If you’re still thinking about MLB during Week 1 of the NFL, you might be a little crazy, but this article is for you! Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.
We’ve talked about Chris Sale ($13,000) and his struggles against the Minnesota Twins. It’s really ridiculous at this point how good Sale has been against the rest of the league, but the Twins have absolutely feasted on him. In 5 starts this season, Sale is 1-3 with a 6.30 ERA. He’s surrendered 21 ER and 37 hits in just 30 innings. The saving grace here is that the Twins have been striking out at a huge rate in the L14. I am staying away, but if you roster Sale, please only do so in GPP formats.
The highly volatile Francisco Liriano ($10,300) dominated in his last start against the Reds, racking up 10 Ks in 6 IP for 33.9 DK points. He’s walking into a prime matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers who own the 6th worst wOBA vs. LHP this season.
It has not been a great run for Johnny Cueto ($9,600) since being traded to the Royals. His ERA has nearly doubled from 2.62 to 4.86 after the trade and has been shelled in his L4 starts, sporting a 9.45 ERA. I am seeing some others who are high on Cueto since the Orioles have been striking out at such an enormous clip lately, but I cannot defend what we’ve seen from Cueto in recent weeks. I am staying away.
Despite a poor outing in his last start versus Pittsburgh, Raisel Iglesias ($8,000) is still #2 on the Pitcher Value Chart today. His average of 22.07 DK points/game in the L30 would be worth 2.7x his price tag today. His massive 11.61 K/9 shows his upside and the matchup couldn’t be better, either. Despite the Cardinals continuing to win, they are not doing it with a ton of runs. They have scored the fewest runs in the league, have the third worst wOBA and the 5th worst K% in the L7. That’s a killer combination for a pitcher who’s been on a roll like Iglesias.
In terms of pure value, Felix Doubront ($4,600) tops the Pitcher Value Chart today. His last twenty innings have been well worth the price of admission, and he has reigned in the walks as of late. It’s hard to imagine, but the Rangers are one of the worst hitting teams in the league and they seem to get a pass. They have the 2nd worst wOBA in the L7 and the 11th highest K%. These struggles aren’t just recent, the Rangers rank 25th in wOBA in the L30.