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Tonight’s FantasyDraft slate is one of the smallest we will see all year, with just four games to choose from. We’ve still got lots of different possible lineup combinations, though, so let’s get into it.
Must Play SP: Zack Godley, ARI ($19,400) at SF
Our options at starting pitcher are quite limited tonight. I still like Zack Godley, though, as he takes on the Giants. Godley will be in an extreme pitcher’s park against a Giants lineup that strikes out 24.9% of the time against righties, the sixth highest mark in the league. Godley’s 21.4% K-rate means that he has a ton of upside for this start, which is why he’s my favorite pick.
Honorable Mention: Domingo German, NYY ($17,000) at DET
Value SP: Derek Holland, SF ($10,900) vs ARI
Holland has lots of potential for value at this price. I’ll be the first one to say that Holland isn’t a very good pitcher. However, he’s facing the worst lineup in all of baseball against right-handed pitching in the Diamondbacks, who have just a .277 wOBA versus righties. They also strike out 25.0% of the time against righties. On a night without many quality starters on the mound, I’m rolling with the best matchup possible.
Honorable Mention: Nick Tropeano, LAA ($16,300) vs KC
IF Greg Bird, NYY ($7,500) at DET (RHP Mike Fiers)
Bird has a ton of value batting third in the Yankees lineup, surrounded by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He doesn’t have to do much to collect runs and RBI, and he should get plenty of plate appearances against Mike Fiers. Fiers has a 1.81 HR/9 with just a 15.3% K-rate, good for a 4.45 ERA. While Bird hasn’t played much this year, he shouldn’t have any problems putting up some numbers against Fiers.
Honorable Mention: IF Whit Merrifield, KC ($8,400) at LAA (Tropeano)
OF Leonys Martin, DET ($7,700) vs NYY (RHP Domingo German)
Martin is having a nice season with the Tigers, as he’s got seven homers and a 110 wRC+ with improved K% and BB% rates. He’s also got two homers and a steal in the last week. As the Tigers leadoff man, he’s one of the most attractive players on the entire slate, as he will get more plate appearances than most other players. If Domingo German implodes tonight, which he has done a few times this year already, Martin will score plenty of runs and have a big night. Even if German holds it together, Martin can certainly still produce.
Honorable Mention: OF Andrew McCutchen, SF ($7,600) vs ARI (Godley)
Value: IF Eric Hosmer, SD ($7,500) vs ATL (RHP Julio Teheran)
It’s not entirely clear why Hosmer is so cheap tonight. He’s having another awesome season, slashing .289/.375/.459 with a career-high 12.1% walk-rate. He’s batting .345 over the last 15 days and has a nice matchup against Teheran, who has a 5.11 FIP this year with a 1.48 HR/9.
Honorable Mention: IF Zack Cozart, LAA ($7,500) vs KC (Duffy)
Top Stack: Angels vs Royals (LHP Danny Duffy)
The Angels have plenty of cheap bats to roll with against Duffy tonight. Duffy has a horrific 5.71 ERA, which is actually still worse than his 5.74 FIP. Justin Upton ($7,200), Zack Cozart ($7,500) and Ian Kinsler ($7,400) would all be great pairings with Mike Trout ($11,200) if you can afford him.
Honorable Mention: Yankees at Tigers (Fiers)
Derek Holland is a lefty
I get the Godley start @ SF. But in a weekly lock, is the buck worth the bother with Godley’s 2nd start @ Coors? I know his numbers @ Coors in 2017 were very good, but this isn’t the same pitcher as we saw last year, at least not yet.