will hope to forget.
Chase Utley FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 5561
Ian Kennedy might have a nice start in this game, but I'm thinking he's going to have a tough time getting through Utley. Chase has always crushed right handed pitching at home, and his patient approach should give him the opportunity he needs to knock around a Kennedy mistake or two. Disclaimer: I like the above guys much better.
Also considered: Brian Dozier
Jose Reyes FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4800 DraftStreet 7946
I so rarely get to recommend Jose, which is a shame, since he was my favorite player ever in his prime. In this game, he may as well time warp back to his prime. The Blue Jays are going to murder Kevin Correia, and the platoon-neutral Reyes will get more pitches to handle than he needs to do some serious fantasy damage.
Elvis Andrus FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 6552
Doug and I were talking the other day about how Andrus is such a great double-up play in match-ups like this, even if you can't really count on any upside in GPPs. But batting in the middle of those heavy Rangers bats, Andrus could provide very solid value against the less than mediocre Koehler.
Jean Segura FanDuel 2800 DraftKings 3600 DraftStreet 6097
Dice-K, Dice-K, Dice-K! Have 4 days passed already? I can not wait to stack me some Brewers against Dice-K and then go play with my kids instead of watch this torture-fest. Dice-K is kind of like a really terrible magician who does a huge theatrical lead up to terrible magic tricks. Or something. You get the idea - take some Brewers today and thank me later.
Also considered: Asdrubal Cabrera, Starlin Castro, Andrelton Simmons
Nick Castellanos FanDuel 2500 DraftKings 3500 DraftStreet 4865
The young Tigers third baseman has a reputation of having relatively low upside, but he's proving that that's somewhat undeserved. With 3 3 hit games in his last 5, including a homer, Castellanos is one of the very best bang-for-your-buck cheap plays out there. If you decide to go expensive on Wainwright or Tanaka (if he starts), Castellanos should definitely be in your lineup against the overmatched Danks. In case you were wondering, Castellanos is principally in the big leagues to hit left handed pitching.
Aramis Ramirez FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 7677
Aramis Ramirez is probably pretty pissed that he didn't make the top of the 3b list against Daisuke Matsuzaka, but chill, A-Ram. I was just making a point about Castellanos. You're a close 1a. What can I say? It's Dice-K!!!! And unlike a lot of other big hitters, Ramirez doesn't own a large platoon split at all. Matsuzaka might literally be the worst, and Ramirez will be all over it.
Manny Machado FanDuel 3000 DraftKings 3900 DraftStreet 7199
Another platoon neutral guy, I just can't imagine Machado not getting a hold of a Brandon Workman offering. I honestly don't even know what Workman's plan could be against this Orioles lineup. is he going to try the old hidden ball trick? Spitballs? I'm at a loss. Stack Orioles.
Also considered: Brett Lawrie, Trevor Plouffe, David Freese
Austin Jackson FanDuel 2600 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 3771
The price is a joke considering what the Tigers are going to do to John Danks. While Jackson is actually a reverse-platoon guy, he can absolutely still handle he of the 54 Ks and 30 BBs this year. Lots of RBI opportunities for Jackson tonight - we'll see if he cashes them in.
Torii Hunter FanDuel 2900 DraftKings 4100 DraftStreet 6054
Same thing as Jackson, but just with run scoring opportunities instead of RBI, methinks. You get paid either way.
Billy Hamilton FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 3800 DraftStreet 5558
I continue to say that game changing speed is exteremely underrated in daily fantasy sports. While Hamilton can't give you a 20 point game on FanDuel, he's a far better bet for a 9 point game than any home run hitter. That's serious upside. You're a fool if you even consider him against a lefty, but against a righty at home? Very solid play.
Andrew McCutchen FanDuel 3900 DraftKings 5100 DraftStreet 9283
McCutchen is basically a god against left handed pitching, so you can forgive him if he isn't impressed by Wood's not completely horrible pitching this year. For real, though - McCutchen has a 1k OPS and a 185 wRC+ against lefties for his career, and I'm pretty sure most of that comes from match-ups exactly like this one.
Shin-Soo Choo FanDuel 3400 DraftKings 4400 DraftStreet 6762
Choo will have a terrific opportunity to flex his impeccable batting eye against the offensively lucky Tom Koehler. The guy has 32 walks in 70 innings this year. And if he does decide to leave one out over the plate, I would mind seeing Choo rip a gapper or two.
Jose Bautista FanDuel 4500 DraftKings 5400 DraftStreet 10954
Dat Blue Jays stack is looking awfully tempting right now. Bautista is just awesome, and has actually been more than respectable against right handed pitching this year. Can you picture him trotting around the bases? I can.
Mike Trout FanDuel 5200 DraftKings 5600 DraftStreet 9025
It's not much of a place to hit, but Trout is an actual monster created by the collective psyche of pitcher nightmares. He is terrific against left handed pitching, and Pomeranz has had the benefit of some serious good fortune this year.
Jay Bruce FanDuel 3300 DraftKings 3600 DraftStreet 5792
Man, I kind of hate Bruce, but he can still give it to righties to some degree... and unless you think he's broken, he's a very attractive play against Beckett at home.
Justin Upton FanDuel 3900 DraftKings 5200 DraftStreet 5937
Token mention for Upton - I won't throw him into a Braves stack personally, but he'll be played all over the place.
Also considered: Yoenis Cespedes, Matt Kemp, Melky Cabrera, Matt Holliday
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