3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 8/29/17
Brian Dozier, 2B, Minnesota Twins
FanDuel Price: $4,200
What's gotten into James Shields? A favorite punching bag in DFS since last season, Shields is suddenly pitching well.
In four August starts, he has a 3.69 SIERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, and 27.0% hard-hit rate allowed. His swinging-strike rate has jumped to 12.0% over this span, so perhaps it's not a total fluke? While it's wise to remain skeptical and Shields is still giving up some long balls, maybe the Minnesota Twins' 5.20 implied team total isn't as much of a shoo-in as you would think.
Thus, at least in cash games, it's enough to give you pause before spending up on the pricey Brian Dozier, who hasn't been as effective without the platoon advantage, posting a 33.1% hard-hit rate and .327 wOBA. Even the red-hot Byron Buxton -- he of three dingers on Sunday -- is in the same boat. Even amidst his strong August run, he has just a .275 expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) against righties.