DFS Alerts
Carlos Gonzalez remains out for the Rockies as they square off against Lucas Harrell
It’s been predominately a losing proposition this season to target the Rockies away from Coors Field (.292 team wOBA on the road), but on a short slate and facing the hittable Lucas Harrell this afternoon, they’re definitely worth a look. Harrell’s 5.24 SIERA doesn’t bode well for any continued success down the stretch and he’s been equally beat up by both left and right-handed hitters during his career (.336 and .337 wOBA’s, respectively). Carlos Gonzalez is out of the lineup once again, but with this game sporting the highest run total of the day, there’s still plenty to like here. Arenado and Blackmon are the two top options, but don’t overlook rookie David Dahl as he remains very reasonably priced as bats cleanup and just keeps on putting up big numbers. Nick Hundley is also getting the afternoon off.
Other tagged players: Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon
Jameson Taillon excellent GPP SP option
With most eyes rightfully on Noah Syndergaard this afternoon, Pirates SP Jameson Taillon could make for an excellent alternative, especially considering the price savings will allow you to roster some of the bigger bats. Taillon has posted a 3.27 SIERA, 20.5% K rate, and 2.9% walk rate in his first nine big league starts. He also has a great matchup against a Padres team that is 29th in wOBA and K% against RHP this season. The offense is also worth targeting as Vegas has given them a run total of over five facing Padres SP Christian Friedrich. He’s allowed a .350 wOBA and 30.5% hard hit rate to RH bats over the last two seasons making Josh Harrison (leading off), Starling Marte (2nd), Andrew McCutchen (3rd), and David Freese (4th) all excellent options either on their own or as part of a team stack.
As reported by: Pittsburgh Pirates official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Starling Marte
Correct Rangers lineup: Shin-Soo Choo leading off, Carlos Beltran not in the lineup
Carlos Beltran is not in the lineup against the Rockies. Shin-Soo Choo is leading off and Beltre will be the cleanup batter.
Other tagged players: Carlos Beltran
While it may not be in Coors Field, Chad Bettis still faces a very tough task as he battles the Texas Rangers in an AL ballpark - Lucroy and Beltran are OUT
While this does look to be a fine matchup for the Rangers, it’s worth noting that Chad Bettis hasn’t been quite as terrible down the stretch as he was early this season and his 3.92 xFIP suggests he’s been rather unlucky this season. With that said, right-handed batters have posted a .368 wOBA against Bettis during his career and this is a very dangerous Texas lineup. Carlos Beltran and Jonathan Lucroy both get the afternoon off, taking some of the sting out of this lineup. Still, the top seven of this lineup are all in play at their respective positions with Rougned Odor seeing a nice boost as he slides all the way up to the #3 spot.
Other tagged players: Rougned Odor, Jonathan Lucroy, Ian Desmond, Adrian Beltre With an xFIP almost a point-and-a-half higher than his current 3.47 ERA, the Twins look to put an end to Doug Fister's seemingly good fortune - Miguel Sano sits
While Doug Fister has pitched admirably for the Astros thus far this season, he’s certainly not a pitcher we need to shy away from in DFS. The Twins own a solid .321 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season and Fister’s 4.87 SIERA suggests a regression from his current 3.47 ERA is imminent. With left-handed batters owning a .366 wOBA off of Fister this season, there are plenty of guys to like from this left-handed heavy lineup this afternoon. Max Kepler has burst onto the scene this season and looks like a top tier play in the outfield as he owns a .398 wOBA and .325 ISO against right-handed pitching this season and owns a .292 average and .975 OPS thus far during the second half of the season. If you’re a fan of batter vs. pitcher splits, then you’ll also love that Brian Dozier is 6 for 11 with a pair of doubles and a home run off of Fister in his career. Miguel Sano and Kurt Suzuki both get the afternoon off.
Other tagged players: Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier Don't overlook the Astros in the afternoon slate
With a lot of the attention expected to be on teams like Colorado, Texas, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee, the Houston Astros could be a great play in GPP’s today as they have a great match up against Jose Berrios who has really struggled thus far in 2016 (so much so that the team sent him down to the minors at one point). In his six starts he has allowed a nearly .500 wOBA to RH bats (and over .300 to LH bats). The top four bats in the Astros lineup (Springer, Bregman, Altuve, and Correa) are all RH and make for a great stack today. Doug Fister takes the mound for the Astros today and while he has been respectable this season with a 3.47 ERA, his 4.87 SIERA and 15.4% K rate tell a different story – he’s not a viable option, especially going against a red-hot Twins team (top wOBA in MLB in the last two weeks).
As reported by: Houston Astros official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Alex Bregman Today's a rare chance to target the Braves bats with some degree of confidence
With Matt Garza owning an ugly 5.03 ERA and a 38.0% Hard-Hit rate this season, today is one of the few times we can comfortably target some of these Braves batters. Left-handed batters own a .352 wOBA off of Garza this season and Freddie Freeman sports an Atlanta best .359 wOBA and .234 ISO against right-handed pitching making the top target. Meanwhile, Nick Markakis has been swinging a hot bat lately and owns a .395 wOBA since the All-Star break while Adonis Garcia trails just behind with a .390 wOBA in the second half. Roberto Hernandez toes the rubber for the Braves this afternoon, and while he’s not a quality cash game option, the Brewers MLB worst 25.7% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching does give him at least some GPP appeal.
