Match ups are every thing in daily fantasy baseball, which is why Allen Craig is among the most valuable options tonight.
Value plays:
Allen Craig – The 28 year old utility man has very quietly put together a valuable season for his loyal fantasy baseball owners, and that’ll continue tonight. In fact, Craig has topped ex-Cardinal Albert Pujols in OPS, slugging percentage, and runs created per 27 outs this season, giving extreme value in daily fantasy baseball games. He has a .500 batting average and a 1.000 slugging percentage against Bud Norris, numbers that are too good to be ignored. Look for Craig to provide a boost to a Cardinals team that needs to win to hold onto their wild card lead.
Carlos Pena – If you’re rostering Pena, you’re well aware of his tendancy to strikeout. But tonight, his power potential outweighs the high strikeout rate, as he has crushed Jon Lester when he has made contact. An amazing 55% of Pena’s hits against the Red Sox lefty have left the park, resulting in a slugging percentage that is 428 points higher than his batting average. He also averages 1.3 RBI per hit, a ratio that makes Pena a low risk and high reward option tonight.
Alexi Casilla – The Twins offense is not very good and Casilla’s .229 season batting average is no exception. That being said, he has had plenty of success against CC Sabathia. He is batting .556 against the Yankees ace and has only struck out one time. He is a pesky hitter who has found his way on base more often than not against Sabathia, providing fantasy owners with plenty of value given his low price tag.
Players to avoid:
Alexei Ramirez – The White Sox are attempting to hang onto their playoff position, and they can’t count on Ramirez tonight to help them. The Chicago SS has only 4 hits in 32 at bats (.125 batting average) against Justin Masterson, having recorded more strikeouts than hits. Ramirez is struggling in September as his batting average is 43 points lower than it was in any of the past 3 months. He will establish a new career low in OPS this season, giving him very little upside in daily fantasy baseball leagues.
Atlanta Braves – Josh Johnson is healthy and pitching up to his potential, recording 4 consecutive quality starts in September. The playoff bound Braves are batting only .214 against the big righty, having struck out in 29% of their at bats. They average one HR every 105 at bats against Johnson, and with little upside when it comes to batting average, it is going to be difficult for Atlanta to score multiple runs tonight.