FanDuel Pitching Primer: Friday 7/2/21

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 Play
Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox

At Detroit Tigers
FanDuel Salary: $10,000

There are two Ferraris in the top end of the pitching pool tonight -- Lance Lynn and Max Scherzer. They are the only pitchers priced above $10,000, leaving us with two big-time arms to choose from.

With that being said, Lynn seems to have the obvious advantage between the two. Scherzer locks horns with the high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers, while Lynn gets the woeful Detroit Tigers and their .302 wOBA and 27.0% strikeout rate. The edge clearly falls to Lynn, although Scherzer is a fun leverage play in tournaments.

Lynn has a 3.62 SIERA this season and has generated a 28.5% strikeout rate and 12.6% swinging-strike rate. He's also eclipsed the 100-pitch mark five times in 2021, so the workload is there, too.

Mid-Salaried Play
Kyle Gibson, Texas Rangers

At Seattle Mariners
FanDuel Salary: $8,400

Did anyone really expect Kyle Gibson to achieve boss-level status in 2021? While the right-hander has always been a solid pitcher, over 90 innings this season, the former Mizzou product has been outstanding with a 2.00 ERA and 3.32 FIP.

And Gibson has a sweet matchup tonight. The Seattle Mariners rank near the bottom of the league with a .296 wOBA (27th) paired with a hefty 26.6% strikeout rate (4th-highest). The matchup gives Gibson a better floor/ceiling combination than he usually has.

For a mid-range option who you may want to consider in order to roster some Coors Field bats, Gibson is worth checking out.

Low-Salaried Play
Sonny Gray, Cincinnati Reds

Vs. Chicago Cubs
FanDuel Salary: $7,000

Returning today from a brief stint on the injured list, Sonny Gray will take the ball for the Cincinnati Reds, and he's not a guy we should ignore.

While Gray has been solid this year, logging a 30.1% strikeout rate, it's the matchup with the Chicago Cubs that makes him particularly enticing. The North Siders sport an ugly .305 wOBA, and their 26.6% strikeout rate gives us the strikeout upside we so desperately crave.

Gray may have a shorter leash than usual in his first outing off the IL -- he went just 53 pitches in his last rehab start -- but he's still worth having on our radar. If you don't want to take on the risk, Logan Gilbert ($7,200) is another good value option who has a nice matchup with the Texas Rangers.

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.