Below you’ll find DFS and streamer rankings for Wednesday, June 10. I’m only focusing on the late games. Specifically, pitchers playing in the night games, I classified the pitchers by category and they’re ranked from best to worst in each category. I didn’t write about all the pitchers, but I chose the best options available. You’ll find the pitcher’s name, the DraftKings salary and where the game is being played.

The rankings are slanted toward a GPP, but the write-ups provide (hopefully) the information necessary to fill out a double-up lineup. In my GPPs I’m going to use a combination of these pitchers: Dallas Keuchel, Trevor Bauer, Chad Bettis and Trevor May.

*I forgot to write about Michael Wacha. He would slot after Wei-Yin Chen. Tyson Ross would slot after Jake Arrieta.

Tier I: The Aces

Dallas Keuchel: $9,600 – COL

For the year the Rockies are only 23^rd in the majors I wOBA, which doesn’t sound that bad, but since they’ve played half their games in Colorado indicates their offense is extremely inept against lefties. I’ve been saying for a couple of weeks Keuchel is going to regress because the major reason why he’s performing so well is he’s generating a lot of ground balls and the Astros are using the defensive shift a lot and extremely well. However, I think in this game he avoids regression against the Rockies.

Trevor Bauer: $7,800 – @CHC

Bauer is the ultimate high risk, high reward pitcher. Command has been an issue throughout his professional career and unless you’re watching his bullpen session before the game there is no way to know what kind of command he’s going to have. Even if you do watch his bullpen session he still randomly loses command an inning per game. Against righties the Cubs are tied for the highest strikeout rate, are only 17^th in wOBA and seventh lowest hard-hit average. Lastly, the Cubs put the lowest percentage of balls in-play, which means if Bauer limits the walks he should have a big day.

Jake Arrieta: $9,400 – CLE

Of all the pitchers pitching on Monday Arrieta is the best pitcher from a real life perspective. He has a tough matchup against the Indians because they don’t strike out against righties (sixth lowest in the majors), have the tenth best wOBA and have the eighth highest in-play rate. Arrieta should have a good game, but the strikeouts will probably not be there and I don’t see an overly dominant outing occurring. Other than Dallas Keuchel he’s the safest pitcher, which means he’s a better double-up play, but in a GPP I want seven innings with 9-plus strikeouts.

Gio Gonzalez: $8,500 – @TB

If you look at Gonzalez’s ERA and WHIP you would think he’s having a down year, but he’s been incredibly unlucky – specifically with the .359 BABIP. You may say that a reason for the increased BABIP is the deprecation of his stuff, which is the reason why the strikeout rate is the lowest it’s been since 2010. The quality of his stuff is still there and the reason why the strikeout rate is down is because the strikeout rate is down to lefties (the reason why it’s down to lefties is he’s pitching to contact more with the fastball, which is why the ground ball rate is up. He doesn’t offer a lot of upside in regards to 10-plus strikeout games because he doesn’t pitch deep into games. The Rays are a mediocre offense against lefties so at his price point he’s a solid value.

Francisco Liriano: $10,000 – CWS

The White Sox offense has been a big disappointment this year and they’ve struggled badly against lefties (they have the lowest wOBA against lefties in the majors). If you remove his blow up start against the Twins he’s averaging a little less than seven innings per start so the odds of him going seven innings and striking out 10-plus are pretty good. The price point is a little rich for me, but I can understand the price point.

Masahiro Tanaka: 10,600 – @MIA

Since May 1, 2015 the Marlins have the third lowest wOBA against righties. Tanaka has pitched great in his two starts since coming off the DL. He’s pounding the strike zone and missing a lot of bats – his swing and miss percentage is in the top 25 percent of qualified starters. At his price point he has to deliver 25-plus points and I have reservations about his ability to do that. He’s not throwing a lot of pitchers – he threw 78 in his first start and 87 in the second. If he has only inning that requires a lot of pitches will he be able to throw 100 pitches? If not, he could only throw 5-6 innings. Based on how well he’s pitching and how inept the Marlins offense is, he should be able to do well, but there is a lot of downside too. If I’m paying for an ace I want security that he’ll provide a great outing and he doesn’t offer that.

