In an effort to make things a little easier for you, I’ve split the pitchers into the early and late slates. Two notes to keep in mind overall:
- Fantasy Aces is not offering the BOS/CLE game so there are no prices from them for Carlos Carrasco or Clay Buchholz.
- There are no numbers available for either Tyler Chatwood (was recovering from elbow surgery all of last season) or Kenta Maeda (the numbers from Japan weren’t going to translate anyway).
That being said, let’s take a look at who looks good for the day…
Early Slate
| vs L | vs R | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Team | Hand | H/A | Opp | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | AVG | ERA | xFIP | WHIP | BABIP | GB% | FB% | GB/FB | wOBA | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jose Fernandez | MIA | R | H | DET | 64.2 | 10.99 | 1.95 | 0.56 | 0.245 | 2.92 | 2.62 | 1.16 | 0.343 | 40.1% | 31.1% | 1.29 | 0.373 | 0.199 | $11,200 | $11,700 | $7,250 |
| Carlos Carrasco | CLE | R | H | BOS | 183.2 | 10.58 | 2.11 | 0.88 | 0.226 | 3.63 | 2.66 | 1.07 | 0.304 | 51.2% | 29.8% | 1.72 | 0.277 | 0.283 | $9,900 | $10,000 | N/A |
| Jeff Samardzija | SF | R | A | MIL | 214.0 | 6.86 | 2.06 | 1.22 | 0.269 | 4.96 | 4.31 | 1.29 | 0.303 | 39.0% | 39.8% | 0.98 | 0.357 | 0.302 | $8,600 | $8,600 | $6,200 |
| Clay Buchholz | BOS | R | A | CLE | 113.1 | 8.50 | 1.83 | 0.48 | 0.259 | 3.26 | 3.30 | 1.21 | 0.329 | 48.3% | 30.5% | 1.58 | 0.268 | 0.319 | $8,500 | $8,200 | N/A |
| Colby Lewis | TEX | R | H | SEA | 204.2 | 6.24 | 1.85 | 1.14 | 0.261 | 4.66 | 4.62 | 1.24 | 0.289 | 33.7% | 44.2% | 0.76 | 0.324 | 0.310 | $7,900 | $6,300 | $5,600 |
| Anibal Sanchez | DET | R | A | MIA | 157.0 | 7.91 | 2.81 | 1.66 | 0.249 | 4.99 | 4.03 | 1.28 | 0.278 | 40.0% | 39.1% | 1.02 | 0.297 | 0.368 | $7,900 | $8,300 | $6,100 |
| Taylor Jungmann | MIL | R | H | SF | 119.1 | 8.07 | 3.54 | 0.83 | 0.238 | 3.77 | 4.10 | 1.28 | 0.290 | 46.3% | 33.1% | 1.40 | 0.317 | 0.302 | $7,700 | $6,100 | $5,500 |
| J.A. Happ | TOR | L | A | TB | 172.0 | 7.90 | 2.35 | 0.84 | 0.258 | 3.61 | 3.69 | 1.27 | 0.312 | 41.6% | 34.1% | 1.22 | 0.294 | 0.307 | $7,600 | $7,700 | $5,600 |
| Patrick Corbin | ARI | L | H | COL | 85.0 | 8.26 | 1.80 | 0.95 | 0.269 | 3.60 | 3.27 | 1.27 | 0.327 | 46.9% | 29.5% | 1.59 | 0.250 | 0.340 | $7,200 | $7,600 | $5,900 |
| Wade Miley | SEA | L | A | TEX | 193.2 | 6.83 | 2.97 | 0.79 | 0.263 | 4.46 | 4.08 | 1.37 | 0.307 | 48.8% | 30.5% | 1.60 | 0.294 | 0.331 | $6,900 | $7,200 | $5,450 |
| Matt Moore | TB | L | H | TOR | 63.0 | 6.57 | 3.29 | 1.29 | 0.295 | 5.43 | 4.81 | 1.54 | 0.332 | 39.2% | 38.7% | 1.01 | 0.335 | 0.375 | $6,000 | $7,800 | $5,950 |
| Tyler Chatwood | COL | R | A | ARI | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $5,600 | $6,400 | $5,000 |
Jose Fernandez, MIA – He’s the no-brainer of the early slate, for sure. You have to take his 2015 numbers with a grain of salt, particularly the wOBA against left-handed hitters. It may not look as good as the number against righties, but it certainly isn’t going to be as bad as the .373 mark that’s listed. It’s a tough Tigers lineup he’s facing, but he should be back in form here.
Carlos Carrasco, CLE – You can’t play him on Aces, but he’s plenty available on FanDuel and Draft Kings. His numbers from 2015 look solid and many expect Carrasco to take his game to the next level this year. Between the strikeout rate, the xFIP, the 50-plus percent ground ball rate and tight wOBA numbers against both lefties and righties, Carrasco should be worth the cost.
Patrick Corbin, ARI – Last year’s numbers were all part of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, so just like with Fernandez, you have to take them with a grain of salt. He will certainly have to be careful with the hot bats of Trevor Story and Carlos Gonzalez, but if the southpaw has that slider working and can mix in his changeup enough, he could keep them at bay for the game.
