The Daily Grind: Lopezi Invasion

The Lopezi invasion starts with a decimation of your ERA and WHIP, with just enough pleasant surprises to keep you coming back for more.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. Less Reck

1.The Daily Grind Invitational

RaleighFingers is lighting up the Leaderboard and the scoreboard. He fired off 211.25 points despite earning a zero out of Ian Desmond. Gerrit Cole, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, and Tyler Beede did the heaviest lifting as part of a large Rockies stack. Congrats! Dfreaz5 gets honorable mention for also crossing the 200-point barrier.

We have a seven-game dance on FantasyDraft.

2. Weather Reports

All clear. The wind is supposedly blowing in at Wrigley Field.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Stephen Strasburg ($23,300) tops the pile in an interesting matchup against Dakota Hudson ($16,000). It’s tempting to treat Hudson as a low-grade ace. He’s on a six-outing streak of six or more innings with at least a high-teens point total. His most recent success came at Coors friggin’ Field. A combination of a solid strikeout rate and hefty ground ball profile suggests there is plenty of upside. Beware: command is his weakness. As for Strasburg, there’s no need to get overly wordy – he’s par value against a solid opponent.

Jose Berrios ($19,900) is the worst kind of DFS pitcher. He bounced between sub-10 and over-20 point performances. Frequently, he’s a source of regret – either because he ruined your lineup or fueled somebody else’s. His opponent, Reynaldo Lopez ($13,900) is the poor man’s version of the same profile. They’re both viable GPP targets for their extreme upside. Just don’t cry when they flop.

Robbie Ray ($18,600) will be the most popular pitcher. He’s hosting the Marlins. Ray is a reliable source of high strikeout totals. Even when he struggles to prevent runs, he usually still turns in a tolerable point total. One word of caution: the DBacks and trying to scrape their way into a Wild Card slot and may thus turn to a pinch hitter or reliever earlier than desired. Ray has only one outing of more than five innings in his last seven appearances. Pablo Lopez ($11,000) has pitched poorly since returning from the injured list. However, his velocity, stuff, and command look normal to my eyes. He should probably cost upwards of $13,500 to $14,500 tonight.

If you really want to take a wild swing at a GPP win, try using Steven Matz ($14,800) at Coors Field. His second half breakout, fueled by a velocity surge, has gone almost unnoticed. The risk, of course, is monstrous.

Tanner Roark ($17,800, at KC) and Cole Hamels ($16,700, vs CIN) look like solid if extremely bland picks.

Favorite Plays: Ray, Strasburg, Hudson, P. Lopez

Stack Targets: Lopez, Lopez, Glenn Sparkman, Kevin Gausman, Antonio Senzatela, Matz

4. SaberSim Says…

Strasburg, Berrios, Ray, Tanner Roark, and Cole Hamels top the machine wish list. Ray, P. Lopez, Roark, Strasburg, and Hamels are the best values. For bats, dial Coors Field for Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and Robinson Cano. Or, if a bargain ye must have, click Ryan McBroom, Josh Rojas, Seth Brown, Alonso, or Meibrys Viloria.

5.Less Reck

Eugenio Suarez is going after the homer crown.

Well that was reckless.

I swear Dellin Betances is nine feet tall.