FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Wednesday, May 2
![CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 27: Starting pitcher Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field on April 27, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Corey Kluber CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 27: Starting pitcher Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field on April 27, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Corey Kluber](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/86514fa65a19fb4490441afd5a87a3251e3a184baaf2c4995952bfafe9ea0e45.jpg)
Main Slate – Pirates at Nationals
Pirates Probable Starter – Ivan Nova, RHP
3.32 ERA, 1.03 WHIP 7.11 K/9
Vs LHH – .234 average, .275 wOBA 32.8 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .241 average, .301 wOBA 33.9 hard contact rate
Nova is one of those pitchers in DFS that can absolutely infuriate you. If you stack against him, he throws a quality start. If you leave him alone, he gets blown up. Of course, getting blown up is a relative term. Nova has actually had a pretty strong year so far in the real life perspective. That doesn’t mean we want to roster him because the Nationals offense can explode, as evidenced by last night when they score 12 runs. This is a gem that we’ll mostly leave alone. Sure, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper can get theirs on any given slate. It’s juts not a super appealing matchup in front of them and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Nova throw at least a quality start. The one hitter that screws me is none other than Bryce Harper. It seems like a poor idea to pitch to contact with him.
Nationals Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Bryce Harper
Secondary Options – Trea Turner, Matt Adams
Nationals Probable Starter – Stephen Strasburg, RHP
3.63 ERA, 1.03 WHIP 9.76 K/9
Vs LHH – .229 average, .315 wOBA 20.9 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .185 average, .250 wOBA 36.8 hard contact rate
It’s going to be interesting to see where the ownership percentage comes in for Strasburg tonight. Players could see what Scherzer did last night and want to attack the Pirates again. That’s understandable but the Pirates offense can be a little pesky. They strikeout under 20 percent as a team to righty pitching. Even Scherzer “only” got to eight. Strasburg’s K/9 is a little low for him and I don’t think he’s a total slam dunk option. That doesn’t mean I’m going to play a bunch of Pirates as Strasburg is still a really good pitcher. Perhaps the best thing to do is to really pretend this game isn’t on the slate unless you plan on using Strasburg as your pitcher. Other than that, you have a bunch of GPP darts and not much else.
Pirates Hitters to Target
Elite Options – None
Secondary Options – Corey Dickerson, Gregory Polanco, Colin Moran
Home Run Pick – Matt Adams