DFS Alerts
Chris Sale struck out 32.1% last year
The interesting thing is Josh Reddick batting 3rd against one of the elite LH power pitchers in baseball, but you probably aren’t looking at any of the A’s tonight in any case. Chris Sale may face seven RH bats, but he allows just a career .285 wOBA in his career against batters from that side. He struck out a career high 32.1 K% last year. In one of the more favorable parks in baseball against a lineup without any huge threats, he has as much upside as any pitcher on the mound tonight, though maybe less stability than Kershaw.
Other tagged players: Josh Reddick
Welington Castillo is the top $/point catcher on tonight's late slate
Castillo is in a very favorable spot tonight against one of the weaker starters on the Opening Day slate. Last season (between Seattle and Arizona), Castillo finished with a .228 ISO against left-handed pitching, with his biggest problem being strikeouts (31.1% K-rate vs. LHs). Jorge de la Rosa finished last season with a modest 7.38 K/9 and allowed 1.10 HR/9 to RHs, which works in Castillo’s favor. It’s also great news for his DFS owners that he slots into the lineup directly after Paul Goldschmidt, something that will afford him plenty of run-producing opportunities if he can hold that spot against LHP. Roster him with confidence tonight.
Greinke's Arizona debut against the Rockies
There are some interesting dynamics in this one. The Rockies were worst in the majors with a 75 wRC+ on the road last season, but Arizona is also a very hitter friendly park. Then we also have Zack Greinke who’s 1.66 ERA was nearly half his 3.27 SIERA. His ERA could double and he’d still be an All Star, but don’t expect him to sustain his 2015 BABIP (.229) or LOB (86.5%) because no pitcher ever has. All of that said, he’s still worth a look at a reasonable price, but I don’t think you have to entirely stay away from Carlos Gonzalez (133 wRC+ vs RHP since 2014) on a short slate. Charlie Blackmon has just an 81 wRC+ away from Coors since 2014 and no other Colorado player really looks to be worth the risk.
Other tagged players: Carlos Gonzalez Arizona is a top lineup tonight, Goldschmidt vs a lefty.
Arizona is currently projected to score 4.09 runs on our Vegas Odds page, behind just Toronto on the night slate. While Toronto is a beast facing a formidable pitcher, Jorge de la Rosa had an ERA and FIP just over four. That’s not terrible, considering he calls Colorado home, but Arizona is a very favorable park for hitters as well. The loss of Pollock is a big blow here, but there’s nothing quite as juicy in daily fantasy baseball as Paul Goldschmidt facing a mediocre lefty (195 wRC+ since 2014). Wellington Castilo (124 wRC+ vs LHP last two years) is likely to be the top catching option as well. Jean Segura and Chris Owings bat in the top two spots, but are both poor hitters vs LHP (both have a wRC+ below 70 since 2014). The positive situation may enhance them enough to be worth a risk depending on the cost. Yasmany Tomas bats further down the order (6th), but enjoyed a 111 wRC+ vs LHP in his rookie year.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Other tagged players: Welington Castillo, Jorge De La Rosa, Yasmany Tomas Calhoun bats 5th in new look Angels lineup
The Angels have a new top two as they take on the reigning NL Cy Young winner, Jake Arrieta. Unfortunately, this moves a potent lefty bat (Kole Calhoun 120 wRC+ vs RHP since 2014) back a few spots in the lineup, not that you likely want to pick on Arrieta anyway. Although not expected to sustain an ERA under two (1.77) again this year, he still had an elite 2.77 SIERA and 2.35 FIP. If you need to drop from Kershaw, there’s no shame in saving a few bucks with Arrieta in a pitchers park against a mediocre offense (100 wRC+ vs RHP last year).
Other tagged players: Kole Calhoun Sonny Gray scratched due to food poisoning, Rich Hill to start in his place
Sonny Gray has been scratched from his start tonight due to food poisoning. It’s been a rough day for some of the high-end SPs (Bumgarner dealing with an illness, Kluber and Price getting PPD’d), and the trend continues with the late slate. Rich Hill will start in his place against what’s expected to be a right-handed heavy lineup, and this news works very much in the favor of the White Sox bats. This also helps Chris Sale in the sense that picking up the win shouldn’t be quite as challenging. Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier are both excellent GPP targets tonight, especially on late-swap sites where their ownership levels should be very low.
As reported by: Jane Lee Other tagged players: Rich Hill Forsythe leading off again vs Dickey
The Rays are running out almost the same lineup they employed yesterday with the exception of the catcher batting last. Earlier today, we told you that Logan Forsythe (5.59 wKN/C) and Corey Dickerson (.350 wOBA, .241 ISO vs RHP on the road last year) were great plays. but Dickey is going to be a pitcher to pick on in a small slate making Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison (batting 2nd) prime candidates at affordable prices. Kiermaier (122 wRC+ vs RHP career) and Brad Miller (111 wRC+ vs RHP last two years) are in play as well.