Tier II: High Risk, High Reward

Chad Bettis: $6,000 – @HOU

In Bettis’ last five starts he has a 2.43 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 22.6 percent strikeout rate and 5.3 percent walk rate. To put the strikeout rate into perspective he’s had at least five strikeouts in every one of those games and has averaged six strikeouts per start. On top of that four of those games were in Colorado and he’s generating ground balls 46 percent of the time. He’s facing the team that strikes out the most in the majors. The odds of him striking out ten in seven innings is more realistic than you think.

Trevor May: $6,900 – @STL

May has pitched great in his last five outings, positing a 3.03 ERA, 1.041 WHIP, a 24.2 percent strikeout rate and 3.1 percent walk rate. If you read my work two weeks ago you wouldn’t be surprised about his breakout. With May its feast or famine with the strikeouts, but the Cardinals are dealing with a lot of injuries and the lineup is extremely top heavy. I see no indication the walk rate is going to suddenly revert back to the pre-2015 so May is a relatively safe play.

Noah Syndergaard: $8,200 – TOR

Syndergaard was incredibly unlucky in his last outing against the Giants as he allowed a lot of weak contact that found holes. I’ve watched all of his starts and he’s pitched much better than his ERA and WHIP would indicate. His hard hit average would be the eighth lowest among qualified starters. If he was facing any other team than the Blue Jays he would be my number pitcher, but the Blue Jays offense is the best in baseball and the risk is too much even at his low price point. If I was playing in a GPP format I would be extremely tempted to use him.

Wei-Yin Chen: $7,700 – @PHI

In regards to projected ERA and WHIP I don’t see any difference between Chen and Jesse Hahn. There are major differences. The price point is much higher because he’s facing the Phillies. Chen’s strikeout rate is up, but the Phillies have the seventh lowest strikeout rate in the majors against lefties. Second, Ryan Howard is being platooned against lefties, which is actually a positive for the Phillies lineup. There are two contrary statistics about the Phillies. First, they are 17^th in the majors in wOBA against lefties. Second, they have the lowest hard-hit average against lefties. Chen has the 15^th lowest hard hit average allowed among qualified starting pitchers. Chen is safer than Hahn, but Hahn has the greater upside especially in terms of strikeouts.

Edison Volquez: $7,100 – @MIL

There’s no question Volquez has pitched really well and it looks as though 2014 wasn’t a fluke. It certainly helps to play behind either the best or second best defense in the majors. If you’ve read my work in the past you know I do not like using pitchers who walk a lot of batters. The Brewers don’t have overpowering offensive numbers, but their best players haven’t been in the lineup most of the year. Volquez is priced appropriately, but I rather take a chance on a pitcher with more upside.

Jesse Hahn: $6,400 – @SD

In Hahn’s last six starts he has a 3.08 ERA and 1.105 WHIP. He’s facing a very right handed lineup in San Diego, which makes him a very intriguing option, but I’m staying away. The primary reason is he’s not striking out batters. During those six starts he only has a 15.7 percent strikeout rate (25 strikeouts in 38 innings). The biggest reason why the strikeout rate has been down is due to the curveball. Last year that pitch had a 42 percent strikeout rate. In the past six games only ten percent. The command hasn’t been there and hitters are making much more contact against it, which is why I’m not high as high on him. The Padres have the fifth highest strikeout rate against righties so Hahn could have a big game.

Anibal Sanchez: $8,000 – CIN

On the surface Sanchez’s strikeout and walk numbers are similar to the numbers he put up in two of the past three seasons, but the quality of his pitches have lost a tick, which has contributed to the highest HR/FB rate he’s had since 2008. He’s been unlucky with the strand rate and the strikeout rate has climbed in his past four starts (24.6 percent strikeout rate). However, two of those starts came against the Cubs and Astros – the two highest strikeout teams in the majors. The upside for a 20-plus point performance is still possible, but at his price point I’m passing.

