This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze three key MLB players in the day’s slate.
Gerrit Cole: Pitcher, Astros
We’re blessed with a 13-game main slate for some lovely Friday-night baseball. As the highest-priced pitcher on FanDuel ($10,000), Cole still sports a 97% Bargain Rating. The Astros check in as the slate’s largest favorite (-230 moneyline odds), and the Rangers are implied for a slate-low 3.2 runs. Historically, pitchers with comparable moneyline odds and metrics have been safe investments, averaging 37.52 FanDuel points per game with a +5.26 Plus/Minus and 64.1% Consistency Rating (per our Trends tool).
Cole is coming off back-to-back 11-strikeout games, and he is set to square off against a Rangers team whose projected lineup has a strikeout rate of 29.6% against right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Cole’s matchup may be a little softer as the Rangers just lost Elvis Andrus for 6-8 weeks with an elbow injury. Andrus has a .354 weighted on-base average (wOBA) and .173 isolated power (ISO) over the past three seasons.
Mookie Betts: Outfielder, Red Sox
Per our Vegas Dashboard, the Red Sox are implied for a slate-high 5.7 runs, and they also are tied with the Rays for a slate-best Team Value Rating of 84 on DraftKings:
Betts has been obliterating the ball lately with his 232-foot recent batted-ball distance, 95-mph exit velocity, and 52% hard-hit rate. He’s off to a scorching start to the season with a +5.06 Plus/Minus and 70% Consistency in his last 10 games. Betts is set to face Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman, who has been shelled for 15 hits and nine earned runs over his past two starts, and over the past 12 months he has allowed a .415 wOBA and .253 ISO to opposing batters.
Ryan Zimmerman: First Baseman, Nationals
With our Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. The top four-man stack in the CSURAM88 Player Model belongs to the Washington Nationals, who take on Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland. The Nationals are one of three teams implied for at least 5.0 runs:
Zimmerman is off to a slow start to the season with his .111 batting average and -2.45 Plus/Minus on FanDuel, but this could be a time to buy low, as his salary has dropped $800 since the season started and he now has a 98% Bargain Rating. Zimmerman hits lefties well, as evidenced by his elite .435 wOBA and .336 ISO over the past 12 months. Zimmerman’s Recent Batted Ball Luck (RBBL) of +45 suggests that he has been unlucky to begin the season. Historically, batters with similar RBBLs and Statcast data have averaged a +1.96 Plus/Minus.
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: Mookie Betts
Photo Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
