Today is Thursday and thus it is my turn to impart my wisdom upon the world and my 5-21-15 Daily Fantasy Picks. The picks are based off of DraftKings values and are based upon the contests starting at 7:05 PM EST/4:05 PM PST
Disclaimer: These picks are subject to change based on last minute line-up changes and weather.
The early data indicates that weather should not impact any of tonight’s games.
Starting Pitchers
Danny Salazar, SP, Cleveland Indians, $9,300
On an evening where the quality of starting pitching isn’t very high, Salazar is the best of the available options. While Salazar is coming off a disastrous performance in Texas where he only racked up 2.5 points and has a 4.06 ERA, he is not without his upside.
Even though Salazar isn’t a Cy Young award candidate, one thing he does well is strike opposing batters out. In 6 starts this season he has a 12.42 K/9 and in 36 career starts his K/9 total is 10.68. With the exception of his last start, he has provided a minimum of 19.3 points in the rest of his starts.
Jesse Chavez, SP, Oakland Athletics, $7,200
Even though the Athletics season has been disastrous so far, Chavez has pitched well to the tune of a 2.63 ERA/2.66 FIP. In addition to being solid in the rotation, he has put up respectable strikeout totals (8.36 K/9) this season which isn’t bad for his moderate price tag. With this being a road game, this could give him another advantage as Chavez has a 1.82 ERA on the road this season.
Catcher
Stephen Vogt, C, Oakland Athletics, $3,700
Vogt has had an excellent start to this season hitting .310 with 9 HR in 38 games. While the power is bound to regress eventually, he should maintain his solid AVG as his BABIP is a very modest .302. With our without power, Vogt is much stronger against right-handed pitching and the Rays are starting a RHP in Alex Colome who has very mediocre numbers this season (6.05 ERA/4.64 FIP).
First Base
Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs, $4,900
With the Cubs facing Odrisamer Despaigne who comes into tonight sporting a 6.75 ERA/5.32 FIP, the Cubs could be in for a big night. In addition, Rizzo should also be in line for a big night as he has been dominant against most of his opposition this season and there is little reason to believe that Despaigne has a good chance to get out of tomorrow’s start without giving up several runs.
Second Base
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Boston Red Sox, $4,100
Pedroia is one of the few solid 2B available tonight (unless you want to spend $1,400 extra for Jason Kipnis). With the Red Sox playing at home tonight, this should work in Pedroia’s favor as he is hitting .339 at Fenway Park this season.
Third Base
David Freese, 3B, Los Angeles Angels, $3,500
Freese is one of 4 Angels players in my line-up tonight. With the Angels facing R.A. Dickey, who comes in to tonight with a 5.76 ERA/5.88 FIP and a K/9 rate that his decreased substantially so far this season, the Angels could be in for a big night offensively. Even though Freese is only hitting .225 this season, he has also put up respectable power numbers (7 HR) and is playing at a hitter-friendly park in the Rogers Centre.
Shortstop
Erick Aybar, SS, Los Angeles Angels, $3,600
Aybar appears to have put his early season struggles behind him as he is hitting .348 during the month of May and a 10 game hitting streak through Tuesday night. The combination of a red hot hitter available at $3,600 facing a struggling R.A. Dickey gets Aybar into my line-up tonight.
Outfield
Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels, $5,300
Trout may be the most expensive outfielder but he is well worth the high price tag. He continues to do it all, hitting for a strong average, hitting for plenty of power and stealing bases. With a very advantageous match-up against R.A. Dickey tonight, Trout should continue his quest to help fantasy teams everywhere.
Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels, $4,400
While Calhoun is not the mega-star that Mike Trout is, he is still a very solid player who has hit .299 with 4 HR over his first 36 games and will also have the opportunity to light up the scoreboard against R.A. Dickey.
Dexter Fowler, OF, Chicago Cubs, $4,000
Fowler has been a very solid acquisition for the Cubs this season as he has hit .269 with 4 HR and 9 SB over his first 37 games. His bat has heated up recently as he has provided double-digit fantasy points three times over the last week and should have an excellent opportunity to keep this nice stretch going as he will be facing Odrisamer Despaigne tonight.
All statistics found on fangraphs.com
All statistics through 5/19/15
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