Carlos Rodon: $6,500 – @PIT

Very quietly Rodon has limited the walks in his past three starts; only five walks in 18.1 innings. Against lefties, the Pirates have the seventh lowest walk rate, fifth lowest wOBA and second highest strikeout rate. Those numbers may be a little deceiving as the Andrew McCutchen was hurt for the first month of the season. Since May the Pirates have only been average against lefties, which means the matchup doesn’t have as much upside as it looks on paper. I’m not buying Rodon yet because I want to see if he continues to limit the walks.

Tier III: No Thanks, I’ll Pass

Taijuan Walker: $7,900 – @SF

I’ve had reservations about Walker as a starting pitcher for two years and I’ve written about him extensively. The bottom line is I’m only using him in the best matchups. I’ve been saying all season the Giants offense isn’t very good, but they’re continuing to hit. The ballpark is great, but he’s facing an offense that’s hitting and he’s not throwing strikes consistently.

The match ups and data you see below were pulled Friday morning. The data is for the 2015 season. Please be aware the match ups are subject to change. If you have any questions about the rankings hit me up Twitter @MattCommins

These are rankings for the entire week so I give the edge to a lot of fantasy pitchers who pitch twice. Also, the rankings are based on traditional 5×5 categories. I also provide write-ups for a few pitchers. My hope is after you read them you have a better understanding of why I ranked them.

I was light with the pitcher analysis this week because I’m writing DFS pitcher rankings every day and I feel like I would just be repeating myself. My DFS rankings actually provide good write-ups about how well/poorly a pitcher is performing in general. Check out my Twitter account for links to my DFS rankings for the past few days.

I have been saying for years if the Chris Archer can improve the quality of the changeup he’s going to become an ace. This years lefties have a slash line of .195/.234/.498 with a 32.3 percent strikeout rate. He’s throwing the changeup to lefties more than ever and he’s throwing it for strikes, which is allowing his other pitches to play-up. He will regress a little as the year progresses, but buying his breakout.

What starting pitcher has the lowest well-hit average against? Jake Arietta. The pitcher with the second lowest is Jose Quintana. I’ve been saying for two weeks he’s going to positively regress as the season progresses because he is inducing a lot of weak contact.

Chris Heston has the first no hitter for the year, but he’s far from a great pitcher. He was able to be successful against the Mets because he faced a right handed heavy lineup. Lefties have a .815 OPS against him compared to .570 against righties. The Dodgers have two good left handed hitters and Andre Ethier and Jimmy Rollins have their moments so this matchup has a lot of blow up opportunity, but with not a lot of good starting pitching I’ll take a risk on a pitcher who limits walks and generates a lot of ground balls.

With Justin Verlander coming off the DL I am going to wait at least two starts before I feel comfortable starting him in any situation. I want to see how good the raw stuff is and how well he’s commanding his pitches. I do not care about the velocity of the fastball, but what I do care about is how is he adapting to the decreased velocity.

Below you’ll find DFS and streamer rankings for Wednesday, June 10. I’m only focusing on the late games. Specifically, pitchers playing in the night games, I classified the pitchers by category and they’re ranked from best to worst in each category. I didn’t write about all the pitchers, but I chose the best options available. You’ll find the pitcher’s name, the DraftKings salary and where the game is being played.

Must Starts

Matt Harvey: $10,700 – SF

Harvey against a Giants offense that is missing Hunter Pence is too good to pass up. Some fantasy players may be wary to use Harvey because the Mets offense was no-hit last night, but I’m not worried about Harvey performing well. If you remove Lucas Duda, the Mets are a bad Triple-A offense, which means it’s going to be a struggle for the Mets to score runs. However, it’s going to be more of challenge against above average pitchers like Chris Heston, but not against below average pitchers like Tim Hudson.

