It's a light day for pitching as many of the top arms on the slate have been struggling as of late. Count Matt Harvey, Francisco Liriano, and Michael Wacha in that category. We should continue to see the rebirth of Justin Verlander in a favorable matchup with the Phillies while Jimmy Nelson will test the theory that starting anyone against the Braves is a good idea. Jeff Samardzija draws what is perhaps the top matchup on the slate as he will do battle with the Padres.
In this article, I’ll be providing you with the top starting pitcher streamers for daily fantasy baseball (DFS) and for seasonal leagues for 5/24/16. These streamers will range from high-priced / high-ownership options to low-priced / low-ownership options, and will be sleepers and value picks for your cash games and GPPs on DraftKings and FanDuel, and also for seasonal leagues with daily lineups.
There'll be three main sections of this article: our Pitcher Matchups Tool’s top plays, my value plays, and pitchers to fade. I highly recommend you check out the Daily Pitcher Matchups Ratings tool - it's an extremely useful tool for daily fantasy or seasonal streaming for finding the diamonds in the rough. Anyways, let's get cracking!
Daily Pitcher Matchup Ratings Tool Top Plays
David Price (SP, BOS) vs. Rockies
FanDuel - $10,700 / DraftKings - $8,900
Price has rounded into form as of late with two wins, 17 strikeouts, and just three runs allowed over his last two starts. Bolstered by a Red Sox offense that has been dominant at home and taking on a Rockies lineup that has a 25.0% strikeout rate against lefties, Price is one of the top plays on the board today.
Stephen Strasburg (SP, WAS) vs. Mets
FanDuel - $10,600 / DraftKings - $13,400
Strasburg has been relatively matchup-proof this season. He has struck out less than seven batters just once all year and that came on Opening Day. He just faced this same Mets team in his last start, allowing just one run over six innings while striking out 10 batters.
Matt’s Value Plays of the Day
David Price (SP, BOS) vs. Rockies
FanDuel - $10,700 / DraftKings - $8,900
As mentioned above, there's a lot to like about Price's matchup with the Rockies. His price tag of $8,900 on DraftKings makes him cheaper than Chris Tillman, Jimmy Nelson, and Julio Teheran with more upside than they offer.
Nathan Karns (SP, SEA) vs. Athletics
FanDuel - $8,500 / DraftKings - $8,800
Karns has pitched well for the Mariners this season, boasting a 3.33 ERA and 3.79 SIERA while averaging 9.39 strikeouts per nine innings. He will face an Oakland team that just lost their best lefty bat in Josh Reddick and has been struggling to score runs against right-handed pitching this season.
Starting Pitchers to Fade in Daily Fantasy Baseball
Matt Harvey (SP, NYM) @ Nationals
FanDuel - $7,500 / DraftKings - $7,500
I've been burned by Harvey too many times this year and just can't play him against the Nationals, especially after his disastrous start against them this past Thursday. Even though Washington's season-long stats against right-handers aren't great, Harvey just isn't worth taking a chance on until he proves he's regained his 2015 form.
Jason Hammel (SP, CHC) @ Cardinals
FanDuel - $9,200 / DraftKings - $8,300
Hammel will be taking on a Cardinals offense that is raking against right-handed pitching this season. Against righties, St. Louis is ranked second in batting average, second in wOBA, and first in ISO (by a lot). Hammel can be useful in the right matchups, but picking on the St. Louis lineup with pitching is playing with fire.
Francisco Liriano (SP, PIT) vs. Diamondbacks
FanDuel - $9,500 / DraftKings - $8,500
Well, there's not much to like about this matchup. Liriano has struggled mightily since straining his hamstring in April and the Diamondbacks are a top-five offense when facing left-handers. The only positive is that this game is being played in pitcher-friendly PNC Park and not in Arizona.
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