The Daily Grind: Everybody Is Usable

I taught my patrons a useful FanGraphs leaderboards trick today (paywall).

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. Fire ze Mizziles

1.The Daily Grind Invitational

Yisman nabbed victory with the help of Wade LeBlanc and a potent Red Sox stack. The Trout stack was a bit of a letdown for us all even though Trout himself delivered on the goods. Congrats and Leaderboard.

What we have here is a 14-game Friday night contest on FantasyDraft. Chivy your friends into joining.

If you have not signed up for FantasyDraft, please use this referral link for tracking purposes. If I understand properly, by using the referral, you will receive a 10 percent return on any rakes you pay.

2. Weather Reports

CLEAR.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

I gotta say, this is a hell of a pitching slate. Nearly every hurler is some degree of usable. Even the stack targets are priced in such a way that they also fit in lineups. Well then, let’s dig in.

Hyun-Jin Ryu ($21,200) and Lance Lynn ($21,200) are tied for the title of “most expensive.” I remain skeptical of Lynn’s one-pitch repertoire (yes, I know he technically shows some secondary stuff when he’s bored). Particularly with this slate, I’m not inclined to pony up opposite the A’s. As much as I like Ryu, the Nationals are also a tough opponent. In both cases, we’re looking at a likely performance in the range of 16 to 22 points. Which is good! But… when we can absolutely get those same numbers from a cheaper arm, it’s less enticing. Now, to decide which cheaper arm will fulfill our destiny!

Zack Greinke ($20,300) is an obvious choice against Sandy Alcantara ($11,300) and the Marlins. Of course, $900 isn’t much of a discount. Greinke can easily swim with the big fishes. He’s my pick for top pitcher in the slate. Alcantara has a pretty obvious path to value – throw five innings, record five strikeouts, prevent runs. That’s not a huge ask of him.

Mike Soroka ($19,400) is lovely, but he’s visiting that bandbox known as Citizen’s Bank Park. We have CHOICE dammit!

Zack Wheeler ($17,800) is a big ‘ol question mark in his return from the injured list. This is presumably his last start with the Mets as his next appearance is scheduled for the trade deadline. I’ll probably pass on him this evening for fear of rust or a hidden pitch count.

Michael Pineda ($17,700) is finally pitching like Michael Pineda which is to say sometimes he’s good and sometimes he isn’t. That sounds an awful lot like the White Sox offense. If the stars align, 30 points are possible. Or three. He’s opposed by Dylan Cease ($15,200) who is quite cheap for a top pitching prospect but probably shouldn’t be used against the Twins.

It feels like James Paxton ($16,900) is on an interminable slide, but he’s mixed in a few gems against tough opponents. This is one of the riskiest plays you can make tonight, but the payoff could be spectacular. We all know what a good game from Paxton can look like. That said, the Red Sox lineup is quite scary.

Jeff Samardzija ($16,100) is visiting a Padres lineup that has forgotten how to hit right-handed pitchers. The fiery Giants lineup – I still insist they’re a bottom-five offense – should provide run support against Joey Lucchesi.

Kyle Hendricks ($16,000) at Gio Gonzalez ($13,900) sounds super boring to me. Their ownership rates might be low due to perceived difficult matchups and modest ceilings. In a different slate, I might consider them a clever play. I don’t think we need to be this clever tonight.

I like Jack Flaherty ($15,500). I do not like using pitchers against the Astros. His opponent, Jose Urquidy ($10,300), will be popular thanks to a basement price tag and a 34.55 point performance last week. Urquidy certainly has some tantalizing minor league numbers, although a one-in-three success rate in the majors won’t assuage any doubts. That’s why he’s cheap.

Griffin Canning ($14,600) is your typical mid-tier pitcher with upside for more. Asher Wojciechowski ($14,000) is the latest breakout candidate. He’s throwing some nasty cutters which is… new… for the Orioles.

Zach Plesac ($14,500) is visiting Jakob Junis and the Royals. The only reason to try Junis for over $16,000 is because he’s not listed as part of the slate by FDraft. Plesac is both a better pitcher and a better bet tonight.

It’s Ryan Yarbrough day for the Rays. He’ll face the Blue Jays at a cost of $15,100. It’s a tad pricey.

Favorite Plays: Greinke, Samardzija, Plesac, Urquidy

Stack Targets: Jacob Waguespack, Andrew Cashner, Daniel Norris, Daniel Mengden, Dario Agrazal, Jake Arrieta, Gio Gonzalez, Anibal Sanchez, Yusei Kikuchi, Lucchesi

None of these guys are that terrible. And they’re so very inexpensive.

4. SaberSim Says…

Wheeler, Greinke, Lucchesi, Lynn, and Hendricks are the preferred pitchers this evening. Wheeler is currently over-projected for 7.06 innings. Norris, Mengden, Lucchesi, Wheeler, and Kikuchi are the best values. I told you they’re not that bad.

Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna, and Aaron Judge are the givers of life and liberty. Zach Green, Jace Peterson, Ji-Man Choi, Humberto Arteaga, and Alex Verdugo shall supply our pursuit of happiness.

5.Fire ze Mizziles

Cruz missiles ruined many DFS lineups yesterday.

Jose Ramirez is doing some things.

Well don’t they feel dumb… I love how exhausted the announcers sound. And by exhausted, I mean bored.