Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Strategy, Primer for June 12
Welcome back to the Friday fantasy lounge. A full slate of series kick off on Friday night, which means there will be several stars looking to get the upper hand before the weekend.
DraftKings owners have been watching all week to figure out exactly which players to target for another massive schedule. Here's a look at the top players to slot in your lineup as you lock things up for Friday night.
First Baseman: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks ($4,700)
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That Paul Goldschmidt guy is pretty good. For those who didn't already believe, let his 4-for-5 performance with a double, homer, two runs and two RBI on Wednesday serve as proof. Then consider the fact that he's hitting .349/.469/.665 with 17 total home runs this season.
Yeah, he's raking.
What that equates to is an average of 11.8 fantasy points per game. Yet somehow his price has dropped drastically—by $1,200 since Tuesday!—and he's not even in the top five in salary for first basemen. With two homers in his career against Madison Bumgarner, don't worry about slotting Goldy in your lineup.
Second Baseman: Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants ($4,200)
When Joe Panik slows down, I'll stop putting him on my lists. Considering the fact that he's still crushing every—and I mean every—pitcher he faces, Panik is still a no-brainer at second base.
Riding a 15-game hitting streak, Panik has seven multihit games over his last 10 starts. He's also found a power surge with three homers over that stretch, including a recent one off Matt Harvey. While his price has skyrocketed by $1,000 since Wednesday, he's still the best option for any lineup.
Third Baseman: Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners ($4,400)
Kyle Seager went cold for the first time in three games on Thursday. However, he's still a prime candidate for a great value on Friday night not just because of the 26-fantasy-point night he had earlier this week, but also thanks to his matchup.
Brett Oberholtzer is a young left-handed pitcher who has allowed six total runs in his last nine innings pitched. Seager may be a lefty, but he's hitting .327 with four homers and 13 RBI in 52 at-bats against lefties. Even on a Seattle Mariners team that is struggling to get anything going, Seager is a can't-miss player at his price.
Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Atlanta Braves ($3,600)
Keeping with the theme of outstanding matchups, we bring you Andrelton Simmons.
Not typically known for his offensive prowess, Simmons currently has a .319 on-base percentage and 27 RBI. Those aren't bad stats, but they're not exactly "prime target" at shortstop stats.
How about these numbers: 8-for-15 with .533 OBP, .800 slugging, three extra-base hits and four RBI. That's precisely what he's done against Bartolo Colon in his career. With Colon toeing the rubber for the New York Mets Friday, Simmons is a quality start at shortstop.
Outfielder: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies ($4,800)
He's not exactly an outstanding value pick, but Carlos Gonzalez can be slotted as a No. 1 outfielder at less than $5,000. As far as outfielders go, that's a bargain on DraftKings.
Let's also take into account that Gonzalez will be taking on 23-year-old Jose Urena. Not only has he allowed three or more earned runs in three of his five starts this season, but he's also a right-handed pitcher. CarGo has teed off on righties with an .812 OPS, 17 RBI and all six of his homers in 2015.
It's not a career year for Gonzalez, but he's due for another massive outing. Coming off double-digit points in six of his last eight games, expect similar results from CarGo on Friday in Miami.
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