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Daily Fantasy Baseball: FanDuel Pitcher Picks For May 17

By Mike Marteny

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May 12, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer (22) throws a pitch in the first inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

All 15 games are in the big tournaments today, so we have a full 30 pitchers to choose from. That leaves us quite a few choices, with many of them difficult. Who are the best options? Let’s find out what the stats say.

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Here are my FanDuel pitcher picks for May 17:

High Priced ($8,500 and up):

Best Bet:

Jake Arrieta, Cubs ($9,900): Arrieta is the highest priced option, and with good reason. He has pitched very well against the Pirates in his career. The Bucs are hitting just .188 off of him in 69 career at bats. Only Andrew McCutchen has had any success off of Arrieta. He is a very strong play today.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Archer, Rays ($8,900): Archer has done very well against the Twins. They only have 10 hits and one RBI in 50 at bats. The strikeout totals are a little low for an elite option, but nearly every top option carries a risk today. Shelby Miller has been dominant, but the Marlins are hitting .303 off of him. Stephen Strasburg has pitched well against the Padres in his career, but shoulder woes have limited him to less than four innings in his last two starts. Every single other option has an opponent that is hitting better than .300 off of them. It is a risky day.

Stay Away:

Garrett Richards, Angels ($9,200): There are two reasons that Richards is the worst of the worst at the top. First off, he is the second most expensive pitcher on the board. Second, the Orioles are hitting .339 off of him with three homers and more RBI(12) than he has strikeouts(9). Save your money and go elsewhere.

Next: Who Is The Best Mid Range Option

May 12, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Ian Kennedy (22) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Mid Range Options ($7,000-$8,400):

Best Bet:

Ian Kennedy, Padres ($7,700): I am still not convinced that Strasburg is right. That gives Kennedy a great chance for a win. The Nats are hitting .247 off of him in 93 career at bats, but Kennedy has racked up 21 strikeouts. That makes him the best option of the second tier.

Honorable Mention:

Wily Peralta, Brewers ($7,000): Peralta has the good fortune of facing the offensively challenged Mets. They have hit only .239 off of him in 46 career at bats, but he only has five strikeouts against them. That keeps him from being an elite option, but he will still be in the top ten of pitcher scoring today.

Stay Away:

A.J. Burnett, Pirates ($8,400): First off, he is squaring off against Jake Arrieta, which really hurts his chances for a win. On top of that, the Cubs are hitting .396 off of Burnett in 96 at bats. If it weren’t for Chris Coghlan‘s 0-6, the Cubs would be near .500 off of Burnett.

Next: Who Is The Best Cheap Option?

Apr 12, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez (37) looks on from the dugout during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Cheap Options ($6,900 and under):

Best Bet:

Henderson Alvarez, Marlins ($6,600): Alvarez will make his return from the DL for the Marlins against Atlanta today. Alvarez has held the Braves to a .227 batting average in 110 at bats. He won’t rack up the strikeouts, and he has to square off against Shelby Miller, but Alvarez is still a decent option with this track record.

Honorable Mention:

Nick Martinez, Rangers ($6,700): Martinez only gave up four hits in his first start against Cleveland, but the Indians racked up seven runs off of him. Martinez has pitched well lately, but he is honestly only here because the rest of the options are very risky. Though his chances of beating Carlos Carrasco are slim.

Stay Away:

Josh Collmenter, Diamondbacks ($6,400): Is there a team that hasn’t hit Collmenter hard? Even the Phillies own a .372 average against him. He got throttled by the Nationals his last time out. It likely won’t be that bad against the Phillies today, but I’m not taking that chance.

Stay tuned for the hitter picks!

Next: Matt Carpenter's Triumphant Return

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