Top Tier
Taijuan Walker vs. WAS
It’s been an incredible season for Walker and it’s seemingly getting better. He’s coming off a 12 strikeout game, which matched his career-high, and has now put up 30+ DKP in two straight outings. Walker lowered his ERA to 2.12 and is averaging over a strikeout per inning this year. The Nationals rank 20th in wOBA, OPS and 23rd in wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Everything lines up for Walker here and he could very well be the top scoring pitcher on the slate.
Sean Manaea vs. NYY
I think Walker is the clear cut number one option at the top, but Manaea presents a pivot for GPPs. The Yankees have hit lefties fairly well this year and Yankee Stadium is built for offense. The thing is, Manaea has had a fantastic stretch of games lately allowing one earned run or fewer in five straight contests. He’s put up 17-plus DKP in each of those outings and the Yankees are susceptible to the strikeout as they punch out at a 24.5% clip, the 11th highest mark in the league.
Mid Tier
Nathan Eovaldi vs. KC
There is no doubt who the best pitcher for the Red Sox has been this year. Eovaldi has been pretty reliable recently, allowing one earned run or fewer in three-of-four starts. He draws an offense in KC that is struggling mightily, ranking 24th in both OPS and wOBA. Eovaldi has looked really sharp on the road, pitching to a 2.42 ERA compared to 4.29 mark on the road.
JT Brubaker vs. CLE
Brubaker has been able to limit the damage lately as he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in three consecutive starts and in two of them he’s put up 13+ DKP. CLE has been nothing special offensively this year as they’re league average in OPS, wOBA and wRC+. Brubaker’s 22.7% K-rate is solid and he limits his opponents to just a 30% hard-hit rate. He’s been great at home, pitching to a 2.67 ERA.
Value Tier
Kenta Maeda vs. TEX
Maeda looked pretty sharp in his return from the IL, striking out seven opponents over four innings. He threw 76 pitches, which means he’ll likely be extended even further in this outing. Texas is 23rd in OPS and 22nd in wOBA while striking out 25.9% of the time against right-handed pitching. Texas has been a fantastic park for pitching this year and Maeda, based on his price, will likely be one of the chalkier pitchers of the slate.
Bryse Wilson vs. STL
Wilson has looked sharp his last two starts and has been extended past 80 pitches in each outing. He’s put up 15+ DKP in each of his last two starts and now has a fantastic match-up against the Cardinals. STL has been the league’s worst offense over the last two weeks, ranking last in pretty much every statistical category. They’re even striking out over 25% of the time over that span.