We asked the Touts to share their picks for best pitcher and best hitter tonight’s Tout Daily Week 8 contest. You can follow the results here tonight. For more about Tout Daily visit here.
Tonight’s contest rounds out Phase 2 of the five phase contest. The top three finishers in each phase get a ticket to the big August 28 final, with big money and the chance to be the first Tout Wars Daily champ.
The current top 10 are Lawr Michaels, Lenny Melnick, Patrick Mayo, Jake Ciely, Tom Kessenich, Chris Liss, Scott Pianowski (who already has a ticket), Steve Gardner, Seth Trachtman and David Gonos. The leaderboard is here.
Here are this week’s Tout picks. I’ll be updating this as they come in, so check back later if you get a chance.
Steve Moyer says:
Lance McCullers ($5400–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) – He’s at the bottom of the starting pitcher salary heap, but Inside Edge says he’s tonight’s seventh-best starter. That’s a mismatch.
Jose Iglesias ($2300–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) – Another bargain pick (fresh off the DL, make sure he’s playing), taking these two guys will allow you to fill your lineup with all kinds of studs elsewhere, maybe even Brycie-poo.
Andrea LaMont’s picks:
Anibal Sanchez ($8,200–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) has faced current Los Angeles Angels batters 72 times over his career, allowing 17 hits, including two home runs, while walking only two and striking out 17. Although Sanchez has been both great and horrid on the mound this season, he still maintains an impressive K/BB ratio of 3.47, and has gone at least six innings in seven of ten starts so far this season.
Torii Hunter ($3400–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) In 2058 total at bats against Left-Handed Pitchers, Hunter has earned a .297 average, with 93 home runs and 327 RBI. So far this season, he is hitting .300 against lefties, with three home runs and 10 RBI. Hunter has hit in each of the last seven games, and should see no problem keeping the streak alive today when he faces LHP Mark Buehrle at home. Hunter bats second in the lineup, behind Brian Dozier, and in front of Trevor Plouffe, who are also hitting the ball well right now. Hunter has earned 23.5 points over his last seven at Fan Duel, and costs $3400.
Ferdinando DiFino likes:
Mike Foltynewicz ($7300–Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) With 14 strikeouts against two walks in his last two starts, Foltynewicz seems to have the early control issues handled. He gets a nice pitcher-friendly park tonight against a team that can be shut down offensively in the right circumstances.
Dustin Pedroia ($3200–Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) $3200 for a leadoff hitter with power potential, against a pitcher who is erratic and has bouts of wildness, seems like too good of a bargain to pass up
Jeff Erickson’s picks:
James Shields, ($9,300–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) There are so many good options tonight, but I’ll shave a few bucks with Shields compared to Harvey/Gray/Hamels and still get a home start in Petco with a lot of strikeouts. I’m hoping that he will be less-used because the Pirates have been hot lately. I also considered A contrarian play with Strasburg against my stinky Reds.Chris Davis. ($3,300–Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles) I am going with a handful of Twins and Orioles tonight. Davis has three homers the last two days and is still pretty cheap at $3,300.
Brian Walton selects:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) at home has considerable appeal. After all, he is coming off a strong four-game stretch during which he has posted a 1.23 ERA and logged better than a strikeout per inning. Now, he is facing a Colorado lineup that struggles against left-handed pitching everywhere (.675 OPS). That creates a formula for a good night ahead for the Phillies starter – assuming he is not traded first!
Rajai Davis ($3000–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) For my highlight hitter, I will stray off the beaten path. Though the outfielder has drawn the bad side of a platoon with red-hot Anthony Gose this season, the Tigers face their second consecutive lefty in Hector Santiago Friday evening. Given that and his .372 OBP and .898 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, Davis should again be in manager Brad Ausmus’ lineup – and yours, too.
Al Melchior likes:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadephia Phillies) Matt Harvey against the Marlins is appealing and Lance McCullers is a great tournament play, but Hamels should be safe and productive for any contest, given the Rockies struggles versus lefties and on the road.
Brandon Belt ($3600 – Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz is allowing a .332 Avg and .239 Iso against lefties. Belt, on the other hand, ranks 12th in wOBA against righties with a .995 OPS. Belt is primed with this matchup to continue his hot streak (last 13 games: .358/.414/.830).
