MLB

FanDuel Pitching Primer: Thursday 9/15/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Sep 15th, 2022
Lance McCullers has been solid this season, and he has a prime matchup tonight against the A's. Who else should we consider?

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 where 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 McCullers, Houston Astros

vs. Oakland Athletics
FanDuel Salary: $9,900

A stud who seems totally worthy of the investment tonight is Lance McCullers of the Houston Astros.

Facing the Oakland Athletics tonight, McCullers is projected for a massive score, and it's for good reason. The Athletics are one of the worst teams in the league, ranking 2nd-worst in team wOBA (.278), 3rd-worst in isolated power (.130), and 11th-worst in strikeout rate (23.5%).

In 28 2/3 innings pitched this season, McCullers has logged a 2.20 ERA and 3.78 FIP, and while his overall 21.7% strikeout rate has been just average, he's posted a 24.5% strikeout rate over his last two starts.

Roster McCullers with confidence tonight.

Mid-Salaried Play
Carlos Carrasco, New York Mets

Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
FanDuel Salary: $9,000

While the Pittsburgh Pirates have been hot at the dish in a dismantling of the Cincinnati Reds, they may find tougher sledding against the New York Mets and Carlos Carrasco tonight.

Despite playing better, the Pirates have been dreadful at the plate, logging a 25.7% strikeout rate and .292 wOBA over the last month. Those aren't the marks of an offense primed to explode at the pump.

Carrasco has been solid this season. In 135 1/3 innings pitched, he's posted a 3.54 FIP, 46.4% ground-ball rate, and 23.3% strikeout rate.

He actually leads our projections tonight at 34.6 FanDuel points (tied with McCullers), and he should be a strong choice tonight.


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.