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Reminder: Always double check the lineup card before rosters lock to make sure that a player you've chosen to roster is playing that day, and check the weather to make sure your players won't get rained out of their game.
FanDuel has made some tweaks to their scoring criteria for 2016. Check that out here. FanDuel is also only available to play for money in specific states. See their website for more details to see if FanDuel is playable for cash in your home state.
Noah Syndergaard ($11,200) vs the Padres is probably one of the strongest plays a fantasy owner will come across all season. The Padres have the third highest strikeout rate against RHP at 26%, and both their ISO and wRC+ are second to last at .116 and 66. Syndergaard's pure stuff is the best in the game right now; it's led to a 34% strikeout rate, and he's making a strong case that he's the second best pitcher in baseball behind Clayton Kershaw. Syndergaard's electric stuff and ability to generate weak contact, combined with the Padres strikeout rate and weak production, is a recipe for excellent production from the pitcher slot. For anyone looking for more detail on Syndergaard, I've written a lot about him at SB Nation, both here and over at AmazinAvenue. My most recent piece was about his slider command, which you can read here.
Since Thor is expensive, a fantasy owner will need to find some value bats or decent punt plays to complete a strong lineup. A punt play I like is 1B Adam Lind ($2,200); he gets a park upgrade in Houston and faces Doug Fister, a below average SP. Lind has hit RHP to a 121 wRC+ and .187 ISO since the start of last year, and is priced $200 above the minimum. Lind has gotten off to a very slow start in 2016, but unless his skills have completely eroded or he's playing through an injury, I expect him to begin to hit RHP to an above average level eventually like he's done his entire career. Because of his poor start, he will probably be low owned.
Two more sub $3,000 plays I like today are on the A's: Catcher Stephen Vogt ($2,700) gets a park upgrade in Baltimore and has hit RHP to a 125 wRC+ and .206 ISO since the start of last year, both well above average for the catcher position. Teammate Josh Reddick ($2,900) is similarly priced and has similar production vs RHP; he's hit them to a 131 wRC+ and .193 ISO since the start of last year. They face Ubaldo Jimenez, a below average pitcher.
Follow on twitter at @TimFinn521