Here are the 5-1-15 Daily Fantasy Picks. The picks are based off the contest that starts at 7:05 PM EST/4:05 PM PST and the values listed are based off of DraftKings.
Disclaimer: Picks are subject to change based off of postponements and/or last minute line-up decisions.
Starting Pitchers
Matt Harvey, SP, New York Mets, $11,200
Either way, it is unlikely that neither the Mets nor the Nationals are going to score very many runs tonight as the Nationals will be starting Max Scherzer. Both Harvey & Scherzer are legitimate options, I am personally shying away from Scherzer since he is currently being listed as Day-to-Day within the DraftKings database due to a thumb issue.
Harvey has had a strong start to his season, winning his first four starts with a 3.04 ERA/2.87 FIP. Also, he continues to rack up impressive strikeout totals as he has a K/9 of 10.46. He has been very successful in his career against the Nationals, going 2-1 with a 0.82 ERA in 5 starts.
Scott Kazmir, SP, Oakland Athletics, $7,400
There is some risk with picking Kazmir as the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington tends to favor hitters. However, Kazmir has a track record of pitching well there as he is 6-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 11 career starts.
So far, the 2015 season has been good to Kazmir as he is 2-0 with a 0.99 ERA/2.55 FIP in his first four starts. While the ERA is bound to eventually go up, at the very least he should be a strong source of strikeouts as he has a 9.88 K/9 this season.
Catcher
Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers, $3,600
Grandal has not been off to the greatest start this season as he is hitting .189 in his first 17 games. However, playing against the Diamondbacks may be just what he needs to break out of his slump. In his career, he has a .808 OPS and 6 HR in 120 PA in 33 games against the Diamondbacks.
First Base
Pedro Alvarez, 1B Pittsburgh Pirates, $3,700
Alvarez is also eligible at 3B. Even though he is only hitting .224 so far, he has also hit 4 HR in 72 PA. One thing working to his advantage is that he has had past success facing Lance Lynn. In his career, Alvarez has a .873 OPS and 2 HR in 32 PA against Lynn.
Second Base
Yangervis Solarte, 2B, San Diego Padres $3,200
Normally, I would shy away from starting hitters in games played at Petco Park. However, tonight the Padres have an advantageous match-up as the Rockies will be starting Eddie Butler who has been nowhere near as good as his 3.27 ERA indicates. He also has a 5.08 FIP and has walked as many batters as he has struck out.
Solarte is off to a solid start this season as he is hitting .321 with 2 HR in his first 21 games and tonight’s pitching match-up gives him a solid opportunity to keep up his strong performance.
Third Base
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies, $3,600
This is another case where a batter friendly match-up trumps the stadium where the ballgame is being played. While Arenado has had his struggles at Petco, he has also hit .297 with 3 HR over his first 19 games. The Rockies will be facing Ian Kennedy tonight. His first (most recent) start back after coming off the Disabled List was not very strong as he gave up 8 ER in 4 1/3 IP indicating that it is possibly he could have another tough start tonight.
Shortstop
Zack Cozart, SS, Cincinnati Reds, $3,600
Cozart is off to a strong start this season, as he is hitting .280 with 4 HR in 22 games. He has a favorable match-up as he is going up against Mike Foltynewicz who is a righty making his first start for the Braves. Foltynewicz struggled in 16 relief appearances for the Astros last season. Cozart has also hit better against Righties this year as well.
Outfield
Matt Kemp, OF, San Diego Padres, $4,900
Kemp is the start of my all-Padres starting line-up to take advantage of the fact that the Rockies are starting Eddie Butler. Kemp has hit .326 with 1 HR in his first 23 games. Kemp also is very comfortable hitting at Petco where he has hit .321 with 7 HR in his career in 288 PA.
Wil Myers, OF, San Diego Padres, $4,500
Myers has had a solid start to his Padres career, hitting .286 with 4 HR in 23 games. Even though is AVG is slightly lower against righties than it is against lefties, there is a better chance for him to rack up points tonight as all of his HR has come against Right-Handed pitching.
Justin Upton, OF, San Diego Padres, $4,300
Upton has also had a strong start to his Padres tenure as he has hit 6 HR. Upton has a similar pattern in his stats this year where even though his AVG against righties is lower than what he’s done against lefties, there is still a decent chance of him racking up points as he has hit all 6 of his HR against righties in only 67 PA.
Main Photo
photo credit: Matt Harvey via photopin (license)
