FanDuel Pitching Primer: Wednesday 8/19/20

In daily fantasy baseball, success starts with nailing the starting pitcher spot in your lineup.

When compared to hitters, pitching performance tends to be much more predictable and stable throughout the course of the season. You know what you're getting from a top-level ace when you roster him: probably a dominant effort with only one or two implosions per season. In contrast, even the game's best hitters have days at the plate when they go 0-for-4.

As a result, lineup construction should begin with the starting pitcher. Which pitchers should you consider on today's main slate?

High-Priced Option

Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

at Miami Marlins

FanDuel Price: $10,700

After getting unexpectedly scratched prior to his last outing, Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets looks to take the mound. Assuming he is ready to rock, he makes for a very tantalizing option tonight.

Here are a few reasons why deGrom could be in line for a monster evening -- the Marlins clock in sixth-worst in the league in wOBA (.305), they are near the bottom of the barrel in isolated power (.142, ISO) and they have a 24.9% strikeout rate.

Against righties dating back to 2019, they sport only a .150 ISO. Keep an eye on deGrom's availability, but he could smash.

Mid-Priced Play

Chris Paddack, San Diego Padres

vs. Texas Rangers

FanDuel Price: $8,100

After getting absolutely torched in his previous outing, Chris Paddack of the San Diego Padres is looking to bounce back and the Punching Judy offense of the Texas Rangers may provide that opportunity to get right.

On the season, the Rangers have been absolutely abysmal at the dish. They rank fourth-worst in team wOBA (.287), and despite having a power bat like Joey Gallo in the lineup, they sport a pretty ugly .133 ISO mark.

From a batted ball perspective, the numbers don't look much better. In terms of hard-hit rate, their 45.5% hard-hit rate is quite strong, but it seems to be virtually offset by a 45.4% ground-ball rate.

Look for The Sheriff to pick things up from a rough outing.

Low-Priced Option

Ryan Castellani, Colorado Rockies

vs. Houston Astros

FanDuel Price: $6,700

A Colorado Rockies pitcher in Denver? Yes sir.

Ryan Castellani has turned some heads so far in his first two starts. While it only spans 8 2/3 innings pitched, his 31.3% strikeout rate cannot be ignored, nor should his 50.0% ground-ball rate. It's all supported by an off-the-charts 14.2% swinging-strike rate so far this season.

Interestingly, the Astros have struggled so far this year at the plate. Their hard-hit rate of 40.4% puts them in the bottom third of the league, their .309 wOBA ranks them only 23rd, and their .157 ISO leaves much to be desired.

This is definitely not for the faint of heart, but Castellani could be a sneaky option.

Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. 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.