I always look forward to the MLB trade deadline with all of the trade speculation involving big names and top prospects changing addresses. It is one of the times during the year that season-long fantasy is at its best. However, it can also have big implications on the daily game, albeit for just a day or two, as there becomes an opportunity for undervalued players to step into the starting lineup. My pitcher recommendations for today look to embrace the potential opportunity for some value bats to open up during the day and suggest that you pay up for pitching on tonight’s eight-game slate.
Ace
Stephen Strasburg (FD-$11,600 / DK-$12,900)
Coming into my research today, I thought I would fade Strasburg pitching on the road in a hitter’s park but after digging deeper I still like the top-priced Strasburg enough to warrant paying up for him tonight. Other than allowing six runs to the Dodgers on July 21, he has continued his great season allowing one or fewer runs in his five other starts since June 15. He will be pitching on the road where he has a 1.72 ERA this season and will face a Diamondbacks’ team that has struck out 23.3% (5th worst) against righties this season. Strasburg is a strong Cash and GPP option tonight.
Value
Chris Archer (FD-$9,300 / DK-$10,100)
Archer has pitched well in each of his last two starts with a 2.08 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 13 innings. He has pitched better at home this season with a 2.95 ERA while allowing just a .283 wOBA. Archer will face a Royals’ team that ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in wOBA, ISO and wRC+ against righties. I would probably stay away from Archer in Cash games, but he is a strong GPP option.
Kyle Hendricks (FD-$9,100 / DK-$9,700)
One of the biggest concerns with rostering Hendricks is that he typically doesn’t go very deep into games. However, with the Cubs playing 12 innings last night and using a total of eight pitchers, Hendricks could get the opportunity to pitcher deeper into the game tonight. Hendricks has been sensational at home this season with a 1.36 ERA and .225 wOBA allowed. He has also had success against the Marlins’ hitters in his career allowing just a .262 wOBA in 61 plate appearances. Hendricks is a solid Cash game option if you are looking to save some money or to use as a #2 SP on two-pitcher sites.
Darkhorse
CC Sabathia (FD-$6,800 / DK-$7,600)
Sabathia has regressed over his last seven starts with a 6.70 ERA during that span. However, look for him to potentially rebound tonight against the Mets in the crosstown rivalry. The Mets strikeout 22.5% (11th worst) with a .313 wOBA (8th worst) against lefties this season. Sabathia has also had some success against Mets’ hitters over the last three years with a .285 wOBA allowed in 57 plate appearances. Sabathia is a viable Cash game option on two-pitcher sites if you can’t find enough value bats to pay up for.
On the Hill – Results
Friday
| Type | Pitcher | DK $ | DK Pts | Grade |
| Ace | Max Scherzer | 13600 | 25.55 | A+ |
| Value | Kenta Maeda | 10200 | 17.85 | C |
| Value | Steven Matz | 8500 | 12.90 | C |
| Dark | Steven Brault | 4100 | 7.50 | C |
Season
| Type | A+ | A | B | C | D | F | Tot | DK Cost | DK Pts | DO Score |
| Ace | 33 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 60 | $11,872 | 24.31 | 6.43 |
| Value | 23 | 14 | 13 | 31 | 4 | 34 | 119 | $8,642 | 15.61 | 3.40 |
| Dark | 21 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 64 | $6,630 | 16.26 | 4.61 |
- DK Cost is the average DraftKings cost per pitcher selected
- DK Pts is the average DraftKings points scored per pitcher selected
- DO Score is the Daily Overlay score for each type
Come back to DailyOverlay later today for the MLB Consensus list and some sample MLB lineups.
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