With Clayton Kershaw on the hill tonight you will need to find a cheap #2 pitcher on two-pitcher sites if you want to pay up for him, so tonight I will be recommending two Darkhorse options with strikeout upside and win potential that you can look to pair with Kershaw so you still have some money left for hitting on two-pitcher sites.
Ace
Clayton Kershaw (FD-$13,200 / DK-$14,000)
Kershaw’s opponent tonight, the Reds, have actually been pretty good against lefties this season ranking in the top 10 in wOBA, ISO and wRC+ while only striking out 18.3% of the time, 4th lowest in the league this season. That said, they haven’t faced Kershaw and how good the opponent is doesn’t apply when he takes the mound with 10 or more strikeouts in six straight games. As usual do what you can to try to get Kershaw into your lineup. Johnny Cueto is also in a good matchup but is not offer a big enough salary savings to warrant coming off of Kershaw.
Value
Gio Gonzalez (FD-$8,900 / DK-$9,900)
If you want to take a step down in salary and save some money, then I like Gonzalez tonight against a Mets team that has struggled against lefties this season with a league-worst 27% K-rate and are also in the bottom 10 in wOBA and wRC+. Gonzalez limited the Mets to just one run over six-plus innings while recording five strikeouts in his last outing in New York. Tonight’s rematch will be in Washington where Gonzalez holds a 1.16 ERA over four starts this season. At a saving of over $4,000, Gonzalez is a solid pivot away from Kershaw if you want to get some bigger hitters or high-end #2 pitcher on two-pitcher sites.
Darkhorse
Matt Moore (FD-$6,900 / DK-$6,300)
Moore is my favorite cheap pitcher tonight to pair with Kershaw on two-pitcher sites. He has good strikeout upside against a Marlins team that has struck out 25.0% of the time against lefties this season and are also in the bottom 10 in ISO (.118). The game will also be in the spacious Marlins Park which should help limit the chance for a “blow up” start and Moore will get to face an ice-cold Giancarlo Stanton who has struck out 17 times over his last six games. I also like the Rays’ bats against Marlins’ lefty Wei-Yin Chen tonight giving Moore a decent shot at a win.
Nick Tropeano (FD-$6,600 / DK-$5,300)
Tropeano has been a solid pitcher all season only allowing more than three runs in one of his eight starts this season. If you pay up for Kershaw you are looking at a cheap pitcher to pair with him you want a solid, consistent option who won’t hurt you and Tropeano is a good option to fit that description tonight. He will face the Rangers tonight who are a solid offensive team that ranks in the middle of the pack in most offensive categories against righties this season. Tropeano also has a decent shot at a win with the Angels facing the Rangers’ Derek Holland and his 5.63 ERA. I don’t expect a huge fantasy day but he should be a solid, cheap option to consider.
On the Hill – Results
Friday
| Date | Type | Pitcher | DK $ | DK Pts | Grade |
| 20-May | Ace | Jake Arrieta | 12800 | 30.15 | A+ |
| 20-May | Value | Aaron Nola | 11000 | 18.35 | C |
| 20-May | Value | Gerrit Cole | 8700 | 11.15 | D |
| 20-May | Dark | Anibal Sanchez | 7800 | 4.45 | F |
Season
| Type | A+ | A | B | C | D | F | Tot | DK Cost | DK Pts | DO Score |
| Ace | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 27 | $11,407 | 22.51 | 4.67 |
| Value | 9 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 57 | $8,389 | 15.84 | 3.18 |
| Dark | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 29 | $6,728 | 16.17 | 4.41 |
- 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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