There are only five games tonight so there aren’t many pitching options from which to choose and there will be a lot of people using the same guys. Many people will likely lean on Stephen Strasburg, and possibly even Garrett Richards, the two most expensive options.
Strasburg is a very strong play, even at his $20+K price, facing a struggling Reds offense. It’s the guys you put around him that will make the difference. Let’s take a look at a few guys that can give you good bang for your buck in a very small slate.
Jason Vargas vs. CHW ($13,630): Vargas has posted more than 13 fantasy points in back-to-back starts. Granted, one was against a terrible Mariners team, but the last start was against an incredibly dangerous Rockies squad as he gave up just two runs and five hits over 6.2 innings while striking out eight and walking just one. Vargas didn’t allow a run against the White Sox last season and, with Jose Abreu landing on the DL, their lineup doesn’t look as dangerous.
Mike Leake vs. WAS ($14,455): Leake has gone at least seven innings in his last five starts and has allowed just five runs over his last 23 innings. He doesn’t strike out too many guys, averaging 4-5 over this stretch, but he does get to face a team averaging under three runs per game over their last 14.
Wily Peralta vs. ATL ($16,484): Peralta has gotten to the seventh inning in six of his last seven starts and has only given up more than two runs just once this season (three runs allowed to the Cubs in April). He’s only averaging 5.2 strikeouts per game over his last five games but he’s facing a team that has scored the fewest runs in the league and ranks sixth in most strikeouts. Last season, Peralta didn’t give up a single run to a similar-looking but much better performing Braves team.
