Tristan H. Cockcroft

Tristan H. Cockcroft pinpointed Diamondbacks hitter Gabriel Moreno as an excellent streaming option in DFS against veteran RHP Carlos Carrasco. While Carrasco making the Yankees rotation is a compelling feel-good story, Cockcroft notes that his roster spot comes from team desperation rather than his merit, evidenced by a troubling 5.02 ERA and 1.40 WHIP since 2019. Cockcroft believes Moreno, along with teammates Jake McCarthy and Pavin Smith, are set up for success facing Carrasco's shaky pitching and offers a clear actionable DFS recommendation.

Tristan H. Cockcroft pointed out Nestor Cortes as a potential streaming candidate despite his disastrous season opener against the Yankees, which included surrendering five home runs and issuing five walks. Cockcroft attributed the poor performance partially to first-game jitters against his former team. Returning to Milwaukee (American Family Field), a park that suppresses hits and inflates strikeouts despite being friendly to home runs, provides Cortes an excellent bounce-back scenario. Given the sparse selection of starters on Thursday's slate, Cortes presents high strikeout upside if his first outing proves an anomaly.

Tristan H. Cockcroft recommended targeting bullpen arms rather than risky starters on Thursday's slate. Jordan Romano, available in more than half of ESPN leagues, was specifically highlighted. The Phillies offer Romano a favorable environment for save opportunities given Thursday's matchup scenario against Colorado, which offers a projected average ERA of 3.55 for pitchers. Romano and other relievers like Trevor Megill and A.J. Puk represent better and safer streaming alternatives compared to thin starting pitcher options.

Tristan H. Cockcroft identified Merrill Kelly as a viable pitching stream despite the challenging road matchup against the Yankees. Though Yankee Stadium is known as a hitter-friendly park, Cockcroft highlighted Kelly’s ability to limit home runs, evidenced by having the 11th-lowest HR/9 rate among pitchers with at least 450 innings since 2022. The Diamondbacks pitcher faces a potent New York lineup led by Aaron Judge, amplifying the risk, yet his history of suppressing long balls makes him worth consideration on a difficult slate with limited streaming options.