When determining which way to go with my daily fantasy baseball lineups, there are a couple of things that I look at before even both deciding which players to roll with in my lineups.
First things first, I always check the Vegas odds, specifically the over/under. One thing to keep in mind is that Vegas line are made with the intention of getting the public to bet both sides. An over/under of 8.5 is meant to entice as many people who think there will be 7 or 8 total runs as opposed to 9 or 10. With that said, the higher the over/under, the better the chances of a successful DFS lineup selection. It’s a fairly basic concept, but failing to employ it is a quick way to deplete bankrolls.
Secondly, the probable pitchers and the ballparks are factors in every decision that is made. It’s obvious that playing Troy Tulowitzki in AT&T Park against Madison Bumgarner isn’t an ideal situation. It’s not a linear process though. It’s not a mindset of “never start players facing Pitcher A, B or C.” Clayton Kershaw’s career ERA at Coors Field is over 5.00; same goes for Justin Verlander’s ERA at Yankee Stadium over the last four years. This provides a value opportunity because some DFS players might shy away from big name pitchers.
With all this said, here my value plays for Draftstreet as well as which pitchers are favourable for today. There will be a lineup at the end of the article. As is always the case, be sure to check BaseballPress.com for up-to-the-minute lineup information and always double-check the weather.
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These lineups are made with 50/50 and heads-up games in mind.
San Diego Padres (Stults) at Cleveland Indians (McAllister) – Game 1
These two teams are playing a double-header today as a make-up for the rainout earlier this week.
This game gets a very early start to try and fit the games in and I’m not sure how the players will react to a game at noon.
Eric Stults is a lefty that is exceedingly tough on lefties but gets mashed by righties. I’m going to go a different direction away from Stults but will look at a couple of their cheap hitter options.
Jedd Gyorko (2B) – $4796
McAllister would make an interesting name for today because the Padres aren’t a very good hitting team from top to bottom. I think his price is a little high from where I’m comfortable taking him though. I would rather just look at a couple right-handed batters.
Asdrubal Cabrera (SS) – $6309
