MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Sunday 4/24/16
The beauty of daily fantasy baseball is that the top targets are different each and every day. Whether it's the right-handed catcher who destroys left-handed pitching or the mid-range hurler facing a depleted lineup, you're not going to find yourself using the same assets time after time.
While this breaks up the monotony, it can make it hard to decide which players are primed to succeed on a given day. We can help bridge that gap.
In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy looking team to put up some big point totals.
If you need help getting started on that trek, here are some of the top options on the board today.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitcher
Stephen Strasburg ($11,600) - Did you see what Tanner Roark did to the Twins yesterday? Strasburg has been getting progressively better with each start, and has 17 strikeouts and 116 FanDuel points in his last two starts. The Twins have the lowest implied team total today, and struggle against right-handers. Last season, they ranked 26th in wOBA against righties, while ranking ninth in strikeout rate. You'll be hard pressed to get Strasburg and a Coors Field stack into your lineup today, but he clearly has the most upside of any pitcher on today's slate.
Value Pitcher
Aaron Blair ($4,600) - If you want a detailed report on Blair as a prospect, read this. I will instead focus on how he fits into today's slate. At this price, Blair allows you to fit in nearly all of the hitters you want. And, he offers significant upside in this matchup against the Mets. New York ranked just 20th in wOBA against righties last season, but are 13th this season. Their strikeout rate against righties is up to 24.4 percent this season, though, which is the seventh-highest in the Majors. Blair certainly may get bombed in this game and sink your lineup, but he offers unique upside for someone at this price. Vegas has the Mets in the middle of the pack in terms of implied team total, and Blair may be able to put up an impressive debut tonight.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Options
Josh Donaldson ($5,100) - You play Donaldson against weak lefties, and his opponent today, Eric Surkamp, clearly qualifies. Surkamp has a career 5.26 SIERA and has struggled against both righties and lefties. Donaldson would be a must-play in this matchup if not for Maikel Franco presenting terrific value at the same position. He's still worth a look if you have the salary, especially if stacking the Jays in tournaments.
Adrian Gonzalez ($4,400) - The Dodgers stack was slightly disappointing last night, but their lefties specifically are in position to put up big numbers tonight against Jordan Lyles. Vegas has Los Angeles projected for 5.6 runs, and Gonzalez should be right in the middle of that.
Corey Seager ($4,300) - Seager disappointed last night and may go slightly overlooked with Trevor Story and Troy Tulowitzki likely to be popular options. He is once again in for solid production, though, hitting near the top of the order for the top projected scoring lineup. Seager has crushed righties in his short career and should have no problem with Lyles tonight.
Value Hitters
Ryan Raburn ($3,600) - The Rockies are projected to score 5.4 runs tonight against lefty Alex Wood. Wood posted a 4.17 SIERA last season and struggled mightily to contain right-handed batters. 14 of the 15 homers Wood allowed last season were to righties, and he allowed a .429 slugging percentage -- up from .274 against lefties. Rayburn should always be on your radar when he is playing at home against lefties, and tonight certainly qualifies.
Troy Tulowitzki ($3,100) - There was the breakout we have all been waiting for! Tulowitzki went three-for-four with two homers and 39 FanDuel points last night and has an even more favorable matchup tonight against lefty Eric Surkamp. Tulo's career splits against lefties are very enticing, and this game is being played at the Rogers Centre. As mentioned previously, the Jays are projected to score 5.13 runs today, and Tulo should be a big part of reaching that total. He's a hard fade at this price.
Maikel Franco ($3,100) - Franco has absolutely exploded in his last two games, going six-for-nine with three homers and 75 FanDuel points. He looks to stay hot tonight against righty Wily Peralta, who posted a 4.75 SIERA last season. Franco has experienced some reverse-splits, elevating his slugging percentage, ISO, wOBA, and hard-hit rate against righties. With this game being played at Miller Park, home of the third-highest HR-Park Factor over the past three seasons, Franco is close to a must-play and offers some serious savings off of Donaldson or Nolan Arenado.
