RADIO
I was on a mini-streak for a while in the beginning of the week, but now I’m coming back down to Earth. A few rough pitcher outings and all of a sudden my bankroll is going the wrong way. However, I have picked up some tips that I’m going to continue to use them in the upcoming weeks.
The biggest strategy I’m going to stress from here on out is the difference between a potentially good GPP lineup and a potentially good cash lineup. With a GPP lineup, you need all of your batters to get a hit and score a run, and you need a few of those batters to get an extra base hit or two. In a cash game, you can get away with a few hitters putting up zeros as long as you have solid performances elsewhere.
So, in a GPP, you should stack two or maybe three teams to maximize the chances of your team all hitting well. Then, you can use whatever cash left to find a pitcher with the best chance for a win. In a cash game, you need to get that pitcher who’s going to throw seven scoreless innings with 8 or more strikeouts and a win. Then, you can pick and choose your hitters, hoping that one or two of them do really well. In both cases, I believe those strategies give you the best chance to earn some money on any given night. With that being said, let’s look at some potential plays for Friday.
Editor’s Note: RotoBaller’s Premium DFS Lineup Picks & Tools help you get an edge for your FanDuel lineups with exclusive access to DFS tools and expert lineup picks. Also our DFS batters vs. pitchers tool helps you analyze today’s matchups and make optimal lineup decisions.
Offenses to Target for FanDuel DFS
Washington Nationals
Opposing pitcher Mat Latos has been absolutely horrendous so far this year. I don’t expect that to change against this Nationals team that can break out a 10-spot on any given night. They had a quiet game yesterday against Michael Wacha and the Cardinals, but look for guys like Denard Span, Bryce Harper, and maybe Jayson Werth to put together a fine Nationals box score on Friday night.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels get to tee off against Wandy Rodriguez on Friday night. Yep, you’re reading this right. The lefty is still pitching at the major league level. It would be kind of fun to roll out an Albert Pujols, David Freese, and Erik Aybar stack on Friday. Of course there’s always Mike Trout if you aren’t the risky type. Don’t forget about Johnny Giavotella either. Although his nine-hole position hurts his value, he’s been raking as of late. Regardless of who you pick, I just can’t see Rodriguez having a good outing in LA on Friday.
DFS Starting Pitchers To Target for FanDuel
Felix Hernandez (SP, SEA) - $11,500
King Felix is your top-of-the-line cash game option for Friday night. He has a stellar match-up against the Minnesota Twins and Phil Hughes, who has struggled in his first few starts. Hernandez will have his posse behind him while pitching at home, and he should have another dominate outing. The only risk we may be able to find here is the “tightness” that he felt during his last start. But it didn’t seem to affect him then, and he’s almost guaranteed a win on Friday night. I’m going to roll with him in my cash lineups.
Gerrit & Garrett (SP, $8,500-$8,700)
This could be an awesome law firm! If you are cheap with your GPP stacks and you’re left with nine grand to play with, either of these pitchers (Gerrit Cole or Garrett Richards) would be fine by me. Both have great strikeout potential, and are going against not-so-good opposing pitchers. People may argue that Cole has a tough task against the red-hot Arizona Dbacks offense, but I’m convinced that this offense is not as good as their hitting right now. Their bound to come back to reality soon, and a game against one of the league’s scariest pitchers is as good a reason as any to do so.
Mike Leake (SP, CIN) - $7,300
This is a risky one. But, if you’re like me, you’re stacks leave you with very little GPP pitching options. The Chicago Cubs have been stroking the ball recently. With that being said, Mike Leake has been a fine pitcher early in 2015. His strikeout rate has been a little low, but that should get back on track. The Cubs are certainly susceptible to strikeouts, as Jeff Locke struck them out seven times in six innings on Thursday. If Billy Hamilton and the gang can get Leake a nice, early lead, this pick could get you up near the money in a hurry.
DFS Infielders To Target for FanDuel
Daniel Murphy (2B, NYM) - $2,900
As a Daniel Murphy owner in 2015, I’ve been frustrated with his performance so far to say the least. So what did I do Thursday? I benched him for Pedro Alvarez. And what did Murphy do in return? He hit a bases-clearing double, singled, and walked. So, you’re welcome. You’re all welcome. I officially fixed Murphy’s slump. Whether that’s true or not, I have no idea. But he gets another righty on Friday in Michael Pineda in the first game of the Subway Series. That short porch in right is calling Murphy’s name. (P.S. Same logic applies for Lucas Duda.)
Brandon Moss (1B, CLE) - $3,400
I feel a power surge for Brandon Moss coming on. He demolished righties last year, and Shane Greene needs to realize he’s not the next Clayton Kershaw. He’s good, yes, but not this good. Moss has hit safely in six out of his last nine games. That’s a huge improvement from his first week of the season. The swing is coming back and the power will soon follow. Take a shot on Moss, he might grant you a quick six points on Friday.
DFS Outfielders To Target for FanDuel
Lorenzo Cain (OF, KC) – 4,000
I almost put Kansas City in the stack section, and they certainly can be there, so it makes sense to put their ring leader in my top OF section. Lorenzo Cain eats lefties for breakfast, and he’s proving that his postseason performance in 2014 was no fluke. He reminds me of the Royals’ Andrew McCutchen. Cain has power to all fields and can run with the best of them. Feel free to put Cain in your lineups at a very reasonable price, and you can throw in a few of his teammates if you’d like too.
Carlos Gonzalez (OF, COL) - $3,500
All right CarGo, how far are you going to let your price drop before you prove to everyone that you’re a top-10 outfielder? Maybe top-10 is a little much, but have you seen this guy play? When he’s healthy he can crush baseballs. Sure, his swing looks atrocious right now. Yeah, he might be striking out two to three times-a-game. But hey, he gets another series in Denver and another young righty to try to rebound from this horrendous slump he’s gotten himself into. After a day of rest on Thursday, I would really love to see a perfect-swing CarGo bomb on Friday night. If you want to play a huge game of risk-reward, this is your guy.
Good luck with your FanDuel and DFS lineups RotoBallers!
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