Given all the rocky starting pitchers competing on Thursday, a dozen active hitters are priced above $5,000 on DraftKings. All those poor hurlers inflate the cost of mid-tier options (Patrick Corbin, Collin McHugh and Jose Quintana), which will make Chris Archer and Jake Arrieta popular building blocks.
Gamers have tough choices to make when constructing a DraftKings lineup. Pay up for both aces and sacrifice the offensive studs, or splurge for elite bats and roll the dice with a risky pitcher? Either way, players need to locate bargains.
Save some money with these value picks, whose low costs will help fund a superstar or two.
SP Jose Quintana ($8,500), Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels
After Archer and Arrieta, Quintana is the best pitching play. A far more affordable selection at $8,500, the Chicago White Sox southpaw owns a 3.62 ERA and 3.20 fielding independent pitching (FIP). His 20.4 strikeout percentage has taken a slight tumble from last year's 21.5, but he's drawing more whiffs with a career-high 9.7 swinging-strike percentage.
The Los Angeles Angels rank No. 24 in weighted on-base average (wOBA) against lefties. Competitors might avoid Quintana due to the 15 hits and seven earned runs relinquished in his last two starts, but the four-figure alternatives are far uglier.
Stack: Detroit Tigers vs. Texas Rangers (LHP Martin Perez)
The Detroit Tigers host a cavalcade of cheap options when facing a weak lefty. A healthy Miguel Cabrera comes with a $5,300 asking price, but several others cost $3,500 and below.
Six starts back from Tommy John surgery, Martin Perez has performed better than his surface stats suggest. The Texas Rangers lefty has submitted a 2.98 FIP despite a far worse 5.29 ERA. Yet he has also generated only 17 strikeouts, and Detroit just torched the far tougher Jon Lester for seven runs.
2B/3B Danny Espinosa ($3,700), Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies
It's not easy finding cheap Coors Field exposure, especially for someone receiving a platoon advantage. While his numbers don't pop off the page, Danny Espinosa sports a .328 wOBA against southpaws with an incoming tilt against Yohan Flande.
Although a healthy Washington Nationals lineup pushed him out of plate appearances, Anthony Rendon has missed the past two games. Even if the infielder returns, Washington should let Espinosa face the southpaw rather than Yunel Escobar.
3B Derek Dietrich ($3,100) and OF Marcell Ozuna ($3,300), Miami Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Now popular prey for opposing pitchers, even the Miami Marlins have a shot against Jerome Williams. Opponents are hitting .317/.357/.496 off the Philadelphia Phillies righty, who possesses a 5.47 ERA.
Quietly on a tear, Derek Dietrich is hitting .278/.382/.521 with eight homers and a .389 wOBA. An unlikely hero down the stretch, the 26-year-old has obtained most of his success against righties, making him a worthwhile gamble for only $3,100.
Righties have staked Williams to a .908 OPS, which is great news for the returning Marcell Ozuna. After spending 33 unnecessary games in Triple-A purgatory, the freed outfielder homered in his fourth start back with Miami on Wednesday. Look for him to make up for lost time on Thursday.
OF Shin-Soo Choo ($4,000), Texas Rangers at Detroit Tigers
Alfredo Simon still stinks. The scheduled Detroit Tigers starter has surrendered 47 earned runs over his last 10 starts, only once limiting the opposition to fewer than four scores. Lefties have inflicted most of the damage, batting .307/.361/.535 with a dozen homers.
Along with his .864 OPS against righties, Shin-Soo Choo is raking with a .333/.441/.607 line since the All-Star break. Place the whole puzzle together, and $4,000 is a bargain for the Texas Rangers outfielder. In fact, Mitch Moreland ($3,800) and Rougned Odor ($3,500) also look good for a complete stack against Simon.
Note: All advanced statistics, updated as of Wednesday night, are courtesy of FanGraphs.
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