MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 8/19/13
We know that people play all sorts of fantasy platforms, not just from from our friends at StarStreet but on other platforms such as FanDuel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud as well. So once again, we have four optimized rosters, all for you, the numberFire reader. One is for free here; the others can be found in our Premium section.
As always, the full tables for today's action are available at our Daily Fantasy Projections page. Make sure to check it out to see where the best values are for your team.
Our baseball projections are updated throughout the day, so make sure to come back to double-check your optimized rosters for any last-minute lineup changes. Since most action happens later in the day, we will be ignoring the early games (if there are any) and focusing solely on the late contests. That way, you can use and tinker with our optimized rosters throughout the day.
StarStreet Optimized Roster
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby Miller | SP | 24.46 | $26,200 | 0.93 |
| Matt Garza | SP | 24.91 | $24,400 | 1.02 |
| David Ortiz | DH | 14.93 | $7,600 | 1.96 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | SS | 15.9 | $6,500 | 2.45 |
| Corey Dickerson | OF | 13.68 | $6,100 | 2.24 |
| Kyle Seager | 3B | 12.61 | $5,700 | 2.21 |
| Carlos Beltran | RF | 13.2 | $5,400 | 2.44 |
| Jose Altuve | 2B | 11.82 | $5,000 | 2.36 |
| Drew Stubbs | RF | 12.93 | $4,400 | 2.94 |
| Brett Wallace | 1B | 11.88 | $4,300 | 2.76 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | C | 12.67 | $4,000 | 3.17 |
Fantasy Feud, Draft Kings, and FanThrowdown Optimized Rosters
For the optimal rosters for the other main players, be sure to check out our brand new Daily Fantasy Optimized Rosters for our Premium members. We know that you're killing it with our picks; maybe now you'll help us continue to help you win each night, every night.
Access to the optimal rosters is immediate, and you'll have it constantly updated for the latest injury news and updates from around the league. The best news of all? For new subscribers, you can use the promo code WELCOME and get it 50% off what was already the reduced price. Think of the savings!
The Top Three Pitchers
Shelby Miller – Miller is one of the National League’s studs and would be in contention for the Cy Young if he had more innings pitched and the top wasn’t so crowded. As it stands, Miller has put up a 2.97 ERA on the year and a 9.68 K/9 that trails only Matt Harvey and A.J. Burnett. Pretty good company. Tonight he faces the Brewers, who rank eighth in the NL in runs scored.
Matt Garza – In five starts since getting traded to Texas, Garza has pitched into the eighth inning four times, and has struck out at least five batters four times as well. It seems like he’s settling in ok. Facing the Astros tonight will certainly make him feel at home, as Houston ranks 26th in runs scored, 29th in batting average and 1st in striekout percentage in the majors.
Jeff Samardzija – Samardzija has struggled mightily since May, but he is still one of only eight NL pitchers to post a K/9 above 9.0. That slots him ahead of guys like Clayton Kershaw, Cliff Lee and Gio Gonzalez. Speaking of Gonzalez, Samardzija faces the underwhelming Nationals tonight, who rank just 13th in the NL in runs scored.
Top High-Priced Hitters
David Ortiz – Ortiz is a fixture in these optimized lineups, especially when he’s facing a right-handed pitcher. The Red Sox drew a righty tonight, albeit a good one, in Tim Lincecum. But just a reminder: Ortiz is hitting .362/.461/.688 against righties this year. Just mind-boggling. Also, check this out – here’s Ortiz’s line this year: .327/.408/.588. And here’s Miguel Cabrera’s line from his MVP- and Triple Crown-winning campaign last season: .330/.393/.606. And Ortiz probably won't finish in the top five in AL MVP voting this year! That’s crazy. Baseball is awesome.
Troy Tulowitzki – Tulowitzki is no stranger to optimized lineup glory either. Among shortstops with at least 250 plate appearances, Tulo ranks 2nd in batting average, 2nd in home runs, 1st in slugging and 1st in wRC+ (by a whopping 20 points). He’s as good as it gets offensively for shortstops. Tonight he faces Ethan Martin, who’s making his fourth big-league start. Martin has a 6.28 ERA and has given up 2.51 home runs per nine in those starts.
Cost-Effective Mid-Range Hitters
Drew Stubbs – Stubbs’ production has fallen off a bit this year in Cleveland, but he still provides a nifty power/speed combo. The past three years, Stubbs has put up at least 30 steals and 14 homers in every season. This year, he’s got just seven home runs and 14 steals, but things are looking up; He’s hitting .273 in August after batting just .226 in July.
Brett Wallace – Wallace might be the only guy in the Houston lineup Garza has to worry about tonight. Wallace won’t hit for high average put he’s got some pop – his .221 ISO is better than Andrew McCutchen’s or David Wright’s. Plus, he’s hitting a home run every 19.5 plate appearances, a better rate than Mike Trout or Joey Votto. Wallace hits righties significantly better than lefties (.823 OPS vs. a ghastly .383) so he’s a decent platoon play against Garza tonight.
