Fantasy Baseball 2016: DFS Pitching Sleepers 4-5-16
By Scott Dillon
Daily fantasy baseball can be frustrating at times. There are however some cheaper pitching options that can give you an edge over your competition.
Trying to figure out which pitchers to use for daily fantasy sports can be difficult to do and there’s no such thing as a sure thing (I’m talking to you Zack Greinke).
On any given day, a pitcher can get blown up or can outperform his expectations and look to make a mockery of his fantasy projections. While it’s never a sure thing, the best thing you can do is play the match-ups from day to day and try and get the pitchers with the best history in your lineup.
While it’s great to find a couple of guys to do this, sometimes it’s hard to find any. Today there are four pitchers I feel have positive match-ups and shouldn’t break the bank. In fact, all of them come in under $9,000 in Draft Kings formats.
Justin Verlander: $8,700
Justin Verlander should be a leading candidate for bounce back player of the year in the American League. This is a guy that won the MVP as a pitcher a few years ago, but since then hasn’t really shown the same type of stuff.
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Look for him to get back on track tonight against the Miami Marlins who since the start of 2011 have only hit him at a .137 clip. He also owns 17 strikeouts against these batters in just 51 at-bats during that time which is exactly a strikeout per three batters.
Ichiro Suzuki is the only hitter on that team who’s done damage against Verlander with 18 career hits against the right handed pitcher. He’s only 3-21 since the start of 2011 though.
Jose Quintana: $8,400
Jose Quintana has quietly put together a very solid career so far. He’s got a career ERA of 3.46 but he pitches behind Chris Sale which makes him seem a below average pitcher. Take advantage of his being overlooked.
Don’t let his Spring Training ERA scare you away either. He’s historically bad during Spring Training as are a lot of good pitchers. The good news is that his strikeouts were up a tick this Spring over previous seasons. Maybe he’s worked on something to improve his swing and miss game.
In his career against the Oakland A’s batters he’s got them slashing .192/.264/.256 against him in just 72 at-bats. He’s definitely worth a look and probably won’t be owned by many.
Aaron Sanchez: $6,400
Aaron Sanchez is going to get the start for the Blue Jays after he finally managed to crack the rotation. He’s not expected to stick there all season, but the former top prospect should be used while he’s starting games.
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This Spring he was downright dominate with a 1.35 ERA and 19 strikeouts across 20 innings of work. The offense he has behind him should help him secure the win which is good for at least a few fantasy points. If his strikeouts carry over to the regular season, he could turn in a few fine performances.
In his career against these Rays’ hitters, he’s got them batting .167 with eight strikeouts across 36 at-bats. It should be noted that most of his appearances against the Rays have come in relief, but it’s still a good sign.
Chris Young: $6,200
This should be considered a last resort. If you have to pick up a cheap pitcher because you’re really stuck on a hitter or two, this is a guy that could offer some very cheap value.
The Mets’ hitters have only seen him in the regular season for 28 at-bats, but in those 28 at-bats they have only two hits. That’s a combined batting average of .071. He also has six strikeouts during that time.
Chris Young is known as an extreme fly ball pitcher for the KC Royals. The Mets are known as a team that puts the ball in the air. While that seems like a dangerous combo, some believe that it makes the pitcher more effective. It exaggerates the hitters fly ball tendencies so much that they wind up popping out rather than hitting home runs.
Next: Fantasy Pitching Sleepers
There are a number of different ways you can go in daily fantasy baseball, but everyone is out looking for a bargain. It’s important to review the match-ups on a daily basis in these formats rather than always picking a league MVP.
So what do you think fantasy baseball fans? Who do you like today? Who are your bargain bin pitchers? Let me know your thoughts in the comments’ section below.