DFS Alerts
Jorge Lopez a possible value arm vs. CWS
If you want to get some expensive bats in your lineup, Jorge Lopez could be a viable option in this spot. Lopez isn’t a household name by any means, but he comes in at just $6.1k on DK. The White Sox have just a 3.9 implied run vs. Lopez and the Royals. Lopez doesn’t K a ton of guys, most projection systems have him pegged as a 7 K/9 guy per Fangraphs. That said, working in Lopez’s favor is the fact that the White Sox had a K rate vs. RHP of 25.8% in 2018, which was worst in the league. He does figure to at least be in a good spot for run prevention pitching at home vs. a CWS lineup that ranked 26th in the league in 2018 with a .310 xwOBA vs. RHP.
Yandy Diaz leading off for TB
The Rays went out and acquired Yandy “Biceps” Diaz this offseason hoping to turn him and his superb exit velocity (91.8 MPH career EV) into a slugger. Diaz cruhses the ball when he hits it in play, but the Rays are hoping for him to turn some of his ground balls into fly balls (55.9% GB rate, 21.6% FB rate for his career). Although way too early to judge, Diaz went yard Friday vs. Gerrit Cole and has matched his 2018 HR total already in 108 less plate appearances. Despite only 1 HR last year, Diaz did have a solid .357 xwOBA. He leads off today vs. a mediocre pitcher in Wade Miley who has a career .336 xwOBA vs. RHP. Diaz is crazy cheap at just $3.4k on DK and $2.6 on FD and seems like a very good bet to hit value.
Other tagged players: Wade Miley Jon Gray smash spot
Gray should be a very popular play on today’s slate, and rightfully so. Gray faces a Marlins lineup in Miami that will have just 3 lefties in the order. Gray had pretty drastic splits in 2018 (.282 xwOBA vs. RHB, .332 vs. LHB) and shouldn’t have a problem mowing down this weak Marlins lineup. Miami has just two batters who had an xwOBA vs. RHP above .315 last year (Neil Walker, Brian Anderson). Although they will run out a slightly different lineup this afternoon, the 2018 Marlins K% vs. RHP was worse than average at 23%. Owners of Gray will hope they get the 2018 1st half version (11.33 K/9, 3.05 FIP) as opposed to the 2nd half (7.15 K/9, 5.49 FIP). The Marlins have just a 3.21 implied total against Gray and the Rox this afternoon.
Other tagged players: Brian Anderson, Neil Walker Plenty of RBI Potential
Alex Gordon couldn’t bat at a better spot in the lineup. He is right behind 2 guys with a knack to just get on base, and when they do they have the ability to swipe a bag or 2. He should have RBI opportunities galore in this spot facing Giolito who has trouble striking guys out and is walking batters around 10%. Giolito throws the fast ball 44% of the time, and what Gordon lacks in power against this pitch, he makes up for in contact by striking the ball 83.59% of the time. I don’t see him sending it over the fence, but the chance at multiple RBI opportunities has me very intrigued at a very cheap price across the industry.
Sonny Gray looking to bounce back in 2019
Many will be in “wait and see” mode on Gray this year after a rough 2018 that saw him post a 4.90 ERA / 4.10 xFIP. Gray says the Yankees forced him to throw too many sliders in 2018 and he got away from what he’s used to working with on the mound. Now, Gray reunites with his old college pitching coach Derek Johnson in Cincy where he hopes to rediscover what made him a dominant pitcher earlier in his career. Gray gets a nice matchup to start off 2019 at home vs. the Pirates. Pittsburgh returns a very similar lineup to their 2018 squad, whose xwOBA vs. RHP was a middling .314. Gray is certainly affordable ($7.6k on DK) and at least makes for a nice dart throw with the Pirates having just a 3.98 implied total.
Strikeout Upside Against a Watered Down Contender
Michael Pineda is a guy that has some pretty good strikeout upside in a matchup against the Cleveland Indians who are a bit watered down compared to what we are used to. Throw in the fact that Pineda is more of a groundball pitcher and weather that is working in his favor (currently around 38 degrees), he looks to be a fine value play on this slate. The current started lineup strikes out at a combined 22.6% and he should absolutely be able to mow down over half of this lineup. Fire up Pineda and his 24.4% career K rate and look for spectacular results!
