Fantasy MLB: Young stars Noah Syndergaard, Jose Fernandez lead the way Monday
— -- In an effort to serve daily fantasy players and season-long fantasy players who use daily lineup settings, we present daily notes each day of the season. It's a daily version of our Fantasy Forecaster in which we project the best pitcher game scores as well as the best team-hitting matchups based upon a number of factors.
Pitching
Editor's note: The Diamondbacks have named Archie Bradley as Monday's starter. This article will be updated to reflect this change.
Elite
Two of the most exciting young pitchers in the game highlight an abbreviated Monday schedule, shortened even more by the annual early Patriots' Day game in Fenway Park that isn't included on the primary slate.
Noah Syndergaard and his filthy slider kick off a new fantasy week as the top option of the day. Syndergaard and the New York Mets head a couple hours down I-95 to take on the Philadelphia Phillies in Citizens Bank Park. There's no denying Thor's stuff. The question is more for seasonal play -- will there be an innings restriction to keep the fire-balling righty fresh for the playoffs? In terms of DFS, so long as Syndergaard is on the hill, he's in play. This could be one of those special games, as the Phillies swing and miss at an above average clip while sporting a weighted on base average (wOBA) well below average.
Fernandez profiles similarly to Syndergaard, except the part about being conserved for a playoff run. The Miami Marlins agenda is making sure their ace right-hander is healthy when the club is ready to contend. Like with Syndergaard, that's of no concern for DFS. Fernandez is at home in comfortable Marlins Park but faces a more formidable foe in the Washington Nationals. That said, the visitors also fan at a rate higher than the league average so the platform is there for Fernandez to rack up points.
Solid
From the Department of High Risk, High Reward we give you Carlos Rodon. The Chicago White Sox sophomore has the stuff to be an ace, he just needs to be more consistent with his control. Case in point, in his two outings thus far, Rodon walked just one hitter in one start while issuing five free passes in the other. Strikeouts aren't an issue, as the southpaw averages a whiff an inning. The caveat is the opposing Los Angeles Angels have stuck out in a scant 12 percent of their plate appearances against left-handers through the first two weeks of the season. This puts Rodon on the GPP radar, as he's too risky for cash play.
Jerad Eickhoff is going to win a lot of games this season despite playing on a weaker team, since half the National League is more concerned with the future than the present, thus the better pitchers on the lesser teams will excel. Unfortunately, this is not such a day, as Eickhoff has the unenviable task of matching Syndergaard pitch for pitch. That said, the Phillies' righty should do his part, so if you're looking for an option with a very low ownership, fading Thor for Eickhoff is an intriguing call.
Because of his fly ball tendencies and low strikeout rate, Phil Hughes rarely makes the cut as a DFS candidate. And to be honest, it was a coin-flip whether he'd be included today, but with almost half the league enjoying an off-day, the Minnesota Twins' right-hander gets a mention. The Milwaukee Brewers visit Target Field for an interleague series, and while they're middle of the pack with respect to homers, they're in the lower half in terms of runs scored. It isn't a call that would be made on a typical slate, but in this instance, Hughes can be used to save some salary on a multiple pitcher site.
Streamers
Hot Spots
The news doesn't get much better for seasonal players looking to get an early jump to the week. The two best streaming options face two of the better pitchers on the card. Opposing Jose Fernandez is Tanner Roark, who will battle the Miami Marlins in South Beach. This should be a low-scoring affair so while the win is a toss-up, Roark should provide an early week ratio buffer with some whiffs. Hector Santiago has a better chance at a win with Carlos Rodon as his mound foe, but it won't be easy in U.S. Cellular Field. The Halos' lefty is lined up for a big strikeout day as the hosts are striking out at a bloated 29 percent clip against southpaws.
There's a rule-of-thumb when it comes to choosing a spot-starter, though it pertains to a player on your roster as opposed to a candidate to pick up off the wire. If you're not going to use the hurler at home, why is he on your roster? This goes double when home is AT&T Park. Jake Peavy is off to a slow start but with eight punch outs and just one walk in nine stanzas, his outcomes are worse than how he has actually pitched. Without A.J. Pollock making things happen up top, the Arizona Diamondbacks aren't as potent as last season, giving Peavy a chance to relive his salad days.
Cold Streams
Curiously, the Boston Red Sox have not faced a southpaw starter all season. J.A. Happ snaps that trend in the morning affair on Marathon Day in Boston. Other than David Ortiz, most of the Red Sox iron enjoys the platoon edge over Happ, including Chris Young, who should get the start with a lefty on the hill.
The Great American Ballpark may not be as hitter-friendly as Coors Field, but it isn't that far off. The Colorado Rockies visit southern Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Reds. Both starters are risky, checking in with the two lowest Game Scores on the card. Both the visiting Jordan Lyles and host Alfredo Simon are best left on the bench.
Hitting
The left-handed contingent of the Cincinnati Reds sit in the catbird seat, facing Jordan Lyles at home. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are the obvious beneficiaries with Scott Schebler a sneaky option to save some money and take advantage of a great situation.
The lefty-swinging Rockies are also in a great spot against Alfredo Simon. Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra lead the way, but don't forget about Nolan Arenado, who is an option despite lacking the platoon edge.
Both in Seattle and especially Pittsburgh last season, J.A. Happ had a nice season. But neither of those venues are Fenway Park and Happ didn't face a lineup as dangerous as Boston's on a regular basis. Expect a parade of right-handers against Happ with Chris Young's price low due to his lack of playing time thus far.
If Rubby De La Rosa doesn't get things going, he may not be long for the Diamondbacks' rotation. He's going to have trouble showing he belongs, having to deal with the likes of lefties Denard Span, Joe Panik, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford along with Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, who really don't care who's on the hill.
The under-the-radar place to look for a couple of sticks is Target Field, as the Milwaukee Brewers will trot Chase Anderson to the bump. The former Diamondback righty is susceptible to the long ball, so if you're looking for a GPP play, think about Miguel Sano and even Byung Ho Park.
Most likely to hit a home run: Call it a hunch, but J.A. Happ could be in for a long morning and afternoon. Hanley Ramirez is playing with a jump in his step so let's say he puts a souvenir into the Green Monster seats.
Most likely to steal a base: Among Alfredo Simon's many issues is his inability to stifle the running game. DJ LeMahieu has been leading off in Charlie Blackmon's stead and is coming off a rather tough game yesterday in Wrigley Field. The Rockies' second baseman will want to make up for it and contribute, so why not swipe a bag or two?
