This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze three key MLB players in the day’s slate.
Gerrit Cole: Pitcher, Astros
Cole is set to start against the Padres on Saturday night, and he has an appealing 99% Bargain Rating on FanDuel, where he costs $9,100. He’s the largest favorite on the night with a -270 moneyline, and the Padres are implied for a slate-low 3.2 runs. Pitchers with comparable data have historically averaged 41.16 FanDuel points with a +7.84 Plus/Minus and a 73.2% Consistency Rating (per our Trends tool):
Cole had an exceptional first outing against the Rangers, as he went seven innings, striking out 11 batters and allowing just two hits. Aside from having a low opponent implied run total, Cole has the benefit of being backed by an Astros offense that is implied for 5.4 runs, giving him a good shot at picking up the win. Given his projected high ownership on a five-game main slate, there may be some merit to fading him in guaranteed prize pools (GPPs), especially if you want to load up on Coors Field batters. The main drawback with this approach is that quality pitching options are scarce on Saturday night.
Charlie Blackmon: Outfielder, Rockies
Per our Vegas Dashboard, the Rockies are implied for a slate-high 6.3 runs. Even though their prices are inflated because of Coors Field, they still sport a Team Value Rating of 78 on FanDuel:
Blackmon has hit righties well over the past 12 months with an elite .429 weighted on-base average (wOBA) and .290 isolated power (ISO). He’s also been crushing the ball as of late with a position-high 252-foot average batted-ball distance, 95-mph exit velocity, and 41% hard-hit rate. Coors batters with metrics similar to Blackmon’s have historically averaged 15.45 FanDuel points per game with a +4.26 Plus/Minus and an exceptionally high 51.8% Consistency Rating. As is the case with Cole, Blackmon and the other Coors batters will likely be popular.
Freddie Freeman: First Baseman, Braves
With our Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. Unsurprisingly, the Braves are one of the top stacks on DraftKings in the CSURAM88 Player Model:
Freeman hits righties well with a .435 wOBA and .292 ISO over the past 12 months, and he’s off to an excellent start to the season with a +7.45 Plus/Minus on DraftKings. Freeman and his recent batted-ball distance of 237 feet and fly-ball rate of 50% may find success at Coors against Chad Bettis, who sports a mediocre 1.429 WHIP, 1.60 HR/9 and paltry 4.7 K Prediction. In addition to having a Park Factor of 100, the Braves-Rockies game currently has a Weather Rating of 76, which should help Freeman’s outlook in an already batter-friendly environment.
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, Nolan Arenado, DJ LeMahieu
Photo credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
