Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 8/14/16

 

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PITCHER

Chris Sale FD 10500 DK 12000
Opponent - MIA (Koehler) Park - @MIA
FD - 37.07 DK - 24.61

Chris Sale is the highest priced guy on today's slate, but our projection system suggests he's worth the investment. He has been one of the most dominant pitchers over the last few years, and this year has been no different. He is coming into today's contest boasting a 19.0K-BB% along with a 3.16 ERA. He's a guy that has major upside and pitching against the Marlins will certainly help.

While the Marlins do have some guys that smash lefties, as a whole -- they have been below average. On the year, they own a 22.5 K% (12th in MLB) along with a .317 wOBA (19th in MLB). They strikeout at a high rate and don't hit for a very high average, which makes Chris Sale an excellent play in all formats today.

Steven Matz FD 9600 DK 8800
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @NYM
FD - 35.34 DK - 23.11

If you don't want to pay-up for Chris Sale, the go ahead and grab southpaw Steven Matz. He has been excellent this season, posting a 3.32 xFIP to go along with a 23.1 K%. Not only are his numbers been spectacular, but he will also be pitching at home! In case you didn't know, Citi Field is one of the friendliest parks to pitchers, which makes this match-up even sweeter.

Similar to Sale, Matz also has a high ceiling today, as he will be going up against the San Diego Padres. The Padres have hit southpaws well this season, but they have also own the third highest K% against them. I wouldn't be surprised if Matz hit double-digit strikeout numbers today.

CATCHER

Buster Posey FD 3400 DK 4400
Opponent - BAL (Miley) Park - @SF
FD - 11.12 DK - 8.58

Buster is quietly having another great season and is at a reasonable price today. He draws a favorable L/R match-up against southpaw Wade Miley, who has gotten knocked around by righties this season. On the year, righties own a .473 SLG and .348 wOBA against him, which sets up Posey nicely. He has also done some damage against southpaws. He owns a .382 wOBA to go along with a .211 ISO. He has shown the ability to hit for a high average and power against southpaws, so I'll go ahead and pay up for the backstop.

Russell Martin FD 2600 DK 3100
Opponent - HOU (Fiers) Park - @TOR
FD - 9.87 DK - 7.57

Russell Martin has a beautiful match-up going up against Mike Fiers. Yes, this is a R/R matchup, but right-handed bats have devoured Fiers this season. On the year, they own .500 SLG and .358 wOBA! That's worse than Wade Miley (a lefty)! See why I like this match-up? Not only has he gotten knocked around, but Martin also has a gorgeous price tag. If you're looking to pay up for a pitcher, Martin is your guy! Just make sure he's starting.

Brian McCann FD 3000 DK 3100
Opponent - TB (Odorizzi) Park - @NYY
FD - 9.91 DK - 7.43

You might think our projection system is a bit crazy picking on Jake Odorizzi, but I'll tell you why it's doing just that. Sure, Odorizzi has been spectacular with a 1.13 ERA in his last five outings, but his peripherals aren't pretty. During that span, his xFIP is all the way at 4.39 and his SIERA is sitting at 4.09. Not only are his peripherals suggesting he's going to hit regression soon, but pitching at Yankee Stadium is never easy (especially for a fly ball pitcher).

And now to Brian McCann: He's been struggling in the last month, but he's playing at home and will be going up against a fly ball pitcher. Not only that, but he has a nice price tag, which is why our system is on him today. (Just make sure he's starting)!

 

FIRST BASE

Edwin Encarnacion FD 3900 DK 0
Opponent - HOU (Fiers) Park - @TOR
FD - 13.24 DK - 9.91

We just finished talking about how Mike Fiers gets lit up by righties, so what better right-handed bat to roster from this Blue Jays lineup than Edwin Encarnacion? Some of you might comment below saying Josh Donaldson, but Edwin has much better splits against righties. Since 2013, he owns a .389 wOBA to go along with a .282 ISO. Believe it or not, Edwin is a man with reversed splits. He will be playing at home, so look for him to have some fun against Fiers!

Adrian Gonzalez FD 2800 DK 0
Opponent - PIT (Kuhl) Park - @LAD
FD - 11.21 DK - 8.52

Welcome back, Gonzo! We've missed you a ton!

He started off the season slow (very slow), but he's back! In his last 30 contests, he owns a .308 AVG to go along with a .823 OPS. He isn't a guy that possesses a ton of power, but he can drive in runs, get on base and score some runs. He will be going up against Chad Kuhl, who has struggled against lefties this season. On the year, they own a .395 wOBA and .510 SLG, so look for red-hot Gonzo to continue rolling with this matchup.

