Chase d'Arnaud Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections
Cheap Leadoff Hitter
We don't have a lot of value options on DraftKings tonight. With that said, I do think Chase d'Arnaud is a nice value play if he hits leadoff. Since being called up, he's hitting .278 with a .780 OPS, and he's been a lot better against lefties than righties in that small sample size as well. Eric Lauer has really struggled against right-handed hitters this season, so I'm attacking the pitcher more than the hitter in this spot. He has allowed a .366 wOBA with a .170 ISO and a 41.5% hard-hit rate against right-handed hitters. This isn't the greatest ballpark to target hitters in, but with the limited options tonight, I still think d'Arnaud is a nice value play.
Let's Find Some Value
There are so few value bats on DK/FDRFT, that if d'Arnaud hits leadoff tonight against Eric Lauer, he will be an easy fit in cash games. There is nothing magical about the skills of d'Arnaud, he is a below average hitter, but he at least showed some power in the minors this season and has a lot of speed which can help him leg out some hits. This is simply a case of looking for any savings we can get on a night when all the bats are priced up.
Eric Sogard, Chase D'arnaud, Gregor Blanco and Jon Jay among several cheap leadoff bats
Several lineups offer top of the lineup salary savors tonight. Eric Sogard (202 wRC+, .152 ISO vs RHP) is hitting over his head right now, but leads off at SS for $3.3K or less for an offense projected for 4.7 runs tonight against Matt Cain (LHBs .366 wOBA since last season) in Milwaukee. Alex Avila ($3.4K or less) bats second against Jesse Chavez. Chase D'arnaud is another SS eligible bat. He has a tougher matchup against Robbie Ray, but the contact that is made against him is often hard hit and D'arnaud costs just $100 above the minimum on FanDuel ($2.9K on DK). On the other side of that matchup, Gregor Blanco ($3.2K or less) leads off for the home team against Dinelson Lamet. Lastly, Jon Jay ($2.1K on FanDuel) leads off from the Cubs against lefty Jeff Locke tonight.
Jace Peterson scratched, Chase d'Arnaud to take over at 2B
Peterson has been scratched Monday and will be replaced by Chase d'Arnaud at 2B and in the #7 spot in the lineup. This doesn't change much from a DFS perspective but is a very slight bump for Zach Godley, who is one of the few playable options at SP on the low end of the salary chart.
Wei-Yin Chen is allowing a ton of hard contact (37.1%), but has a great matchup in Atlanta (64 wRC+ vs LHP)
Wei-Yin Chen has been terrible, but still has a respectable 14.5 BB% on the season with a lot of hard contact (37.1%) with a career high 15.1 HR/FB after leaving Baltimore for a better park. The only reason he remains on the board is a matchup with the 2nd worst offense vs LHP (64 wRC+, 15.9 K-BB%, 5.3 HR/FB) tonight and the worst offense at home (72 wRC+, 6.5 HR/FB). That should neutralize some of the hard contact and could make him worthwhile for just under $7K on DraftKings. With a .346 wOBA and 33.2 Hard% against, RHBs for the Braves may have some value tonight, particularly at lower prices on FanDuel. Jeff Francoeur (119 wRC+, .151 ISO vs LHP this season) may work on both sites for $3K or less. Adonis Garcia has not hit LHP well this season (43 wRC+, .033 ISO), but has since last season (102 wRC+, .168 ISO) and costs just $2.6K on FanDuel. Tyler Flowers (89 wRC+ vs LHP since 2015) and Chase D'arnaud (98 wRC+ vs LHP since 2015) could be interesting punts at Catcher and Second Base tonight.
Adonis Garcia (ankle soreness) scratched Tuesday
Garcia was set to make his return to the lineup but will now sit for at least another day with ankle soreness. Chase d'Arnaud will now play 3rd and bat 7th.
Daniel Castro now batting 8th after Chase d'Arnaud scratched due to a fender bender on the way to the stadium
After Chase d'arnaud was in a minor car accident on the way to the stadium, the Braves have inserted Daniel Castro into the lineup to bat 8th.
Chase D'Arnaud hits leadoff for Braves vs lefty Locke (2.3 K-BB%, 5.45 ERA)
The Braves have a 50 wRC+ with a 19.0 K-BB% and 5.6 HR/FB vs LHP, but have been nearly an average offense (93 wRC+, 20.8 K%, 8.8 HR/FB) over the last week and Jeff Locke has a 2.3 K-BB% with a 5.45 ERA this season. A 4.99 xFIP is the lowest of his three ERA estimators. This is the rare lefty who is not a daily fantasy candidate against the Braves. He has allowed batters from each side a .322 wOBA or above since last season, actually making a few Atlanta bats interesting tonight, including D'Arnaud (182 wRC+ last seven days) in the leadoff spot for $3K or less. Tyler Flowers might be just as interesting not because he has an particular ability against LHP (95 wRC+, 0.99 ISO since 2015), but he's a Catcher batting 5th for under $3K with a 196 wRC+ over the last week against a poor pitcher.