With a big 12-game slate scheduled in the MLB on Monday, there are a ton of fantastic pitching and stack options to look at for taking down a GPP on DraftKings. Let’s dive into a few of the best selections during roster construction.
Pitchers
Gio Gonzalez (BAL): $10,000 @ BAL
In the top tier, the Nationals starter looks to be one of the best arms available today. The Baltimore Orioles are striking out at a 23.9% rate to left-handed hitters this season and struggled to produce runs in their last series against Tampa Bay. They scored just six runs in three days against a mediocre staff and bullpen. Today, Gio Gonzalez will take the mound and look to mow down a struggling club. On the year, Gio owns a 9.53 K/9 while showing a reduced home run rate at just 0.48 HR/9. With the other top end pitchers in tough matchups, Gio appears to be the safest pitcher with high fantasy production upside.
Caleb Smith (MIA): $8,100 @ SD
The DFS darling of the year award might have to go to Marlins pitcher Caleb Smith. His price has inflated quite a bit, but we have now seen four performances with at least 25 DraftKings points. He will take on one of the worst teams in baseball this afternoon as the Padres own the leagues highest K% and third lowest batting average. With so many pitching options available in good spots, the ownership should not be a concern.
Adam Plutko (CLE): $7,200 vs. CWS
It appears as though the 26-year-old is here to stay, for the time being at least. Plutko has put together two strong outings in much tougher matchups, where he went deep and limited damage. Although the strikeouts might be limited, the White Sox are a pretty bad team. The Indians should provide more than enough offense to secure the win which will give Plutko a nice floor. There are not a lot of great starting pitchers priced lower than the Cleveland starter and saving salary will be key.
Hitting Stacks
Cleveland IndiansÂ
The Indians are coming off a great series against the Houston Astros. Even though they faced some tough pitchers, the bats came alive as they scored 20 runs in their last three games. They will host the Chicago White Sox today and see Dylan Covey. Although he is coming off a good game against Baltimore and has yet to allow a home run this season, Covey did own a 2.57 HR/9 in 2017 and is due for some massive regression. The Indians have the highest implied run total set at 5.48.
Washington NationalsÂ
Bryce Harper absolutely destroyed a baseball yesterday in their game in Miami. This might be the start of breaking out of his slump. Along with the rest of the Nats, Alex Cobb should be in for a rough outing. In 2018, Alex Cobb owns a brutal .506 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .394 wOBA to righties. Hopefully, Matt Adams suits up for this one to add another power-hitting lefty to the mix. The Nationals will also get an upgraded park shift as they travel to Baltimore and will get to hit in the hitter-friendly, Camden Yards.
Arizona DiamondbacksÂ
I am one of the few who is not buying the humidor factor. I think the D-backs are a much worse team than last year and are now dealing with key injuries. Although they are free-falling in the standings, this could be a “get-right” spot against Homer Bailey. The Reds starter has given up 13 long balls this season already, to go along with a 5.31 SIERA. There are power bats in this lineup and they are very capable of stringing together hits and runs across nine innings.
Position-by-position
Catcher
J.T. Realmuto
Willson Contreras
Ryan Murphy
Tucker Barnhart
First Base
Anthony Rizzo
Joey Votto
Matt Adams
Edwin Encarnacion
Ronald Guzman
Second Base
Scooter Gennett
Javier Baez
Daniel Descalso
Wilmer Difo
Third Base
Jose Ramirez
Kris Bryant
Anthony Rendon
Eugenio Suarez
Jake Lamb
ShortstopÂ
Francisco Lindor
Trea Turner
Addison Russell
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OutfieldÂ
Mike Trout
Bryce Harper
Michael Brantley
Nelson Cruz
Kyle Schwarber
Nomar Mazara
Joey Gallo
Juan Soto
Jesse Winker
Michael A. Taylor
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