Welcome to today's daily fantasy post! We'll remind you one more time that there are multiple changes for this year.
First, we will make these daily posts on a new page every day, 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.
Let's get to Wednesday's interesting facts, using DraftKings prices.
Five Things to Watch:
1. A couple of Brewers have owned Giants SP Jeff Samardzija. OF Ryan Braun ($4,400) is 10-for-20 with three homers versus the Shark, while 1B Chris Carter ($3,500) is 7-for-15 with three homers. Brewers-Giants is on the early slate of games, starting at 1:40 p.m. ET.
2. The Blue Jays led the majors with a .354 wOBA versus lefthanded pitchers last season, and face Tampa's Matt Moore today. Using/stacking one or more of Toronto's expensive hitters is great if you can afford it, but 1B Chris Colabello ($3,400) is a more reasonable option.
3. Arizona's David Peralta ($3,700) looks solid for the afternoon slate. He's off to a hot start - 5-for-10 with three runs scored in two games - and has a friendly matchup with the Rockies' Tyler Chatwood. Peralta batted .312 with 17 home runs, 78 RBI, 61 runs and nine stolen bases last season, and hit cleanup on Tuesday.
4. Braves SP Bud Norris allowed 15 home runs in 83 innings last season. If you're going to pay for a stud hitter today, it should be Bryce Harper ($5,000). Yes, even ahead of Josh Donaldson ($4,900) and Nelson Cruz ($4,800), who are also strong options.
5. Sonny Gray ($9,600) starts tonight against the White Sox after getting scratched Monday due to food poisoning. Gray is a really good pitcher, but he typically doesn't get enough whiffs to be a strong DFS play.
D.J. Foster's Daily Fantasy Sports Plays...
Yesterday's recap: Trevor Story was our deal of the day, and he came through with yet another homer to pay off his tiny price. The Diamondbacks were also Adam Meyer's top recommended stack of the day, and they poured in 11 runs on 15 hits.
Must-Start of the day: David Peralta, ARI: We're rolling with John Halpin's suggestion. He's hitting the ball well right now, and he offers the speed and power combo at a cheap price with a great matchup.
Deal of the day: Adrian Gonzalez, LAD: 11-for-32 with 4 HR lifetime against Andrew Cashner, and he's available for just $4200 on Draft Kings.
Avoid of the day: Jonathan Lucroy, MIL: He's just 1-for-19 with 7 K against Jeff Samardzja lifetime.
Stack of the day: Arizona Diamondbacks: We'll go back to the well here, as the Diamondbacks are big favorites (-170) in a game with a high projected run total (9).
Starting Pitchers:
Jose Fernandez, MIA: He's the highest upside pitcher in the early slate thanks to his strikeout power. There's a little concern with the matchup, innings limit and price, but if you have money to spare, he's the guy you want.
Carlos Carrasco, CLE: Provides similar upside to Fernandez, but at a lower price (10,000 on DK). Boston doesn't strike out much, but Carrasco is nasty and is a sizable favorite against Clay Bucholz.
Aaron Nola, PHI: The price point is right ($8,100) and so is the matchup against the Reds. Nola showed some solid strikeout power and control last year, and he should get the better of a matchup with Brandon Finnegan.
Catchers:
Wellington Castillo, ARI: A Diamondbacks stack is in play again and Castillo had a .212 ISO against RHP last year.
Josh Phegley, OAK: Make sure he's in the lineup, but Phegley had a .402 wOBA against LHP last year.
First Basemen:
Adrian Gonzalez, LAD: "Deal of the day"
Chris Colabello, TOR: See Halpin's notes.
Second Basemen:
Kolten Wong, STL: Juan Nicasio gave up a .969 OPS to LHB last season, so a lefty Cardinals stack is definitely in play.
Robinson Cano, SEA: The power appears to be back and Colby Lewis is a great pitcher to pick on when hunting for homers.
Third Basemen:
Matt Carpenter, STL: Continuing the lefty stack against Nicasio.
Adrian Beltre, TEX: Always in play against LHP, as he had a .928 OPS against southpaws last season.
Shortstops:
Trevor Story, COL: He's almost a chalk play with his ownership and price now.
Marcus Semien, OAK: .879 OPS against LHP last year.
Outfielders:
Bryce Harper, WAS: The best hitter on the board with a great matchup.
David Peralta, ARI: "Must-start of the day"
Ryan Braun, MIL: 10-for-20 with 3 HR lifetime against Samardzja.
Ryan Raburn, COL: .423 wOBA last year against LHP.
