New York Yankees' Aaron Judge bats during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, June 1, 2018, in Baltimore. The Yankees won 4-1. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Tuesday was a strange day for me. I had an amazing betting day but really struggled with DFS. That's a rare occurrence, but the high scores in DFS are a major reason why. That's why we love to play in single-entry tournaments because it's nearly impossible to compete when opponents drop 250 points. It does have me motivated to bounce back here, though, so let's get started with one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball!
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Opponent - STL (Andre Pallante) Park - STL
FD - 37.13 DK - 19.56
It's impressive just how good this guy has become. Alcantara might be starting the All-Star Game for the NL, providing a 1.95 ERA and 0.95 WHIP this season. What makes him so good is his consistency, throwing at least seven innings in each of his last nine starts. Sandy's also got a 1.40 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in that span, scoring at least 36 FanDuel points in 12 of his 15 starts. That's one of the highest floors you'll see, and it should continue in a pitcher's park like Busch Stadium. The Cardinals do have a dangerous offense, but most of their elite batters hit from the right side, and Alcantara should be able to hold them down with the platoon advantage in his favor.
Opponent - DET (Rony García) Park - SF
FD - 35.01 DK - 18.56
This is a risky play, but Wood's advanced numbers tell a different story. The funky left-hander has a 5.05 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in one of the worst seasons of his career, but we're talking about a pitcher who had a 3.50 ERA and 1.22 WHIP for his career coming into the season. The advanced numbers tell us he's the same guy, posting a 3.44 xFIP and 3.64 SIERA. That means positive regression is right around the corner, and it could start at home against one of the worst offenses in baseball. The Motor City Kitties rank 29th in both OBP and OPS while scoring the fewest runs in the league. Vegas agrees, making Wood a -210 favorite, with Detroit projected for only 3.5 runs.
Jameson Taillon (FD $9200 DK $9100) has a 3.19 ERA and 1.11 WHIP this season and enters this fantastic matchup as a -300 favorite.
Opponent - COL (Germán Márquez) Park - COL
FD - 17.74 DK - 13.37
Freeman is our highest-projected player on the slate, and it's easy to understand why. We're talking about one of the best pure hitters in baseball teeing off in Coors Field in a superb matchup. Let's start there, with German Marquez maintaining a 5.58 ERA and 1.50 WHIP this season. That has the Dodgers projected for nearly seven runs, the highest total on the slate. Freeman should do plenty of that damage in the heart of this order, totaling a .377 AVG, .456 OBP, .638 SLG, and 1.093 OPS over his last 17 games. He's also rocked the Rockies throughout his career, registering a .382 OBP and .909 OPS in over 300 at-bats against them.
Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - WSH
FD - 11.42 DK - 8.6
Many people might not realize it, but Bell has had a breakout season in Washington. This guy has shown flashes in his Pittsburgh days but a .392 OBP and .887 OPS this year is hard to overlook. He's been even better as of late, accumulating a .373 AVG, .470 OBP, .746 SLG, and 1.216 OPS over his last 20 games played. We love all of that since he gets to bat on his more favorable left side here, posting much better splits against right-handers. This is a righty he can exploit, too, with Mitch Keller collecting a 4.77 ERA and 1.42 WHIP this year. His career numbers are even more disastrous, donning a 5.67 ERA and 1.65 WHIP.
Willson Contreras (FD $3400 DK $4800) has been the best catcher in the NL this season and could go yard against Hunter Greene's nightmarish HR rate.
Opponent - KC (Zack Greinke) Park - KC
FD - 11.2 DK - 8.47
It was just a matter of time before Semien started swinging a hot bat, and he's certainly doing that right now. The 2021 All-Star has a .295 AVG, .351 OBP, .523 SLG, and .873 OPS over his last 32 games played. He's also got nine steals in that span as well, returning to the 45-homer, 15-steal stud we saw last season. That makes him way too cheap on FanDuel at just $3,000, especially since he faces Zack Greinke. That right-hander used to be a stud, but he's got a 4.68 ERA and 4.5 K/9 rate in what's becoming the worst season of his storied career.
Opponent - LAD (Julio Urías) Park - COL
FD - 10.3 DK - 7.9
It's risky to use hitters against a pitcher like Julio Urias, but no one is safe in a place like Coors Field. Clayton Kershaw showed us that on Monday, allowing 13 baserunners and six runs across four horrid innings. That ballpark can make any good pitcher look bad, especially a lefty. We say that because the Rockies are full of powerful righties, with Brendan slaughtering southpaws to the tune of a .317 AVG and .945 OPS since 2020. We love that with Rodgers recent form, amassing a .304 AVG, .494 SLG, and .834 OPS since the beginning of May. All of that makes it hard to understand why Rodgers remains so cheap.
