Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 8/23/16

 

Welcome to Tuesday baseball! We have a 15 game main slate on our hands with some aces and a few offenses in great spots to put up some runs. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on more pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise. Let's get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Jake Arrieta FD 11000 DK 12500
Opponent - SD (Friedrich) Park - @SD
FD - 42.39 DK - 27.66

Arrieta is going to start us off at pitcher tonight and he is going to be our top option in both cash games and tournaments. The Cubs are in San Diego and will look for an easy win against the Padres in the second game of the series. The Padres have been absolutely horrible against right handers on the season with a league worst .293 wOBA that is backed up by a 24.5% strikeout rate and a .155 ISO. While those numbers may not phase you, the Padres have been one of the absolute worst hitting teams in the league over the past 15 seasons. Arrieta on the other hand, has been absolutely terrific against both righties and lefties on the year with a .252 combined wOBA to go along with plenty of peripherals and batted ball rates. While there are definitely some interesting ways to go, Arrieta is going to lead us in all formats across the field. Though he is going to cost you an arm and leg, it just might be worth it when you consider the match up.

Jaime Garcia FD 8300 DK 9100
Opponent - NYM (Niese) Park - @STL
FD - 32.29 DK - 21.06

If you are looking to pay down for a guy with upside that is going to be under owned, Jaime Garcia is a terrific way to go. The Mets have struggled a ton against southpaws in 2016 with a .317 wOBA that is backed up by a 21.8% K rate and a 92 wRC+. Jaime Garcia has been great against both sides of the plate with a .309 wOBA and a 27.2% hard contact rate. The game will take place in Busch Stadium which is one of the better parks in the league for left handed pitching. While Arrieta is the clear cut top option in both cash games and tournaments, Garcia is one of the guys you should seriously consider in tournaments.

CATCHER

Matt Wieters FD 2500 DK 3700
Opponent - WSH (Lopez) Park - @BAL
FD - 9.09 DK - 7.03

Yep, just another day where the catcher position is absolutely horrible. That being said, we are going to look at guys that are fairly priced in +EV spots. Wieters is the first spot we are going to look at here as he will be taking on Reynaldo Lopez, a right handed youngster that is not very good. While Wieters has been very bad compared to his previous years, he has still been decent against righties with a 34% hard contact rate and a .321 wOBA. The game will take place in Camden Yards, which is a top 5 ballpark for both left handed and right handed power. While he is far from safe, there is nobody at the position that brings much safety.

Gary Sanchez FD 2800 DK 4300
Opponent - SEA (Walker) Park - @SEA
FD - 10.2 DK - 7.91
Will likely be super chalk across the board and especially on FanDuel. The price was $2900 yesterday and dropped to $2800 today. He's been crushing it since being called up and the Yankees have moved him to number 3 in the order. No reason to punt away from him on FanDuel at all though the decision on DraftKings is a little closer with Iwakuma on the mound.

 

FIRST BASE

Chris Davis FD 3600 DK 5100
Opponent - WSH (Lopez) Park - @BAL
FD - 13.23 DK - 9.9

Let's just be honest, Chris Davis has been a bit underwhelming this year. While the home runs have been there, his overall production has dropped, though hope is far from lost. With a 41% hard contact rate and a .276 BABIP, things should be on the up and up from "Crush". Reynaldo is one of the worst pitchers on this slate and it is never a bad idea to pick on a below average pitcher in Camden Yards, which as mentioned, is a terrific park for home runs. Though Davis is more of a tournament play, he is my top option in that format and I think you could certainly consider him in cash games, if you have the right roster construction going. While he is insanely expensive on DraftKings ($5100), he is very fairly priced over on FanDuel at $3600.

Jose Abreu FD 3500 DK 4300
Opponent - PHI (Thompson) Park - @CHW
FD - 12.78 DK - 9.79

In cash games, I am more apt to use a guy like Jose Abreu as he is fairly priced and is a lot more consistent in terms of overall production. For example, Abreu has 2 games where he allotted 0 points in the last month, compared to Chris Davis and Edwin Encarnacion who both have over 6 production-less games. While Jake Thompson is a decent prospect, he profiles as the eventual 3rd man in the rotation, and will likely struggle as he gets acclimated. He has already struggled a bit to begin his career with 3 home runs in 12 innings. The ballpark is great as U.S. Cellular Field is known as a hitter haven, especially for right handers.

 

SECOND BASE

Ben Zobrist FD 3400 DK 4000
Opponent - SD (Friedrich) Park - @SD
FD - 11.2 DK - 8.69

Ben Zobrist and the Cubs are in a interesting spot here tonight as they are taking on a very average pitcher in a very bad ballpark, but you always have to consider just how good the Cubs are. Christian Friedrich has been decent against righties with a .317 wOBA that is backed up and looks to be accurate. Zobrist on the other hand, has lefties extremely well over the past 3 seasons with a .372 wOBA, that is backed up by a 34% hard contact rate and a .298 BABIP. Zobrist is one of the safest options in cash games as he never strikes out and very rarely has a 0 in the box score. While he does lack a bit of upside, we will touch on a tourney guy next in Rougned Odor.

