Rusney Castillo has been performing well since rejoining the Red Sox
I did a lot of writing this week so we’re cutting it down to four burning questions over two articles. Here are my first two questions. Stay tuned later in the week for the rest.
Can I jump back on the Rusney Castillo bandwagon?
Castillo was a popular target in drafts to begin the season, getting picked around 164th overall according to our ADP data here at FantasyPros. His draft position was driven by his lucrative contract signed in 2014 for $72.5 million over seven years which suggested that the Red Sox believed in his Cuban pedigree. After seeing the successes of Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig, who wouldn’t want a share of this international talent? The outfielder impressed in his short time in the majors in 2014, as he hit .333/.400/.528 over 40 plate appearances with two home runs and three stolen bases. Fantasy owners were beginning to salivate over what he could do over an entire season.
Unfortunately, 2015 saw a rough start for Rusney. He hit .233/.258/.233 in May with zero home runs and one stolen base. June was no better as he posted a triple slash of .227/.261/.318 with one home run and zero steals. This prompted a demotion to Triple-A and Castillo’s ownership percentages plummeted. His time in Triple-A was beneficial, although not stunning, as he was able to accumulate three home runs and 10 stolen bases over 172 plate appearances with a .282/.337/.385 batting line. Those numbers prompted the Red Sox to give Castillo another chance in late July when the team traded Shane Victorino and saw Mookie Betts head to the disabled list with a concussion. Since his promotion, Castillo has performed much better for the team going 15-for-45 with nine runs scored, two doubles, one home run and two stolen bases.
Castillo is a speedster with a little bit of pop in his bat who would give fantasy owners the most value if he hits high in the Red Sox lineup. Since his promotion on July 27th, he’s most often hit sixth or seventh, but he lead off on August 6th against the Yankees and hit second in every game this past weekend against the Tigers. Red Sox coaches have been pleased with Castillo’s ability to make adjustments since his return to the team, and it seems like he’s been rewarded with more opportunities towards the top of the lineup. If you’re looking for steals and runs down the stretch, Castillo is a player worth adding. He’s currently owned in 36% of Yahoo leagues and 31.7% of ESPN leagues.
How should I approach “obvious” plays in DFS?
This question was originally “Should I use Jesus Montero every day in DFS?” based on his low price and eligibility at catcher. As of today, Montero is now eligible at first base only on FanDuel. I still think Montero’s situation and how you should approach it going forward with other players in daily fantasy is worth examining, so the next few paragraphs attempt to answer how to approach “obvious” DFS plays by looking at Montero and how he was handled last week in many DFS games.
Should I use Montero every day in DFS?
The short answer to this question is yes. Montero is catcher eligible yet he hasn’t played a game at the position this year and he probably won’t for the rest of his career. DFS sites haven’t changed his eligibility just yet, and he’s often priced extremely low on FanDuel where he’s normally $2,300. A price like that can sometimes lead players to quickly toss Montero into the catcher’s spot and move along selecting higher priced players at every other position. I’ve seen Montero’s ownership percentage at 40% in some GPP contests and as high as 65% in cash games.
It’s a smart play, a catcher that cheap who is hitting this well is almost an automatic play. Since his promotion to the major league squad in July, Montero has been fantastic for the Mariners, hitting .325/.372/.575. I don’t blame you if you use Montero as long as he’s this cheap and playing every night, but there’s a case to be made that his ownership is too high for you to benefit from his production, especially in GPP games.
Finishing high in DFS games comes from creating the highest scoring and most unique roster of the night. If Montero is in 50% of the lineups in your game, his production is almost negated as half of the field will earn his points. The rest of your lineup will have to be more unique and score more than the rest of the field. Also, if half of the game is using Montero, it could mean that a higher priced player with more upside is used less. Somebody like Buster Posey who has a higher price and a higher floor could be a great play as your opponents could be scared of his price and too enticed by Montero to consider using him.
My preferred use for Montero right now is in cash games where his price allows me to fill out my roster with higher priced/high floor players. The word is out and has spread too far for him to be an automatic play in GPP games. Remember, you want the highest scoring AND most unique roster to set yourself apart from the pack.
JP Gale is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from JP, check out his archive and follow him @gojpg.
