DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Monday 9/10/18
Every day is unique for daily fantasy baseball, which is both a blessing and a challenge. Although we can’t simply plug and play our favorite studs day in and day out, each slate presents us with a chance for a new gem to vault us up the leaderboards.
Through the use of numberFire’s tools, we can better identify the players primed to succeed each day, making the process of filling out a lineup just that much easier. In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy looking team to put up some big point totals.
Which names stand out for today on the DraftKings main slate? Let’s check it out, starting with the pitchers.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitcher
Corey Kluber ($11,100 on DraftKings): This would be Jacob deGrom, but the weather is a bit too concerning and that game could be delayed or postponed. However, Corey Kluber is still an elite pitcher and although his 25.5 percent strikeout rate isn't as elite as last season's mark, it's still solid. He has a slate-best 0.95 WHIP and a 3.17 xFIP that is second only to deGrom tonight. Kluber is taking on the Tampa Bay Rays, and they strike out at a 22.1 percent clip, which is 16th in the Majors. The Rays have been better than expected this season, as a middle-of-the-pack offense, but they aren't good enough that they should scare you off of Kluber.
German Marquez ($9,000): Rolling with German Marquez in Coors Field has proven to be a very viable strategy this season. He's been elite as of late, including in home games, putting up at least 20 DraftKings points in 9 of his last 10. That includes 7 games with at least 25. Marquez has a 26.6 percent strikeout rate, 1.24 WHIP and 3.32 xFIP. While his 15.8 percent home run to fly-ball rate could cause some trouble, the rest of his numbers are solid. He's taking on a Arizona Diamondbacks team that certainly has some power, but they have the eighth-highest strikeout rate (23.7 percent) against right-handed pitching, which gives Marquez plenty of upside.
Low-Priced Pitcher
Jake Junis ($8,500): This is a tough one, as Jake Junis has just a 22.0 percent strikeout rate. His 1.25 WHIP and 4.19 xFIP also leave a lot to be desired. However, he has back-to-back 30-plus DraftKings points games, with 4 of his last 6 coming in at 20-plus. He has a very good matchup against the Chicago White Sox, whose 25.5 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitching is the second-worst in the Majors. Additionally, their 94 wRC+ and .308 weighted on-base average (wOBA) put them in the bottom-third in the league.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
Mike Trout ($5,800): Mike Trout is better against right-handed pitching, but because it's Mike Trout, he also smashes left-handed pitching. He has an elite .438 wOBA and .277 isolated power (ISO) and has a matchup against Texas Rangers' Mike Minor this evening. Minor has had a bit of a roller coaster of a season, but his numbers are worth targeting with hitters. He has a solid 1.10 WHIP but his 38.7 percent hard-hit rate, 45.1 percent fly-ball rate and 196 foot average batted-ball distance are not numbers that you want to bring to the mound against a hitter like Trout.
Bryce Harper ($5,400): With a .320 batting average, 1.211 OPS, 2 home runs, 7 RBI and a stolen base over his last 10 games, Bryce Harper has been on a tear, and he has averaged 10.9 DraftKings points over that time. He crushes right-handed pitching, and has done so to the tune of a .381 wOBA and .270 ISO in 2018. Taking on Jake Arrieta tonight should be no different. While Arrieta does have some very solid numbers, he doesn't pose a huge strikeout threat, with his 18.7 percent strikeout rate, and his 14.2 percent home run to fly-ball rate bodes well for Harper if he gets a hold of one.
David Dahl ($5,100): Taking on a right-handed pitcher in Coors Field is a fantastic spot for David Dahl. He has an elite .384 wOBA and .268 ISO against righties and tonight he will be facing Arizona's Zack Godley. Godley has been alright this season, with a respectable 3.83 xFIP despite a 4.51 ERA. However, he has an ugly 1.38 WHIP, 38.3 percent hard-hit rate and a 22.3 percent line-drive rate, which could get him into trouble considering the Colorado Rockies have a 5.33 implied run total — the largest on the slate.
Value Hitters
Ryan O'Hearn ($4,100): Ryan O'Hearn continues to be under-priced considering what he has done this season against right-handed pitching. The numbers are absolutely elite. Among all hitters with at least 50 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, O'Hearn leads the way in both wOBA and ISO with a .520 and .448 mark respectively. His matchup is fantastic against the struggling Chicago White Sox' Lucas Giolito. Giolito has a brutal 1.44 WHIP and 5.49 xFIP and his 39.4 percent fly-ball rate could get him into trouble against this power.
Ryan Braun ($4,000): He certainly isn't the player he used to be, but Ryan Braun still can crush left-handed pitching. In 2018, he's put up a very solid .367 wOBA and .281 ISO in this split. He's got a pretty good matchup against the aging Chicago Cubs starter Jon Lester. This season, Lester has seen his strikeout numbers drop off, generating them at just a 19.0 percent clip. Additionally, his 1.32 WHIP and 4.58 xFIP don't inspire much confidence. He has a slate-worst 25.8 percent line-drive rate and his 37.6 percent fly-ball rate isn't making things any better.
Gary Sanchez ($3,700): He's not posting nearly the production he did last year, with a .277 wOBA and .208 ISO against right-handed pitching, but Sanchez was a righty masher in 2017. He had a solid .367 wOBA and .249 ISO and was a reliable hitter at the plate. He'll have a goo chance to show some of that power tonight against Kyle Gibson, who has allowed a 38.4 percent hard-hit rate this year. Additionally, Gibson has a 22.2 percent line-drive rate and a brutal 14.6 percent home run to fly-ball rate. While his fly-ball rate is solid at 28.7 percent, when he does give them up they tend to go deep.
Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. 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.
