After taking all sorts of losses yesterday, it’s time to bounce back for the Tuesday FanDuel slate for MLB with a good lineup and great picks.
There is really no other way to say it, yesterday was a big stinker. The early slate wrecked my lineup as the Yankees got snowed out and we got bit by a chalky Paul DeJong when he put up 30+ FanDuel points. What’s a bummer is Manny Pina was in our lineup but we shifted nice we didn’t have to jam in Stanton and Judge.
The main slate fell flat as Big Sexy Bartolo Colon was not the gas can I assumed and Khris Davis came up empty. I didn’t have enough of the Astros offense, which won’t be a problem today. Neither lineup was really close to cash as the early put up a 117.9 and the main put up a 101.3(98.6 if you follow me on Twitter and played the lineup with no Charlie Morton).
As a quick aside before we dig into the box today, we’re going to introduce a new stat moving forward. It’s called wOBA, and if you don’t have time to click on the link, it try to be a “catch all” stat for offensive numbers. The goal is to weigh extra base hits and other factors more heavily than just straight batting average or OPS. Basically, the higher it is, the better.
Also, I had a great interaction with a couple gentlemen from the website RotoCurve on Twitter yesterday. If you’re new to DFS, don’t be afraid to engage on social media. You can always learn a ton from other people and most of the folks I’ve ever met on there have been very gracious. Adam Pfeifer and Ricky Sanders are good people and any time you can pick things up from others, be willing to listen. Let’s try to get back on the right track today!
Starting Pitcher, High End Spend
All Day
The only reason to play the All Day slate is to gain access to Red Sox ace Chris Sale($11,400). He’s in a pitchers paradise and he dominated the last time out in Tampa.
Main Slate
There will be plenty of players on Clayton Kershaw tonight. There’s not much debate about it, he’s the best pitcher in baseball when he’s healthy. However, it’s worth noting he has a checkered history at Chase Field. He’s had his good games but he’s gotten blown up as well. His career numbers at Chase include a 3.56 ERA, .297 OBP, and a .289 wOBA against. This aren’t terrible, but are they worth the price tag? Probably not.
Instead, we’ll be looking at Justin Verlander at $10,500. He has a good history against the Orioles including a high strikeout rate. Verlander has been just lights out as an Astro since he got traded at the deadline last year. Minute Maid Field profiled as a an average to below average power park for righties in 2017. Verlander carries as much strikeout upside as anyone on the slate and the Orioles are in the middle of the pack so far in strikeouts.
Mid-Range
All Day
Jordan Montgomery, $7,300
.222(2 for 9), 16.7 strikeout rate
We talked about it yesterday but the Rays are awful against lefties. It’s a little scary to play almost anyone in Yankee Stadium, but the Rays just don’t have a very good lineup.
Main Slate
Zach Godley
.237(14 for 59), 19.1 strikeout rate
Godley experienced quite a good season in 2017 even though most baseball fans had never heard of him before. He had a 9.58 strikeout per nine, and backed it up with a ground ball percentage of 55.3. The Dodgers offense has woken up a little bit but Godley appears to be the real deal. He was actually slightly better at home in categories such as average, wOBA, OBP, and slugging in 2017. He’ll likely fly under the radar tonight.
Value
All Day
Jakob Junis, $6,200
.000(0 for 1), 0 strikeout rate
There’s very little track record to fall back on here. Junis doesn’t walk batters and showed some better strikeout upside in spring training. He would certainly be very low-owned and is quite risky. Still, he could be the difference maker in GPP’s.
Main Slate
There’s really not many in the value range that I’d be willing to roll the dice it. With players like Verlander and Godley on the slate, it’s hard to get away from.