FanDuel Pitching Primer: Monday 8/3/20
In daily fantasy baseball, success starts with nailing the starting pitcher spot in your lineup.
When compared to hitters, pitching performance tends to be much more predictable and stable throughout the course of the season. You know what you're getting from a top-level ace when you roster him: probably a dominant effort with only one or two implosions per season. In contrast, even the game's best hitters have days at the plate when they go 0-for-4.
As a result, lineup construction should begin with the starting pitcher. Each day we will highlight a starter to consider from each pricing tier, and we'll also look at one contrarian play for tournaments. Who should you consider on today's main slate?
High-Priced Option
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Vs. Philadelphia Phillies
FanDuel Price: $11,000
It's ace day! There are so many high profile arms taking the hill tonight -- this is going to be an awesome slate of baseball.
The challenge is deciphering which costly ace we want to invest in. Walker Buehler makes his second turn of the season, but keep in mind that he threw only 56 pitches in his first outing this season. That makes him tough to roster at a costly price point.
Jacob deGrom has been absolutely sensational, but this matchup with the Atlanta Braves is certainly a tricky one to navigate. The Braves are whiffing at a prodigious clip, but they've struggled.
For my money, I am spending up for Gerrit Cole. He faces a very adept Philadelphia Phillies offense, but keep in mind -- it's one that hasn't played for a week. Cole's 39.9% strikeout rate a year ago shows he has plenty of upside.
If you want to spend up tonight, Cole seems to be the smart money.
Mid-Priced Option
Frankie Montas, Oakland Athletics
at Seattle Mariners
FanDuel Price: $7,700
As superfluous as my love was for Frankie Montas this offseason, I sadly do not roster him in any league. That's the big benefit of DFS, though -- I get the ability to roster him every single night.
Tonight will definitely be a night of ownership for me with Montas. Traveling to face the Seattle Mariners, Montas attacks a plucky offense that whiffs plenty (26.2%) with a fairly average team wOBA mark of .307.
Pitch count concerns? Naw fam, Frankie has this under lock. He's gone 80-plus pitches in each start, so he shouldn't really see any restrictions. We peg him for the fifth-highest total tonight, so make sure to consider Montas.
Low-Priced Play
Alec Mills, Chicago Cubs
vs. Kansas City Royals
FanDuel Price: $7,000
Alec Mills takes the ball for the red-hot Chicago Cubs, and he too is primed for a big evening.
Like the Mariners, the Kansas City Royals, Mills' opponent, have struggled at the dish. They are walking only 4.3% of the time, while still striking out at a 25.1% clip. That is also combined with a team wOBA mark of only .301.
The downside to rostering Mills is that a high strikeout total seems very unlikely -- he managed only three in six innings in his last outing, and his 27.6% strikeout rate last season as a reliever wasn't among the league's elite.
All of that said, that matchup makes Mills one strong option to consider while rostering a plethora of big bats.
Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
