Daily Dime: Jake Arrieta, Coors Field, Mariners look appealing on Monday
You know the drill, we’re offering up ten Daily Fantasy reccos in this space every night. Be sure to double-check lineups and weather before you commit. Please enjoy your April 20 lineup responsibly.
Players to Buy
Jake Arrieta, SP, at Pittsburgh (Burnett), $9200 on Fan Duel: I was all over Arrieta in the preseason, so I certainly like him in this cushy landing spot. The Pirates are third in strikeout rate and 28th in walk rate, and 23rd in weighted runs created. A.J. Burnett is a capable opponent, but at least Arrieta misses one of the true Pittsburgh aces.
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Anthony DeSclafani, SP, at Milwaukee (Peralta), $6900: Let’s take a look at this Milwaukee offense. Carlos Gomez, DL. Ryan Braun, possibly broken. Jonathan Lucroy, two-week slump. What is there to be afraid of? AD has two quality starts under his belt this year, piling up 11 strikeouts against three walks. He’s a solid choice if you like your pitchers on a budget.
Hisashi Iwakuma, SP, vs. Houston (Wojciechowski), $8300: He hasn’t been at optimal sharpness through two starts, but now he’s at home against the biggest group of hackers in the American League. Good work if you can get it. Meanwhile, his offensive teammates are taking dead aim at a bottom-rotation option.
Derek Norris, C, at Colorado (De La Rosa), $2800: This bus is sure to be crowded on Monday, especially with a limited slate, but you can’t ignore the case. Norris is a stud against left-handed pitching (.301/.379/.492, 16 homers and 396 at-bats), and then there’s the Planet Coors factor.
Yangveris Solarte, 3B, at Colorado (De La Rosa), $2800: Here’s one guy you’ll definitely need lineup confirmation on, as he’s a part-timer for the Padres. Nonetheless, he’s off to a tasty .357 start for 2015, hitting a line-drive 23 percent of the time. In some deeper mixed leagues, I picked up some Solarte shares, thinking he could be a simpler NL version of Brock Holt. Versatility, always fun. If you prefer a cheaper San Diego bat, see if Will Middlebrooks or Jeff Gyorko are in Monday’s lineup.
Lineup Stack, Seattle vs. Houston (Wojciechowski): I invite you to Asher Wojciechowski’s minor-league profile, see if anything excites you. What excites me is seeing Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager both under $4000 on the Monday card.
Lineup Stack, Colorado vs. San Diego (Despaigne): I’ll openly admit I enjoy watching Odrisamer Despaigne work at sea level, with his funky motion and junk-ball offerings. He reminds me a little of El Duque, Orlando Hernandez. But I dare the crafty junkballer to get away with it at Coors Field. Seek out the Rockies lineup before game-time locks and get some of them in your lineup. Most of them are “pay up” plays, but you might get a good value on a catcher or Justin Morneau. And maybe it’s worth paying the freight for the Tulos and Cargos and Dickersons, anyway.
Melky Cabrera, OF, vs. Cleveland (Bauer), $2700: It’s been a sluggish start for Chicago’s new outfielder, but he’s still parked in a strong slot and lineup (and just in front of Jose Abreu). Trevor Bauer was strong in his first White Sox start, but I suspect a rematch so soon could be an advantage to the hitters.
Rajai Davis, OF, vs. New York (Sabathia), $3300: He needs lineup confirmation, of course, but the Tigers know Davis is a .304/.359/.449 career slasher against lefties. And it’s not just any lefty he’s facing, it’s in-the-limelight CC Sabathia. At a mere $3300, this is an easy plug and play.
Player to Fade
Neil Walker, 2B, vs. Chicago (Arrieta), $3300: Why go up against the best pitcher on the card if you don’t have to? Walker doesn’t have a ton of experience against Arrieta, but it’s mostly a washout (1-for-12, four strikeouts). I’d be surprised if the Bucs scored more than three runs Monday night.
