This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze three key MLB players in the day’s slate.
Garrett Richards: Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels
Today’s slate is loaded with pitching talent. Max Scherzer, Noah Syndergaard, and Justin Verlander stand out as the elite options, but Richards might be the most intriguing pitcher on the slate on DraftKings. He’s priced at just $6,700 and comes with a slate-high Bargain Rating of 92%. He’s posted a K/9 of 9.97 over the past 12 months, and he’s taking on a projected Rangers lineup that has struck out in 28.9% of at-bats against right-handers over the same time frame. His K Prediction of 8.3 is tied with Scherzer’s for the second-highest mark on the slate, and pitchers with comparable K Predictions, salaries, and Bargain Ratings have historically been excellent values (per the Trends tool):
He’s also posted an average batted-ball distance of 188 feet over his first two starts this season, which represents a differential of -7 feet when compared to his 12-month average.
Charlie Blackmon: Outfielder, Rockies
Coors Field is available in addition to the stud pitchers on today’s slate, which means that DFS players will likely have to make a decision between the two. The Rockies current implied team total of 5.8 runs leads the slate by almost a full run:
Blackmon absolutely crushed last season at Coors, posting a .503 wOBA and .382 ISO. He had an average Plus/Minus of +4.97 on FanDuel over 77 games, which made him the fourth-most valuable batter in MLB DFS last season. He could face reduced ownership on today’s slate: He’s currently questionable after sitting out Sunday with back tightness, and he’s also on the negative side of his batting splits against Padres left-hander Clayton Richard, but his average Plus/Minus was actually higher against left-handers than right-handers last season, so the thought of getting him at reduced ownership is enticing.
Danny Valencia: Third Base, Orioles
Valencia is expected to bat fifth for the Orioles today, which could make him an intriguing buy-low candidate. FantasyLabs has a proprietary metric called Recent Batted Ball Luck, which is defined as the difference between a player’s percentile rank in batted-ball distance and fantasy scoring over the past 15 days, and Valencia currently leads all players with a mark of +98 on DraftKings. He’s posted an average distance of 267 feet this season, and batters with comparable distances and Recent Batted Ball Luck scores have historically been strong values:
He’s set to face Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ, which will put him on the positive side of his batting splits. He’s posted a .336 wOBA and .185 ISO against left-handers over the past 12 months, and he’s currently priced at just $2,900 on DraftKings and $2,100 on FanDuel. He posted an average ownership of just 3.72% on DraftKings in his most recent start vs. a lefty, so he shouldn’t command much ownership on today’s slate either.
Good luck on today’s slate, and be sure to check out The Action Network if you’re looking for more baseball coverage!
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs.
Pictured above: Charlie Blackmon
Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
