Top Tier

Gerrit Cole (NYY) – With the Yankees favored by a little over three runs tonight against Baltimore, you had to figure we would be looking towards their starting pitcher tonight. The fact that it is Cole, who is pitching on a few days of extra rest due to a nagging hamstring issue is even better. All systems appear to be a go for the right-hander who is averaging 26 DK points over his last 10 starts and that includes a five-point dud in his last outing when the hamstring forced him out early. In the start prior to that, Cole struck out 15 Angels over seven innings and he is striking out 12.31 batters per nine innings this season as he pitches to a 2.78 ERA so far this season. We just have to put our faith in the hamstring being healthy. 

Lucas Giolito (CWS) – I guess we have a theme tonight that just found us. Giolito did miss two starts due to his hamstring injury and he is only favored by two runs against the Angels, but there are similarities to Cole. Giolito is striking out 10.23 batters per nine innings this season while managing the walks (2.67) but we do have to keep an eye out on the long ball (1.42 per nine innings). The good news though is that there aren’t many hitters in the Los Angeles that we truly fear. After struggling a bit through his last start against the Pirates, the missed time could prove to serve his arm well. 

Nathan Eovaldi (BOS) – If you don’t want to put your faith in hamstrings and starting pitchers returning, Eovaldi has been cruising as of late with a 3.72 ERA in August and a 2.03 ERA through two starts in September. With 9.40 strikeouts per nine innings the upside is there and Eovaldi has also done a good job of limiting the damage at just 1.40 walks per nine innings. 

Marcus Stroman (NYM) – Cole and Giolito could prove to be a little cost prohibitive, so Stroman gives us a taste of that upper tier with a little discount. That does come at a cost though as the Mets are only favored by about a run tonight and Stroman only strikes out about eight batters per nine innings. With that being said, getting six innings and a quality start at a minimum seems to be the baseline for the right-hander and his 2.83 ERA along with a 1.11 WHIP. 

Mid Tier

Anthony DeSclafani (SF) – The right-hander struggled in, and ultimately failed to escape, the fifth inning his last start at Coors Field. Based on what he did in his start prior, six shutout innings against the Dodgers, I wouldn’t be too concerned about DeSclafani as he faces a struggling San Diego team. DeSclafani has outpitched his 3.75 xERA (and FIP) with a 3.33 ERA but he has benefitted from a .266 BABIP as the Giants continue to be greater than the sum of their parts. At 8.45 strikeouts per nine innings, that is enough for me to get us between 15 and 20 fantasy points. The difference in this tier though, is that we do lose some potential upside. 

Kyle Gibson (PHI) – Despite a 5.29 ERA in his last 10 starts, it’s difficult to avoid targeting the Cubs. It has been a mixed bag of starts for Gibson since joining Philadelphia, and it’s hard to know what to expect on any given night. Six innings with a handful of strikeouts is a pretty reasonable expectation as long as Gibson is able to keep the ball on the ground consistently. For me this a tier I’ll likely be ignoring tonight and instead I’ll live on the extremes. 

Value Tier

Jesús Luzardo (MIA) – Of course there is the possibility of an implosion from the talented left-hander but it’s difficult not to jump in with both feet on Luzardo at his DK price. The fact that Luzardo is facing Washington doesn’t hurt but over his last three starts, he is averaging just over 20 DK points per outing.  With that being said, I’m choosing to ignore his 6.72 ERA and 1.61 WHIP and instead focus on the eight batters he struck out against the Mets in his last start while allowing just two runs. Two starts prior to that, Luzardo threw six shutout innings against the Reds while striking out eight, and I’m looking for a repeat performance tonight. 

Erick Fedde (WAS) – If you want to diversify, and not pay too much attention to the victory, then Fedde is also worth a look. In his last 10 games, Fedde has picked up 12.1 DK points and the Marlins are a favorable opponent for the right hander who struck out seven in six innings against Atlanta in his last outing while picking up a quality start. The only problem though is that all three runs came on solo homers.