Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings, DraftDay and Draftster- Early Slate 9/6/14

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Pitchers

Johnny Cueto - FD 10200 DK 11200 DD 19000 DFSTR 10400
I'm not a huge fan of picking up ace pitchers when they are facing another ace. And with Bumgarner and Price facing each other (and two solid offenses as well) I'm inclined to just avoid them all together. The win expectation is lowered and you can grab Cueto around the similar price in a better matchup. Cueto isn't as good (IMO) as the other two guys, but he faces the Mets who rank in the bottom third of the league against righties. The ballpark doesn't do him any favors per se, but I think it's fine against the Mets' offense. I should say, he isn't an overwhelming play in our system and I recognize he's not as good as his ERA indicates. But this is a good spot nonetheless.

Francisco Liriano - FD 7500 DK 9500 DD 14450 DFSTR 7700
Much has been made of the Cubs young, exciting ball club. And I think they have some pretty great things in their future. That being said, they aren't a complete team yet, and they strike out a ton. Take a guy like Baez for example. This is a dude who bats second and has struck out over 50% of the time against lefties (small sample size). One player does not a team make, but the Cubs as a team K more than 25% of the time against lefties. If you are looking for a complete upside play, Liriano is the guy. Far from safe, but he can grab you a lot of points quickly.

Consider Dillon Gee
Gee

Catchers

Welington Castillo - FD 2500 DK 3500 DD 6050 DFSTR 5400
Though I do like Liriano's upside today, it doesn't mean that on this short slate I can't target some of those Cubs' bats. They are a good offensive team and Castillo hits lefties well. He has a .788 OPS and 119 wRC+ in that platoon and, if he can maintain even a hint of patience, could pay off these prices today.

Russell Martin - FD 3500 DK 4300 DD 7800 DFSTR 4400
Felix Doubront can get real wild. That's great news for Martin who has an insane 22% walk rate against lefties this season. That kind of patience should pay off against a guy who walks close to four batters per nine innings. The Pirates have a few guys with good platoons against lefties and Martin falls in line as a nice cash game play.

First Basemen

Brandon Moss - FD 2600 DK 3800 DD 9200 DFSTR 3000
Adam Dunn - FD 2900 DK 3800 DD 8750 DFSTR 8600
I'd play either one of these guys against Scott Feldman, a guy who strikes out only about five batters per nine. Both Dunn and Moss power upside and are coming on the cheap. They are around the same salaries and honestly it's tough differentiating between the two. Both have good matchups and have somewhat similar profiles in that they take walks, hit home runs and strike out a bunch.

Consider Adam Laroche

Second Basemen

Chase Utley - FD 3000 DK 4000 DD 8600 DFSTR 3300
Want a little secret that's been one of the keys to Tanner Roark's "success"? He's been super lucky against lefty bats this season. Hitter's Babip against him in that split is .250 and his xFIP is 4.71 meaning he's run real good against lefty hitters. Utley himself has run bad against righty pitching this season and the price is pretty advantageous considering some factors are meeting in the middle here.

Javier Baez - FD 3200 DK 3800 DD 7800 DFSTR 3000
Strikes out like whoa. Like really who. But there's no denying the power upside here and the Cubs could put some runs up against Liriano if they can just wait him out a bit. But yeah, the K's are an issue.

Consider Ben Zobrist

Shortstops

Jordy Mercer - FD 2300 DK 3300 DD 5900 DFSTR 4800
He's been on lefty pitching all year long with an .800 OPS and 124 wRC+ platoon split. FOr his career Mercer is much better against lefties and it feels like forever since the Buckos played against a southpaw. I know because it feels like one of the only times I write about these guys. Mercer is coming in near punt prices and gives you a lot of cap flexibility.

Jed Lowrie - FD 2400 DK 3200 DD 7250 DFSTR 3000
Not a terrible option mostly because I think the A's get to Gausman today. Lowrie has a few hits since coming back from the injury and though his stats against righties this season are nothing to write home about, the SS position is weak in this slate.

Third Basemen

A lot to hate about this position in this slate
Todd Frazier - FD 2700 DK 4500 DD 9000 DFSTR 5200
Seems like the least bad of the options all things considered. Most of the 3B are on the wrong side of their platoons today or facing tough pitchers. Frazier has hit righties okay this season (.346 wOBA) and Dillon Gee is about as average as they come. Great American Ballpark gives Gee a slight power bump and on a day where 3B is rough, he makes for a decent play.

Consider Evan Longoria though it doesn't make me feel great.

Outfielders

Andrew McCutchen - FD 3700 DK 5200 DD 11050 DFSTR 4300
Ooh baby, now we're talking. This is just what I needed to get over my depression about the state of affairs at 3B. On such a short slate I'll be doing my damndest to get McCutch in everywhere. He crushes lefty pitching. Consider this: on the season he has an .861 OPS against lefties and that's with a .234 Babip. He's running bad and is still good. When the hits start falling in, watch out. With limited options on the afternoon slate I don't think you should avoid him, especially on FanDuel coming at a crazy $3700.

Billy Hamilton - FD 3300 DK 4800 DD 8800 DFSTR 7200
Jay Bruce - FD 3300 DK 3700 DD 8250 DFSTR 3000
I usually end up rolling these guys together because their platoon splits work out accordingly and they always have the same matchup. Today's it's the very average Dillon Gee who strikes out only six batters per nine. Great news for different reasons when it comes to Bruce and Hamilton. For the former it means more of a power upside while the latter stands a better chance of getting on base and making things happen.

Starling Marte - FD 3500 DK 4300 DD 9000 DFSTR 3000
Josh Harrison - FD 3500 DK 4500 DD 8350 DFSTR 7500
I think they are both a bit overpriced to be honest. But I've picked every other Pirate so why not. They both hit lefties at an above average clip and work well in a Bucko stack. Again, the price is a little steep for both considering the point expectation. But I think you can swing it.

Consider Jorge Soler
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