Opponent - WSH (Paolo Espino) Park - WSH
FD - 9.95 DK - 7.65
We'll have Cruz in this article a ton over the next month. The simple fact is, this is going to be one of the best players in baseball, and these sites are simply keeping his price way too low because we haven't seen much of him yet. This guy was a beast at the minors, averaging about 35 homers and 20 steals per 160 games played. He also had an elite AVG and OPS, earning him the three-hole in this lineup. The best part of this might be the matchup, though, with Oneil batting from the left side against a journeyman pitcher with a 4.57 career xFIP.
Opponent - PHI (Ranger Suárez) Park - PHI
FD - 11.55 DK - 8.78
It's pretty crazy how good Swanson has been since the opening month. The slugging shortstop has a .332 AVG, .393 OBP, .552 SLG, and .945 OPS since April 20. It's tough to say what happened for him, but it looks even better since Dansby has a 1.097 OPS over his last 16 games played. That simply makes him one of the hottest hitters around, and we certainly don't mind that he has the platoon advantage against a struggling southpaw. Ranger Suarez has a 4.23 ERA and 1.48 WHIP this season, while Swanson has a .415 OBP, .577 SLG, and .992 OPS against left-handers.
Opponent - PHI (Ranger Suárez) Park - PHI
FD - 11.5 DK - 8.71
I wasn't so sure that Riley's breakout was real last season, but he's proven all of the haters wrong with his incredible 2022 campaign. The powerful third baseman has a .287 AVG, .352 OBP, .522 SLG, and .875 OPS since the start of last season. His numbers against left-handers are even more absurd, accruing a .391 OBP, .635 SLG, and 1.026 OPS against them so far this year. That makes him an excellent piece to this Atlanta stack, especially with how the Braves have been blasting lefties this year. Hitting in Citizens Bank Ballpark is awesome, too, with Atlanta projected for over five runs!
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - NYY
FD - 12.96 DK - 9.66
This 36-year-old has struggled for most of the season, but we just need him to play well today. We believe that's a possibility because JD has been killing left-handed pitching throughout his career. In fact, Donaldson has tallied a .379 OBP, .556 SLG, and .935 OPS against southpaws. That alone makes him an incredible value in this price range, being priced around many guys who don't even come off the bench. That's great news since he's expected to bat fifth in this dominant Yankees lineup, with the Bronx Bombers projected for nearly six runs in this spot. That's because they face Cole Irvin in Yankee Stadium, and we'll dive into his numbers in the subsequent write-up!
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - NYY
FD - 15.79 DK - 11.81
Let's kick things off by talking about Irvin's averages. The lefty has actually had a decent season behind a 3.29 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, but he's not safe against this righty-heavy lineup. The Yanks have obliterated lefties throughout the year, and Irvin is in for some negative regression behind his 5.29 xERA. That regression could start with Aaron Judge, who's leading baseball with 28 homers, en route to a .364 OBP, .629 SLG, and .993 OPS. That's scary for Irvin since Judge also bats from the right side, and we certainly don't mind Giancarlo Stanton in this stack as well.
Opponent - KC (Zack Greinke) Park - KC
FD - 10.84 DK - 8.26
Garcia was freefalling in season-long drafts before the season started, and I genuinely don't understand why. That's why I drafted him everywhere because he finished last season with 31 homers, 16 steals, and 90 RBI. He's on his way to an even better campaign this year, providing 15 homers and 11 steals through 71 games played. He also comes into this matchup rolling, producing a .323 AVG, .613 SLG, .964 OPS, and seven steals over his last 30 games. The only thing holding him back this season has been his strikeouts, but facing a guy with a 4.5 K/9 rate should put him in a great spot here. That's on full display when you see that Adolis has a .600 AVG and 1.700 OPS in 12 at-bats against Greinke.
Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - WSH
FD - 11.91 DK - 8.99
Cruz has been one of the best hitters in baseball for over a decade now, and it's incredible that he's still getting it done at the ripe age of 41. While he did get off to a slow start this year, Cruz has compiled a .299 AVG, .378 OBP, and .857 OPS over his last 48 games. That's the stud we saw in prior years, and it should continue against a gas can like Keller. The right-hander has a career WHIP well above 1.60 and will surely struggle with a slugger like this. Stacking Washington is one of the cheapest routes on this slate, and they could be in a sensational spot with Bell, Cruz, and Juan Soto looking like the premier options.
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