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Tim Anderson is coming off a monster 2-HR, 50.6 FanDuel point performance and gets another favorable matchup with the platoon versus Detroit lefty Blaine Hardy. Anderson is cheap and one of the few guys that is playable across the industry. It doesn’t get much easier than this – the only guy I could make a case for playing in cash games over him on DraftKings is Trevor Story if you’re wanting Colorado correlation in your lineup, but the $1,600 difference between the two is significant.
Ride The Hot Hand
Tim Anderson has been on fire hitting 5-9 for 3 home runs and 6 RBIs this series. Anderson gets a matchup against one of the worst pitcher on this slate Blaine Hardy. Hardy has given up a .372 wOBA and a 40.7% Hard hit rate to right handed hitters. He also has a 5.54 xFIP in 2018 and should have a rough day against this White Sox offense. Anderson is a great way to get exposure to this offense for cheap and help fill out the SS position.
Too Cheap To Pass On
DraftKings made Taillon way too cheap at $5800. I like him at $7400 too but the price on DK is insane and he is my top cheap pitcher. Taillon has dominated righties with a 26.4 K% this season and gets a right handed heavy Cardinals lineup. He also has a 3.86 xFIP and is pitching in a pitchers park. He is simply underpriced and is a great cheap option that will help you jam in the top priced bats.
Cheap SP2
It appears you’ll want to go cheap with SP2 on DraftKings/FantasyDraft to pair with Strasburg and Taillon sticks out as the best bargain at the position. Taillon is still searching for his early season form and some of his peripheral data does support the notion that he could return to form soon. Taillon has an above average SIERA (3.91) for starters and has excellent batted ball data (47.7 GB%, 21.1 Soft%, 28.3 Hard%) to go along with league average strikeout stuff (21.9 K%). A matchup versus the Cardinals doesn’t jump out as favorable (23.2 K%; 96 wRC+ vs RHP) but isn’t one to shy away from and Taillon has the benefit of pitching at home in pitcher friendly PNC Park.
Weather Issues
The main question surrounding Sunday’s SP1 debate may not even be a question anymore thanks to the weather in Boston. Chris Sale and Stephen Strasburg are the top SP1 options of the slate but it appears rain will be in issue in some capacity with Chris Sale, making Strasburg the safer play of the two. You could make the argument that Strasburg was the better pt/$ play regardless as he has the better matchup against the DH-less Marlins in Miami. The Marlins killed Scherzer’s value on Friday night but remain a team to pick on as they own a 23.8% strikeout rate and the league’s third worst wRC+ (77) versus RHP.
Finding Nimmo
Have the Mets found their leadoff hitter? Brandon Nimmo has picked up the pace of late, as he is now 7-for-16 over his last four games, and that includes four extra base hits. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him keep it rolling today against Jhoulys Chacin, who has a history of struggling against left-handed batters. I love this matchup, and I also love our low projected ownership today on Nimmo. As a matter of fact, Nimmo has one of the best PlateIQ scores of the day, and that’s a great sign. Fire him up with confidence as long as he remains in the leadoff spot.
An Elite Play That Doesn't Get Elite Recognition
Jose Abreu doesn’t usually get the respect he deserves, largely because he plays for a White Sox team that really can’t hit outside of a couple dangerous bats. The good news is that Abreu is one of those dangerous bats, and he draws a great matchup today against a mediocre left-handed pitcher. His 2018 splits include an elite .279 ISO and .402 wOBA against left-handed pitching, and Abreu is one of my favorite plays on the board this afternoon. The Tigers/White Sox game is one of my favorite ones to target, especially on FanDuel where the KC/TEX and CIN/COL games are not available. It’s a sneaky game to target on DK/FDRAFT as well, as most of the attention will go to Texas and Colorado.
A Great Matchup for Power
James Shields has pitched very well this month, but we’re still dealing with a good chunk of smoke and mirrors here. His SIERA and xFIP are both over 5.00 still, and his high fly ball ways are going to catch up to him via the long ball at some point. While the Tigers don’t offer much in the power department these days, I do like Jeimer Candelario as a core play today. He owns a team-best .252 ISO and a .382 wOBA this season, so he brings the most home run potential to the table. He’s also reasonably priced, which adds to the appeal. Don’t sleep on him here.