David Ortiz FD 4200 DK 4900
Opponent - ARI (Greinke) Park - @BOS
FD - 13.76 DK - 10.35

David Ortiz against a righty is always a guy to consider, even against the great, Zack Greinke. Yes Greinke is Greinke, but Big Papi is also Big Papi. (Best breakdown ever).

What I'm trying to say is that Ortiz devours righties (.364 ISO/.444 wOBA), so he is a guy to consider plugging into some GPP lineups. He has a favorable R/L matchup and will be low owned today. Don't fear Greinkie and roll with Papi, who has amazing splits against northpaws.

 

SECOND BASE

Daniel Murphy FD 3900 DK 4900
Opponent - ATL (Jenkins) Park - @WSH
FD - 11.82 DK - 9.42

Daniel Murphy has been on an absolute tear with a .319 ISO, .427 wOBA and 169 wRC+ over his last 30 contests. He's simply killin' it, so I'll go ahead and plug him into my lineups against righty Tyrell Jenkins. Jenkins has looked decent in his short time in the majors, but isn't someone to fear. He does own an ERA under 4, but his xFIP is all the way at 5.89. Look for that ERA to take a big hit very soon! And most importantly, look for Murphy to keep hit hot-streak going against Jenkins and his 5.89 xFIP! And yes, he's worth the investment!

Ben Zobrist FD 3200 DK 4800
Opponent - STL (Leake) Park - @CHC
FD - 10 DK - 7.75

Switch-hitting Ben Zobrist has been hitting cleanup for the Cubbies, which is part of the reason why our lineup optimizer loves him. It's not very common to see a 2nd baseman hitting in the 4-spot, so we are jumping on it! This gives him the opportunity to drive in runs as well as score.

Today he will be going up against Mike Leake, who has struggled as of late. In his last four outings, he has allowed a total of 33 hits, which has resulted into 22 runs. Things have been rough on the veteran, so look for the Cubs' cleanup hitter to take advantage.

Chase Utley FD 2800 DK 3600
Opponent - PIT (Kuhl) Park - @LAD
FD - 10.17 DK - 7.99

I gave you two high-priced studs, so I thought it would only be fair to give you a [cheaper] option. If you're looking to save some money at 2nd base, then I recommend Chase Utley. Yes, he's been playing for about 30 years, but he's still got a little something left in the tank! I mentioned Adrian Gonzalez for our 1st base picks and we're on Utley for the same reasons. Kuhl has struggled against left-handed bats in his time in the majors, which is why our system is a fan of Utley's as well.

Also Consider- Robinson Cano

 

SHORTSTOP

Trea Turner FD 3600 DK 4700
Opponent - ATL (Jenkins) Park - @WSH
FD - 11.14 DK - 9.69

Man this kid is special! He has lived up to the hype so far and I'm impressed. In his major league career (25 games), he owns a .348 wOBA, .184 ISO and has also swiped 10 bags. This kid does it all and I'll be looking to do a mini-stack with him and Murphy today.

Yes, he's a righty and will be going up against one as well, but he has hit righties better than lefties in his short career in the majors. He owns a .372 wOBA to go along with a .225 ISO. I mentioned how Jenkins isn't as good as his ERA suggests, so don't be surprised if the Nats' put on a show today.

Troy Tulowitzki FD 2900 DK 4200
Opponent - HOU (Fiers) Park - @TOR
FD - 9.72 DK - 7.41

And we're back at it again with another right-handed bat against Fiers! And this time it's Troy Tulowitzki!

Tulo has hit lefties better than righties in his career, but I'm still a fan of him today. Like I've mentioned already, right-handed bats devour Fiers, so look for the Jays' righties to have some fun (Tulo included). Tulo is more of a FanDuel play for me with the big difference in price. But if you were looking to stack Toronto, I'd try to include Tulo on your DraftKings squad as well.

Marcus Semien FD 3000 DK 4000
Opponent - SEA (LeBlanc) Park - @OAK
FD - 9.86 DK - 7.84

Marcus Semien demolishes left-handed pitchers and will be going up against one in, Wade LeBlanc.

Since 2013, Semien owns a .364 wOBA and .215 ISO against southpaws. He's been a completely different animal and will be going up against a vulnerable one in LeBlanc. On the year, righties own a .374 wOBA and .559 SLG against him. Righties have had it go there way against him, so look for Semien to have himself a day!

