In an effort to serve daily fantasy players and season-long fantasy players who use daily lineup settings, we present daily notes each day of the season. It's a daily version of our Fantasy Forecaster in which we project the best pitcher game scores as well as the best team-hitting matchups based upon a number of factors.
Pitching
Elite
The weekends' intemperate weather deprived Max Scherzer owners of a two-start week, but unless you needed a strong effort in head to head to win your week, let's face it, seasonal Scherzer owners have him active regardless. To kick off Monday, DFS players need not get cute; Scherzer is a cash game no-brainer and in play for those not opposed to spending up for pitching in GPP action. Not only is Scherzer the only elite option, he's in a fantastic spot taking on the Atlanta Braves in the comfy confines of Nationals Park. Predictably, the Braves have struggled putting points on the board, though they're middle of the pack in terms of strikeouts. However, this is a guy sporting a double-digit K/9 the past four campaigns, so expect Scherzer to go deep into the game with plenty of punch outs -- the perfect recipe for DFS cash play.
Contrasting Scherzer is David Price, who will make his first start in Fenway Park wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform. The opposing Baltimore Orioles have some dangerous hitters but also fan a good amount, which puts Price more in the GPP class.
Solid
This is a good day to play on a multiple-pitcher DFS site; there are several strong, middle-tier options, all with home dates. Leading us off is Jon Lester, as the Chicago Cubs welcome the Cincinnati Reds into Wrigley Field. The Reds have opened the 2016 season hitting better than expected, but the southpaw holds the platoon edge over two of the visitor's best hitters in Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. Lester's mound foe is promising youngster Brandon Finnegan, so while the veteran will be favored, Finnegan has a chance to keep the Cubs in check.
It's really a tossup for the top spot between Lester and Sonny Gray. The Oakland Athletics entertain the Los Angeles Angels with Nick Tropeano doing the tossing for the Halos. The visitors are picking up where they left off last season with a disappointing offense. For the first four months of the 2015 season, Gray was cash game gold. He's in a great spot to start this season off on a high note as well.
A lot has been made about how half of the Senior Circuit is fielding teams more interested in the future than the present. But the better pitchers on these lesser teams could have a surprisingly solid season since they'll be matched up against equally poor squads half the time as opposed to facing better squads. The Philadelphia Phillies' Aaron Nola is a good example of a beneficiary, beginning with a Monday date with a San Diego Padres squad coming off a set in Coors Field. Nola doesn't have the ceiling of someone like teammate Vince Velasquez, but his floor is more stable. Nola makes for a fine cash option on multiple pitcher sites.
Now it's time for a tournament option. When Steven Matz is your team's fourth-best starting pitcher, your favorite team has a sweet rotation. That said, until Matz is allowed to consistently pitch deeper into contests, he's better served as a tournament option, leveraging his high strikeout rate and hoping he can pitch efficiently enough to at least toe the rubber in the seventh. Monday brings such a chance, as the Miami Marlins travel to the Big Apple, sending Jarred Cosart to the hill in Citi Field. Matz and the Mets will be favored, rendering the young southpaw a nice choice for GPPs.
Flipping back to cash-game candidates: Through the first week in the season, the Texas Rangers are among the worst teams in terms of making hard contact. This plays right into Hisashi Iwakuma's strength as the Texas Rangers visit Safeco Field for the first of many encounters with the Seattle Mariners. The visitors counter with Colby Lewis, so run support should be in order.
We'll cap off the solid group with another tournament play, as Michael Wacha and the St. Louis Cardinals continue our home theme as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers in Busch Stadium. While Wacha's strikeout rate is pedestrian, he'll face a team that's among the early leaders in team strikeouts.
Streamers
Hot Spots
The solid group was heavy on cash plays, so let's start the streamers with an option for GPP play -- that also works for streaming -- in an effort to start the week off with a bunch of whiffs. Brandon Finnegan showed why the Cincinnati Reds coveted him in the Johnny Cueto deal by fanning nine Phillies over six innings in his 2016 debut. Last season, the Chicago Cubs fanned a ton, which makes Finnegan an intriguing play as he takes the bump in Wrigley Field.
While his present projected Game Score of 43 is warranted, by season's end, Minnesota Twins' righty Kyle Gibson should reside in the solid tier. He's definitely worthy of a start at home against a Chicago White Sox team that's near the bottom thus far in weighted on-base average (wOBA).
Cold Streams
Monday is typically a day to be aggressive with spot starts, so it takes a really bad spot to make the list. Yovani Gallardo may have some name recognition but nonetheless, squaring off with the Boston Red Sox for their home opener qualifies as a big risk. Despite a last-place finish last season, the Fenway Faithful witnessed their team score the third-most runs at home in 2015.
The New York Mets handle right-handed pitching very well and will face the lowest-rated pitcher on the slate, right-hander Jarred Cosart of the Miami Marlins. There's no reason to tempt fate so early in the week.
Jonathon Niese was a popular pick in seasonal drafts under the guise of being a nice streaming option for favorable matchups. Facing the righty-heavy Detroit Tigers attack in Comerica Park is not an example of a favorable situation.
Hitting
As will often be the case, the featured hitting scenarios will dovetail the risky pitchers. As alluded to earlier, the Detroit Tigers can send a bounty of powerful right-handers to the dish, which is not good news for Niese, now a Pirate.
The better hitters in the New York Mets' lineup settle into the left-handed batter's box. While Jarred Cosart doesn't appear to display platoon splits, he hasn't pitched enough for anything to be actionable, other than the fact he's not very good in general. This puts the entire Mets' lineup in play. Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, Neil Walker and Michael Conforto look like the better plays with the platoon edge, but don't overlook Yoenis Cespedes.
Marco Estrada cooled off a hot Boston Red Sox lineup, but all bets are off when the squad stares out at the Green Monster. Yovani Gallardo should be in for a long day, especially if the slumping Mookie Betts can snap out of his early-season doldrums. Brock Holt should be back in the lineup, and there's no doubt David Ortiz would like to make some noise in his final home opener.
Safeco Park isn't the easiest venue in which to put one over the fence, but with Colby Lewis on the mound, chances increase significantly. Nelson Cruz is powerful enough to ignore not having the platoon edge, though Kyle Seager and Robinson Cano are both threats to go deep as they enjoy the bump.
Most likely to hit a homer: While winning the game will be Big Papi's primary objective, it's safe to say when given the right chance, David Ortiz will look to drive one out of Friendly Fenway.
Most likely to steal a base: Jon Lester gave up 44 steals last season. Billy Hamilton will no doubt look to run every chance he gets.