Jake Arrieta: $9,800 – @DET

If you look at any advanced statistic Arrieta is a top ten starting pitcher in the majors, but there is always a slight hesitation any time a pitcher faces the Tigers, who have the seventh highest wOBA and hard hit average against righties. Arrieta has a very high percentage of providing a quality start, but his point potential is limited and a lot lower than the pitchers in the Almost Starts category. Arrieta has more value in double up format and less in a GPP.

Almost Starts

Tyson Ross: $9,300 – @ATL

Ross has a high variance skill set. He walks a lot of batters, generates a lot of ground balls (the most in the majors) and has a well above average strikeout rate. I’ve been hesitant to recommend Ross in the past, but on paper this seems like a great the matchup. However, the Braves offense is not as inadequate as I thought. They had high BABIP April so their season data is a little muddled. If you look only from May until now they are 15^th and 14^th in the majors in wOBA and hard hit rate. Ross should be able to perform well, but he’s not a lock.

Trevor Bauer: $8,700 – SEA

I’ve been a fan of Bauer’s fantasy and real life potential for the past three seasons. However, I always have to say when you start him you’re playing with fire because he’s a high walk pitcher and can lose command of the strike zone from batter to batter. However, this year he’s pitched better as the season has progressed and now he’s facing an OBP challenged Mariners offense. The Mariners are 20^th in the majors in walks (12^th against righties), which is higher than I thought. Also, they have third highest strikeout rate against righties. The Mariners are three outcome offense and if Bauer limits the home runs he should do very well.

High Risk, High Reward

Jose Quintana: $6,800 – HOU

The Astros have the highest strikeout rate against lefties this season, but they’re tenth in hard hit average so it’s going to be feast or famine for Quintana. I’ve been on record that he should improve his ERA and WHIP because his underlying peripherals suggest he was going to positively regress.

Brett Anderson: $6,600 – ARI

For the year Anderson has a third best soft hit average among starting pitchers. Also, he has the second best ground ball rate. For the year, the Diamondbacks have the second highest ground ball rate in the majors; against lefties they’re fourth. He should be able to generate a lot of ground balls and if the BABIP gods are nice he should have a nice game.

Jesse Hahn: $6,900 – TEX

I said two weeks ago Hahn has pitched better than his ERA and WHIP would indicate. Since I wrote that, in three starts, he has a 1.64 ERA, 0.864 WHIP and 3.5 percent walk rate. On the downside, during that same stretch, he only has a 16.5 percent strikeout rate. With the Rangers middle of the order hitters being left handed this matchup is a neutral one.

Edison Volquez: $6,700 – @MIN

Despite their record I’m not a fan of the Twins offense. To this point they’ve been incredibly lucky. Example, for the year are 24^th in the majors in wOBA and 29^th in wOBA against righties. I’ve been on record on previous DFS rankings that I’m not a fan of Volquez’s skill set, but against this matchup he is worth looking at.

Jered Weaver: $7,100 – @TB

The reason why Weaver could be useful is the ballpark and the lineup he’s facing. Weaver has a fly ball lean, but the ballpark is one of the best at limiting home runs. Also, the Rays have the second lowest hard hit rate and are 22^nd in wOBA against righties in the majors.

Wei-Yin Chen: $7,000 – BOS

Since he’s a lefty and doesn’t throw an adjective that’s mostly used to describe him is crafty, but he’s better than that. Since he plays in a hitter’s ballpark you would think he has a wide home-road platoon split, but he has basically the same stats at home and on the road. The Red Sox are 25^th in the majors wOBA and 23^rd in hard hit rate against lefties. Chen has a fly ball lean, which makes him dangerous in that ballpark, but he could also throw seven innings and strike out 6-7.

No Thanks, But I’ll Pass

Taijuan Walker: $7,200 – @CLE

I’ve had reservations about Walker as a starting pitcher for two years and I’ve written about him extensively. The bottom line is I’m only using him in the best matchups.

Yovani Gallardo: $7,400 – @OAK

For the year the A’s have the sixth highest OPS against righties for the season. Since the game is in Oakland and Gallardo has the skill set of an average makes him a stream worth option in deep mixed leagues, but there’s too much downside.