Pitchers
Top Tier
Gerrit Cole (-215): Tonight feels like last night pitching wise, there is one option clearly at the top for me (Cole), one standout punt play (Erlin) and a whole mess of mid-priced options. As I highlighted last night, I hate spending up over $12,000 for a pitcher on DK but Cole grades out so far above the rest for me that I would love to anchor my cash game team with him. Given the presence of Erlin, it won’t be as hard to fit in a large price tag as normal. The one concern with Cole lately has been his control issue, but it seems like he has corrected it posting a 5% walk rate over the last three weeks. The strikeout upside is the best on the slate, and the Rockies are a below-average offense on the road. If I’m spending up at SP tonight it’s on Cole and it’s not a discussion.
Mid Tier
Shane Bieber (-175): Bieber is nearing the Trevor Bauer/Nick Pivetta range where I feel inclined to write about them every five days when they head to the mound. Bieber has been exceptional for the Indians since getting the call to the majors posting a 3.51 SIERA along with 24% strikeouts and 11.4% swinging-strikes. He can command all of his pitches and has impeccable control, rarely walking anyone. The matchup with the Reds isn’t great for strikeouts, but also features just two worrisome lefties in Joey Votto and Scooter Gennett. If he can navigate those two, he should be in cruise control tonight and he also gets a nice bump with a pitcher’s umpire in Jim Reynolds behind the plate.
Kevin Gausman (-235): Gausman has looked very good in his short time with the Atlanta Braves, but this isn’t even about that, it’s about the fact that he is pitching against this Triple A-level Marlins team. He hasn’t been serving up homers for the Braves and this Marlins offense features pretty much zero power, but it also is an extremely small sample size. End of the day, Gausman is going to be chalk at this price in this matchup so he profiles as a strong play, but one that I’m not in love with. Regardless of his recent form, he is a volatile pitcher and I have a tough time swallowing it at high ownership. I’m going to take a stand and say that I prefer Shane Bieber, but that’s not going to be the popular route and Gaus is more than fine in cash games. I won’t be using him in GPPs.
Low Tier
Robbie Erlin (-125): Erlin is my top overall cheap pitcher tonight and he makes for a fantastic SP2 at his price on DraftKings. I know, I didn’t get my fix with Kennedy last night so I’m going back to the Padres well? In the words of Lee Corso “Not so fast!” Erlin has pitched primarily out of the bullpen for the Padres this season but he as very respectable numbers including a 3.22 SIERA, 21% strikeout rate and rivaling Shane Bieber with a 3% walk rate. He’s very good at generating ground balls and I totally believe that he is a good pitcher. The issue is that he hasn’t been starting all year, though he did eclipse 80 pitches in his last start so my concerns are somewhat muted. It’s the same situation as Kennedy last night, except Erlin is a much better pitcher. The Angels lineup is not intimidating without Mike Trout, especially for a lefty and at his price you don’t even need a huge you simply 15 or so DraftKings points for value.
Batters
Top Tier: Jose Ramirez- Is it time to anoint him as the daily fantasy baseball GOAT? I think there is a legitimate case for him as the fantasy baseball MVP at this point, and well, he might win MVP in real life too! Robert Stephenson has looked terrible at any point in the big leagues and has a major control issue (13.4% walk rate). The Indians are going to be chalky once again tonight, and cash games starts with Ramirez.
Mid Tier: Manny Machado- Machado has yet to really bust out in Dodger blue, but he had a solid game last night and is criminally priced at $4,200 on DrafKings. Machado owns a .208 ISO against southpaws this season and is an easy plug and play for me at that price against Derek Holland.
Low Tier: Curtis Granderson- The Grandy man and his Blue Jays teammates are in another great spot tonight against Jorge Lopez who has bounced around the minor leagues throughout his career. Lopez profiles as a ground ball pitcher with limited strikeout ability, but there’s no way of telling how he will do against major league hitting. Granderson has hit righties very well this season and has solid pop for a leadoff man.
Tournament Stack of the Day
Toronto Blue Jays- Granderson/Grichuk/Smoak/Hernandez
