GPP Tournament Picks: 8-20-15

The purpose of this column is to highlight some players with upside and well-suited for tournaments. While the majority of the hitter picks will likely have power upside, that's not necessarily the case for all the listed options. Other contextual factors such as batting order, ballpark, opposing pitcher, price, speed, etc also come into play, and you'll see these items sprinkled into the write-ups below. Along with that, we'll be gauging the ownership levels, giving you some plausible pivots from the popular choices in a given game slate.

Top Pitcher

I'm finding it extremely hard to get away from Arrieta tonight, even in tournaments. With Max Scherzer sitting at a higher price point playing in Coors Field, Arrieta is the clear-cut #1 option. He has a Clayton Kershaw-like -280 moneyline against this watered-down Atlanta lineup. Needless to say, he's playable in all formats: tournaments and cash games alike.

Top Hitters

The wind is blowing out once again in Wrigley Field, however, it's slightly less than the previous few games (10 mph). It still translates to a nice, little fantasy boost for Rizzo and the other Chicago hitters against Mike Foltynewicz and his .416 wOBA against left-handed bats. A lot of people may gravitate towards Fielder for less cap space on FanDuel, making Rizzo the less popular preference.

The Nationals underachieved last night, and daily fantasy grinders may still be feeling the sting. That makes Desmond a harder commodity to buy for an inflated salary level, but you have to love the righty/lefty matchup against Yohan Flande (.353 wOBA vs RHB) in Coors Field.

This is probably one of my favorite tournament options of the night. We all know that Moreland has 2-homerun upside, and he has a fantastic matchup against the struggling likes of Alfredo Simon. Simon has allowed a whopping .383 wOBA against left-handed hitters this season, and the Rangers will be looking to feast tonight.

Martinez is starting to get his power-stroke back, blasting a round-tripper in his past two games. Now, he'll step into another quality draw against left-hander Martin Perez (.343 wOBA vs RHB). When the homerun props are released later today, I'm expecting Martinez to have some of the best odds.

Value and Platoon Plays

Derek Dietrich (3B - MIA) FD: $2900 DK: $3100

Dietrich has been a great cheap option for a while now, and people may have some "sticker-shock" with his new inflated salary. However, the heavier price tag has been well-deserved by his most recent hostreak, one that could continue against 'gas can extraordinaire' Jerome Williams of the Phillies.

Rajai Davis (OF - DET) FD: $2300 DK: $3300

The Tigers are facing another lefty tonight, so Davis should retain his leadoff responsibilities. The Detroit offense is picking up steam as of late, and Davis has exceptional lineup security with Victor Martienz, J.D., and Miguel Cabrera hitting behind him. Rajai is a fine tournament and cash game value commodity.

Chris Coghlan (2B - CHC) FD: $3000 DK: $3400

The best thing about Coghlan is his second base eligibility. Okay, the positives don't end there. He has a nice lineup spot, likely batting cleanup (or 5th) for a well-aligned Cubs offense. The matchup isn't too shabby either, taking on Mike Foltynewicz and his .416 wOBA against left-handed hitters with the wind blowing out (10 mph) in Wrigley Field.

Josh Hamilton (OF - TEX) FD: $3000 DK: $4100

He has the "day-to-day" designation next to his name on FanDuel and DraftKings, which means a lot of people will be glossing over his name whether he's in the lineup or not (I, myself am sometimes guilty of this as a subconscious tendency). Obviously, you'll need to check if he's playing tonight...and if he is, the upside will be eminent against Alfredo Simon's .383 wOBA vs left-handed hitters.