Note: I am in the process of moving, so creating videos will be difficult over the next few days. I will create text posts instead with my picks for each night. Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.
The dominant Jose Fernandez ($12,300) takes the hill again for the Marlins. He has been outstanding in his 5 starts this season. He has the best xFIP on the slate over the course of the L30 and is one of only two pitchers with 10 or more K/9 over that same span. The Padres are woeful with one of the highest K% in the league. Throw in the fact that Marlins Park is one of the most pitcher friendly parks in the league and that makes Fernandez a must-play.
The other pitcher who has more than 10K/9 over the L30 is Noah Syndergaard ($10,800). I mentioned in another post that the Nationals are getting healthy quick which makes them a little scary moving forward. However, Syndergaard is borderline matchup-proof at this point. Not to mention that the Nationals are striking out at the highest rate in baseball since the second half began, which makes the strikeout heavy Syndergaard a very appealing option.
The Rockies have been really good as of late, but there are a few factors in play that make Jaime Garcia ($9700) an exciting GPP option. The Rockies are 27th in wOBA vs. LHP and strike out the 2nd most in the league versus southpaws. They lose Tulo who was absolutely ridiculous vs. LHP so you’d assume that they would actually be worse than their season long rank. Garcia has been very serviceable, averaging 19 DK pts in his 8 starts this season. I believe this to be the best situation he has pitched in this season.
Believe it or not, Mat Latos ($7800) might turn out to be one of the best dollar-for-dollar plays of the day. He owns the second best xFIP on the board over the last 30 days (only Fernandez is better). His 8.55 K/9 is 7th best on the full slate over the same span. The Angels are a middle of the road offensive team right now and Latos is installed as a solid favorite in his first start for the Dodgers.
Without a true value play on the board, the lowest that I would be willing to go is Ivan Nova ($5900). I am willing to take on his high risk and coming off “arm fatigue” to get access to the White Sox offense. While they have been swinging the bat well and doing damage, they are one of the worst offenses in the league during the whole season. Additionally, even during this hot streak, they are still striking out at an obscene 24%. Nova comes with high risk, but is certainly high reward.