Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings, DraftDay and Draftster 8/18/14

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Pitchers

Jordan Zimmermann - FD 10900 DK 12800 DD 21350 DFSTR 13100
While Sale doesn't have the best matchup in the world today, the relative dearth of true aces moves Sale to the top of the list by default. Baltimore is throwing Bud Norris, whose peripherals are significantly worse than his ERA, giving Sale an increased chance for a win. While I'd go with Zimmermann and spend a little bit more on hitting, I can't fault you for wanting to get a lot of cash in with Sale.

The rest:
Tough to pin down anything else to really be excited about here. If pressed, I'd take a flier on CJ Wilson. Not a great pitching day at all.
 

Catchers

Wilson Ramos - FD 2900 DK 3400 DD 8950 DFSTR 3900
Wilson Ramos isn't exactly an upside play like you read about, but he's been extremely solid recently, and seems like a very consistent play. With a career .344 wOBA against left handed pitching over the course of his career and Nuno's relative lack of impressive stuff, Ramos could pay nice dividends on an UGLY day for catchers.

Miguel Montero - FD 2600 DK 3800 DD 8400 DFSTR 6500
Every catcher today has warts. What Montero has going for him is his track record against righties. .350 wOBA is nothing to sneeze at from the catcher position. The major hiccup is the guy he's facing. Jordan Zimmermann is just an excellent pitcher, and there's a decent chance Montero puts up an o-fer.

Salvador Perez - FD 2700 DK 3700 DD 7100 DFSTR 4700
While he's a good prospect, May has looked utterly lost this year in admittedly a very small sample size. It's not an unreasonable risk to take a stab on Salvador Perez - who could take advantage of May's inexperience and put together a decent day.

Also considered: Evan Gattis

First Basemen

Freddie Freeman - FD 4000 DK 4700 DD 11650 DFSTR 9200
While Vance Worley has put together a pretty decent ERA this season, our projection system is less than convinced that what we’re looking at is the real deal – especially considering the k/9 under 6. Freeman has tattooed right handed pitching for a .393 wOBA this year, making him an easy choice for the top slot.

Adam Dunn - FD 3000 DK 4100 DD 8150 DFSTR 7500
While the strikeouts are pretty absurd, Dunn is still capable of putting up a monster fantasy night. The old, strikeout happy Bud Norris would have presented a troubling match-up for the White Sox slugger, but this new version with 91 Ks in 120 IP should put Dunn in position to do some damage.

Kendrys Morales - FD 2600 DK 3800 DD 7200 DFSTR 7700
When he's starting, Morales is a cheap 1B option with considerable upside. He has a history of hitting for power, and the Seattle lineup can put up good counting stats in the right situation. Jerome Williams and his horrendous peripherals qualify as the "right situation."

Also considered: Albert Pujols, Mike Napoli

Second Basemen

Robinson Cano - FD 3700 DK 5200 DD 11350 DFSTR 9000
With just 47 Ks and 20 BBs in 63 IP, Jerome Williams is guy you're happy to stack a lineup against. Cano has blown up right handed pitching to the tune of a .412 wOBA this year, and the rest of the Mariners love a lousy righty as much as he does.

Dustin Pedroia - FD 3300 DK 4500 DD 9150 DFSTR 7900
Pedroia is an underrated platoon guy, with an OPS almost 60 points higher against left handers than right handers. If you put these splits together with CJ Wilson's declining stuff, you have the makings for what could be both a high upside and relatively safe performance.

Howie Kendrick - FD 2800 DK 4300 DD 7750 DFSTR 6900
Kendrick is a guy whose season line doesn't jump off the page, but he can put up stats in a hurry against guys with underwhelming stuff. Brandon Workman is one such pitcher. With a 4.40 xFIP, Workman is one of the worst guys in the league who takes the ball every 5 days, which should give Kendrick the chance to put together a handful of hits and the commensurate counting stats.

Also considered: Anthony Rendon, Tommy La Stella

Shortstops

Xander Bogaerts - FD 2200 DK 2600 DD 6600 DFSTR 3000
I understand if you're laughing. Bogaerts has fallen off a cliff after a promising start. But even with his precipitous dive, he still has a .323 wOBA against left handers this year, and at least on FanDuel, the price is right. I think it's a very reasonable way to expose yourself to a low amount of salary to ShortStop and move on to other positions.

Erick Aybar - FD 2600 DK 4000 DD 7350 DFSTR 4100
The platoon neutral Aybar's playability will always come down to match-up and park. Fenway is a great place to hit, and Workman is a great guy to hit against. Like Aybar showed on Saturday, a lot of his value comes from the guys around him. If they can get on base, Aybar is capable of a solid day.

Ian Desmond - FD 3700 DK 4500 DD 9800 DFSTR 8100
I'm going to go cheap at short today, but if you do decide to spend, I really like Ian Desmond. He's a credible homer/steal threat, and he's been quite a bit better against lefties this year (a .357 wOBA vs. a .312 against righties). Vidal Nuno hasn't done a whole heck of a lot this year with 91 Ks and 34 BBs in 117 IP, so the investment in Desmond could pay off.

Also considered: Jimmy Rollins, Asdrubal Cabrera

Third Basemen

 
Kyle Seager - FD 3100 DK 4200 DD 9400 DFSTR 5400
Yesterday's game is exactly what you're hoping for when you start Kyle Seager. Surrounded by other guys who can hit right handed pitching, Seager can put up stats in bunches. His .385 wOBA against right handed pitching is one of the very best in the league, and I think I've already written enough about Jerome Williams to persuade you as to his ineffectiveness.

The rest:
This is the first time I've ever only recommended a single player at a position, but I just have to here. The rest of the list is pretty uninspiring. Alvarez has a good platoon situation, but he's been horrendous recently. Plouffe has a great match-up against Vargas, but he hasn't turned into the platoon monster it looked like he might be. Conor Gillaspie and Chris Johnson are intriguing, but overall? Blech.

Outfielders

Jay Bruce - FD 2900 DK 4300 DD 8550 DFSTR 5100
Masterson has been simply awful this year, as his walk rate near 5 will attest. He's also been bad against lefties even in his good years. Bruce has had some really hard hit balls recently, and that could continue against Masterson.

Billy Hamilton - FD 3300 DK 4500 DD 8000 DFSTR 4100
Love him as a steals/runs play against Masterson, who, as I said, is awful at getting left handed hitters out.

Mike Trout - FD 4500 DK 5700 DD 12600 DFSTR 4200
His slump is depressing his price, but our projection system doesn't seem to care. It loves the idea of investing in Trout against Workman in Fenway.

Jason Heyward - FD 3500 DK 3800 DD 8450 DFSTR 4000
Heyward has been one of the very worst in the league against lefties this year (a .219 wOBA!), but his line against righties is still very solid (a .364 wOBA). Worley has shown decent peripherals this year, but I like the upside of Heyward in this match-up.

Justin Upton - FD 3500 DK 4500 DD 11700 DFSTR 9900
What can I say? The system hates Worley regardless of Upton's platoon preferences.

Jayson Werth - FD 3400 DK 3800 DD 9450 DFSTR 5600
Werth's overall line is merely solid, but his performance against left handers is through the roof. His .405 wOBA is one of the best in the league, and I've already written about our projection system's disbelief in all things related to Vidal Nuno.

Also considered: Alex Gordon, Jordan Danks, Marlon Byrd, Bryce Harper, Nelson Cruz

Give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr and @dougnorrie.

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