Taking Advantage of a Good Matchup
Kevin Gausman can be incredibly frustrating at times, but today’s matchup is one where he profiles well. In addition, Gausman has quietly become a consistent option of late. In four May starts, he has posted a 2.63 ERA and 28/5 K/BB ratio over 27 1/3 innings. That has made his profile look much better this season, with a strikeout rate that is around or just above league average, and the best part is that his walks are down in 2018. The Rays carry one of the weakest lineups in the American League, and that helps to make Gausman a very safe SP #2 selection on multi-pitcher sites today.
The Safest High-End Pitcher
If you are looking for the safest of the high-end pitching options this afternoon, Strasburg has to be the choice today given his high floor and matchup against the weak Marlins offense. His SIERA and xFIP are both under 3.20 for the year, and he owns a strikeout rate that is well above league average at 28%. There isn’t much he needs to be scared of in this Marlins lineup, making him the easy top choice for cash game formats. It’s difficult to envision him getting blown up here, and there’s upside for a big fantasy performance I do like the pivot to Chris Sale for upside in tournaments, though, as he has the potential to be the top scoring pitcher despite a difficult matchup against the Braves.
Start of Saturday's HOU-CLE game will be delayed due to rain
The start of the matchup between the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians on Saturday night will be delayed due to rain. There’s yet to be any confirmation of an official start time, and the Indians have not committed to a specific timeline for providing further updates. The confirmed late start is better news for the prospects of the starting pitchers like Carlos Carrasco and Lance McCullers not being pulled from their starts early because of a mid-game delay, as Kevin Roth has detailed in the latest update to his MLB weather forecast, the game doesn’t appear to have any serious in-game delay or postponement concerns.
As reported by: Casey Harrison via Twitter
The Giants confirmed lineup for Saturday owns a 24.1% K% versus LHP this season
If it wasn’t for a couple of rough outings against the Atlanta Braves in his first nine starts in the 2018 campaign (13 ER), Jose Quintana has arguably been one of the most consistent starting pitchers in Major League Baseball from a pure results perspective, racking up a much more impressive 2.40 ERA in 41.1 innings over his seven remaining appearances. He’ll be looking to build off of a stellar scoreless effort in seven innings of work his last time out against the Cincinnati Reds as the Chicago Cubs welcome the San Francisco Giants to Wrigley Field on Saturday evening. The Giants have been striking out at a much higher clip this year than seasons past, and they deservedly carry the ninth-worst strikeout rate against left-handed pitching in the Majors into tonight’s matchup, elevating the potential ceiling of Quintana and his modest 21.1% strikeout rate thus far on the season. The main concern in rostering Quintana continues to be a bloated 11.7% walk rate and uncharacteristic 37.1% hard-hit percent, both of which remain well above his career averages and have made him a much less safe option on a start-to-start basis, though the control issues should be taken with a grain of salt since seven of his 25 total free passes have stemmed from just the two aforementioned blowup outings. Despite his sporadic struggles, Quintana and the Cubs are currently hefty -239 favorites against Chris Stratton and the Giants, which is all that can really be asked of a mid-range starting pitching option on an abbreviated six-game main slate. Because of this, Quintana easily checks in as the top target in the mid-range and has as good of a chance as any to record a win, quality start, and accumulate a decent strikeout total in an enhanced strikeout environment this evening.
As reported by: RotoGrinders PlateIQ Start of Saturday's TOR-PHI game will be delayed due to inclement weather
The start of the matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon will be delayed due to inclement weather. The Phillies have already announced that first pitch is tentatively scheduled for 4:25 pm EST, so this initial weather delay is not expected to become a lengthy one. The late start is better news for the prospects of the starting pitchers like Aaron Nola not being pulled from their starts early because of a mid-game delay, and as Kevin Roth has detailed in the latest update to his MLB weather forecast, the game should be safe to play through once the current inclement weather clears from the area.
As reported by: Meghan Montemurro via Twitter Matt Davidson (back) scratched Saturday: Jose Rondon replaces
Davidson has been scratched from the Chicago White Sox original confirmed lineup and will not start in Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Tigers due to a lingering back issue. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Jose Rondon, who will handle the designated hitter duties and slot into the cleanup spot in the order, which does enable the remainder of the White Sox lineup to stay intact as they face off against left-hander Francisco Liriano on the road this afternoon.
As reported by: Daryl Van Schouwen via Twitter Great Value For the Price
I know Quintana’s not your typical salary saver but for only $8300 that seems too cheap for Quintana in this matchup. The Giants have been struggling a ton this year and striking out more than the past. I don’t love many of the other “cheap” pitchers but for this price I think there is still a ton of value in Quintana with a nice floor and huge upside.