5 Fantasy Baseball Pitchers Who Will Help You Win Your Daily Leagues on Aug. 11
Yesterday was one of those days where paying the premium for an ace was worth the investment as Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Cueto had dominant performances. Phil Hughes was also an excellent value play against the always-dangerous Oakland A's. However, that was yesterday, so let's take a look at who the best SP options are for today.
(Prices are based off FanDuel salary-cap leagues)
5. Bud Norris - Baltimore Orioles ($7100)
5. Bud Norris - Baltimore Orioles ($7100)
The stars seem to be lining up nicely for Norris tonight. Over the past 30 days, he has a 2-1 record with a 2.63 ERA and a K/9 rate of nine. The only issue he's had in that span is with his cringe-worthy 1.54 WHIP. Luckily, the New York Yankees are his opponent tonight and their hot streak has cooled off considerably. Meanwhile, the Baltimore bats have been the MLB's best over the past week. This makes Norris a pretty safe option tonight.
4. Jake Arrieta - Chicago Cubs ($7400)
4. Jake Arrieta - Chicago Cubs ($7400)
Arrieta has stumbled a bit lately, but most of that stumbling took place at Coors Field where pitchers go to watch their ERAs take a beating. Due to that bad start, his ERA is 5.47 over the past month. However, his FIP is a 2.56 with an 8.76 K/9 rate and a swinging strike rate of 11.9. Therefore, it shows that he simply had a bad outing and, even though the Milwaukee Brewers are above average on the road, he will return back to good form tonight.
3. Sonny Gray - Oakland Athletics ($9000)
3. Sonny Gray - Oakland Athletics ($9000)
This may not seem like a good matchup for Gray as the Kansas City Royals have been a top-five hitting team over the past week. However, he is actually a better pitcher on the road as proven by his 5-1 record and 2.37 ERA while allowing a .201 batting average. Additionally, the Royals are batting .111 against Gray this season. I feel that he will extinguish their hot bats and the Oakland hitters will provide ample run support to get him the win.
2. Julio Teheran - Atlanta Braves ($8800)
2. Julio Teheran - Atlanta Braves ($8800)
Teheran has dealt with some struggles lately. Over the last 30 days, he's gone 2-2 with an ERA of 4.24 and a HR/9 rate of 1.59. Those numbers are nothing to be proud of, but he also has an excellent K/9 rate of 9.53 and his SIERA (an ERA that only factors the pitcher's skill) is actually a 3.09. Therefore, he's simply had issues with pitch location and will be back on track tonight. It also helps that the awful Kevin Correia is the opposing SP.
1. Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners ($11,300)
1. Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners ($11,300)
King Felix enters today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays with an amazing 1.24 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 9.93 K/9 rate. Even though the contest won't be a cake walk because Toronto is an above average team against right-handed pitchers on the road. Additionally, over the last week, they're ranked 10th in team wOBA. Seattle has been ranked fifth in that same span and should be good for a few runs to earn Hernandez the win after a strong outing.
Roje Smith is a Fantasy Sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RoKnowsDFS, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google