MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 8/16/13
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Wood | SP | 30.28 | $22,100 | 1.37 |
| Tom Gorzelanny | SP | 20.37 | $15,000 | 1.36 |
| Aaron Hill | 2B | 13.31 | $6,800 | 1.96 |
| David Ortiz | DH | 15.28 | $6,800 | 2.25 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 13.97 | $6,600 | 2.12 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | SS | 13.89 | $6,500 | 2.14 |
| Shin-Soo Choo | CF | 14.05 | $6,300 | 2.23 |
| Justin Upton | LF | 13.51 | $6,100 | 2.21 |
| Michael Cuddyer | RF | 13.51 | $6,000 | 2.25 |
| Kyle Seager | 3B | 15 | $5,200 | 2.88 |
| Evan Gattis | C | 12.15 | $4,800 | 2.53 |
Fantasy Feud, Draft Kings, and FanThrowdown 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 Top Three Pitchers
Tom Gorzelanny – Look up “journeyman starter†in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of Gorzelanny. But now that he’s getting a chance to start for Milwaukee after starting the year in the bullpen, he’s performed well. He’s got a 2.51 ERA on the year bolstered by an 8.54 K/9 that’s nearly a strikeout and a half higher than his career rate. He’s given up no earned runs in three of his six starts.
Alex Wood – Wood is having an extremely strong rookie season, adding to the Braves’ wealth of riches in the bullpen. He’s got a 2.78 ERA, and his 2.14 FIP indicates he’s actually been pitching even better. If he had pitched enough innings to qualify, his 9.53 K/9 would trail only A.J. Burnett, Matt Harvey, Shelby Miller and Jose Fernandez in the N.L. And he’s facing the punchless Nationals tonight, who rank just 13th in the NL in runs scored.
Gerrit Cole – It’s rookie pitcher day here at Numberfire! The former top-five pick Cole hasn’t been as dominant in his rookie year as Wood, but he’s been solid nonetheless. He’s sporting a 3.95 ERA and a solid 3.13 K/BB ratio. He’s been much better facing righties than lefties (.268 wOBA vs. .317) which is good since he’s going up against a Diamondbacks team tonight that features Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Hill and Martin Prado from the right side.
Top High-Priced Hitters
Aaron Hill – Hill is having a low-key excellent year, putting up a .304/.359/.529 line in just over 200 plate appearances. He’s been especially hot recently: In 11 games in August, Hill is hitting .391 with three homers and four doubles.
David Ortiz – At this point, you know the drill with Ortiz. He’s leading all designated hitters in batting average (.324), on-base percentage (.405) and slugging (.580). Since we’ve covered him in this space basically every day this week, here’s a video of a young, minor-league Ortiz beating the crap out of Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in an impromptu home run derby in 1996.
Cost-Effective Mid-Range Hitters
Evan Gattis – Gattis has gone from folk hero to legitimate power threat and versatile piece for the Braves this year. He’s seen time at catcher, first base and left field, and his best use might actually be as an ace pinch hitter. But since he has catcher eligibility, it makes sense for fantasy owners to play him there. Among NL catchers with at least 200 PAs, he ranks behind only teammate Brian McCann in sluggin g at .496 and he’s tied for fourth in home runs with 15.
Michael Cuddyer – Cuddyer is a steal at his low price tag. Consider this: He ranks third among qualified N.L. outfielders in batting average (.324) and fourth in slugging (.539). He’s facing Wei-Yin Chen tonight which is good news – he’s hit nearly 20 points higher against lefties in his career.
