Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: Best MLB Pitcher Stats, Picks for May 14
Welcome to the Thursday edition of DraftKings MLB daily advice. Thursday may be scant in terms of matchups, but there is no shortage of quality pitchers to pick apart with impressive stats already this season.
Many of the pitchers found below will be facing each other, so not every hurler is going to come away with a win. However, with the numbers that they have put up already, a victory might not be necessary for daily owners to come away happy with their performance.
Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds ($10,100)
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Phew, that's a hefty price tag. But honestly, with the options available, Cueto is worthy of this salary after putting up an average of over 22 fantasy points per game. No other arm on Thursday averages over 17 fantasy points.
His WAR may be at an alarming 0.9, per ESPN.com, but Cueto's 47-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 7.1 innings pitched per game make him a perfect option for fantasy owners. Tack on the fact that he's facing a San Francisco Giants team that he's stifled regularly in the past, and Cueto is a must-start despite the price.
Tyson Ross, San Diego Padres ($9,200)
Don't look at the record. As a matter of fact, don't look at the ERA that Tyson Ross currently boasts. At 1-3 with a 3.98 ERA, Ross might not look like an elite fantasy starter. But in terms of his numbers that actually matter, Ross is certainly worthy of the over $9,000 tag.
His 10.6 strikeouts-per-nine ratio along with his 3.53 FIP, via Baseball-Reference, make him much more enticing. Then consider the fact that he's only earned one win due to limited run support and still averages nearly 17 fantasy points per start. Suffice to say, Ross is a solid option as a No. 1 at home.
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants ($7,700)
The Freak is back. We could just leave it at that, but here's a little bit of evidence, courtesy of Peter Gammons of MLB Network:
That's 14 innings pitched, six hits allowed, no earned runs, no runs, four walks and 12 strikeouts. Let's just say those are staggering numbers and good enough for over 27.5 DraftKings fantasy points in the last two games.
In six starts, Lincecum has over 20 fantasy points in four of them. With those numbers and facing a Cincinnati Reds lineup that has scored an average of just three runs over the last five games, Lincecum is a smart start at his salary.
Roenis Elias, Seattle Mariners ($7,100)
Speaking of underperforming offenses, Roenis Elias faces one on Thursday. The Boston Red Sox, featuring such bats as Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez, have scored an average of just 2.7 runs per game over the last 10 games. They've also gone 4-6 in that stretch.
Now they face a pitcher who has dealt with some tough luck so far this season. Elias has yet to allow over three earned runs in a start in 2015, but he's still stuck with a 0-1 record. But with seven innings pitched in his last outing and his comfort level growing on the mound, look for Elias to stifle Boston's bats.
Chase Whitley, New York Yankees ($5,700)
His last outing hurt his fantasy stock, but Chase Whitley is still putting together a strong start thus far. The second-year player was thrust into a full-time starting role and allowed just one earned run over his first two starts. His last start didn't go so well, allowing five over 5.2 innings.
Whitley now faces a familiar opponent in the Tampa Bay Rays, who he held to one run earlier this year. Going up against Erasmo Ramirez—who holds a staggering 8.38 ERA—Whitley should come away with a win and solid numbers against Tampa Bay. That's solid value for a player under $6,000.
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