Today is Thursday and we have officially moved one step closer to the weekend. With that in mind, here are the 5-7-15 Daily Fantasy Picks. These picks are based off of the contest starting at 7:05 PM EST/4:05 PM PST. Values listed are based off of DraftKings.
Disclaimer: These picks are subject to change based on last minute line-up changes and weather.
Starting Pitcher
Chris Archer, SP, Tampa Bay Rays, $9,400
Archer is off to a strong start as he has a 1.64 ERA/2.88 FIP and 9.86 K/9 over his first six starts. His strong start has been reflected in his price tag as he was at $7,500 as recently as April 16. Even with the increase in price, his strong performance, his ability to rack up strikeouts and playing at home against a struggling Rangers team still make him a good play.
Anthony Desclafani, SP, Cincinnati Reds, $6,800
Desclafani is also off to nice start as he is 2-2 with a 2.03 ERA/3.86 FIP and 7.55 K/9 over his first five starts. Even though he has had some good luck this season (.183 BABIP), Desclafani has improved on his K/9 total and comes at a very modest price. In comparison, Collin McHugh is available for $1,300 but has produced very similar totals in K/9 (7.39) & FIP (3.68).
Catcher
Brian McCann, C, New York Yankees, $3,900
McCann has hit .250 with 2 HR over his first 21 games. Tonight’s match-up works in his favor as he has hit well at Yankee Stadium this season (.333 AVG, 2 HR in 38 PA). McCann has also hit reasonably well against Chris Tillman as he is 3 for 9 against Tillman in his career.
First Base
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds, $4,200
Votto is off to a strong start this season as he is hitting .330 with 7 HR and a 1.043 OPS over his first 26 games. He has an excellent opportunity to do well tonight as he is 8 for 23 with 1 HR in his career against A.J. Burnett. With the Reds playing at PNC Park, this gives Votto another advantage as he has a .965 career OPS at PNC Park.
Second Base
Yangervis Solarte, San Diego Padres, $3,400
Solarte looks to be a good value at a modest price tonight. The Diamondbacks are starting righty Rubby de la Rosa tonight. He comes into tonight’s action with a 5.40 ERA/4.45 FIP. In addition to facing a pitcher with mediocre numbers, Solarte has been very strong against right handed pitching (.357 AVG 2 HR 16 RBI over 56 PA), the Padres will also be playing at hitter-friendly Chase Field.
Third Base
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays, $4,300
Longoria has a respectable .272 AVG over his first 27 games but only 1 HR. Tonight, Longoria is a solid pick because he has hit very well at Tropicana Field where he has hit .385 over his first 12 games this season.
Shortstop
Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants, $3,800
If the early trends hold up, this could turn out to be a career year for Crawford. He is hitting .262 with 5 HR and a 149 wRC+ over his first 27 games. Even though AT&T Park has a reputation for being pitcher friendly, Crawford has hit .295 with 3 HR in his first 54 PA at home this season. Crawford also has an advantage of facing Dan Haren tonight. While Haren is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA this season, an absurdly low BABIP (.152) has hidden the fact that he hasn’t been that good this year as he has an FIP of 5.11.
Outfield
Justin Upton, OF, San Diego Padres, $5,200
Upton is off to a very strong start this season, hitting .300 with 7 HR in his first 27 games. This year, all of those HR have come against right-handed pitching. Since he started his career with the Diamondbacks, he has plenty of experience hitting at Chase Field where he has a career OPS of .942 over 1524 PA.
Matt Kemp, OF, San Diego Padres, $4,900
Kemp has been off to a solid start this season as he has hit .297 over his first 28 games. While he has not hit for much power (1 HR this season), playing at Chase Field should give him an opportunity to improve his power numbers. In his career, he appears to be comfortable hitting at Chase Field where he has 11 HR in 237 PA.
Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels, $4,100
Calhoun is off to a solid start this season, as he is hitting .303 with 3 HR over his first 24 games. With tonight’s game being at home against the Astros, this should give him an additional advantage as he is hitting .370 in his first 11 home games this season.
All statistics found on fangraphs.com
All statistics through 5/5/15
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