Daily Fantasy Sports Draftkings Lowball Breakdown Friday, June 7th

BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 30: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) DraftKings Lowball /

Draftkings Lowball Breakdown Friday, June 8th

MLB DraftKings Lowball Tournaments are back and better than ever on DraftKings! Well, what exactly is lowball? In DraftKings Lowball mode, users are forced to pick one player in each tier to perform the worst!

Let’s dive into my favorite options for Friday’s 12 game DraftKings Lowball slate!

Pitchers

Jacob deGrom (T1) – It’s always weird targeting an ace to perform the worst but with the options available in the first tier, deGrom is the most likely to struggle. deGrom has by far the toughest matchup of any pitcher in this tier. The other four aces are going up against extremely below average lineups (CWS, DET, TEX, and SF) while deGrom takes on the pinstripes. The Yankees are the second base team in baseball against RHP this season with a 117 wRC+ and a .345 wOBA. The one thing deGrom does have slightly in his favor is the Yankees above average K% at 23.4%. deGrom is fourth this season in K% at 33.9%. There could be some merit in rostering Justin Verlander solely because of the extremely hot temperatures resulting in a positive hitting environment, but deGrom on paper has undoubtedly the tallest task of any ace pitching tonight.

Garrett Richards (T2) – DraftKings is really forcing us to make some tough decisions in both of the pitching tiers tonight. There is a case to be made for just about every pitcher in this tier to succeed when factoring in the below average lineups they are matchup against tonight with that being said, I think Richards is the most likely to implode. The underlying stats for Richards are pretty good but his lack of command has caused some issues for Richards this season. Richards has struggled on the road particularly against LHB giving up a 5.52 FIP, 4.54 xFIP, 1.54 HR/9, and a .362 wOBA. Max Kepler had the day off yesterday, but should be back in the starting lineup tonight. Richards is my favorite pick to struggle in this tier against this left-handed heavy Twins roster.

Other Pitchers to Consider: Justin Verlander (T1), Masahiro Tanaka (T2)

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Batters

Aaron Judge (T6) – Judge against an ace is about as appealing as a lowball target can get. This is a situation not to overthink. It may seem odd to roster both Judge and deGrom but with the options presented in each tier, these are two fairly obvious choices. Judge this season against RHP on the road has a 34.5% K% and a 62 wRc+, about as bad as a hitter can get. Considering you are awarded bonus points for striking out three times, Judge seems like a no brainer tonight against deGrom.

Eugenio Suarez (T4) – Suarez has struggled as of late with only six hits in his last 30 at bats. For his career, Suarez is a below average hitter against RHP with a 99 wRC+ and a 23.4% K%. The matchup against Luke Weaver is average at best. The majority of the hitters in this tier all have matchups against much worst pitchers making Suarez an easy target after breaking down his splits. There could be some merit in rostering Machado against Happ or a struggling J.D. Martinez against Dylan Covey, but i prefer to use Suarez.

Bryce Harper (T3) – Recommending Bryce Harper to perform terribly always feels weird, but if there’s ever a time Harper struggles it’s usually against a left-handed pitcher. Harper has struggled in general this season with a career low .223 AVG. Harper’s K% is also up this season at 22%, the second highest mark of his career. Harper is actually generating the least amount of contact for his career while swinging at higher % of pitches in the zone this season. Harper this season has a 77.6% Z-Swing %, 52.7% O-Contact %, 80.3% Z-Contact %, and a 70.1% Contact % compared to last season: 74.4% Z-Swing %, 55.9% O-Contact %, 85.1% Z-Contact %, and a 74.8% Contact %. Not only is Harper striking out at the highest rate since his rookie season but also generating the least amount of contact.

Next: DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdowns

Best of luck in your DraftKings Lowball MLB tournaments tonight and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest DFS news and analysis across all your favorite sports.