FanDuel Pitching Primer: Monday 4/12/21
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-Salaried Option
Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay Rays
vs Texas Rangers
FanDuel Salary: $10,700
Any time I can get the flame throwing Tyler Glasnow into my lineups, I'm gonna do it.
Facing the recently no-hit Texas Rangers, Glasnow takes aim with his newfound approach, including a cutter that has been downright nasty.
That should go a long way against a Texas team whiffing at a 28.9% strikeout rate -- that'll play. Combine that with Glasnow's filthy stuff, and he's worth the pay-up.
Mid-Salaried Play
Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
vs Chicago Cubs
FanDuel Salary: $7,600
The move to the rotation seems to have struck gold yet again for the Milwaukee Brewers. A year after finding Corbin Burnes and him being a dark horse for the NL Cy Young, everyone's darling, Freddy Peralta, has been brilliant this year.
Over his two appearances (one start, one relief appearance) spanning seven innings, Peralta has already whiffed 14 batters. That'll play.
We project Peralta for 33.0 FanDuel points, and given his modest salary, he profiles as one of the slate's top plays.
Low-Salaried Play
Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals
at St. Louis Cardinals
FanDuel Salary: $6,200
The return of a pretty large slate means there are lots of options available, including Erick Fedde of the Washington Nationals. Let's dive in as to why he could be a solid play.
The St. Louis Cardinals' offense, despite the addition of Nolan Arenado, has really struggled to start the year. So far, they've notched a woeful .299 wOBA, including a .152 isolated power (ISO) and 25.4% strikeout rate. Not great, Bob.
Our model likes Fedde today, projecting him for a modest 18.2 FanDuel points. He's got a moderate value over 3X, making him a great salary-saving 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.
