MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 6/18/13
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
| Player | Position | Projected FP | Cost | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yu Darvish | SP | 32.57 | $36,300 | 0.90 |
| Esmil Rogers | SP | 16.46 | $19,000 | 0.87 |
| Robinson Cano | 2B | 14.95 | $6,400 | 2.34 |
| Adrian Beltre | 3B | 12.37 | $5,800 | 2.13 |
| Jimmy Rollins | SS | 11.83 | $5,300 | 2.23 |
| Nate McLouth | LF | 11.46 | $4,900 | 2.34 |
| Melky Cabrera | LF | 12.15 | $4,900 | 2.48 |
| Jonathan Lucroy | C | 12.41 | $4,700 | 2.64 |
| Todd Helton | 1B | 11.12 | $4,300 | 2.59 |
| Will Venable | OF | 11.22 | $4,200 | 2.67 |
| Gerardo Parra | OF | 11.56 | $4,200 | 2.75 |
Fan Duel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud Optimized Rosters
For the optimal rosters for the other main players, be sure to check out our brand new Daily Fantasy Optimized Rosters for our Premium members. We know that you're killing it with our picks; maybe now you'll help us continue to help you win each night, every night.
Access to the optimal rosters is immediate, and you'll have it constantly updated for the latest injury news and updates from around the league. The best news of all? For new subscribers, you can use the promo code WELCOME and get it 50% off what was already the reduced price. Think of the savings!
The Three Top Pitchers
Yu Darvish - He has a 34.0 percent strikeout rate. Let that sink in for a second. In a given game, over one-third of the batters Yu Darvish faces will be headed back to the dugout shaking their head. No other MLB pitcher is even above 31.4 percent (and it took a 10 K game from Max Scherzer yesterday to get there). No matter the price, when Yu's against an A's team right around the league average for strikeouts and is trotting out an opposing pitcher with only a 1.349 WHIP and 16.3 percent K rate, how could we not love Darvish tonight?
Randall Delgado - Don't get it twisted - this is 100 percent a matchup play. Randall Delgado has not started an MLB game and pitched in exactly one since coming over to the D'Backs in the offseason trade that sent Justin Upton to Atlanta. Given his career numbers, he's right around a league average pitcher, as his .283 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) against is good but his 17.4 percent strikeout rate and 10.0 percent walk rate are not. However, the Marlins can make anybody seem like an ace: they're dead last in OBP, dead last in slugging (by 37 points!), and the lowest walk rate in the majors. Delgado's lack of history may be a good thing; it has kept his cost tonight down.
Alfredo Figaro - Another day, another mid-priced option to exploit because of his matchup. (Honestly, if you're going a high-priced option and it isn't Yu, I question your choices. And for multi-pitcher platforms, other than possibly Verlander, no other top-priced options are exceptional values today.) Want a low walk rate? Figaro's 3.7 percent BB rate should suffice. And although his 19.3 percent strikeout rate may only be around league average, the Astros themselves hold the MLB's worst K rate at 25.7 percent of total plate appearances. Couple that with a fifth-worst .297 Houston OBP, and I'm excited for Figaro's potential.
Top High-Priced Hitters
Adrian Beltre - I've already mentioned Jarrod Parker's 1.349 WHIP and 16.3 percent K rate, but there is one number that should look particularly juicy to the Rangers' third baseman: 3.7. That's the percentage of plate appearances Parker has given up a homerun this season, over a full percent above the MLB average. Beltre's own 4.8 percent homerun rate should have a field day; we have Beltre projected at 0.25 HR, 0.81 R, and 0.84 RBI tonight.
Robinson Cano - Oh, the complete and utter domination of Robinson Cano. His 0.325 projected average leads all second basemen by .011. His 0.26 HR leads by .04. His 0.84 R leads by .09. His 0.88 RBI leads by .14. There really isn't a single category where you could make the case for a different second baseman, so despite the high cost, why would you go a different direction from the clear best player in all categories? Lower your cost elsewhere, Hyun-jin Ryu's league-average advanced analytics beckons.
Mid-Range Cost-Effective Hitters
Jonathan Lucroy - Houston starter Jordan Lyles' 3-1 record and 3.48 ERA may look solid. His 1.316 WHIP, 18.4 percent strikeout rate, 2.2 percent homerun rate, and 7.2 percent walk rate, however, reveal him to be nothing more than a league-average pitcher. Granted, league-average is probably the best Houston can ask for this season, but it doesn't mean that's a reason to bet against Jonathan Lucroy as your catching option. His low 11.2 percent strikeout rate and 2.7 percent homerun rate meshes nicely, while his .284 BABIP should rise towards the mean given his .310 career rate and his 23 percent line drive rate this season.
Todd Helton - Here's is my lack of Colorado Rockies trivia showing: I had no idea his nickname was The Toddfather. Never heard it in my life. But I love it. And even though the Toddfather has seen his stats steadily declining since the Bush presidency, his current .711 OPS and 24 percent line drive rate makes him still worth playing against an average matchup. How does Esmil Rogers' career .351 BABIP and 1.605 WHIP sound? Just fine by me.
