When determining which way to go with my daily lineups, there are a couple of things that I look at before even both deciding which players to roll with.
First thing’s first, I always check the Vegas odds, specifically the over/under. One thing to keep in mind is that Vegas lines 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 favorable 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.
*** First time DFS player? Click here for our free first-time $500 Freeroll!***
These lineups are made with double-ups in mind.
Washington Nationals (Treinen) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Volquez)
Pitching options tonight are thin and Blake Treinen is fairly cheap. He’s a two-pitch pitcher with good fastball command. That means I wouldn’t expect him to go deep, but he is pretty cheap and if he can keep his WHIP low, that’ll help his value. I’ll be using him in both GPP and cash game lineups. Also, it could be a very good night for Nats hitters against Volquez, they aren’t a bad GPP target either.
Blake Treinen (SP) – $11,171
Denard Span (OF) – $5488
Volquez has given up 20 earned runs and eight home runs in his last four starts. Pass. Also, other than last night, the Pirates hadn’t really been putting a lot of runs on the board. I’ll stick with the first baseman but avoid the rest.
Ike Davis (1B) – $5215
