Welcome to my first article for Win Daily DFS. My name is Adam and I go by “A Through Z” around the DFS industry. I am a Top 200 ranked DFS player in the world and I was ranked in the Top 60 for MLB DFS last season. I will be highlighting one of my top plays at each position for the slate today and then providing a Monkey Knife Fight prop pick.
Catcher
Wilson Contreras, CHC @ SEA
While you will have to pay a pretty penny for Contreras, his upside is nearly unmatched at the catcher position, especially on DraftKings, where we cannot substitute a catcher for a first baseman. Wilson has seven homers and 17 RBIs already in this young season, and although he will get a park downgrade as the Cubs head to Seattle, the quadruple digit OPS and matchup against low strikeout pitcher Felix Hernandez set up well for Contreras.
First Base
Justin Bour, TOR @ LAA
The Angels have been a team that I have targeted quite a bit over the last week or so and they have treated me pretty well. I rostered Bour on Sunday when he launched a nice home run and hit 18 DK fantasy points. His OBP so far this season has been pretty lackluster, but this is built into his more than reasonable price tag across the main sites for today. The main reason I like Bour is the matchup, and this will not be the last Angel that you see me write up today as they take on the clay pigeon, Clay Buckholz, and his sub 20% strikeout rate. The Angels also strike out at the lowest rate as a team out of every team on this entire slate.
Second Base
Leury Garcia, BAL @ CWS
Garcia is a hitter that is making his living getting on base with ground balls or line drives, but he does not leave the park much. While his odds of hitting a long ball would increase if this game were played in Camden Yards, a matchup with Andrew Cashner certainly does not hurt. Cashner sports a 34.5% hard contact rate and his ERA has ballooned to over five, so we can expect the White Sox to put some runs on the board here. Garcia is always a big part of the action whenever the White Sox have success.
Third Base
Yoan Moncada, BAL @ CWS
Yet another White Sox player in this dream matchup who has nearly a quadruple digit OPS. Moncada has a sky-high average and unlike Garcia, he can actually leave the yard, with six homers so far in 2019. Moncada bats in the heart of the order, which has allowed him to already reach 20 RBI on the season, and we can expect him to tally a few more of those tonight.
Shortstop
Xander Bogaerts, OAK @ BOS
Aaron Brooks is yet another pitcher with a sub 20% strikeout rate. The Sox are striking out at a higher clip this season, but they are still in the middle of the pack in terms of total team strikeout rate on the slate. The Sox enter this game as massive favorites in tiny Fenway Park against a pitcher with a SIERA approaching five. Sign me up.
Outfielders
Dexter Fowler, STL at WAS
Trying to save some salary cap at the loaded outfield position is always tricky, but Fowler can help us get there tonight. Dexter has reached base safely in six straight games and also homered for DFS players on the 22nd. Fowler is a switch hitter that the Cardinals will likely deploy to counter the right hander Anibal Sanchez, who has allowed between two to six runs every single start this season.
Jason Heyward, CHC @ SEA
Continuing the trend of attacking the aging Felix Hernandez, Jason Heyward is a nice mid-upper priced bat to fill out our outfield. Heyward will have the platoon advantage over King Felix, and similar to Fowler, he has also reached base safely in six straight games.
Mike Trout, TOR @ LAA
Surprisingly enough, I do not find myself targeting Mr. Trout very often in DFS. The combination of his enormous salary, pitchers seeming too scared to pitch strikes to him, and the fact that he plays in a brutal ballpark for home run production, generally have me looking elsewhere. Tonight, however, that will not be the case. As is the case on most nights, Mike Trout is the top overall play on the slate, and someone that you should prioritize in your lineups if you have the salary.
Monkey Knife Fight Pick – Mike Trout O 1.5 Bases
My first pick will be Mike Trout over 1.5 bases. The bases statistic is always tricky, as walks do not register towards a base count. As I mentioned, Mike Trout is someone that pitchers are scared to pitch to, and thus he draws a lot of walks. With that said, all Trout needs is a double to cover this prop, and I think we see a two-bagger from him in this matchup. Play DFS Player Prop games now!
