MLB

FanDuel Pitching Primer: Tuesday 9/20/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Sep 20th, 2022
Tyler Anderson is in a great spot against a struggling Arizona offense. Who else can we count on?

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
Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners

At Oakland Athletics
FanDuel Salary: $9,700

When the Seattle Mariners pulled off a mid-season trade (read: heist) to acquire Luis Castillo, I don't think they had much of a clue how brilliant he would be.

On the season, dude has been straight fire. In 134 1/3 innings pitched, he's logged a 2.99 FIP, courtesy of 0.74 HR/9 allowed, a 20.3% K-BB% rate, and only a 30.9% hard-hit rate.

And the Oakland Athletics? Man, you just gotta feel sorry for this A's offense. It's bottom-third in wOBA (.277), strikeout rate (23.9%), and ISO (.130).

We project Castillo as the second-best pitcher on the day, making him a monster play to consider tonight.

Mid-Salaried Play
Tyler Anderson, Los Angeles Dodgers

Vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Salary: $8,900

After the Arizona Diamondbacks had a nice little surge at the plate, they've returned to their dreadful ways.

Let's take a peek at one of the league's worst offenses. They've recorded a .304 wOBA and a 21.9% strikeout rate, and while those are bottom-third marks in terms of season-long numbers, they are bottom-five over the last two weeks in those categories.

And Tyler Anderson? He's been a true delight on the bump this season. His 3.41 FIP is strengthened by his 27.4% hard-hit allowed, and with the Dodgers as a heavy moneyline favorite, he has an easy path to a win.

We rank him as a top arm tonight (32.0 FanDuel points), and he makes for a solid investment.

Mid-Salaried Play
Nestor Cortes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
FanDuel Salary: $9,500

With nasty Nestor Cortes in the mix tonight, I would be remiss to not consider the New York Yankees southpaw. And a matchup against the porous Pittsburgh Pirates offense? Yes, sir!

Pittsburgh is easily one of the league's most frigid attacks this year. They rank 3rd-worst in team wOBA (.286), 2nd-worst in strikeout rate (25.9%), and 10th-worst in isolated power (.143).

The All-Star southpaw has been great this season with a 3.30 FIP over 140 innings pitched supported by a 20.1% K-BB% rate and 28.8% hard-hit rate.

Cortes only logged 65 pitches in his second start since coming off the injured list, adding some risk, but he ought to see a bump in workload moving forward. Get the lefty in your lineups 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.