Jason Mezrahi By Vincent Pensabene
We had all 30 teams play on Friday May 17. I will go into detail on some players that did well and some that underperformed. Points and salaries are based on DraftKings.
Winners
Frankie Montas ($8,800)
It would be difficult to ignore what Montas did for the Athletics last night in Detroit against the Tigers. He had a career night with all-time personal highs in innings (8.2) and strikeouts (10). He didn’t give up a single walk throughout the game and has only allowed one walk this month. He was an out short from a complete game to give additional value to the pick, but he looks like he is locked in throughout May with his third consecutive quality start.
Montas’ Outlook
Frankie Montas will face the Cleveland Indians in his next start. Montas pitched against the Tribe in his previous start and went six strong innings and gave up two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and a free pass. The Indians have lost two of their last three games against the White Sox and Orioles, so expect Montas to have another good start.
Kris Bryant ($5,100)
When he traveled to Washington and faced off against a struggling Nationals team, Bryant took advantage of a weak bullpen. Bryant homered in each of the final three innings and finished the game 4-for-6 with three home runs and a single. He also had five total RBIs and scored three times. Add those up and you get 49 fantasy points. He’s keeping his name in the MVP hunt and attempting to keep up with Christian Yelich’s monster start, and Friday night was definitely a step in the right direction.
Bryant’s Outlook
Bryant now has 14 hits in his past five games and is getting on base almost half the time (.493) in the month of May. He gets fantasy points and looks locked in at the plate. The Chicago Cubs have two more games against the Washington Nationals and Stephen Strasburg doesn’t look intimidating.
Losers
Ivan Nova ($6,200)
Ivan Nova has been off his game this season and last night was more of the same. He lasted only three innings and gave up nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits. He had trouble finding the plate at times with four walks and only one strikeout against the Blue Jays.
Nova’s Outlook
By no means should you give Nova the pick until he proves himself worthy. His ERA is now up to 7.42. Coming off two quality starts, Nova looked like a decent choice on last night’s slate, but a team that struggles behind him and seven walks in his past nine innings makes him a hard pass for me. He next faces the Houston Astros, who are riding a nine-game win streak, so stay away from Ivan Nova at all costs next time through the rotation.
Jacob deGrom ($11,400)
This was a matchup any DFS player would have jumped at, facing the lowly Miami Marlins, but deGrom did not look like the reigning Cy Young Award winner or even a marginal starter. He pitched five innings and gave up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and only had three strikeouts. It’s very difficult to get your money’s worth when picking the most expensive player on the slate and he fizzles. The history was on his side, though, as in 2019 he had dominated the Marlins in his first two starts against them, only giving up one run in 14 innings with 22 punchouts.
deGrom’s Outlook
This is not the outing anyone could have anticipated for deGrom. In his last seven games, he is 1-5 with a 5.31 ERA in 39 innings. To expect him to have the historic numbers he had last season would be asking a lot, but he looks like a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher on a bad baseball team. His next start will be in Citi Field against the rival Washington Nationals, who are also struggling this season. deGrom has faced the Nats once this season and threw six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. Expect him to have a bounce-back effort for the Mets.
