X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Pitcher Targets Under $10 - Salary Cap League Values

Snake drafts are the more common method, but salary cap leagues offer a more complex flavor to your draft day. That's not for everyone, and that's fine; part of the beauty of fantasy baseball lies in its high degree of customizability. Salary cap drafts take longer, and they're much less straightforward than snakes, but for those managers willing and able to put in the extra effort, the potential reward is vast.

The freedom to acquire literally any player you might want is a double-edged sword, and without sufficient preparation, it will be difficult to construct the foundation of a winning roster. That means being flexible in your thinking is of paramount important, and the easiest way to do that is to compile a deep knowledge of the player pool. That will illuminate the many paths to the numbers you're after.

The players we'll discuss today may or may not fit into every one of your visions for success, but they'll almost certainly fit into your budget. Here, we'll be looking at a half-dozen pitchers whose recommended prices check in at single digits, based on our staff rankings. I've also included their average NFBC draft costs for reference, but didn't use them as the primary qualifier because that data includes only 15 drafts. Note that these values assume a $260 budget, so you may need to adjust accordingly for your specific settings.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:

 

Pablo Lopez (SP, MIA)

$9 | $13 NFBC

If we were simply using NFBC data here, Lopez wouldn't qualify, but I think the managers in those 15 drafts have the right of it with their aggressive bidding on the 25-year-old. He allowed 12 earned runs in a two-game rough patch in the middle of the abbreviated 2020 season, but only permitted 11 in his other nine starts. It all added up to a 6-4 record with a 3.61 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, and a lot of underlying numbers ticked in the right direction.

Lopez bumped his K% by four points, his swinging strike rate by two percentage points, and cut his home run rate in half while inducing ground balls at a 52% clip. All of those were career bests, as were his average exit velocity (85.7 miles per hour) and barrel rate (4.3%). Small samples, of course, but Lopez has been well-regarded in the fantasy community for a while now, and looks primed to put together a breakout year.

 

Corey Kluber (SP, NYY)

$8 | $8 NFBC

Kluber will be 35 in April. He's started just eight games in the last two seasons. Seven of those came in 2019, and they weren't very good. What came before 2019 was a five-season run of dominance that included two Cy Young Awards and made him one of the safest bets in the game:

Even in his dominant days, Kluber usually started slowly, so it's likely he won't be great right away. For that reason, you may prefer to let someone else pay for him in the draft and hope they lose patience. But assuming he's healthy, he has literally never produced a full season that was anything less than stellar. The risk is more than baked in at this price, and in a season where managers are falling all over themselves to land top of the rotation horses, they may be overlooking a bargain with a long history of being exactly that.

 

German Marquez (SP, COL)

$6 | $5 NFBC

With the uncertainty around pitching volume and the potential for a rash of injuries in 2021, elite starting pitching is getting pushed up draft boards even more than usual. But is that the right move? A few of my colleagues have pointed out the considerable value of rostering elite relievers at a fraction of the cost, and recommending Marquez is in a similar spirit, because it's with a mind to only start him on the road.

Beginning with his breakout in 2018, the 26-year-old has tossed 251 innings away from Coors Field with a 3.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 249 strikeouts. He eclipsed the 100 inning mark on the road in both 2018 and 2019, and tossed 43.2 across his seven road tilts last year. If you need additional volume, the occasional home start could be worth the risk, especially against weaker opponents. And while it's unlikely given his cost-controlled contract, imagine what the Rockies trading him away would do for his value.

 

Jose Urquidy (SP, HOU)

$5 | $4 NFBC

Urquidy's five starts in 2020 yielded lovely ratios (2.73 ERA, 1.01 WHIP), but the process was less appealing as his K-BB% plummeted from 19.8% in 2019 to 7.8%. A bout with COVID put him behind the eight-ball to start the year, though, and he showed well enough as a rookie that we shouldn't rush to judgment over 29 pandemic-ravaged innings anyway.

The lackluster peripherals have kept his price reasonable, and Urquidy enters the season with a guaranteed rotation spot for the first time in his career.

 

Drew Pomeranz (RP, SDP)

$5 | $6 NFBC

The Padres have a lot of quality arms in their bullpen, which means ample competition for saves. But when you're getting gaudy ratios and strikeout totals, who gives a crap about saves? Since converting from starter to reliever in 2019, Pomeranz has thrown 47 innings with a 1.71 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts.

Whether or not he finishes games for San Diego, the southpaw will provide plenty of value to your fantasy squad, especially in a year where inning volume may be harder to come by and therefore place even more of a premium on quality.

 

Nick Anderson (RP, TBR)

$6 | $8 NFBC

Anderson's got a longer track record as a reliever and doesn't issue as many free passes as Pomeranz, but he's in a similar boat: obvious elite arm with concerns over role.

