At FantasyLabs, we believe that we have the best tools and data available to those who play daily fantasy sports. We also realize that these tools and data are only as beneficial as our ability to communicate their functionality and worth.

With this in mind, our Trend of the Day series features articles that walk subscribers through an important trend each weekday, created with our Trends tool. Also, shortly after you create a trend, you will be able to see it under the “My Trends” column in our Player Models.

MLB Trend of the Day: Cheap Pitchers Who are Favorites

Rostering cheap pitchers can be a risky endeavor. They tend to lack the high-strikeout upside of their more expensive counterparts and are thus more reliant on limiting the opposition’s production to return decent value.

Despite their volatility, lower-priced options can be useful in certain situations, especially on account of the salary relief they provide. Whether you’re looking to differentiate your lineup or fit in an expensive stack, paying down for a pitcher can be a viable — albeit risky — tactic for roster construction.

With tonight’s full slate of games featuring some desirable stacking options, let’s see if we can identify a few pitching options of the budget-conscious variety to help fit these stacks into our DraftKings lineups.

Step 1: Player Filters > Salary > 4000 to 7500

 

On average, these cheaper options do struggle, posting a Plus/Minus of -0.40.

Step 2: Vegas Filters > Favorite/Dog > Favorite

 

Simply by targeting cheap pitchers who are favored to win, we’ve bumped the average Plus/Minus of this population up to a respectable +1.06.

But let’s see if we can improve this trend a bit more.

Step 3: Stat Filters > SO Per 9 > 7 to 16.364

 

At this price range, pitchers are unlikely to have elite strikeout potential, but if we can find inexpensive pitchers who have at least average strikeout rates then we can generally find value. We still have a robust population of over 1,100 and the Plus/Minus has jumped again to a more desirable +1.62.

We could stop here — and I originally had planned to — but I think that there’s still room for improvement.

Step 4: Fantasy Month Filters > Month Salary Change > -3100 to -100

 

The final filter, a negative (or “positive”) Salary Change, leaves us with an average Plus/Minus of +2.38: A very respectable total for a subset of players whom many DFS players never really consider.

Depending upon the makeup of a specific slate, I tend to pay up for elite strikeout pitchers. But after seeing the results of this trend, I probably need to give more consideration on a nightly basis to pitchers who aren’t the prototypical $10,000-plus, high-strikeout studs.

Current Matches

Finally, let’s get a look at which pitchers may be able to offer you a bit of salary relief and value this evening.

 

Good luck tonight!