This is your daily reminder to target the Atlanta Braves, in this case, Clay Buchholz ($8,000). You probably realize by now the that Atlanta Braves offense is anemic. They rank dead last in nearly every offensive category and are on a historic rate in terms of lack of long-balls. The only category that they are not totally miserable in, is strikeouts and they are still striking out at the 10th highest rate in the league. It’s been a slow start for Buchholz who is sporting a 6.33 ERA and an 0-2 record. In his defense, he’s gone through the gauntlet of opponents this season (@CLE, BAL, TOR, @ HOU). That’s about as bad as it gets. I’m weighing his 2015 stats a bit more since he’s faced such stiff competition this season. He sported a 3.30 xFIP in 2015, which only Jake Arrieta and Jose Fernandez could top. At his best, he’s a groundball pitcher who can keep the ball in the park. He should be licking his chops to get a crack at the Braves tonight.
Today’s Projections | 2016 Game Logs Database | Player Scoring Calendar
A nice contrarian play in Aaron Nola ($8,600) who will take on the Washington Nationals. The Nationals are one of the favorite teams in the fantasy world, so I don’t expect many owners to fade them. Nola has been excellent this season, scoring at least 22.2 DraftKings points in three of his four starts. He’s capable of going deep into games, pitching seven innings three times already this young season. Nola has plenty of upside as he has the rare combination of inducing groundballs and strikeouts. Opponents haven’t been squaring up Nola this season, as he sports a 19.1 Hard%, which is best on this slate.
In my opinion, John Danks is the worst pitcher in baseball. As long as he keeps starting games, I’ll keep stacking his opponent. In this case, it’s the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are certainly volatile, with the same likelihood of scoring ten as they are scoring zero. They are beneficiaries of their home ballpark where they have the 6th best wOBA this season. For Danks, it’s always about baserunners, and lots of them. Four of his last five seasons have led to Danks owning a WHIP over 1.4 and he’s sporting a 1.6 WHIP this season so far. He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters (6.2 per nine) and is walking 4.7 per nine. It’s just ugly all around for a guy who has been a staple in the White Sox rotation for ten years.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis and news as starting lineups are released! Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.