 

THIRD BASE

Justin Turner FD 3300 DK 5200
Opponent - PIT (Kuhl) Park - @LAD
FD - 11.11 DK - 8.65

Justin Turner was scratched from yesterday's lineup, so make sure he's in the lineup today. But if he is in, he's an excellent play going up against Chad Kuhl. The theme of this article has been the Dodgers and there’s a reason behind it. They have been one of the hottest teams over the last 30 days and have hit righties exceptionally well. Although Turner is a right-handed hitter, he's another one of those reverse platoon split guys, so don't worry so much about the R/R matchup. He owns a .379 wOBA against righties this season and owns a .401 wOBA in his last 14 contests. It doesn't get much better than that!

Maikel Franco FD 2800 DK 3600
Opponent - COL (Chatwood) Park - @PHI
FD - 10.09 DK - 7.79

Will you look at that! It's not a Blue Jay or a Dodger -- it's a Phillie! Our system is a fan of Franco's today, especially at his price points. He will be going up against Tyler Chatwood, who has struggled with control this season. On the year, he owns a 10.4 BB% to go along with a 1.37 WHIP. He has a tendency to allow runners to get on base, which is another reason why we like Franco. And remember, he has some serious pop in his bat, so all it takes is one swing of the bat! He's a nice value play today at a hitter-friendly park.

Jacob Lamb FD 3000 DK 4400
Opponent - BOS (Porcello) Park - @BOS
FD - 10.09 DK - 7.84

Rick Porcello has been stellar for the Red Sox this season, but our system is a fan of Lamb tonight. He isn't as cheap as Franco, but he's got a favorable L/R matchup. Since 2013, lefties own a .326 wOBA against Porcello. They have done solid damage against him, which favors Lamb. Did I forget to mention that Lamb demolishes northpaws? Well he does! On the year, he owns a .411 wOBA against them to go along with a .320 ISO. He has insane numbers against righties, which is why to go with him in tournaments!

 

OUTFIELD

Ryan Braun FD 4000 DK 5300
Opponent - CIN (Reed) Park - @MIL
FD - 12.77 DK - 10.26

Now don't sleep on this guy! He's got a hefty price tag, but boy you gotta love the matchup. He will be going up against southpaw Cody Reed, who has just gotten lit up like a Christmas tree against righties. This season, they own a .401 wOBA to go along with a .576 SLG. They have destroyed him, so I'll go ahead and roster Braun, especially at Miller Park.

Don't forget: Braun owns a beautiful .425 wOBA and .212 ISO against southpaws this season.

Rajai Davis - FD 2900 DK 5100
Opponent - LAA (Weaver) Park - @CLE

What a price difference for Rajai Davis! WOW! He's very cheap on FanDuel, but over 5k on DraftKings. One of these sites messed up and I'm going to say it was FanDuel. This is a R/R matchup for Davis, but who cares! The Indians are on fire and so is Davis. In the last 14 days, Davis owns a .348 wOBA to go along with six stolen bases! He's a man on a mission and going up against soft tossing, Jered Weaver should be fun to watch.

Weaver has been awful with a 5.93 xFIP, so look for Davis and company to pounce on the veteran today. Look for his ownership percentage to be sky-high on FanDuel.

Miguel Sano FD 3600 DK 4600
Opponent - KC (Volquez) Park - @MIN
FD - 11.84 DK - 8.9
Robbie Grossman FD 2800 DK 3700
Opponent - KC (Volquez) Park - @MIN
FD - 10.14 DK - 8.1

Up next we got a Twins' mini-stack! The Twins' offense has been on a tear and we're expecting these two guys to produce today. They will be going up against Edison Volquez, who has struggled as of late. In his last three starts, he has given up 30 hits, which has resulted in 16 earned runs. It has not been pretty for the 33-year-old, so look for Sano and Grossman to excel in today's matc-hup against the veteran.

Josh Reddick FD 3000 DK 3200
Opponent - PIT (Kuhl) Park - @LAD
FD - 11.34 DK - 8.85

The theme has been the Dodgers, so I'll continue with it and present to you, Josh Reddick. He's been hitting at the top of the lineup with his new ball club, but has been ice-cold. It's only a matter of time before he breaks out of this slump. He is surrounded by guys who have been hitting the cover out of the baseball, so it will rub on to him sooner rather than later. I know it's been frustrating, but our system loves his price tag and his order in the lineup. And frankly, I don't blame it. Do your thing, Josh!

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