Fantasy Baseball RPV Breakdown: July 19

We’re officially rounding second and are heading for third base in this baseball season as we close in on the trade deadline and players start changing jerseys. We already saw Drew Pomeranz turn in his mustard colored Padres hat for a Red Sox cap, which will certainly have an impact on his value. The move to the AL East has destroyed better runs in the past, so we’ll see if Pomeranz can maintain that productivity pitching meaningful games in unfriendly surroundings.

Here are the trends, matchups and information you need to know for Week 16 in the world of DFS.

PLAYER AT PEAK SALARY TO AVOID:

Jake Arrieta CHC ($10.6 K FanDuel/$12.1K Draft Kings)

Jake Arrieta has enjoyed one of the great pitching runs in recent memory over the last two seasons.  However, he’s hit a bit of a rough patch of late, failing to reach the sixth inning on three of his last four starts. Over his last six starts, Arrieta has a disappointing 4.72 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. It’s probably just a bad stretch proving he’s human after all. However, for the price tag he carries, it would be crazy to have him eat up that much of your overall team budget until he shows that he’s back on track.

PITCHER PRICED BELOW VALUE:

Rick Porcello BOS ($8.3 DraftKings)

You can argue that Rick Porcello is the biggest surprise of the 2016 season. Often maligned for his below average strikeout rate and inability to miss bats, Porcello has posted the highest K/9 rate of his career and the lowest H/9 rate as well. He has two favorable matchups at home this week versus the Giants and Twins. At Fenway, Porcello truly shines with a 3.32 home ERA versus a 4.02 mark on the road. The Red Sox incredible offense should put him in great position for two wins this week.

HITTER PRICED BELOW VALUE:

Kole Calhoun LAA ($3.9 FanDuel/$3.2K FanDuel)

Calhoun may not be a sexy name in the fantasy world, but he’s one of the more reliable and consistent players you’ll find. That consistency makes him a desirable foundation builder in a DFS lineup. Calhoun hasn’t homered in the month of July. That trend won’t last forever. Calhoun is still drawing walks, getting hits and scoring runs. When the power comes around he’ll be an immediate difference maker at his current salary. Buy in while you still can.

TARGETING TEAMS:

The Pirates and Nationals played a marathon 18-inning game on Sunday afternoon in the blistering heat. Although both teams had a day off Monday, you can expect the after effects to linger for both teams. A few years ago the Pirates were part of another epic extra-inning battle with the Braves and it actually set them on a downward spiral the rest of that season. Lay low on Nats and Pirates until the weekend. Better safe than sorry.

When you think offense, Tampa and Atlanta don’t jump to mind. However, this week they both travel to Colorado and will see a boost in their value. The prices of Rockies bats will no doubt skyrocket, but don’t ignore those Rays and Braves as discounted alternatives. They have a negative stigma attached to them (deservedly so) which will keep ownership rates low. However, they’ll still be in Colorado this week and when they are they might be an intriguing contrary stack to the obvious Rockies crew.

Here’s a look at tonight’s Relative Position Value per Dollar Lineup (RPVPD) for DraftKings. RPVPD is the Fantasy Black Book’s DFS player evaluation tool. For more Optimal Lineups head to FantasyAalrm.com for the DFS Playbook.

Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17) is the seven-time best-selling author of the Fantasy Black Book Series for baseball and football. He hosts Fantasy Sports Tonight on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and the Dear Mr. Fantasy Podcast.