Tonight’s 15-game slate features a bunch of mid and low-tier options that are mostly the same for me. While I love Gerrit Cole tonight, I don’t think I’ll be able to fork up $12,400 on DK in tournaments with all of the great hitting options. Below are other 3 guys that I have interest in for GPPs tonight as I’m looking to pay down at pitching and pay up for the top bats. If you’re looking for a breakdown of each game, check out the MLB Strategy Video from this morning. Awesemo will update this article with his thoughts, so make sure to check back before lock!
Zack Wheeler ($7,100 DK/$6,100 FD)
This is one of the cheap guys on DK that I’ll consider since I’m more likely to pay up for the big bats tonight. The matchup for Wheeler against the Rockies looks pretty solid as the Rockies have the 2nd-lowest OBP, are top-10 in K%, and have the 4th-lowest Hard-Hit rate against righties this year. Coming off a game with 9 strikeouts and an impressive 16.8% Swinging-Strike rate against the Cardinals, Wheeler is cheap enough where I’m willing to take a shot on him and hope we see the good version of him.
Joey Lucchesi ($8,300 DK/$8,600 FD)
Lucchesi has had an encouraging start to 2018, posting an 11.9% Swinging-Strike rate and ranking in the top-30 in Whiffs/Swing% while striking out 6 in 4 out of his 6 outings. I’m not in love with his price, but he certainly has a chance to rack up a bunch of strikeouts against the Dodgers who don’t have much to be worried about outside of their top-5 hitters in the order. Lucchesi will have minuscule ownership in tournaments, but he has certainly has some upside in a great pitchers park and one of the best changeups in the MLB this year (41% Whiffs/Swing).
Nick Kingham ($6,800 DK/$8,000 FD)
Kingham’s major league debut was fantastic as he racked up 9Ks in 7 innings against the Cardinals with a 14.3% Swinging-Strike rate. I don’t expect a repeat performance in Milwaukee tonight, but 16-18 DK points would be more than enough at this price, as Kingham allows you to do a lot with the rest of your lineup. The Brewers will likely roll out 5 players (Villar, Pina, Aguilar, Braun, Shaw) who all have strikeout rates at or above 20% against righties since the start of 2017.
Awesemo’s Notes
I agree with Jake on Wheeler being a top choice tonight and I think he will be very popular on both sites. I’m not as optimistic about Lucchesi’s chances versus the Dodgers. His strikeout numbers look great so far this year but he only struck out 22.4% in AA last year. My reasoning is similar for Kingham who only struck out 19.3 in AAA last year. I prefer going with Quintana around the same price; his strikeouts are a bit down this year but so is his price.
