Mets daily fantasy baseball advice for 8/23 against Rockies

Amazin’ Fantasy Picks is a new gameday feature by co-editor Kenny DeJ0hn. On gamedays, these posts will look into the best Mets plays for Daily Fantasy Baseball — specifically on FanDuel. At most, we’ll pick four Mets to target, and we’ll include valid reasons as to why they need to be locked into your lineups. All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.


Yesterday was a good day if you took some of my advice.

Juan Lagares, in a rare leadoff appearance, notched three hits (one double) two RBI and two runs. Yoenis Cespedes had two hits and an RBI. Wilmer Flores roped a double among three hits, and he added an RBI and two runs scored for good measure. Travis D’Arnaud, the lefty smasher, had two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.

Let’s keep the hot streak going on Sunday, Aug. 23, against the Rockies.

David Hale is on the bump for Colorado, a right-handed pitcher with a 6.17 ERA and 1.46 WHIP on the season. Hale is a rare pitcher who doesn’t have drastically different splits against lefties and righties. Lefties slash .304/.355/.588 while righties slash .297/.328/.500.

The Mets have some history with Hale given his time with the Braves in 2013 and 2014, but no player has extensive experience against him. Lucas Duda is 3-for-5 with Hale pitching, but with him on the disabled list, we’ll have to look a little deeper into the Mets’ roster. Below are today’s picks.

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Daniel Murphy, 3B, $4,100

Daniel Murphy is 3-for-7 with a double and two RBIs against Hale, and those numbers will likely improve this afternoon after a 4:10 p.m. ET affair at Coors Field.

Murphy’s numbers against right-handed pitchers indicate that this is a safe play, even though a price tag this high would generally come with some power potential. Murphy does boast a .165 ISO against righties, but he isn’t much of a power threat. That said, he can be a doubles machine when he’s on. Look for him to notch a few base hits and a double.

Curtis Granderson, OF, $4,800

All Mets are inherently expensive against the Rockies in Coors Field because of the park effects, but don’t be afraid to spend big on Curtis Granderson. He mashes righties (.916 OPS, .241 ISO, .392 wOBA) and has been on fire since the All-Star break (.289/.368/.563).

He’s also 5-for-10 in this series against Colorado, hammering two doubles, driving in three, scoring three, walking twice and swiping a bag. He’s been filling out the box score. Don’t miss out on his hot streak.

Yoenis Cespedes, OF, $5,300

Cespedes is one of the few hitters in the league who actually hits better against pitchers of the same handedness. Righties don’t deter Cespedes, as he is the best Mets hitter against them in terms of OPS (.931) and wOBA (.398). His ISO of .241 ranks him evenly with Granderson.

The outfielder is 7-for-12 with three homers, a double, eight RBIs, five runs scored and a steal in the series.

You likely won’t be able to play both Granderson and Cespedes, though, making this decision slightly difficult. Granderson is the preferable option as a fly ball hitter in Coors Field, and that extra $500 in salary can go a long way in improving another position in your lineup. That said, you really can’t go wrong with either.

Logan Verrett, SP, $3,000

This is a giant “Play with Caution” warning.

Logan Verrett has never started a game at the major league level before. He’s also making his starting debut in Coors Field, something no pitcher wants to do. But a $3,000 price tag on a starting pitcher is a risk you should always take in a low-money tournament.

By spending $3,000 on a pitcher, you leave yourself with an unbelievable amount of cap room to stockpile bats. This might be the only scenario in which both Granderson and Cespedes can fit into your lineup together.

When spending $3,000 on Verrett, you’re basically admitting that you’ll be more than content with roughly seven points from him. And that’s fine. That’s why you spent big on reliable bats to carry the load.

This is a play that can easily come back to bite you, but don’t be afraid to spend a couple of bucks on a team headlined by Verrett. Even a five-inning outing in which he leaves with the lead would be a plus for your team (and your bankroll).

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