Hitters ----
Play of the Day: Joey Votto-- While there are plenty of top-priced options on tonight’s smaller slate, Votto is worth his price tag tonight vs. Matt Harvey and the Mets. Votto has reached base safely in 10-straight games, batting .355 over that span. Harvey made his first start last Saturday since June 14th, and he allowed seven runs over two innings. Votto is 5-for-12 with a home run off Harvey, and the Reds are coming off a nice sweep of the Brewers.
Top Play: Daniel Murphy-- Murphy went 5-for-9 over his two games vs. the Marlins, with home runs in both games. He takes that streak into a matchup with Aaron Nola, who has allowed five or more runs in three of his last four starts. Murphy is 7-for-18 with a homer off of Nola, and is batting .353 over his last 10 games.
Value Play: Travis d'Arnaud-- If paying up for a top pitcher, you’ll need to find a value option or two. Catcher is always one of the best places to find value, and it remains that way tonight. Travis is the minimum price, and is 4-for-7 with two doubles and a home run over his last two games. If Plawecki receives the start, he had two hits in his last game, and is minimum price as well. Perez would be your pivot option at the $7 mark, as he went deep twice last night, and has two homers off of Gibson, but just 6-for-32 lifetime vs. him.
GPP Play: Giancarlo Stanton-- Stanton had a tough stretch of games vs. top Washington pitching, but now makes the trip to Atlanta for a matchup vs. the lefty Newcomb. Stanton is just 3-for-35 over his last 10 games, with of course all three hits going for home runs. The Marlins have a top-three projected run total tonight vs. Newcomb, who went 1-3, with a 4.02 ERA in August.
Pitchers ----
Play of the Day: Corey Kluber-- The Indians are going for a franchise record 15-straight wins tonight, and have their ace on the mound to attempt to reach that feat. Kluber leads the A.L. with a 2.56 ERA, as well as with an opponents batting average of .194 for the season. Kluber went 5-1, with a 1.96 ERA in August, and have won five-straight decisions on the road. He faces the last place White Sox tonight, a team that Kluber is 2-0 in three starts this year against, including a complete game.
Top Play: Clayton Kershaw-- Kershaw allowed just two hits, while striking out seven over six scoreless innings vs. the Padres in his return from the DL. He faces a Rockies team at home tonight that have a projected run total of less than 2.5 runs. The Dodgers have lost 11 of their last 12, with their lone win coming in Kershaw’s start. He is 3-1, with a 2.77 ERA over four starts vs. the Rockies this year. Both Kershaw and Kluber are elite plays tonight, but taking both of them only leaves you with $8 per player for hitting tonight.
Value Play: Tanner Roark-- After Kluber and Kershaw, there is a big drop in pitching tonight, both in price and possibly production. Roark checks in as a much “safer" play than Lester tonight if looking at that second tier. Roark is coming off a tough 1-0 loss to the Brewers, after pitching a solid seven innings giving up just the one run, while also recording 10 strikeouts. Tanner has struck out 26 batters over his last 18.2 innings. He was 3-0, with a 0.79 ERA over five starts vs. the Phillies last year.
GPP Play: Kyle Gibson-- The Royals and Twins face off in a key wild card race series. Although the Royals offense woke up last night, they are still the underdogs at home vs. the Twins. Gibson has won his last three starts, allowing just three earned runs over 19.2 innings. That includes his last start, which was vs. the Royals. He held them scoreless over six innings. He was lifted after only 70 pitches as the Twins went on to win 17-0. He should be fully rested for tonight’s matchup.