MLB

FanDuel Pitching Primer: Monday 8/2/21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Aug 2nd, 2021
Chris Flexen has been one of the league's best pitchers in 2021. Can he keep it up?

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 Play

Tylor Megill, New York Mets

At Miami Marlins
FanDuel Salary: $8,500

There's a number of solid arms on the slate tonight, but there's no clear-cut favorite. Andrew Heaney ($7,600) faces a Baltimore Orioles team that struggles at the plate, so he will get plenty of run. However, Heaney has given up far too many homers. Sandy Alcantara ($8,400) faces a New York Mets team that ranks fourth in team wOBA in the last week.

But the true name that shines is Tylor Megill of the New York Mets, who's been absolutely brilliant this season with a 2.04 ERA and 2.32 xERA. He faces a Miami Marlins team that ranks second-worst in team wOBA in 2021, and they also are whiffing at a 25.9% clip.

Megill is a great play tonight.

Mid-Salaried Play

Chris Flexen, Seattle Mariners

At Tampa Bay Rays
FanDuel Salary: $7,300

Are people aware of how good Chris Flexen has been?

Like, it's a bit ridiculous. And it's fair that there are very little whiffs -- it's very much a drawback to his profile, especially in an age where there are mega strikeouts.

But that man has been spicy on the mound -- he's logged a very respectable 3.72 FIP on the year, including a brilliant 4.9% walk rate, and he's limited home runs to only 0.83 HR/9 this year.

Consider the mid-priced arm tonight.


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.