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Hello and welcome to the first daily fantasy post of the 2016 baseball season! There are multiple changes for this year that we need to address...
First, we will make these daily posts on a new page everyday, unlike 2015 when we just refreshed the same page.
Secondly, you can find our posts on the brand-spanking new DFS home page, as well as the fantasy page. Bookmark those sites now!
Next, we are adding a "Five Things to Watch" and "Stack of the Day" section along with the usual information from 2015 (Must-Start, Deal, Avoid, and positional picks).
Finally, our amazing development team added a Twitter feed so you can see tweets from Ryan Fowler (@FOXSportsFowler), John Halpin (@jhalpin37), D.J. Foster (@FOXSportsFoster), and myself (@FOXSportsMeyer). That way, if information surfaces for any last minute changes, you can see our thoughts instantly.
Enough of the that.
Now, let's get to the picks and make you guys some money!
Five Things to Watch:
1. Vegas has provided the Dodgers/Padres game with an over/under of 5.5 total runs.
2. Astros/Yankees game PPD (also possible rain for Twins/Orioles).
3. The most combined home runs on Opening Day among active players is four: David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Albert Pujols, and Jimmy Rollins.
4. Alex Rodriguez is the active leader with 20 hits on Opening Day games.
5. Felix Hernandez is the King of Opening Day. In eight career starts, he is 6-0 with a 1.49 ERA.
Must-Start of the day: Welington Castillo, ARI
I love saving money at the catcher spot. Castillo is a bargain play and is in a very stackable lineup. Last year, Castillo had a .331 wOBA and .228 ISO against southpaws.
Deal of the day: Franklin Gutierrez, SEA
He had a .411 wOBA against lefties in 2015. This bargain option is a great play, especially if you are stacking Mariners.
Avoid of the day: C - Yan Gomes, CLE
He is 0-15 with eight strikeouts against David Price.
Stack of the day: Tampa Bay Rays
This is a great, cheap way to add four or five batters from one team onto a DFS lineup. Last year, R.A. Dickey was 2-8 (4.83 ERA) on the road. Stack the Rays with Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Evan Longoria, and even Brad Miller.
Starting pitchers:
Clayton Kershaw, LAD - This game has an over/under of 5.5. That's not a misprint. You'll be hard-pressed to find a total lower than that. The Dodgers are also a strong favorite (-175). Kershaw is also 3-0 in five career Opening Day starts (1.14 ERA).
Max Scherzer, WAS - Plenty of aces on the board, so be sure to pay-up for the right ones. The Nationals are a strong favorite (-180) and Scherzer had the third-best K/9 in 2015 (10.86).
Madison Bumgarner, SF - Like the two pitchers listed prior to him, the Mad Bum finished in the Top Ten in K/9 in 2015 (9.65). The Giants are also a heavy favorite against the Brewers (-175).
Catchers:
Welington Castillo, ARI - "Must-start of the day."
Buster Posey, SF - The Giants are another solid stack for Monday. If you decide to go that route, make sure Posey is your anchor.
First basemen:
Paul Goldschmidt, ARI - Goldy loves facing lefties. Last year, he produced a .366 AVG against LHP. Goldschmidt also had a .455 wOBA against left-handed pitchers (second-most).
Mike Napoli, CLE - The league average for wOBA in 2015 was .313. Napoli notched a .403 wOBA against lefties and only a .271 wOBA when a righty was on the hill.
David Ortiz, BOS - He had a .413 wOBA against righties in 2015.
Second basemen:
Brian Dozier, MIN - This is more of a play to pick on Chris Tillman. Last year, Tillman allowed 16 earned runs in his first four starts (7.58 ERA). Right-handed hitters also had more success against Tillman when it came to the longball. He faced more lefties in 2015, yet he allowed 17 homers to righties (only three HR to lefties).
Daniel Murphy, WAS - He has a .342 wOBA and .193 ISO against righties.
Third basemen:
Josh Donaldson, TOR - Last year, the AL MVP had a .333 ISO against LHP, the second-highest in baseball.
Miguel Sano, MIN - (See Brian Dozier)
Kyle Seager, SEA - We've mentioned the Rays and Giants as a possible stack already. My third-favorite stack is the Mariners against a LHP. If you do that, add Seager who produced a .357 wOBA and .214 ISO against lefties in 2015.
Shortstops:
Troy Tulowitzki, TOR - Tulo vs. a lefty is always a great play.
Corey Seager, LAD - It was only 66 plate appearances, but Seager had a .437 wOBA and .259 ISO against righties.
Outfielders:
Bryce Harper, WAS - He is 10-23 (.435) with three home runs and six extra-base hits against Julio Teheran.
Nelson Cruz, SEA - In 2015, Cruz had the third-highest ISO (.315) against LHP.
Corey Dickerson, TB - Who needs Coors Field?! Dickerson went yard in his first game with the Rays and will be a solid play in game two of their regular season.
Denard Span, SF - I love adding leadoff hitters. Span had a .381 wOBA and .151 ISO against righties.
Franklin Gutierrez, SEA - "Deal of the day."
