MLB

FanDuel Pitching Primer: Friday 7/22/22

Josh Shepardson  —  @BChad50 Jul 22nd, 2022
Charlie Morton is in a position to dominate a struggling Angels lineup missing its best player. Which other arms are worth considering on Friday's slate?

Pitchers lay the foundation for daily fantasy baseball teams. So it's not coincidental they have the highest salaries in FanDuel contests. Of course, it's possible to overcome a bad outing from a starter, but it's markedly easier to cash in contests with a good or excellent start.

Simply nailing your pitcher can cover up for a miss or two among your hitter selections. Thankfully, pitchers are less volatile to project than their hitting counterparts. First, pitcher skills such as walk rate and strikeout rate help separate the genuinely talented pitchers from their lesser peers. In addition, park factors and the offensive strength of the opponent are integral considerations for picking your FanDuel pitchers.

Weighing the importance of a pitcher's skill, park factors, opponent, and accounting for their salary is the game within the game on FanDuel. This piece is your home for my favorite pitcher picks for FanDuel's main slate every day. So, let's get to today's top hurlers.

High-Salaried Play

Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers

vs. Colorado Rockies
FanDuel Salary: $11,300

Corbin Burnes has been dominant this year, but he's been white-hot lately.

According to FanGraphs, in his last five starts totaling 35 innings, he's had a 1.29 ERA, 2.93 SIERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 33.8 percent strikeout rate. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has also had six straight quality starts. Additionally, Burnes has struck out at least eight in seven of his previous nine starts.

Thankfully, the Colorado Rockies are unlikely to rain on Burnes' parade. The Rockies have been hapless on the road this year, ranking tied for 26th in wOBA (.281). Finally, the betting info is everything gamers could have hoped for.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Milwaukee Brewers are -270, and the game's over/under is just 7.5 runs. Thus, Burnes is the top pitcher in all game types tonight and a no-brainer pick in cash contests.

High-Salaried GPP Pick

Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves

vs. Los Angeles Angels
FanDuel Salary: $9,800

Charlie Morton got off to a rocky start this year, but he's been much better for more than the last month.

In his last eight starts, he's had a 3.44 ERA, 2.63 xFIP, 1.01 WHIP, 7.6 percent walk rate, and 34.3 percent strikeout rate. Sadly, Morton coughed up five runs in his last start before the All-Star break. Still, he had allowed two or fewer runs in the five previous turns.

Morton is a great bet to revert to his sterling form tonight. The Los Angeles Angels have been a dumpster fire and are without Mike Trout tonight. They've had the highest strikeout rate (27.3 percent) against righties this year. Remarkably, they've struck out more often recently, punching out at a 29.0 percent clip over the last 30 days.

Finally, they've been the worst offense in baseball in the last 30 days. Morton's stellar play and the Angels' tailspin make the veteran righty a high-upside GPP pick tonight.

Low-Salaried GPP Dart

Braxton Garrett, Miami Marlins

at Pittsburgh Pirates
FanDuel Salary: $7,700

Are you trying to jam as many elite hitters into your lineup tonight as possible? You're in luck. Braxton Garrett is a high-upside GPP option that provides massive cap relief. The 24-year-old lefty has been breaking out this year.

In eight starts totaling 41 and 1/3 innings, he's had a 3.70 ERA, 3.52 xFIP, 1.23 WHIP, 5.7 percent walk rate, and 22.9 percent strikeout rate. The young lefty has had a quality start in two of his last three turns, coming only one out shy of making it three for three.

Additionally, Garrett's last start was his most dominant of the year, holding the Pittsburgh Pirates scoreless on two hits, two walks, and 11 strikeouts in six innings.

He'll get another crack at clowning the Buccos tonight, and the odds are great he will. The Pirates are 28th in wRC+ (85) with the second-highest strikeout rate (26.0 percent) against southpaws this year. So, don't hesitate to fire some GPP bullets on Garrett tonight.


Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.