Daily Fantasy MLB Pitchers for FanDuel and DraftKings - 9/18/17

Here's where you can find some recommendations for tournament pitchers target for FanDuel and DraftKings. Find our main set of cash game picks here.

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Dan Straily FD 6900 DK 7500
Opponent - NYM (Harvey) Park - @MIA
FD - 32.46 DK - 21.39

Ugh. It's a short slate, and we really can't see going anywhere other than Kershaw or Patrick Corbin at SP1, so we're going for value guys here, and -- fair warning -- there's just not much to like. Straily has been pretty serviceable for parts of 2017, unfortunately none of those parts have come lately. This probably oversimplifies things, but the pre- and post-All Star break numbers illustrate what I'm talking about. First half: 3.31 ERA, .283 wOBA allowed. Second half: 5.74 ERA, .389 wOBA. I know, it's gross. But there's warts on everybody taking the mound tonight, so we're going to have to go to war with somebody we're not 100 percent comfortable with. And while Straily's recent struggles are problematic, the park/matchup combo is just about as good as you're going to find tonight. Straily relies heavily on fly ball outs, and Marlins Park plays well for that kind of pitcher, ranking second only to AT&T in San Fran for home run suppression. Also, let's not forget the Mets. They're rolling out a Quad-A crew these days, and the expected starters have a .308 wOBA .156 ISO vs. RHP this season. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not all that confident in Straily, and I'd recommend spreading out your SP2 exposure tonight. But among a bunch of lackluster options, he looks the least bad.

Jameson Taillon FD 6500 DK 7100
Opponent - MIL (Suter) Park - @PIT
FD - 26.57 DK - 17.69

Taillon's been a tough guy to figure out all year, but the underlying stats say he's been better than you might guess just by looking at that 4.78 ERA. Last week's loss against the Cubs, in which he surrendered 11 hits and six runs in 4.2 IP is a good example, because it was a .524 BABIP that really burned him. BABIP hasn't been the sole culprit for an ERA that's more than a run higher than his 3.48 FIP this season, but it's definitely a factor. He's giving up a .363 mark on the year, and while simple BABIP analysis is rarely enough to tell us the full story, this one looks like it really is the product of bad luck. Taking a look at Statcast data, which measures exit velocity, trajectory, etc., we see that his batting average allowed (.299) should be more than 50 points lower (.246). Of course, he's had spells where he's gotten loose with command, too, and he's got nobody to blame but himself there. The elevated walk rate vs. L (4.75 BB/9) concerns us, because the Brewers have some guys who will work the count (not to mention some thumpers who can make you pay for mistakes). But on a slate that offers this little, the risk that accompanies Taillon is an acceptable one, especially against a lineup that features plenty of K potential.

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