Late Slate
| vs L | vs R | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Team | Hand | H/A | Opp | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | AVG | ERA | xFIP | WHIP | BABIP | GB% | FB% | GB/FB | wOBA | wOBA | FD | DK | Aces |
| Stephen Strasburg | WAS | R | A | ATL | 127.1 | 10.96 | 1.84 | 0.99 | 0.233 | 3.46 | 2.69 | 1.11 | 0.311 | 42.2% | 34.3% | 1.23 | 0.255 | 0.317 | $11,300 | $11,200 | $7,000 |
| Sonny Gray | OAK | R | H | CHW | 208.0 | 7.31 | 2.55 | 0.74 | 0.216 | 2.73 | 3.69 | 1.08 | 0.255 | 52.7% | 30.7% | 1.72 | 0.260 | 0.265 | $10,400 | $9,600 | $7,000 |
| Collin McHugh | HOU | R | A | NYY | 203.2 | 7.56 | 2.34 | 0.84 | 0.260 | 3.89 | 3.91 | 1.28 | 0.310 | 45.4% | 34.6% | 1.31 | 0.286 | 0.328 | $8,900 | $8,400 | $6,300 |
| Carlos Rodon | CHW | L | A | OAK | 139.1 | 8.98 | 4.59 | 0.71 | 0.246 | 3.75 | 4.03 | 1.44 | 0.315 | 46.8% | 29.8% | 1.57 | 0.247 | 0.350 | $8,500 | $9,000 | $5,900 |
| Michael Pineda | NYY | R | H | HOU | 160.2 | 8.74 | 1.18 | 1.18 | 0.273 | 4.37 | 2.95 | 1.23 | 0.332 | 48.2% | 29.9% | 1.62 | 0.318 | 0.326 | $8,400 | $9,100 | $6,500 |
| Yovani Gallardo | BAL | R | H | MIN | 184.1 | 5.91 | 3.32 | 0.73 | 0.267 | 3.42 | 4.31 | 1.42 | 0.303 | 49.3% | 28.7% | 1.72 | 0.334 | 0.306 | $8,000 | $6,200 | $5,850 |
| Kenta Maeda | LAD | R | A | SD | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7,200 | $9,200 | $6,000 |
| Andrew Cashner | SD | R | H | LAD | 184.2 | 8.04 | 3.22 | 0.93 | 0.273 | 4.34 | 3.84 | 1.44 | 0.330 | 47.4% | 29.9% | 1.58 | 0.383 | 0.293 | $7,100 | $7,900 | $5,900 |
| Juan Nicasio | PIT | R | H | STL | 58.1 | 10.03 | 4.94 | 0.15 | 0.260 | 3.86 | 3.87 | 1.56 | 0.360 | 43.3% | 31.8% | 1.36 | 0.412 | 0.277 | $6,900 | $6,000 | $4,750 |
| Aaron Nola | PHI | R | A | CIN | 77.2 | 7.88 | 2.20 | 1.27 | 0.249 | 3.59 | 3.58 | 1.20 | 0.289 | 47.6% | 32.4% | 1.47 | 0.359 | 0.270 | $6,600 | $8,100 | $5,750 |
| Mike Leake | STL | R | A | PIT | 192.0 | 5.58 | 2.30 | 1.03 | 0.240 | 3.70 | 3.93 | 1.16 | 0.260 | 51.8% | 26.6% | 1.94 | 0.314 | 0.274 | $6,600 | $7,200 | $5,800 |
| Kyle Gibson | MIN | R | A | BAL | 194.2 | 6.70 | 3.01 | 0.83 | 0.248 | 3.84 | 3.95 | 1.29 | 0.287 | 53.4% | 26.8% | 1.99 | 0.309 | 0.299 | $6,500 | $6,500 | $5,800 |
| Brandon Finnegan | CIN | L | H | PHI | 48.0 | 8.44 | 3.94 | 1.50 | 0.211 | 3.56 | 3.77 | 1.21 | 0.238 | 54.3% | 29.1% | 1.86 | 0.335 | 0.303 | $6,100 | $6,300 | $5,150 |
| Bud Norris | ATL | R | H | WAS | 83.0 | 7.70 | 3.36 | 1.63 | 0.292 | 6.72 | 4.29 | 1.58 | 0.332 | 43.4% | 33.7% | 1.29 | 0.385 | 0.379 | $5,900 | $7,800 | $5,150 |
Stephen Strasburg, WAS – If you’re looking to pay up for pitching, then look no further. The Braves lineup is weak and Strasburg is itching to go out there and prove to the world that he is, in fact, one of the more dominant creatures out there. His overall spring numbers are good, not great, but the 19 strikeouts over 14 innings should be a good indicator of what’s to come today.
Sonny Gray, OAK – A bout with food poisoning has had him, not only scratched through the first two games, but also in the hospital receiving IV fluids. We’ve all been there. We know what it’s all about. We know how it can completely knock you on your ass. But we also know that it’s a quick and easy recovery. His heavy ground ball rate and wOBA splits are strong indicators of what’s to come, so if you’re paying up and want at least a slight discount from Strasburg, Gray is your guy.
Kenta Maeda, LAD – The Padres offense has looked awful through the first two games so that immediately puts Maeda on the map. Add to it his strong spring in which he posted a 2.35 ERA with a 20:5 K/BB over 23 innings and now you’ve got a legit DFS option. The price is solid and should offer you up a strong return for your investment.
Juan Nicasio, PIT – For the cost, he’s definitely worth a look in GPP play today. Many of the pundits have been touting him as Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage’s best work this spring and the expectations are running high. His numbers from last season don’t look very good, so this is more leap of faith than anything. Focus more on the 15 scoreless innings this spring with the 24:5 K:BB.
Brandon Finnegan, CIN – A bit of a dart here if you’re looking at the numbers from 2015, but if you’re looking for strikeouts, then Finnegan is going to be your guy. Of course, it also helps that he’s facing a subpar Phillies team as well, but keep a close watch on him this season as he could prove to be a really nice low-cost option for GPPs, especially on sites that have two pitcher slots.
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