How loaded are today’s SP rankings? We have one of last year’s Cy Young winners at No. 12 and a guy who had a 16-K game this year at No. 14. If you really want, you can still go cheap and play matchups with someone like Juan Nicasio against the Braves or go for a boom-or-bust option like Carlos Rodon against the strikeout-prone Astros. But you don’t really need to do that today with so many upper-tier hurlers, so it’s going to come down to finding a great one, not merely a good one.
MORE FANTASY: Prospect rankings | Waiver wire | Play FanDuel
Let’s take a look at the full starting pitcher rankings and picks. As usual, we’ll also have daily fantasy baseball hitter picks and the DFS Playbook from Fantasy Alarm to help you find the best values on FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck!
Daily fantasy baseball picks
Splurge: Clayton Kershaw, LAD vs. LAA. Here’s the thing: You can get Max Scherzer for $2,500 less on FanDuel and $1,000 on DraftKings or Noah Syndergaard for $2,300 less on FD and $2,300 less on DK. So, why not do that, right? Because Kershaw is the most automatic. He’ll run into a rocky start eventually, but it seems unlikely to happen tonight. Don’t overthink it. And if you’re having trouble coming up with bargain bats to offset Kershaw’s high price, check out today’s hitter picks. If you want to see what kind of FD lineup you can put together with Scherzer as your pitcher, check out today’s optimal lineup.
Sell: Zack Greinke, ARI vs. NYY. We’re still waiting for Greinke’s first truly dominant performance in a Diamondbacks’ uniform, and while the Yankees aren’t exactly a scary offense, they can still put up runs on any given night and don’t strike out much. At $9,800 on FD (sixth highest priced), Greinke is an unnecessary risk with so many good pitchers going today. He’s much more enticing on DK, where he’s only $8,300 (14th).
MORE DFS: Hitter picks | Optimal lineup | MLB Playbook | Playbook PRO
Save: Juan Nicasio, PIT vs. ATL. If you’re going to take a chance on one of the “non aces”, you need someone with big strikeout upside. Vincent Velasquez, Carlos Rodon, and Michael Pineda also fit that bill, but Nicasio has the best matchup and chance at a win. Nicasio will cost you $8,400 on FD, which is actually more expensive than Dallas Keuchel and Marcus Stroman, but he ultimately has more upside. He’s just $7,300 on DK.
Editor’s note: Play one-day fantasy baseball leagues for real money at FanDuel! Claim your free entry and deposit bonus here.
Daily fantasy baseball rankings
Turn mobile device horizontally for best viewing experience.