His playoff struggles and the Rays' fluid bullpen management strategy have depressed his price a bit, but we're talking about a guy with a 35.7 K-BB% across 81 career innings. No reason not to jump on that train, even he has to share the wealth in the ninth.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Terry Rozier10 mins ago

Could Return For Sunday's Matchup With Dallas
Sam Darnold11 mins ago

Upgrades To Full Participation, On Track To Play
Isiah Pacheco20 mins ago

Remains Limited On Thursday
D'Andre Swift28 mins ago

Upgrades To Limited Participant On Thursday
Luka Doncic32 mins ago

Expected To Miss At Least A Week
CeeDee Lamb38 mins ago

Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Ladd McConkey45 mins ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Mike Evans54 mins ago

Logs Full Practice On Thursday
DeVonta Smith2 hours ago

Misses Another Practice
Cody Bellinger3 hours ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
Brandin Cooks3 hours ago

Preparing To Play In Week 12
CeeDee Lamb3 hours ago

Not Seen At Thursday's Practice
3 hours ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Aaron Rodgers4 hours ago

Jets Owner Suggested Benching Aaron Rodgers
Mike Evans5 hours ago

Practicing Again On Thursday
Chandler Stephenson6 hours ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson6 hours ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist6 hours ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies7 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund7 hours ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine7 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Ausar Thompson7 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Thursday
Walker Kessler7 hours ago

Still Missing For Jazz
Jordan Clarkson7 hours ago

Questionable To Face Spurs
Devin Vassell7 hours ago

To Miss Third Consecutive Game
Chris Paul8 hours ago

Considered Probable For Thursday's Game
Khris Middleton8 hours ago

Medically Cleared To Play
Chris Sale18 hours ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal18 hours ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Paul George18 hours ago

Exits Game On Wednesday, Hyperextends Left Knee Again
Scoot Henderson19 hours ago

Leaves Game On Wednesday, Won't Return
Jalen Johnson19 hours ago

Active On Wednesday Night
Zach Collins20 hours ago

Uncertain To Play On Thursday
Austin Eckroat20 hours ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English20 hours ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin20 hours ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy20 hours ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Patrick Williams20 hours ago

Likely To Miss At Least One Week
Kyle Anderson20 hours ago

Available For Matchup With Hawks
Victor Wembanyama20 hours ago

Out Again On Thursday
Jusuf Nurkic20 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Stephen Curry20 hours ago

Will Play Against Atlanta
De'Anthony Melton20 hours ago

To Undergo Season-Ending ACL Surgery
Tre Mann21 hours ago

Probable For Thursday Night Matchup Against Detroit
Mike Conley21 hours ago

Appears On Injury Report For Thursday With Toe Injury
Donte DiVincenzo21 hours ago

Questionable Heading Into Thursday
Josh Jacobs21 hours ago

Limited With Multiple Injuries
DeVonta Smith21 hours ago

Misses Practice On Wednesday
Seth Jones23 hours ago

Expected To Miss Four Weeks
Sam Darnold23 hours ago

Limited With Foot Injury
Max Domi23 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Jalen Hurts23 hours ago

Limited On Wednesday
Connor Ingram23 hours ago

Out Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Jake Ferguson23 hours ago

Picks Up A DNP On Wednesday
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen23 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Kings
CeeDee Lamb23 hours ago

Listed As Limited, Dealing With Two Injuries
Alex Tuch24 hours ago

Available Wednesday
Tage Thompson24 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Sam LaPorta24 hours ago

Practicing In Full
Jordan Eberle24 hours ago

To Remain Out On Wednesday
George Kittle1 day ago

Will Play In Week 12
Ludvig Aberg1 day ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Ladd McConkey1 day ago

Does Not Practice On Wednesday
Si Woo Kim1 day ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole1 day ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
San Francisco 49ers1 day ago

Nick Bosa Does Not Practice On Wednesday
Connor Bedard1 day ago

Ends Drought With Two Assists
Sam Reinhart1 day ago

Pushes Point Streak To 11 Games
Mark Scheifele1 day ago

Celebrates Ninth Career Hat Trick
Evan Bouchard1 day ago

Rocks Senators With Three-Point Period
Connor McDavid1 day ago

Nets Two Goals During Three-Point Night
TB1 day ago

Nicholas Paul Exits Early With Injury Tuesday
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Sits Out Third Period Versus Senators
2 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers2 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
Jonas Brodin2 days ago

Returns To Action
2 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri2 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
2 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
2 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
2 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
2 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
2 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil3 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes3 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer3 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
3 days ago

Sean Manaea To Reject Mets' Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Braves Have Interest In Walker Buehler
3 days ago

Astros Interested In Willy Adames
Charles Oliveira3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler3 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva3 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy3 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
Nick Martinez4 days ago

Signs Qualifying Offer With Reds
4 days ago

Luis Severino Likely To Decline Qualifying Offer From Mets
James Llontop4 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig4 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal4 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic4 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss
Jon Jones4 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 309 To Defend Heavyweight Title

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP