The Daily Grind: 9-24-14 – Presented by FanDuel

Agenda

1. Choose…Wisely
2. Daily DFS
3. Thursday Picks
4. Table

1. Choose…Wisely

Much like when Indiana Jones must choose the correct Holy Grail, the last few days of the fantasy season are fraught with poisonous players. They’ll show up in the starting lineup only to fade away after the fifth inning. Teams that have clinched playoff berths want to keep their players fresh, which means a lot of partial game action. The majority of teams who have been eliminated are trying to get a look at things they can try next season, which often means veterans will be moved around so youngsters can play. Pitchers will be used more sparingly too. The exception is those few teams still battling for postseason life. That’s really only the Cardinals, Pirates, Royals, and Tigers – and they’re fighting for the division. The Mariners are also “alive,” although not really.

DFS owners have to be careful about who they lean upon. You want to be sure your player has a chance to play a full game. Pitcher selections are particularly hard. Those five contenders will probably micromanage their bullpens early and often while the other teams may avoid long starts for health reasons. It’ll make for a sloppy final five days.

2. Daily DFS

Yesterday’s Grind

Early: Four games are early.

Bud Norris and Shane Greene are both core performing pitchers. Norris has to contend with Yankee Stadium’s right field. Greene does too, but the righty-centric Orioles lineup is a tough matchup for another reason – they’re very good hitters.

Justin Verlander has become increasingly hittable as he decays. The 31-year-old hasn’t adjusted to the life of the ordinary.

Vidal Nuno is mildly exploitable at Target Field. The Twins have several decent right-handed hitters who benefit from facing lefties.

The A’s were just shutdown by Wade LeBlanc of all people. This after Jerome Williams stymied them last week. I think Hector Santiago will do fine, although the A’s have a nice righty stack that used to mash lefties.

Late: We’re left with 11 games in the evening contest.

With a tiny strikeout rate and not-so-tiny walk rate, Anthony Ranaudo is perhaps the most obvious pitcher to target today. He’ll face the Rays.

The Brewers prefer to face left-handed pitchers, but I think they’ll like righty Daniel Corcino at Great American Ball Park. I’m looking for plenty of action out of the Brew Crew.

As I said yesterday, Brad Hand versus Kyle Kendrick would be a recipe for runs if either offense had any potency. The game is at Marlins Stadium, which only further serves to limit the offensive upside.

Lisalverto Bonilla has survived two decent lineups. The Astros offer a third challenge for the changeup artist.

Like the Phillies-Marlins game, Yohan Flande against Joe Wieland would be more exciting with different offenses and a more hitter friendly park.

3. Thursday Picks

The final Thin Thursday has 11 games.

Pitchers to Start: Thanks to mediocre numbers, Yovani Gallardo has become available in a number of leagues. His matchup with the Reds is fine, but we’re mostly targeting a win (see below).

Blue Jays prospect Daniel Norris will make his MLB debut as a starter. He’ll oppose a lefty-leaning Mariners offense. He has excellent stuff, although it appears that walks could be an issue. The M’s still have TBA listed.

Yusmeiro Petit is a solid, if unspectacular starter. Such pitchers can turn in gems when they pitch at Petco Park against the Friars.

Pitchers to Exploit: The Brewers face lousy left-hander David Holmberg. If they don’t dismember him, I’ll be shocked.

Trevor May has the always unpleasant task of retiring the Tigers. And they happen to be one of the few teams really trying to win.

Allen Webster’s whiff rate remains above 10 percent, but he still can’t manage to accrue strikeouts. With a high walk rate thrown in, he looks like a candidate for the bullpen next season.

Colby Lewis is the Ranger du jour.

Hitters (power): Any right-handed Brewers should be used – i.e. Khris Davis, Mark Reynolds, and Rickie Weeks.

Maybe Jed Lowrie will have a spark of offense in him.

Travis Snider could be useful against David Hale.

Perhaps try Kendrys Morales if you’re desperate for offense.

Hitters (speed): Maybe Austin Jackson has hit the wire. He’s available in one-third of Yahoo leagues.

4. Table

The table below indicates which stadiums have the best conditions for hitters today. The color coding is a classic stoplight where green equals go for hitters. The weather conditions are from SI Weather’s home run app. A 10/10 means great atmospheric conditions for home runs. A 1/10 means lousy atmospheric conditions.

Both Minnesota and Washington have a possibility for rain in the forecast.

The Link. Wither offense.

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