FantasyScore Daily Fantasy Primer: Tuesday 5/5/15
Season-long fantasy baseball leagues can be tiresome. You have to set your lineups each day, play the waiver wire for new players, and when it's all said and done, you still might be out of it by the All-Star break.
Fortunately, we've got an alternative to your season-long fantasy baseball woes: FantasyScore.com.
FantasyScore has tons of games to choose from and compete in (including regular freerolls going on now) for real cash prizes every single day. All you need to do is sign up, enter a lineup based on salary restrictions, and join contests against baseball fans just like you.
With an interesting slate going on tonight in baseball, it's a perfect time to try it out. And to help you, we're giving out our FantasyScore optimized lineup, which you can find below.
| Player | Salary | FP |
|---|---|---|
| Zack Greinke (SP, LAD) | $8,600 | 10.78 |
| Stephen Strasburg (SP, WSH) | $7,700 | 12.39 |
| Paul Goldschmidt (1B, ARI) | $6,000 | 4.94 |
| Jose Altuve (2B, HOU) | $5,700 | 4.13 |
| Stephen Vogt (C, OAK) | $4,500 | 4.01 |
| Charlie Blackmon (RF, COL) | $4,100 | 4.09 |
| A.J. Pollock (CF, ARI) | $3,900 | 4.05 |
| Josh Reddick (RF, OAK) | $3,800 | 4.28 |
| Jimmy Rollins (SS, LAD) | $2,900 | 3.6 |
| Luis Valbuena (3B, HOU) | $2,500 | 3.51 |
Things haven't been great for Stephen Strasburg to start the year, but let's not pretend he's been awful. Through five starts, he's got a strong 9.20 strikeout per nine ratio, as well as a home run rate that's well below his career average. Folks will point to his 4.60 ERA as a big reason he's been unsuccessful this year, but that's not a great indicator -- his FIP sits at a nice 2.55, as his batting average on balls in play is a ridiculously unlucky .402, despite arguably a better batted ball profile from last year. He'll face the Marlins tonight in Miami, a team that's striking out at the eighth-highest rate against right-handers. As long as the weather cooperates, Strasburg should be fine.
The other pitcher chosen by the algorithm is Zack Greinke, who will face a struggling Brewers offense in Milwaukee. Though the Brew Crew came through against Clayton Kershaw last night with some late-game runs, they haven't been good against right-handers -- any pitcher, to be honest -- this year, striking out at a 22.7% rate, the fourth worst in the league. Greinke doesn't have an elite K rate, but it's certainly above average, and he should have no trouble with Milwaukee's bats tonight.
Despite the top-notch hurlers in the lineup, we still have a lot of good hitters, too. Rather than talking about them, though, let's take a look at some of the more under-the-radar guys.
The first is Jimmy Rollins, who's been batting second in the Dodgers order of late. He'll face Matt Garza, who's thrown to a -- wait for it -- 5.48 FIP to start the year. The Dodgers have an over/under above four runs, and if they score, Rollins should be part of the action.
The other low-priced guy is Luis Valbuena, who will face left-hander Wandy Rodriguez in Houston tonight. Wandy's had a rough start to the year, and although Valbuena is a lefty facing a lefty, the cost combined with the potential for a lot of runs being scored is a huge plus. He's essentially a punt play, allowing you to build throughout the rest of the roster.
Enter the lineup now over at FantasyScore.com!
