Tonight’s pitching slate offers a wide range of pitching options of varying skill levels and value. However, not only is value relative, it’s also specific to the contest you choose to play in this evening. So, let’s hit tonight’s starting pitcher board with our Relative Position Value Per Dollar (RPVPD) to separate the contenders from the pretenders and then assign them to their most effective contests this evening on DraftKings.

Player

FPPG

Raw RPV

 Salary

Pts per $

RPV Per Dollar

Kevin Gausman

15.2

0.067

 $   5,900

$388

0.351

Jeremy Hellickson

15.1

0.060

 $   6,900

$457

0.236

Ian Kennedy

15.6

0.095

 $   7,300

$468

0.217

Chris Sale

24

0.684

 $ 11,500

$479

0.199

Drew Smyly

15.9

0.116

 $   7,700

$484

0.190

Collin McHugh

13.1

-0.081

 $   6,400

$489

0.183

Tyler Duffey

12.2

-0.144

 $   6,000

$492

0.177

Hector Santiago

10.5

-0.263

 $   5,200

$495

0.172

Noah Syndergaard

23.5

0.649

 $ 11,700

$498

0.167

Steven Wright

22

0.544

 $ 11,100

$505

0.156

Nathan Karns

15.5

0.088

 $   8,000

$516

0.137

Marco Estrada

20.4

0.432

 $ 10,900

$534

0.106

Corey Kluber

21.4

0.502

 $ 13,100

$612

-0.024

Jeff Locke

8.7

-0.389

 $   5,600

$644

-0.077

Sonny Gray

11

-0.228

 $   7,100

$645

-0.080

Derek Holland

9.7

-0.319

 $   6,300

$649

-0.086

Mike Pelfrey

6.9

-0.516

 $   4,700

$681

-0.139

Adam Wainwright

10.7

-0.249

 $   8,300

$776

-0.297

Anthony DeSclafani

8.3

-0.418

 $   8,100

$976

-0.632

Bud Norris

5.3

-0.628

 $   6,200

$1,170

-0.956

THE CASH MAN:

Chris Sale has been one of the most effective pitchers in baseball this year ironically by cutting back a bit on his strikeouts. Sale’s become incredibly efficient this year and is top six in innings pitched. Three of his last four starts have been a bit uncharacteristic, one of which was against the Tigers. Well, tonight he’ll exact his revenge against Detroit and Mike Pelfrey on the other side of the matchup should certainly aid his cause. Sale is the most cost effective of the $10+K pitchers with Corey Kluber being the least. His recent struggles may actually slightly depress his ownership, which is a good thing. Chris Sale is money, and is your cash game stud of the night.

THE CONTRARIAN:

The Red Sox are the best offense in baseball. They’re also the best home offense in baseball. That doesn’t shine a favorable light on Orioles hurler Kevin Gausman in Boston. To make matters worse, Gausman gave up five ER in his last start against the Red Sox. However, he did strike out eight batters and managed to reach his 15.3 average point range despite his rough outing. The Red Sox can’t win them all (at least I think), but Gausman is the most cost efficient pitcher available. For his salary, he can still contribute enough potential production to justify his ownership. As a secondary tournament play, a big game from Gausman could be a game changer. His price is so low, a bad performance may not even tank your night in 50/50’s.

THE TOURNAMENT PLAY:

No one could have foretold the evolution of Marco Estrada into useful fantasy asset over the last year and a half. His RPVPD is +11% ad he’s facing National League team in the Phillies on the road. The Phils’ offense is 29th in runs scored in their home park and Estrada should have no trouble keeping the in check. Estrada is the cheapest of the double digit priced starters, and should be a strong floor in tournaments. He’ll save you a few hundred bucks compared to the other high end arms and every dollar counts in tournament contests.

THE HIDDEN GEM

It’s no secret Sonny Gray earned his exile from the DFS world last month. However, his last two starts since returning to the A’s he’s averaged 16.7 points which is well above his current 11 point average. There’s still a heavy cloud hovering over Gray based on his rocky start to the year. His ownership will still be low and the matchup against the Texas Rangers. But don’t forget he finished last year as a 1A stud pitcher and he’s at home in Oakland not Arlington. He’s still that guy. Recognize that tonight, because a few more good starts and everyone else will be back on board as well.

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.