MLB

MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 8/30/13

Possible N.L. ROY Hyun-Jin Ryu is just one of several reasons the Dodgers have been so hot.

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

PlayerPositionProjected FPCostValue
Julio TeheranSP25.24$24,9001.01
Rick PorcelloSP17.03$20,9000.81
Jay BruceRF14.57$7,5001.94
Shin-Soo ChooCF15.97$7,5002.13
Troy TulowitzkiSS16.73$6,6002.53
Adam JonesCF17.31$6,6002.62
Michael CuddyerRF14.35$6,1002.35
Brandon Belt1B12.44$5,4002.30
Kyle Seager3B11.97$5,1002.35
Jarrod SaltalamacchiaC11.96$4,7002.54
Brian Dozier2B12.65$4,4002.88

Fantasy Feud, Draft Kings, and FanThrowdown Optimized Rosters

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The Top Three Pitchers

Julio Teheran – Teheran has low-key been perhaps the Braves’ best pitcher since the All-Star break, posting a 2.36 ERA in 42 innings. In that span, he’s struck out 46 batters, walked just 18 and allowed just a .200 batting average against. Tonight he faces off against Jose Fernandez in what is one of the best matchups of young star hurlers in the league. Oh, and in case you didn’t read yesterday’s fantasy helper, Miami is the worst offensive team in the majors since the infamous 1963 Mets.

Hyun-Jin Ryu – We’ve talked a lot about the loaded rookie pitching class in the N.L., but this guy is the likely favorite to actually take home the ROY hardware, now that it’s reported Fernandez will be shut down early. And it’s certainly deserved: Ryu has posted a 12-5 record with a 3.08 and 7.45 K/9 in 160 innings for the Dodgers. He is one of many reasons the Dodgers have been so hot recently; In 31 August innings, Ryu put up a 2.84 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just four walks.

Rick Porcello – In the starry Detroit rotation, Porcello is often the forgotten man. And this year, he’s posted an eminently forgettable 4.49 ERA. But his peripherals indicate he’s actually pitched better than that mark. His FIP is a much more respectable 3.53, he doesn’t walk a whole lot of guys, and his BABIP is slightly inflated at .318. Just as importantly, he’s not getting many infield pop ups this year at all. That’s just a sign of bad luck, since pitchers have little control over that, yet his infield fly rate this year is at half of his career mark.

Top High-Priced Hitters

Jay Bruce – Bruce is one of the top power threats in the N.L., and his 26 homers tie him for second among N.L. outfielders. He also has a fairly pronounced platoon split: against righties, his OPS is .850, but he’s put up just a .746 mark against lefties. Tonight he’s facing Jeff Manship, who has a 6.86 ERA in four starts this year. Manship hasn’t been able to get basically anyone out this year, but especially not lefties, who have hit .293 off him.

Shin-Soo Choo – Choo, like Bruce, is a lefty facing Jeff Manship in Coors Field. Expect a similar result. Choo’s platoon split is even more pronounced that Bruce’s, largely because Choo is mostly helpless against lefties. But against righties, he’s been a stud, posting a .319/.451/.553 line.

Cost-Effective, Mid-Range Hitters

Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Salty is a decent bargain play if you’re trying to save money on a catcher. His .270/.339/.454, 11 homer year is a nice bounce back from 2012’s .222 campaign. And he’s better recently, hitting. 281 since the All-Star break.

Brian Dozier – Speaking of thrifty plays, there’s Dozier. Dozier is a cheap source of power, and his 14 homers actually rank sixth in baseball among qualified second basemen. In the second half, he’s improved his wRC+ by 22 points and is slugging .484. Not bad for bargain basement prices.