Top Tier
Kevin Gausman vs. STL - It was an incredible first half from the Giants ace pitching to a 1.73 ERA while striking out over 30% of opponents faced. He squares up with a Cardinals offense that, over the last 30 days, ranks 29th in OPS and wOBA. Gausman actually just faced this Cardinals team and allowed just two runs over seven innings while striking out eight. He’s the top priced pitcher on DK for a reason and deserves the recognition. He’s an elite option on this slate.
Robbie Ray vs. TEX - It’s been apparent all year long that Texas’ lefty ladened lineup would be better suited against right-handed pitching. They’re 21st in OPS, 23rd in wOBA and 20th in wRC+ against left-handed pitching. Insert Robbie Ray. Ray finished the first half in dominant fashion, throwing seven scoreless innings while punching out 11. Ray had a great finish to his first half, posting four straight quality starts and striking out 10+ in two of his final three starts. Ray could very well finish the top scoring pitcher of the slate.
Mid Tier
Charlie Morton vs. TB - Five starts ago, on June 17th, is when things really started to skyrocket for Morton. He has been NAILS since that start, pitching to a 1.91 ERA, notching a 31% K-rate, and holding his opponents to a .145 BAA. Tampa Bay, his old stomping grounds, has been a pretty solid offensive over the past month, but they strike out a LOT, posting a 27.7% clip over that same month span. Morton, at this price point, is a fantastic option in tournaments.
Chris Bassitt vs. CLE - One of Oakland’s All-Star game representatives, Bassitt was great in the first half. His opponent, the Cleveland Indians, were not great in the first half. They were 16th in OPS and 17th in wOBA against right-handed pitching before the break. Bassitt has a career-high 24.5% K-rate and a career-low six-percent walk rate as well. He has also limited his opponents to an outstanding 27.9% hard-hit rate. He’s been elite and the Indians offense could very well be stymied here. One of my favorite plays of the slate for both cash and tournaments.
ADDED Eduardo Rodríguez vs. NYY - So no Aaron Judge and Gio Urshela are out due to COVID-19 protocols and Luke Voit has been placed on the IL for the third time this year. The Yankees are batting Rougned Odor third. What more do we need to say? This is a lineup you can attack and outside a blip against the Angels, Rodriguez has looked better on the mound, posting three consecutive quality starts and notching 16.1 or more DKP in each outing. Rodriguez has been missing a lot of bats recently, striking out five or more batters in seven straight.
Value Tier
ADDED Julio Urías vs. COL - While you can probably make a case that Urias could be a mid-tier option, the value we're getting on this price point is very solid. Yeah he's pitching in Coors Field, so what? The Rockies offense? THEY SUCK! Suckity suck, suck suck. Even when factoring the favorable Coors bump, they're 17th in the league in OPS. What's impressive about that? Nothing. What IS impressive was Urias heading into the All-Star break, notching three dominant starts in a row. Twice he struck out at least nine and put up 28+ DKP and in all three allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Danny Duffy vs. BAL - With his last start before the All-Star break spanning 77 pitches, Duffy’s pitch limit should be all but gone here and if it’s not, it could possibly touch 90, which is more than enough at this price and in this match-up. Baltimore has struggled mightily in July, notching the 26th best OPS and wOBA across baseball. Yikes. They’ve also struck out over 26% of the time in July. Double yikes. Duffy’s career-best 26.1% K-rate really plays here. Elite option.