Lenny Melnick picks
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) Colo is No. 1 K team vs LP in MLB
Brian Dozier ($3900–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) Has been hitting LP very well vs Buehrle
Paul Greco takes:
Matt Harvey ($10,700-Miami Marlins at New York Mets) – This is a no brainer to me for today. Harvey is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game and is facing a lineup that does not particularly hit righties well. Harvey, who pitches better at home, posts a better K% and lower ERA.
Prince Fielder ($4,500-Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) – There are not many hitters hotter than Prince Fielder right. Over his last seven days all he’s done is hit five homers, drive in 15 RBI and post a .469 BA. Not to mention the fact he demolishes right-handed pitchers (.397). With Josh Hamilton now back in the Rangers lineup, it’s starting to look a little scary for opposing pitchers.
From the Godfather of Fantasy Sports, Charlie Wiegert
James Shields, ($9,300–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) Interesting this will be the first time “Big Game” has faced the Pirates. After last night shellacking, the Padres need to rebound . Shields is a veteran pitcher, so the advantage should be on his side.
Prince Fielder ($4,500-Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) At home vs Boston and Steven Wright. He’s been one of the hottest hitters in the game and hopefully can solve the BoSox rookie knuckleballer, whose road ERA is 4.60, almost 2 runs more than at home.
Jake Ciely likes:
Matt Harvey ($10,700-Miami Marlins at New York Mets) Sure, he’s the most expensive option, but it’s for good reason. The Marlins are highly susceptible to right-handed pitching: 20.4 K% and just 82 wRC+ which falls to just 66 over the last two weeks. Vegas also favors the Mets to win significantly more than any other team
tonight. Find a way to squeeze him in.
Joc Pederson ($3500–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) When you go Harvey, you have to find some cheaper bats. While Pederson isn’t that expensive, it doesn’t mean you don’t want him. The Dodgers are facing John Lackey and have the highest wRC+ against righties by far at 130 (Giants next closest at 112). In addition, Pederson has an OPS of 1.012 against righties versus just .671 against lefties and a wRC+ of 175 (just 92 for lefties). Oh, and all 12 of his homers have come off lefties!
Todd Zola rules:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) more than a bang-for-the-buck thing, I say he outscores Matt Harvey outright. The Colorado Rockies fan at a 33 percent clip on the road against lefties.
George Springer ($3900–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) Carlos Rodon still struggling with control and Springer (now hitting leadoff) not only has the ability to hit a mistake really far he has the patience to draw a walk and the speed to swipe second.
Scott Engel blesses:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) should be a lock at home against Colorado. He has a 2.25 ERA in front of the “faithful” that still come out to see him this year. The Rockies have a .293 team OBP on the road with a 22.5 percent K rate.
Norichika Aoki ($2900 – Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) will certainly get on base and do some damage if Mike Foltynewicz proves to be wild. Getting on base and not making outs is important on Fanduel. Aoki as a 398 OBP this year.
Ray Murphy digs:
Rubby de la Rosa ($7300–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) If you want an underpriced pitching option today, Rubby’s a great one. He has been shredding RHPs this year (.506 OPS allowed), so he matches up well against the RH-heavy Brewers. Adam Lind is the only lefty threat in that Brewers lineup.
Brian Dozier ($3900–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) faces Mark Buehrle tonight, a matchup that plays right into his platoon split (.872 OPS vL this year, .859 career). The Twins have been battering LHPs as a team, and Dozier bats leadoff against them, so this matchup also ensures max AB for Dozier.
Scott Swanay likes:
Trevor Bauer ($8600–Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners) Unlike last week’s contest, there are no pitchers I’d consider “locks”
tonight. I also thought about Matt Harvey (vs Miami) and Cole Hamels (vs Philadelphia), but neither of their teams’ offenses is as good as Cleveland’s, and neither of their teams’ offenses is facing Taijuan Walker
tonight. So, I’ll go with the slightly less expensive option and hope that he racks up the strikeouts against a team that’s offensively-challenged, even when the MVP-caliber hitting stats of Nelson Cruz are factored in.
