Devan's Top FD Pitchers 8/5
- devanrjackson
- Aug 5, 2021
- 3 min read
Man, Giolitto had himself a stinker yesterday. On the flip side, the other pitchers mentioned in the article had some big days but not big enough. But in DFS, he keep the past in the past and keep trucking forward. With that being said, here are my top pitchers from this smaller 6 game slate.
#3 Framber Valdez $9700 - Over the last 30 days, the Houston lefty has gone 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA, 26.1 IP, and 25 Ks. As the most expensive pitcher on the slate, Valdez’s value rating is 2.75 (to put this in perspective, my highest projected value rating for any pitcher today is 4.32). Usually I would shy away from plays with such low value ratings, but on a six game slate with below average pitching, raw points matter. According to my projections, Valdez grades out to get the third most fantasy points among pitchers. The upside to Valdez is that although his K rate is only 20.2%, he pitches deep into games if he stays out of trouble. However, the Twins are always a scary matchup. If Valdez is able to quiet the Twins bats and pitches deep, he should be able to pay off his price tag.
#2 Sonny Gray $9300 - It’s been anything but sunny for Sonny Gray lately. Over the last 30 days, Gray is 2-2 with an abysmal 6.86 ERA, 21 IP, and 21 Ks. Not very good. But neither are the Pittsburgh Pirates. Even with his uptick in runs allowed over the last month, Gray is in a prime spot to right the ship going up against the Pirates, who have been the second worst team in total offense over the last 30 days. The upside for Gray is his 29% K rate on the season. I love targeting pitchers with above average K rates against slumping offenses, so sign up up for some Sonny Gray.
#1 Touki Toussaint $8500 - Toussaint projects to have the most FD points for all pitchers according to my model. He only has 3 starts this year, but he has shown that he has the stuff to be a dominant force. The Cardinals haven’t been able to string anything together all year, and I don’t expect today to be any different. While I like the matchup, it isn’t the sole reason Toussaint is my top pitcher. In his first two starts of the year, Toussaint combined for 13.2 IPs while only allowing 2 ERs and striking out 15 batters. These are some elite numbers. However, there’s a slight worry with Toussaint due him giving up 7 ERs in 3.1 IP against the Brewers in his last start. Regardless, Toussaint grades out to be the best pitcher on the slate.
Sleeper Pick:
Nestor Cortes $5500 - Man, these Yankees pitchers are playing better than you’d expect with how their season is going. Cortes is in the same boat as Toussaint: they both only have 3 starts this season. In those 3 starts, he has a 1.36 ERA, a 0.69 WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched), 13 IP, and 11 Ks. Cortes also grades out as with the top value rating among pitchers at 4.32. Now on the surface these star should make Cortes the top play, right? Well, here’s the thing: in those three starts, Cortes has gone 3.1 IP, 4.2 IP, & 5 IP. On FanDuel, it’s important to prioritize pitchers that can get you that quality start bonus after 6 IP. But he’s only $5500 on a six game slate with no clear cut standout arm. Cortes is the risky play in GPPs that could win you a tournament if his workload gets extended past 5 innings.
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