Clint Robinson Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Andrew Cashner has had terrible peripherals since the trade with a 12.7 BB% and 38.7 Hard%. LHBs have absolutely destroyed him since last season (.380 wOBA, 37.5 Hard%), which makes this a great spot for the return of Bryce Harper (118 wRC+, .192 ISO vs RHP this year). He's had a down season with many suspecting he's been injured for most of it, but is certainly worth a flyer here at a reasonable price based on matchup alone. Stephen Drew (132 wRC+, .270 ISO vs RHP this season) is putting up Bryce Harper's numbers in limited opportunities vs RHP this year and is the bargain SS on FanDuel for $2.5K. Other LHBs Lobaton, Robinson and Espinosa are also priced near minimally on FD and lowly on DK, but are all below average hitters with below average power against RHP.

Ryan Weber is making his first start of the season for the Braves after 12 appearances out of the bullpen. He has been victimized by a .373 BABIP thus far, which is why his 3.66 SIERA looks so much better than his 5.24 ERA. A majority of this discrepancy stems from a small sample size, and we would expect both metrics to settle somewhere around the middle long-term. Weber surrenders hard contact 32.6% of the time, which is a concerning number considering it has been compiled solely in relief appearances. His line drive (20.0%) and fly ball rates (27.5%) increase significantly against left-handed batters, and lefties have also tagged him for a .460 wOBA this season. With the watered down lineup the Nationals have trotted out on Labor Day, this situation just screams stack or fade as a majority of the Nationals best individual hitters are missing from the lineup. However, Trea Turner (140 wRC+, .385 wOBA, .213 ISO vs RHP), Anthony Rendon (.184 ISO vs RHP), and Clint Robinson would be the best candidates to target. Expect the Nationals bats to get overlooked entirely with everyone focusing attention elsewhere.

Jake Thompson brought a 16.8 K% from AAA that hasn't transitioned well to the majors over four starts so far as his 7.2 BB% has doubled as he's struck out as many as he's walked (14% each) with a 40.9% hard contact rate. Batters from both sides have hammered him equally well. The Nationals are one of several offenses projected for more than five runs tonight with several viable options. Aside from Harper (132 wRC+, .216 ISO) and Murphy (166 wRC+, .279 ISO), Turner (157 wRC+, .250 ISO) and Rendon (111 wRC+, .190 ISO) now give them two more formidable bats vs RHP this year. They're all fairly expensive bats though. Perhaps Clint Robinson (99 wRC+, .158 ISO vs RHP since 2015) is a punt 1B option for $2.3K on FanDuel if necessary.

Samardzija (4.31 SIERA) has been substantially better against right-handed batters than left-handed batters this season (.358 wOBA, .491 xFIP vs LHB). Samardzija is surrendering 1.57 HR/9 to left-handed batters with a low 15.7% strikeout rate that will really add to the upside of Nationals left-handed bats. Samardzija still shockingly has some name value with a majority of DFS players even though the numbers suggest that he is merely an average to below-average major league starter at this point. That means we should be able to get Nationals lefties at lower ownership than they probably deserve in this spot. Daniel Murphy (177 wRC+, .438 wOBA, .277 ISO vs RHP) is the top overall option here and should be the cog to any Washington stack. Bryce Harper (177 wRC+, .431 wOBA, .297 ISO vs RHP since 2015) hasn't been doing "Bryce Harper things" of late but always needs to be considered in a matchup against an average RHP. Danny Espinosa (.162 ISO vs RHP) and Clint Robinson (.181 ISO vs RHP) could make for interesting tournament plays since they bat lower in the order. However, they both have some pop and be able to get ahold of one from Samardzija.

Erik Johnson is not a good pitcher who has allowed seven HRs to just 77 batters this season with a 7.8 K-BB%. Both lefties and righties have a wOBA above .380 with a hard hit rate above 39% against him since last season. Stacking in Petco is not normally recommended, but might be worth it tonight. Bryce Harper (188 wRC+, .322 ISO vs RHP since 2015) is one of tonight's top bats. Jayson Werth has a 173 wRC+ and 53.3 Hard% over the last week. Clint Robinson (101 wRC+ vs RHP since 2015) and even Stephen Drew (127 wRC+, .328 ISO vs RHP this season) can serve as salary savers with Murphy and Zimmerman out after an extra inning game yesterday before flying across country. Wilson Ramos (153 wRC+, .196 ISO vs RHP this season) bats cleanup at a weak position tonight.

The Nationals lineup includes Chris Heisey, Clint Robinson, and Jose Lobaton, playing on Saturday while Werth, Zimmerman, and Ramos get a day off. Surprisingly, since the beginning of last season, Robinson has a higher wRC+,123, than Zimmerman, 80, against right-handed pitching. Chris Heisey has a wRC+ of 123 over that same time period against right-handed pitchers, compared to Jayson Werth's wRC+ of 73. Perhaps the drop-off in the Nationals's lineup is less severe than it may appear at first glance, but Fernandez will still have the benefit of pitching to a few players that do not get everyday playing time.

With Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup and pitching in Miami's huge ball park, Max Scherzer has a great match up today against the Marlins and makes for a great pivot if you're looking to fade Clayton Kershaw in GPP's. His team is the second largest favorite of the day and you can avoid any Marlins bats. Tom Koehler pitches for the Marlins - he had a wOBA of over .313 against both sides of the plate last season and is a bit more vulnerable (.332 wOBA) to LH bats which bodes well for Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy. Harper will be hard to fit in your lineups at his exorbitant price tag so he's likely a fade but Murphy is certainly in play. If you're looking for some cheap value options, Matt den Dekker is leading off and is minimum priced on FanDuel. Clint Robinson is similarly priced and batting sixth.

Chris Heisey, who is priced at or near the minimum on all DFS outlets, will take over the leadoff spot with Michael Taylor out of the lineup. Taylor joins Ryan Zimmerman, Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa on the bench, with Clint Robinson, Stephen Drew and Jose Lobaton getting the chance to start. Despite the fact that it's best to pick on Charlie Morton with lefties, Heisey is a viable punt play in any format given his role this afternoon. Hitting in front of Rendon and Harper certainly helps elevate his ceiling. Harper is the top overall play at the OF position which is going to be the case plenty of times this year when he's facing an average-to-below-average righty. Morton's 37.3 hard% against LH bats plays perfectly into Harper's hands - the 23-year old finished 2015 with a .354 ISO and 39.7 hard%. Daniel Murphy is another elite option in any format, while Clint Robinson is a viable target in GPPs.