Bryce Harper ($6000–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds). At the risk of being Captain Obvious, there’s no hotter hitter in baseball right now than Harper. He has a match-up in the Great American Ballpark against Anthony DeSclafani, who started out the season looking like a breakout candidate himself, but has cooled down somewhat. I generally don’t like allocating such a large chunk of my hitting budget to one player, but if there were ever a time and a player to do that with, Harper in the midst of his current streak is the guy.
Doug Anderson opines:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) How many days this year are the Phillies going to be favored in a game? That’s what I thought. Use Cole Hamels on the rare chances you can.
Joey Votto ($3200–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds) Which Stephen Strasburg will show up today? Lately it’s been the one who hangs sliders and gets knocked around. Either way, Votto is a great OBP player, and FanDuel is basically set up as an OBP league.
Jeff Boggis picks:
Michael Bolsinger ($6900–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) is starting in all of my daily lineups on Friday night. His low salary allows me to leverage higher salary batters. He has averaged the most fantasy points per game for all pitchers tonight (14.3). He has won 3 games in a row and Los Angeles has a decent matchup at St. Louis vs. John Lackey. He is almost $4,000 less than Matt Harvey ($10,700) who came off his worst outing of his career and may have dead arm.
Josh Donaldson ($4,800–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) is my must start hitter on Friday night. I played Donaldson on Tuesday evening and he produced 21 fantasy points. He has 4 home runs in the past 3 games and until he cools off, you have to keep starting him in your daily fantasy lineups. He faces Minnesota starting pitcher Trevor May, who owns a 4.95 ERA.
Paul Sporer chimes:
Francisco Liriano ($9100–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) SD has fallen to 19th in wOBA v. LH (.317) overall because they are 26th in May (.131). Plus they have a 23% K rate v. LH in May (7th-highest). Liriano’s run is built on domination of righties, too, so even though guys like Upton, Norris, and Kemp have been successful v. LH throughout their careers, Liriano has the chops to shut them down.
Ender Inciarte ($2900–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) This is a budget play, but a good one for a third OF. Inciarte does his best work v. RH (.716 OPS, compared to .644 v. LH) and Jimmy Nelson has a major platoon split with lefties hitting to a .785 OPS against him with a .197 ISO. Pop isn’t a big piece of Inciarte’s game, but what he does have has a good chance to show up in this matchup.
Pitcher (Cost–Game) Votes (FanDuel Points)
Lance McCullers ($5400–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) 1 (10.33)
Trevor Bauer ($8600–Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners) 3 (15)
Anibal Sanchez ($8,200–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) 1 (14)
Mike Foltynewicz ($7300–Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) 1 (12.66)
James Shields, ($9,300–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) 3 (10)
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) 6 (15)
Matt Harvey ($10,700-Miami Marlins at New York Mets) 4 (15)
Rubby de la Rosa ($7300–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) 1 (5)
Michael Bolsinger ($6900–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) 1 (7)
Francisco Liriano ($9100–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) 1 (17)
Hitter (Cost–Game) Votes
Jose Iglesias ($2300–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) 1 (.5)
Adam Jones ($3,000–Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles) 1 (-1)
Torii Hunter ($3400–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) 1 (3.25)
Dustin Pedroia ($3200–Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) 1 (.25)
Chris Davis ($3,300–Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles) 1 (7.75)
Rajai Davis ($3000–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) 1 (3.5)
Brandon Belt ($3600 – Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) 1 (.25)
Brian Dozier ($3900–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) 2 (2.25)
Prince Fielder ($4,500-Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) 3 (1.5)
Joc Pederson ($3500–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) 1 (.25)
George Springer ($3900–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) 2 (0)
Bryce Harper ($6000–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds) 1 (1.25)
Brett Lawrie ($2200–New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics) 1 (6.25)
Joey Votto ($3200–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds) 1 (5.25)
Josh Donaldson ($4,800–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) 1 (9.25)
Jose Altuve ($3800–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) 1 (3.5)
Ender Inciarte ($2900–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) 1 (8.5)
Brian Walton jumped out to an early lead in last night’s Tout Daily by FanDuel contest behind Cole Hamels’ pitching. Hamels was brilliant, as our Touts expected, except for two solo homers allowed to Troy Tulowitzki. Walton had Tulo, too.
