Yu Darvish-Rangers-SP
Yu Darvish went 8 IP and gave up 3 ER on 5 H, 1 BB, and 12 K's against the Rays. Through 21 starts he has a 3.44 ERA (3.93 SIERA) with 26% K and 8% BB. His overall numbers are not bad by any stretch of the imagination but the expectation was ace level numbers on draft day. His strikeout rate is down to 26% after routinely posting 30%+ in the past. His swinging strike rate is 11%, which is above average. He has six pitches and throws five with regularity. The bad news is that he is throwing his fastball less and throwing his cutter and slider more. His fastball is getting 6% less whiffs, which could be why he is throwing it less. He is also struggling to find his curveball. In his first year in the league he registered 50% whiffs on his curve, which is down to 34% this year, the lowest of his career. This is followed by a big drop in usage of the pitch as well. Darvish could be throwing too many pitches with similar movement and in the process has become more predictable leading to less strikeouts. Either way he is still an above average fantasy starter with above average strikeouts.
Logan Morrison-Rays-OF
Logan Morrison was 0-3 with a walk against the Rangers. Morrison is having the best year of his career. He is hitting .257 with 26 HR, 53 R, 61 RBI, and 1 SB. The power increase is backed by a 40% Hard, 47% FB, and 50% Pull. He makes enough contact (22% K) to let his power play in a big way. He is also a better option in OBP leagues where you can take advantage of his 15% BB and .369 OBP. He has been hot in July (.311/4 HR/7 RBI) and should end the year as one of, if not the best fantasy value given where he went on draft day.
Whit Merrifield-Royals-2B
Whit Merrifield was 1-5 with 3 RBI and 1 SB against the White Sox. He is hitting .288 with 8 HR, 37 R, 38 RBI, and 16 SB. Merrifield is an aggressive hitter with just a 5% walk rate, but his ability to make contact (13.4% K) allows him to contribute across all categories. The power is legit given that he is making 32% Hard contact and hitting 43% fly balls. His speed is legit as well as he stolen 16 bases and has only been caught once. Merrifield is not a household name but he provides stolen bases which are rare in today's game and he is going to contribute in the other categories hitting a top the Royals lineup. He has been hot in July hitting .323 with 2 HR, 11 R, 5 RBI, and 7 SB.
Mike Fiers-Astros-SP
Mike Fiers went 7 IP and gave up 1 ER on 6 H, 1 BB, and 9 K's against the Orioles. Through 19 starts he has a 3.59 ERA (4.22 SIERA) with 23% K and 9% BB. Fiers has been very good since the beginning of June. The biggest change has been keeping the ball in the park. He still gives up too many homers but it is better than 3.72 HR/9 in April and 2.70 HR/9 in May. His increased strikeouts are backed by an increase in his swinging strike rate as well. It is up to 9.8%, which backs up his 23% strikeout rate. He is a league average fantasy starter even with regression baked in. He will be in position to win every night with the Astros offense firing on all cylinders.
DFS Value Play
Avisail Garcia-White Sox-OF
Avisail Garcia is underpriced on Fanduel at $3,200 with the platoon advantage against LHP Jason Vargas. Garcia is hitting .313 with 13 HR and 54 RBI on the year. He also has hit lefties well this year with a .445 wOBA and .341 wOBA for his career. Garcia will also hit in the middle of the order making him a great bargain on Fanduel with a plus matchup. Fanduel: $3,200This is just a small sample our daily analysis, join our member area for over 80 player updates daily. Click here for details: https://www.insiderbaseball.com/baseballsample.htm Click here to register: http://www.fantistics.com/salesbaseball.php3
