Washington Nationals at New York Mets
Stephen Strasburg is probably one of the top pitching plays of the day. Drawing the Mets in New York for Opening Day is about as easy an assignment as it gets (sorry, Mets fans). David Wright has pretty much been owned by Strasburg and we’ll see if Curtis Granderson fares any better. DFS owners willing to pay the price will probably be pretty happy with Strasburg’s day, though he’ll likely have a high ownership rate.
Stephen Strasburg (SP) – $22,771
Bryce Harper (OF) – $8018
Dillon Gee is the starter for the Mets and actually did pretty well against the Nationals with a 2.72 ERA in six starts against them last year. The one player that did pretty well against Gee was Bryce Harper, going 3-for-8 with a walk, a home run, and no strikeouts. DFSers looking for a cheap SP in GPPs could take a look at Gee, even though a win seems unlikely.
Dillon Gee (SP) $16,226
Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers
It should probably go without saying, but almost no pitcher should get started in Arlington, even if that starter is Cliff Lee. With this being an Interleague game, there’s not much to go with as far as previous history is concerned. The main takeaway here is Lee is not to be started, but Phillies players aren’t terrible options. As a sneaky GPP play, I don’t mind an Utley/Howard combo today. They’re relatively cheap and it’s as healthy as they’re both going to be all season.
Chase Utley (2B) – $7439
Ryan Howard (1B) – $6223
Tanner Scheppers will be the starter for Texas and the 27-year-old righty has one start in his last three years of professional baseball. He had excellent numbers last year, but again, in 109 big league innings, he has yet to make a start. I don’t think he goes deep and once teams get into that Rangers bullpen, it could be a problem. The Rangers are potent, but I do fear Cliff Lee. For that reason, I would stay away most Rangers hitters.
