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DFL Friday Night Lights FanDuel Pitcher Picks for 5/1

By Rich Pelesky

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FanDuel Pitcher Picks for 5/1

Welcome back to Friday Night Lights – Week 4. This is best place to get your Friday starting pitcher selections for FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Leagues.

These selections are tailored toward FanDuel’s pitcher scoring system but these picks can also be helpful in H2H formats with daily rosters where my recommended mid-to-low priced starting pitchers may be available to pick up off the Waiver Wire for a spot start.

Before we look at tonight’s slate, let’s take a look at how I did last week and so far this season:

4/24 Summary: 28 Starters, Avg. SP Fantasy Score: 10.9, Avg. Salary: $8200.

High #1 – Scott Kazmir, $9,100 (5th): 7 IP, 0 ER, & 7 Ks, for 14 points (9th)

High #2 – Andrew Cashner, $8,800 (7th): 7 IP, 2 ER, & 6 K for 11 points (15th)

Mid #1 – R.A. Dickey, $8100 (17th): 4 2/3, 7 ER, & 0 Ks for -2.33 points (27th)

Mid #2 – Carlos Martinez, $8,200 (15st): 7 IP, 0 ER, 8 Ks & a W for 19 points (3rd)

Low #1 – Aaron Harang, $7,500 (23st): 8 IP, 0 ER, & 6 Ks for 14 points (11th)

Week 3 Record (Based on player outperforming salary rank): 2-2-1; YTD: 8-4-3

5/1 Picks:

***Shining Star (Higher salaried pitcher that should put up big numbers to reward your investment):

Matt Harvey  (NYM) home vs. WAS for $10,300:  The Mets stud right-hander is off to a great start, undefeated at 4-0 with a 3.04 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 31 Ks in 26 2/3 IP. It will be electric tonight in New York, and as crazy as it sounds, Harvey should continue to improve after missing all of last year. Although he’s pitching against the recently hot Nationals, look for him to cool off the free swinging Washington squad who is 2nd in the majors with 191 strikeouts. Plus, Max Scherzer may be rusty after missing a start due to a thumb injury. Harvey dominated the Nationals in Washington on 4/6, going 7 2/3 IP with 8 Ks and 19 FD FPs. A similar performance can be expected tonight in pitcher friendly CitiField.

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Eury Perez only getting one more start for the Miami Marlins!
Eury Perez only getting one more start for the Miami Marlins! /

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    • Honorable Mention: Anthony DeSclafani (CIN) at ATL for $7,700. DeSclafani is an impressive 2-1 with 1.04 ERA and 21 Ks in 4 starts (26 IPs). He is facing the reeling Braves, losers of 3 straight and 8 of 10, who are marching out Mike Folynewicz for his major league début. Expect the surprising 25 year-old DeSclafani to continue his recent ways and give you at least double digits tonight.

    Stay Away: Carlos Carrasco  (CLE) vs. Toronto for $8700. Carrasco is coming off a horrid outing vs. Detroit allowing 5 ER in 4 2/3 IP. He is extremely talented and has great peripherals, but he’s also facing the #1 offense in baseball today. Until Carrasco can put together a quality start and the Indians start hitting (25th in majors in runs scored), I would stay away from him.

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    **Clearly Visible (Mid-salary pitcher that may put up a star-worthy performance):

    Ian Kennedy (SD) home vs. COL for $7,300:  Kennedy (13 wins, 3.21 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 201 IP in 2014) was hit hard by the Dodgers last time out after coming off the DL. Now healthy, he has also made a mechanical adjustment and will definitely benefit from pitching in spacious Petco Park. Look for him to get his season on track today for the Padres, who are around a -145 favorite.

    Honorable Mention: Chris Tillman  (BAL) at TB for $7,200. Tillman has alternated good starts with bad ones so far this season. In his two starts not against Toronto he has averaged 13.5 FPs. Baltimore is favored in their quasi home game at Tropicana Field, where Tillman has a 3.03 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 6 career starts.

    Stay Away: Justin Masterson (BOS) home vs. NYY. Despite the 2-0 record, Masterson (like all the Boston starters) has not been sharp with a 5.16 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 5.67 IP/start. He faces the 13-9 Yankees against whom he’s 4-5 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, .269 OBA in 13 career starts. And don’t forget they are playing in Fenway, where teams are averaging 5.4 rpg this year. Buyer Beware!

    *In the Shadows (Low salary bargain that could produce a decent outing thus giving you extra money to spend on bats):

    Chris Heston  vs. LAA for $5,900:  This lefty has been solid so far, with 11.5 FPPG with a 2.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 21 Ks in 26 IP. His only blemish was a understandably poor start in Coors Field. Heston has only given up 3 runs (2 earned) in 14 2/3 IP at home this season – look for that to continue tonight against an Angels squad (20th in scoring with 4.04 runs a game) who hasn’t found their bats yet. And at this price, it gives you a lot of roster flexibility.

    Honorable Mention: Jerome Williams at TAM for $6,300. The veteran righty has pitched well this year a 2-1 record and 3.80 ERA, including an effective outing vs. Miami on 4/21 with 6 Ks in 6 IP and 14 FPs. Going against the Marlins again tonight and Tom Kohler (4.50 ERA, 1.36 WHIP), take advantage of the low price for Williams and a rare matchup where Philly was a decent chance to win.

    Good Luck!

    Next: Tips For New Daily Fantasy League Players