MLB

FanDuel Pitching Primer: Tuesday 9/15/20

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Sep 15th, 2020
It's a full main slate with a pile of outstanding arms to pick from. Who's our top-notch choices of the day?

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. Which pitchers should you consider on today's main slate?

High-Salaried Option

Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs

Vs. Cleveland Indians

FanDuel Salary: $11,200

It is definitely ace day, as there are five pitchers that are at $8,900 or more. Ooh mama, time to pay up at pitcher.

So while Carlos Carrasco certainly makes a tantalizing option against the Chicago Cubs, within the same game, my money is on Yu Darvish of the Chicago Cubs, who has been one of baseball's best arms.

Right-handed batters have essentially no chance against Darvish -- they have whiffed at a 36.2% strikeout rate, and his opponent, the Cleveland Indians, have really struggled in this split. They own a .302 wOBA and .131 ISO this season, including a decent 23.6% strikeout rate.

Pay up for Darvish, and you won't regret it.

Mid-Salaried Play

Matt Boyd, Detroit Tigers

Vs Kansas City Royals

FanDuel Price: $7,900

It was an ugly start last time out, but don't ignore how good Matt Boyd has been as of late.

In his last 21 1/3 innings, he has whiffed 29 hitters, and the Kansas City Royals have been less than stellar at the dish against lefties with a .329 wOBA and a dreadful 27.4% hard-hit rate.

If Boyd can resume his strikeout goodness against this poor offense, he could be in for a big night.

Low-Salaried Play

Jose Urquidy, Houston Astros

Vs Texas Rangers

FanDuel Price: $6,300

He's back in the rotation following an absence from COVID-19, and Jose Urquidy of the Houston Astros could be one of the highest-scoring hurlers of the day.

Let's examine Urquidy's opponent, the Texas Rangers, who look absolutely lost at the plate. Against righties in 2020, they own a .292 wOBA, .153 ISO, and 24.1% strikeout rate. That's tasty, as far as pitchers are concerned.

While most pitchers struggle against the platoon, Urquidy has actually been great, limiting left-handed batters to a .217 wOBA and .315 slugging percentage. For a cheap pitching option, Urquidy is looking very reasonable.

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.