Welcome to our new daily article breaking down some of the other pitching targets on this slate. We covered our system's top value plays in our daily picks article and our updates articles but here we will look at other dudes to consider.
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Stacking in DFS MLB is such an important concept if you’re looking to take down a big tournament on FanDuel or DraftKings. It’s also a good way to diversify cash games because the variance in baseball can mean wild swings (ahem) in the scoring on a particular slate. The concept is easy. You want to pile players from one or two teams into your lineups because those guys compound scores by helping each other score runs when the going is good.
Pitching Targets
Note: We discussed Ian Kennedy and Jeff Samardzija in the Main Article. And will be going over a few more options below.
Early Slate
Opponent - NYM (Harvey) Park - @NYM
FD - 37.27 DK - 21.21
I present to you the most underrated pitcher in baseball -- Jose Quintana. Quintana has been lights-out so far this season. He owns a 2.22 ERA that is backed up by a 2.11 FIP. He has been overshadowed by fellow southpaw Chris Sale, but trust me -- this guy is good! Look at his FIP for crying out loud!
He will be going up against the Mets, which provides him with a beautiful matchup. They do hit righties well, but they struggle against southpaws. On the year, they own a .227 wOBA (27th in MLB) and 90 wRC+ (19th in MLB). Not only do they have a hard time creating runs and getting on base, but they also strikeout a ton, as they own a 27.8 K% (1st in MLB). So if you are looking for some upside in the early slate, then Jose Quintana is your guy!
Oh I almost forgot -- he also owns a 4.7 BB%, 1.02 WHIP and 23.6 K%. This guy has tremendous upside today, and I recommend getting some exposure to the most underrated pitcher in baseball! He is a beast!
Main Slate
Opponent - LAA (Santiago) Park - @LAA
FD - 30.81 DK - 16.66
Justin Verlander is back ladies and gentlemen! He's not in his 2011 MVP/CY-Young form, but he's been great for the Tigers this season. He owns a 3.66 FIP to go along with a 1.15 WHIP. The best part about rostering Verlander into your lineups is not his WHIP or FIP (which are both great), but it's his upside. He comes into this contest owning a 26.5 K%, so if you are looking for a pitcher with the most upside (on the main slate); he's your guy!
There is some good news and bad news with his matchup against the Angels. The good news: the Angels own a .314 wOBA (18th in MLB) and .131 ISO (28th in MLB) against right-handed pitching. They don't hit for much power which is perfect for Verlander. The bad news: the Angels own a 15.6 K% (30th in MLB). They don't strikeout much, but I'm not very concerned as Verlander owns a 26.5 K%. He is an excellent tournament play today, so go ahead plug him into your lineups.
Opponent - PHI (Hellickson) Park - @PHI
FD - 31.27 DK - 16.98
The Nationals rotation is pretty darn good! Not only do they have some aces, but they also have a guy by the name of Tanner Roark. Roark has been solid for the Nationals this season. He is coming into this contest with a 2.71 ERA that is backed up by a 3.43 FIP. He also has some upside of his own, as he owns a 22.0 K%.
Tonight he will be going up against the Phillies, which provides him with a nice matchup. They own a 21.5 K% (11th in MLB), .287 wOBA (27th in MLB) and 75 wRC+ (27th in MLB). They sure have been one of the most surprising teams in baseball with the season they are having, but they struggle offensively, so go ahead and fire away with some Roark exposure in your tournament lineups!
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View Comments
I like Guerra and Tomlin in order to take advantage of a more potent lineup on a day full of great matchups for the hitters.
How'd that work out for you?
Doug, optimizer not working for late games. Eliminating early games but still giving picks from all day.
DFSR, can you please include which team's bullpens suck in your articles?? It's getting old watching your suggested pitchers toss a dime only to see their bullpen blow the lead and miss out on those 12 points for the win.
Lol, who are you referring to? Kennedy last night?
This is factored into some of our modeling for SPs through money lines and baseline projections. But making explicit distinctions between SPs based on the bullpen opportunity (or lack thereof) isn't something we are going to do most likely.
Btw, FWIW two of the three guys above have middle of the pack or better bullpens based on season xFIP
Yeah, Braves bullpen burned me a few days ago and think it was CWS that gave up a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th a few days ago as well. Really stung not getting those 12 points!