Talented Tourney Arm
We last saw Michael Pineda pitch in the big leagues back in 2017, so this is definitely a high risk play. If you look into his numbers back in 2017 you will see a guy who had a 5% walk rate with around a 50% ground ball rate. He also had some home road splits with his strikeout rate at home around 26% where as on the road it was down to about 17%. He gets A home matchup against a struggling Indians lineup who have scored only two runs in their first two outings against the Twins. Pineda is definitely someone I will be on in GPPs today.
Stack Them Cards UP
The Cardinals are a team I will be stacking in GPPs today. They get Corbin Burnes who has a high strikeout rate to right handed hitters but also gives up a lot of hard contact to the right side of the plate. This game being played in Milwakuee makes it one of the best ball parks to attack on the slate. I like 1-5 but definitely prioritizing Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt, and DeJong as my three favorites.
Stack Them Cards UP
The Cardinals are a team I will be stacking in GPPs today. They get Corbin Burnes who has a high strikeout rate to right handed hitters but also gives up a lot of hard contact to the right side of the plate. This game being played in Milwakuee makes it one of the best ball parks to attack on the slate. I like 1-5 but definitely prioritizing Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt, and DeJong as my three favorites.
Stack Them Cards UP
The Cardinals are a team I will be stacking in GPPs today. They get Corbin Burnes who has a high strikeout rate to right handed hitters but also gives up a lot of hard contact to the right side of the plate. This game being played in Milwakuee makes it one of the best ball parks to attack on the slate. I like 1-5 but definitely prioritizing Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt, and DeJong as my three favorites.
The Brew Crew Round 2
This worked out for us yesterday, why not again today. Michael Wacha is a pitcher who has some serious reverse splits. He gives up a 12% walk rate to right handed batters and a lot of hard contact to both sides of the plate. Then we have a Brewers lineup that has five bats with at least a 230 ISO or higher, this could be a really bad day for Wacha. 2-7 are all in play today for me in GPPs with Aguilar, Braun, Shaw, and Moustakas being my favorites.
The Brew Crew Round 2
This worked out for us yesterday, why not again today. Michael Wacha is a pitcher who has some serious reverse splits. He gives up a 12% walk rate to right handed batters and a lot of hard contact to both sides of the plate. Then we have a Brewers lineup that has five bats with at least a 230 ISO or higher, this could be a really bad day for Wacha. 2-7 are all in play today for me in GPPs with Aguilar, Braun, Shaw, and Moustakas being my favorites.
The Brew Crew Round 2
This worked out for us yesterday, why not again today. Michael Wacha is a pitcher who has some serious reverse splits. He gives up a 12% walk rate to right handed batters and a lot of hard contact to both sides of the plate. Then we have a Brewers lineup that has five bats with at least a 230 ISO or higher, this could be a really bad day for Wacha. 2-7 are all in play today for me in GPPs with Aguilar, Braun, Shaw, and Moustakas being my favorites.
The Brew Crew Round 2
This worked out for us yesterday, why not again today. Michael Wacha is a pitcher who has some serious reverse splits. He gives up a 12% walk rate to right handed batters and a lot of hard contact to both sides of the plate. Then we have a Brewers lineup that has five bats with at least a 230 ISO or higher, this could be a really bad day for Wacha. 2-7 are all in play today for me in GPPs with Aguilar, Braun, Shaw, and Moustakas being my favorites.
Sneaky 1B Option
Ryan O’Hearn is a guy I am pretty high on this year. Today he gets a matchup against Lucas Giolito who really struggled at times last year. Giolitos biggest problem was his command issue walking left handed batters 12% of the time while only have a 14% strikeout rate. Then we have O’Hearn who in 129 plate appearances has a 393 ISO with a 459 WOBA to right handed pitching. This guy has a lot of power and should be a sneaky option at first base today.