Daily Fantasy Strategy – 9/7 – For Draftstreet

It’s easy to create mental shorthand early in the year and forget to update it. The Marlins offense is bad, the Astros strikeout a lot, and so on, are all fine quick tips to keep in mind. But it’s critical to update those shortcuts with teams that are joining or leaving the list of cherry match-ups.

For example, did you realize the Cardinals are a pretty nice fantasy target if they’re facing a lefty? Or that the Astros are not a layup but a high-risk, high-reward play against southpaws? It’s time to update who we identify as easy prey.

The Daily Five
If you have the time to check last minute, Miguel Cabrera is just $8,252 but has obviously been in and out of the lineup with his abdomen strain.

Tanner Roark – $7,203
Despite his slow path to the majors, Roark has been great out of the bullpen for the Nationals. He was also performing well at Triple-A in a swingman role. While he’ll likely be limited to a small number of pitches, his strikeout potential and the Marlins’ weak offense make for a strong play.

Alex Wood – $9,092
Wood got torched in his last turn but it was his first bad start since his very first one of the year. His 3.15 ERA is backed by strong peripherals and, while his HR/FB rate is likely to correct, he keeps the ball down which should limit that eventual correction. He also draws the Phillies, who we saw above struggle against lefties.

Carlos Gomez – $8,577
When Jake Arrieta takes the bump, free passes abound. I like Arrieta but it’s been a while since he showed high-end potential like he had before, though he did have that great start against St. Louis a few weeks back. Anyway, I like the hard contact guys are making off of him. The Brewers are priced to match, unfortunately, but we went cheap on the starting pitching so we’ve got some budget. Take your pick, but try and grab someone with some speed because the Cubs have also given up the fifth most stolen bases this year.

Ryan Doumit – $5,445
Doumit’s got fine numbers against left-handers. Of course, I seem to get J.A. Happ ‘wrong’ every time, predicting bust when he booms and vice versa, so maybe you should just start him. Anyway, here’s a cheap catcher against a ho-hum pitcher.

David Freese – $6,341
Just a hunch that Jeff Locke’s pitch-less minor league assignment didn’t cure what ails him. As for Freese, well, just a gut feel I suppose, though the .341 wOBA against lefties sure doesn’t hurt.

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