Other tagged players: Nick Markakis, Adonis Garcia The Brew Crew aim to split this four game series as they take on Roberto Hernandez - Ryan Braun sits
The Brewers snapped a three game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Braves last night and will look to make it two straight as they once again host Atlanta in the finale of this four game series. Roberto Hernandez has struggled to retire left-handed batters his entire career (.352 career wOBA allowed to lefties), giving Scooter Gennett a significant fantasy boost as he slots into the #3 hole and Kirk Nieuwenhuis at #5. Jonathan Villar and Chris Carter are once again fine options and Keon Broxton has been swinging the bat well since being recalled from AAA and slots into the #7 spot this afternoon making him a viable value play. Ryan Braun and Martin Maldonado both get the afternoon off.
Other tagged players: Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Chris Carter, Jonathan Villar, Ryan Braun Padres easy fade against Pirates today
While the Padres do have a couple hitters (namely Alex Dickerson and Ryan Schimpf) worth consideration today, they are one of the worst offenses in baseball and have one of the lowest totals of the day in a difficult matchup against Jameson Taillon, who has pitched exceptionally well in his first season in the bigs. Christian Friedrich takes the mound for the Padres and is an easy fade as Vegas has projected the Pirates to top five runs against him and he hasn’t proven that he’s capable of doing otherwise with a 5.22 SIERA and 13.2% K rate over the last month.
As reported by: San Diego Padres official Twitter feed The Diamondbacks undoubtedly face the toughest task of the afternoon set as they square off against Noah Syndergaard at Citi Field
Noah Syndergaard is easily the top pitching option on the board in this early slate, so targeting this Diamondbacks lineup should probably be reserved for GPP’s only. With that said, the Diamond Backs will be looking for the series sweep this afternoon and both Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb deserve your attention regardless of the tough matchup. Paul Goldschmidt is the household name and has picked up a pair of hits in each of the first two games if this series, but it’s Jake Lamb leading the team with an impressive .414 wOBA and .323 ISO against right-handed pitching this season. Yasmany Tomas once again remains out of the lineup .
Other tagged players: Jake Lamb Noah Syndergaard top SP option for today's early slate
Noah Syndergaard and the Mets take on the Diamondbacks today and “Thor” is the top SP option today as he gets a favorable matchup against a team that is ranked 17th or worse in team wOBA, ISO, and K% against RHP. Syndergaard has a SIERA below 3 with a K rate of 30%. Vegas agrees and has given the Dbacks a projected run total of under three while making the Mets -240 favorites. While there is merit to fading Syndergaard in GPP’s (probably wise to have some exposure though), he’s the obvious cash game play. The Mets face Brandon Shipley who has struggled in his first three starts. It’s a good matchup for them but it’s hard to figure out who to target from a mediocre lineup. Alejandro De Aza is a cheap option leading off as Curtis Granderson gets the day off and he’s worth considering along with Neil Walker, Jay Bruce, and James Loney at the top of the lineup. Michael Conforto bats sixth and is also in play.
As reported by: New York Mets official Twitter feed Other tagged players: Alejandro De Aza DBacks-Mets to begin at 7:30 after a short rain delay; tarp just coming off the field
We’ll have a short delay to start the game but this one is still expected to play through once they get going. Check out Kevin’s full weather breakdown by following the link below.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Weather Page
Hardy bats 2nd, Davis dropped to 6th against lefty Detwiler
Ross Detwiler has worked mostly out of the bullpen the past couple of seasons and not very well. He does have a bit over 60 major league innings since the beginning of last year, in which RHBs have a .477 wOBA with 10 HRs and more walks than strikeouts. This perhaps justifies J.J. Hardy (88 wRC+ vs LHP this season) moving into the 2nd slot in the batting order and Chris Davis (104 wRC+, .207 ISO vs LHP this year) dropping down to 6th. Manny Machado (145 wRC+, .204 ISO vs LHP this season) is the top bat here regardless, though he’s extremely expensive on either site. The Orioles have struggled against LHP this year, despite Mark Trumbo’s .266 ISO against them, Davis and Machado are the only bats with a wRC+ above 95 this year. Add in a difficult park in Oakland and it’s probably why they’re not projected for five runs or more (4.7) against a terrible pitcher. Hardy adds some value at SS due to the lineup bump, while Machado and Trumbo remain firmly in play, but there may not be many bargains here.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Vegas Odds Other tagged players: J.J. Hardy, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, Ross Detwiler
Kevin has lowered his risk assessment in Pittsburgh
Kevin has lowered his risk assessment in the San Diego Pittsburgh game from ORANGE/YELLOW to YELLOW/ORANGE, which is a bit more favorable as we're less concerned about a delays as long as it the game resumes when using batters. Remember to follow him on Twitter (KevinRothWx) for further updates before lock.
Mariners implied run total has decreased to 3.5 runs
Verlander easily has the best metrics of any starting pitcher on the slate tonight, but he doesn’t possess the greatest matchup despite a ballpark upgrade. Verlander hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his previous seven starts and has consistently flirted with double digit strikeout totals. In fact, Verlander has posted his highest SwStr% (11.8%) since his MVP and Cy Young season in 2012. The Mariners do hit right-handed pitching relatively well (110 wRC+, .330 wOBA, .175 ISO) but are definitely susceptible to strikeouts in matchups with above-average strikeout right-handed pitchers (20.3% K%). The upside and risk are definitely present for Verlander in this spot making him an interesting tournament play. The downside is that Verlander may only be playable on FanDuel as he is significantly higher priced on DraftKings at $12.9K. Verlander is far from guaranteed a win as well as he takes on King Felix at Safeco Field.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Vegas Odds