Other tagged players: Corey Dickerson, Evan Longoria, Kevin Kiermaier, Brad Miller, R.A. Dickey Padres stack seven right handed bats vs Kershaw
With the exception of Jon Jay in the leadoff spot and Cory Spangenberg batting last, the Padres have elected to stack the lineup with righties against the best pitcher in baseball. It’s unlikely to matter. Clayton Kershaw struck out 33.8% of the batters he faced last season with an absurd 15.9 SwStr%, giving him a FIP under two (1.99). He’s the top pitching play on the board whenever he pitches.
Other tagged players: Cory Spangenberg, Jon Jay Dodgers have 5 lefty bats vs Tyson Ross (Utley leading off)
Tyson Ross had a 61.5 GB% last season, but allowed a .323 wOBA to LH batters due mostly to a 12.0 BB% against them, while dominating RH batters. His hard contact rate was below 25% to batters from both sides though. Chase Utley gets the leadoff spot tonight, but was terrible last season. There really any great looks on either side of this matchup as walks are better than outs, but aren’t really going to win you anything. On a short slate with expensive pitching though, you can look at Utley or Carl Crawford as punt plays and consider Corey Seager in the two hole at a weak SS position tonight.
Other tagged players: Corey Seager, Carl Crawford, Tyson Ross Red Sox/Indians opener has been postponed; teams will play tomorrow at 1:10
Make sure not to roster any players from this game tonight, as you’ll be stuck with a zero. These teams will meet tomorrow at 1:10 for their opener.
As reported by: Scott Lauber Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey dealing with flu symptoms but both still remain in the lineup
This isn’t a major concern but it certainly adds some level of risk to rostering either player. Bumgarner holds more risk since the SP spot is so crucial in daily fantasy baseball, so playing him in cash games at this point has become far less viable. It’s wise to spend up a bit more to acquire Clayton Kershaw’s services. As for Posey, he doesn’t carry nearly as much risk, and he’s in one of the more favorable spots among catchers today. He remains a solid GPP target but is viable in any format this afternoon.
As reported by: Chris Haft MIN/BAL expected to start on time, but there's still rain in the forecast later this afternoon
The Twins/Orioles game is expected to start on time, but they’ll likely end up in a delay at some point later this afternoon. Pitchers are worth avoiding here and while the bats still carry some risk, they remain playable in GPPs.
As reported by: LaVelle Neal Logan Forsythe one of a few Rays in good spots against R.A. Dickey
Opening Day is typically not a hitter’s paradise with most of the teams sending their ace to the mound. Rather than selecting an elite hitter and hoping they will get the best of a pitcher like Felix Hernandez, rostering a guy like Forsythe in a favorable match-up with R.A. Dickey is the safer way to go. Over his career, Dickey has a FIP of 4.48 in March/April, compared to an average FIP of 4.16 May and beyond. Forsythe on the other hand enjoyed a 5.59 w/KN/C in 2015 – this stat, provided by FanGraphs, tells us the total runs above average per 100 pitches that a hitter contributed against knuckleballs last year. The fact that Forsythe is projected to bat leadoff and hits Dickey’s primary pitch well makes him a very strong mid-range option. Corey Dickerson, who owned a .350 wOBA/.241 ISO against RHs outside of Coors last season, is a similarly strong play and makes sense to pair with a guy like Forsythe, Logan Morrison or Evan Longoria.
Other tagged players: Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Evan Longoria Jean Segura and Welington Castillo two players to target today
Segura is expected to lead off today and Castillo is a great value option at catcher who should be batting fifth or sixth in a Diamondbacks lineup that is facing a lefty in Jorge De La Rosa at their hitter-friendly home park. If you want exposure to this game and can’t afford the hefty price tag of Paul Goldschmidt, these two are excellent options in what should be one of the highest scoring games on the slate. Castillo exhibits excellent power against southpaws as evidenced by his .228 ISO against them last season and Segura should get plenty of opportunities to score runs at the top of the Dbacks order.
Other tagged players: Welington Castillo
Bryce Harper owns Julio Teheran (10-23, 3 HRs) and is well worth paying up for Monday
While BvP is a polarizing topic in daily fantasy baseball, Harper has a fairly long track record against Teheran considering the limited time both have been in the league. Harper owns a 10-23 career line against Teheran with 3 2Bs and 3 HRs, good for a 1.475 OPS. Not only has he had Teheran’s number early in his career, but Harper’s numbers against right-handed pitching were absolutely ridiculous last season – he finished 2015 with a .478 wOBA, .354 ISO and 209 wRC+ against RHP. He also happened to own an elite hard-hit rate (39.7% vs. RHP), and those numbers aren’t expected to drop off this year. Roster him with confidence in any format, although he may be worth fading in tournaments if you’re trying to go against the grain. His ownership percentage should be very high relative to the other high-end options.