Daily Dime: Starting Madison Bumgarner and looking for hitting bargains
Here are 10 DFS recommendations for Sunday but be sure to double-check the weather and lineups before first pitch approaches.
Madison Bumgarner, SP, vs. Col (Kendrick), $11,100 at FanDuel: He has just one win in more than a month, although he’s sported a 0.93 WHIP with a 47:6 K:BB ratio over 37.2 innings over that span, which suggests there may have been some bad luck in the win department to say the least. The Giants are by far the most favored team Sunday (-230), and Colorado has the fourth-worst OPS against LHP (.662) among all teams this season.
Jose Abreu, 1B, at Det (Price), $3600: He was drafted as a top-10 fantasy player entering the year and while a disappointment so far, he hasn’t been quite the bust this price suggests. Abreu has hit .328/.407/.598 versus lefties during his MLB career, and he’s not priced as a top-10 first baseman here.
Nelson Cruz, OF, at LAA (Santiago), $3000: He’s been in a slump of late, but that regression was more than expected. Cruz still owns a ridiculous .396/.500/.917 line against southpaws this season, so he seems like a bargain and a must start at this price (for what it’s worth, 14 of his 19 homers have come on the road as well).
Jason Heyward, OF, vs. CHC (Hammel), $3500: Over his last 10 games, Heyward is batting .410 with four homers and two steals, when he’s been the No. 5 ranked fantasy player. He’s also 8-for-14 during his career versus Jason Hammel.
Brandon Crawford, SS, vs. Col (Kendrick), $3000: I’ll keep going back to the well here with Crawford, who’s arguably been the best offensive shortstop this season by a wide margin yet continues not to be priced nearly as such.
David DeJesus, OF, vs. Bos (Masterson), $2200: He’s cheap and hitting cleanup. Meanwhile, Justin Masterson has allowed a .300 BAA and a 1.73 WHIP when facing LHB this year.
Howie Kendrick, 2B, at Mia (Urena), $2700: He has a top-10 OPS (.741) in MLB among second basemen while continuing to hit atop a strong Dodgers lineup.
Mike Moustakas, 3B, at Oak (Chavez), $3000: He remains undervalued as a third baseman who’s hit .354 against right-handed pitchers this season. Moustakas is also batting .359 on the road in 2015.
Josh Reddick, OF, vs. KC (Guthrie), $3000: He has a .328/.385/.540 line with nine homers over 198 at bats against RHP this season and is facing a pitcher who’s allowed a .341 BAA and 1.88 WHIP to go along with a whopping 10 homers over 39.1 innings against LHB, so this is a nice matchup at a good price.
Stephen Vogt, C, vs. KC (Guthrie), $3700: He’s 5-for-8 with two homers during his career versus Jeremy Guthrie and owns a .936 OPS with 12 home runs over 171 at bats against RHP this season.
