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Tonight’s FantasyDraft slate starts at 7pm eastern and covers nine games. The early DET-TOR matchup is not included.
Must Play SP: Robbie Ray, ARI ($19,400) vs STL
Ray looked awesome in his first start back from the disabled list, striking out six batters in six scoreless innings against the Marlins. He only threw 83 pitches in the start, so he will be able to go deeper into his start tonight against the Cardinals. The Cards are awful against lefties, as they’ve got just a .295 wOBA off of southpaws this year, ranking them 26th in the league. Ray also gets to face them at home in pitcher-friendly Chase Field. Ray is always a high upside option thanks to his 35.2% K-rate, and he might not be this cheap again all year. I’m buying him in any type of contest.
Honorable Mention: Corey Kluber, CLE ($24,300) at KC
Value SP: Alex Wood, LAD ($16,800) vs PIT
I’m surprised that Wood isn’t more expensive after his last two starts, so I’ll take advantage of this price against the Pirates. Wood has pitched much better than his ERA would suggest, as he’s got a 3.33 FIP and a 2.96 Deserved Run Average this season. He should have no problem against the Pirates at home, although his strikeouts may be limited, as Pittsburgh strikes out just 19.3% of the time against lefties. I recommend him for cash games.
Honorable Mention: Nathan Eovaldi, TB ($17,200) at MIA
IF Didi Gregorius, NYY ($8,100) vs ATL (RHP Anibal Sanchez)
Unfortunately, an entire Yankees stack against Anibal Sanchez would just be way too expensive. However, we can still get value out of Didi, their cleanup hitter. He should see plenty of RBI opportunities against Sanchez, who has a 4.05 FIP this year. Didi is always worth a look when he’s at home in one of the best offensive environments in baseball. If you can pair him with an elite bat like Judge or Stanton, you should be in for a big day.
Honorable Mention: IF Jose Abreu, CWS ($8,500) at CIN (Castillo)
OF Scott Schebler, CIN ($8,400) vs CWS (RHP James Shields)
Regardless of whether Schebler is batting leadoff or fifth for the Reds, he should produce well against James Shields. Shields has a 1.71 HR/9 away from home on the year, and the Reds ballpark is one of the easiest to homer in, so I like Schebler’s odds here. Even if he doesn’t go deep, Schebler has put up a .953 OPS over the last month, so he can still put up plenty of points.
Honorable Mention: OF Joc Pederson, LAD ($8,500) vs PIT (Kingham)
Value: IF C.J. Cron, TB ($7,300) at MIA (LHP Wei-Yin Chen)
Cron has crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of a 127 wRC+ this season and gets to face a weak southpaw in Chen. Chen has an atrocious 6.14 ERA with a 5.37 FIP this year and a 1.62 HR/9. That’s a great matchup for Cron, who will get to bat fifth in the Rays order and see some RBI opportunities at a low cost.
Honorable Mention: IF Brian Dozier, MIN ($7,700) at MIL (Suter)
Top Stack: Giants at Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland)
It’s surprising how many Giants hitters are actually affordable at Coors Field, the ultimate hitting environment. While Kyle Freeland has been able to survive at home this year, I don’t see that lasting, as he’s got a 4.69 FIP in Coors. Andrew McCutchen ($9,400) and Buster Posey ($9,000) are the expensive hitters to chase, while Alen Hanson ($7,700) and Gorkys Hernandez ($7,700) are cheaper options. Any Giants hitter can be considered for a spot on your team.
Honorable Mention: Reds vs White Sox (Shields)