Welcome to the second MLB DFS article focusing on Yahoo!
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We will utilize this series to point out the different nuances, tips and tricks to building a solid Yahoo! tournament lineup.
Salary Cap
Yahoo! has a similar roster setup as most of the two-pitcher formats, but their salary cap is quite a unique puzzle to tackle each day. It will be worthwhile to spend some time trying out different roster combinations and how much of the salary cap you are allocating to pitching and hitting and also be prepared as the savvy gamer will be able to find some gems among the hitters in the $7-10 range which is crucial to working in some top-shelf talent.
Scoring System
For those of you new to the site, please note that the scoring has been tweaked since last season (click here for details) and when compared to the other popular scoring formats it is slightly more punitive for pitchers allowing base runners and it is slightly less rewarding for “team stacking” (i.e. taking three or more hitters from the same team in adjacent or nearly adjacent spots in the batting order) with runs and RBI slightly discounted when compared to individual batter scoring of slightly more points proportionally for extra base hits, walks and hit by pitch categories.
Basic Strategy
In the past, I have found that even though the Yahoo! format allows us to roster as many as six players from the same team, their unique pricing and two-pitcher format have somewhat muted the need for team stacking and as detailed above, the slight changes to their scoring system will continue to encourage that trend.
Target Pitchers
For those of you new to Yahoo, learning how to read into the pitcher pricing is key to building competitive lineups. The minimum price for pitchers is $25 while we can see some of the top-shelf aces like Chris Sale, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander may crest just over $60 depending on their recent performance.
Both RHP Carlos Carrasco at KC – $52 and LHP Patrick Corbin vs PIT – $47 are at fine price points, though if you roll with the double ace strategy, you will be left with just $12 on average for hitting slots and with the top offensive environments and matchups, that could be a little light.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs BAL – $37 – is in a stellar matchup against a woeful Baltimore Orioles group of hitters that outside of Trey Mancini and Jonathan Villar really have nobody to be afraid of and with Rodriguez having compiled a 29.9 K% against lefties (224) and a 24.7 K% against righties (957) since the beginning of the 2017 season it is easy to see why he will be a popular option Friday night.
Drew Pomeranz vs COL – $28 – scrolling down to the bottom of the pricing list, we have southpaw Drew Pomeranz who has 11 strikeouts across nine innings so far this season. This is the fourth team for the nine-year veteran and by far the best pitching environment he has been able to call home (COL, OAK, BOS). The Rockies had the #20 offense last season when adjusted for park factors with an 87 wRC+ and that same mark earned them the third worst offense in 2017 (weighted runs created plus is an advanced metric that neutralizes park factors to create a league-wide scoring efficiency baseline of 100) which means the Rockies have “created” 13% less runs in the same situations as the average MLB team over the last two seasons and Oracle Park is the friendliest pitching park in the league.
Check out FREE Spotlight Hitters and Stacks for Friday click here
Discount Dandies
As mentioned above, it is important to know how to find discounted hitters in solid situations and also understand what the “opportunity” cost may be by giving up a key power hitting position like 1B/3B for a discounted option who may not have a lot of power.
C – Welington Castillo – CHW at LHP J.A. Happ – $7 – keep an eye on the weather, but know that the player affectionately known as “Beef Castillo” in the DFS world is an above average hitter with power against southpaws and he should have a favorable spot in the lineup tonight. Castillo is not in the lineup, but Mike Zunino is confirmed batting 8th for the Tampa Bay Rays against RHP Trent Thorton and is a viable punt.
1B – Jesus Aguiar – MIL at LHP Julio Urias – $10 has a tougher matchup against youngster LHP Julio Urias but over the last two seasons he has a .375 wOBA and a .242 ISO in 278 plate appearances against lefties.
2B – Roughned Odor – TEX vs RHP Mike Fiers – $10 should be in a favorable spot in the Rangers batting order and he has solid pop in lefty/righty matchups.
3B – Jose Ramirez – CLE at RHP Brad Keller – $15 while not a true discount dandy Ramirez will typically be found in the $20-22 range on Yahoo! which makes this a phenomenal price for the switch-hitter who has been on the fringe of the MVP conversation for the last two seasons finishing third both years.
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or on Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any questions.
Good Luck Gamers! ~ EMac
