Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Lions at Fighters

Saitama Seibu Lions (18-21) at Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (20-20-2)

Saturday, August 8th, 1:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

Fighters: RHP Kohei Arihara (1-5, 4.18 ERA)

Lions: RHP Wataru Matsumoto (1-3, 6.53 ERA)

Game Preview

The Fighters and the Lions are both outside of the current playoff zone, but the hosts are carrying a stronger form ahead of this matchup – they have gone 4-1 in their last five games, while the Lions have lost four of their previous five contests. The pitching matchup for this contest will feature two right-handers that haven't had strong results, although on the surface, Arihara's numbers are stronger than Matsumoto's. Plus, the Fighters have a stronger offense and that should also boost their chances of getting a positive result in this contest.

Injuries

Katsuhiko Kumon - Out - Upper Leg

7/31 1:37 AM IST - Kumon was deactivated Thursday and is expected to miss four weeks due a strained adductor muscle in his left leg, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Kumon picked up the injury in his appearance in Wednesday's game against the Buffaloes, during which he blew a one-run lead. The lefty reliever owns a 4.97 ERA and 11:4 K:BB across 12.2 innings this season.

Yuki Nomura - Out - Finger

7/9 4:21 AM IST - Nomura had successful surgery Wednesday to address the broken right pinkie finger he suffered in Tuesday's loss to the Buffaloes, Full-Count.jp reports. Nomura is expected to face a three-month recovery from the procedure, effectively taking him off the radar for the remainder of his rookie season. The 20-year-old had been a lineup regular at third base for the Fighters, going 10-for-46 (.217 average) with two home runs and eight RBI through his first 13 NPB games.

Eito Tanaka - Out - Elbow

7/10 6:41 AM IST - The Fighters announced Thursday that Tanaka underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, Full-Count.jp reports. He's expected to be sidelined for two months before starting a throwing program. The 20-year-old made his NPB debut for Nippon-Ham in September of last season, giving up two runs in a two-inning appearance. Since he'll still need to complete more rehab work once he starts up his throwing program, Tanaka's absence could extend to the three-month mark or longer. The Fighters likely aren't counting on him to hold a major role once he's healthy again.

Hiroshi Urano - Out - Chest

6/30 8:47 PM IST - Urano required an appendectomy Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined for four weeks following surgery, Yahoo Japan reports. Urano will be hospitalized through Saturday before taking the next three weeks off to rest up and recover from the emergency procedure. The 30-year-old had yet to appear in a game for the Fighters this season after going 3-1 with seven holds and a 4.98 ERA over 25 appearances in 2019.

Christian Villanueva - Out - Foot

7/31 1:32 AM IST - The Fighters deactivated Villanueva on Thursday after he fouled a ball off his left foot in Wednesday's game against the Buffaloes, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. An already rough second season in NPB has gotten even worse for Villanueva, who slashing just .186/.288/.273 over 66 plate appearances before he sustained the injury. He'll likely be in store for a reserve role with the Fighters once he's activated, presumably in the next 1-to-2 weeks.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Expected Lineup

1. Haruki Nishikawa

2. Taishi Ohta

3. Kensuke Kondoh

4. Sho Nakata

5. Ryo Watanabe

6. Christian Villanueva

7. Kotaro Kiyomiya

8. Shingo Usami

9. Takuya Nakashima

Saitama Seibu Lions Expected Lineup

1. Cory Spangenberg

2. Sosuke Genda

3. Shuta Tonosaki

4. Hotaka Yamakawa

5. Tomoya Mori

6. Takeya Nakamura

7. Takumi Kuriyama

8. Seiji Kawagoe

9. Shohei Suzuki

Top Picks

Sho Nakata, Fighters: Nakata has been one of the biggest power threats in the league, and he has racked up 13 home runs with 42 RBI already. The slugger has only hit for .230, but that won't matter much as long as he keeps producing runs one way or another.

Taishi Ohta, Fighters: Ohta ranks second in the Fighters roster with five homers and has also produced 27 RBI, so he can make damage in specific scoring situations. His average of .233 doesn't stand out, however, but he should remain a reliable offensive threat.

Hotaka Yamakawa, Lions: Yamakawa is the only double-digit home run hitter in the Lions roster, and he has gone yard 13 times while also racking up 37 RBI. His average of .235 isn't very impressive, but he has shown a clear ability to produce runs when it matters the most.

Kohei Arihara, Fighters: Ahirara represents the best pitching alternative in this contest, and that should be enough to give him a decent shot at a captaincy berth considering neither offense is particularly dangerous.

Captaincy Options

1. Sho Nakata
2. Taishi Ohta
3. Hotaka Yamakawa

Dream11 Team

P – Kohei Arihara

C – Shingo Usami

IF – Sho Nakata (C)

IF – Ryo Watanabe

IF – Hotaka Yamakawa

OF – Kensuke Kondoh

OF – Daisuke Togawa

OF – Taishi Ohta (VC)

OF – Shohei Suzuki