Rougned Odor FD 3500 DK 3700
Opponent - CIN (Straily) Park - @CIN
FD - 10.16 DK - 8.22

Rougned Odor is going to be our tournament option at second base, a position that generally lacks explosiveness. While Odor has a very small frame, his power numbers suggest something entirely different. So far in 2016, Odor has hit 17 homers off of righties and his peripherals back it up in any and every way possible. The Rangers will be facing off with Dan "Mr. Average" Straily. Straily gives up plenty of production to lefties and I expect him to get hammered in this game by the Rangers. The Great American Ballpark plays a huge factor as well as it is one of the best in the league. In cash games, stick with Zobrist, but you gotta get a little crazy in tournaments.

 

SHORTSTOP

Tim Anderson FD 2900 DK 4300
Opponent - PHI (Thompson) Park - @CHW
FD - 9.88 DK - 8.8

Tim Anderson has been one of the many pleasant surprises of the season, as he jumped into the majors with a ton of immediate production. The production hasn't slowed too much and he has now held a .337 wOBA since his first game. Like I mentioned when touching on Abreu, Jake Thompson is going to struggle as he changes his approach, and we should look to take advantage while the others stay away. In cash games, Anderson is easily my favorite option. At a position that is overall underwhelming, Anderson gives you the combo of speed and power that is rarely seen.

Troy Tulowitzki FD 3200 DK 3600
Opponent - LAA (Skaggs) Park - @TOR
FD - 11.47 DK - 8.74

While this is only the 2nd Blue Jay bat mentioned, they are one of the top offenses on the slate and you should certainly consider a stack in large field tournaments. Tulowitzki, when healthy, has been great against righties on the year with a .337 wOBA that is held up by plenty of peripheral stats and batted ball rates. Like I mentioned, Tyler Skaggs has struggled a ton to start his career and we will look to pick on his until he shows us otherwise. While I do prefer Anderson in cash games, I have to give the nod to Tulowitzki in tournaments due to his upside and price.

 

THIRD BASE

Jacob Lamb FD 3100 DK 4500
Opponent - ATL (Whalen) Park - @ARI
FD - 11.78 DK - 9.15

Lamb had a pretty rough game yesterday, but we can't let that impact our decision for tonight. Lamb has destroyed righties for about 3 years and what he did last night has absolutely nothing to do with what he will tonight. The Diamondbacks will face off with Robert Whalen, which should be pretty fun for the left handers. While Whalen has held a decent wOBA against lefties, his peripherals suggest a completely different story and they expect Whalen to get "wailed" by left handers sooner or later. The ballpark is a huge bonus here as Chase Field is regarded as the second best park in the league, behind only Coors Field, which is in a league of its own. Lamb is one of my favorite plays on this slate and I see no reason to fade him in any format.

Manny Machado FD 3800 DK 4800
Opponent - WSH (Lopez) Park - @BAL
FD - 12.96 DK - 10.18

Our 3rd and final Oriole, Manny Machado. Machado has solidified himself as one of the best hitters in the league this year with a .382 wOBA against right handers. Aside from the terrific wOBA, Machado has also sported a 37% hard contact rate and a .311 BABIP, which backs up his numbers to a T. As mentioned a few times, Reynaldo Lopez is someone to pick on here, especially due to the fact that is game is being played in the hitter friendly Camden Yards. Surprisingly, Machado is fairly priced across the board and makes for a great play in all formats, though I prefer him in tournaments with Jacob Lamb in cash games.

 

OUTFIELD

Miguel Sano FD 3100 DK 4200
Opponent - DET (Sanchez) Park - @MIN
FD - 11.96 DK - 0
Max Kepler FD 3300 DK 4400
Opponent - DET (Sanchez) Park - @MIN
FD - 11.01 DK - 8.72

The first outfield duo we are going to look at is Miguel Sano and Max Kepler, two very powerful human beings. More specifically, they are two guys who have absolutely hammered right handed pitching, albeit the sample sizes aren't huge. Both Kepler and Sano have sported wOBA's against righties that sit +.365 and have been held up by all of the necessary peripherals. While Target Field is not a hitter haven, it actually ranked as the 11th best park for tight handed power in 2015. Anibal Sanchez has been far from impressive this season and there is no reason to think he is going to suddenly turn it around at this point. While I prefer Sano, they are both very close.

Franklin Gutierrez FD 2900 DK 3100
Opponent - NYY (Sabathia) Park - @SEA
FD - 9.52 DK - 7.32
Nelson Cruz FD 3900 DK 4700
Opponent - NYY (Sabathia) Park - @SEA
FD - 11.34 DK - 8.57

Nelson Cruz and Franklin Gutierrez are coming in as my 2nd favorite outfield duo of the night. The steep decline of C.C. Sabathia has hit us and the righties are loving it. Both Nelson Cruz and Franklin Gutierrez are widely regarded as left handed mashers, which is in no small part due to their +.370 wOBA's. As mentioned, Sabathia is on a steep decline and has given up 6 runs in 6 of his last 12 games, which is atrocious. While Cruz is obviously the better play(er), that is factored into the equation as his price is quite a bit higher. Cruz comes in as my homer pick of th enight and I would be far from surprised if both of these guys banged one out, and maybe two in Cruz' case.

Jurickson Profar FD 2900 DK 2900
Opponent - CIN (Straily) Park - @CIN
FD - 10.79 DK - 8.74

Jurickson Profar has recently been placed in the outfield, which gives us the opportunity to play both him and Rougned odor. Profar has been sitting in the farm system for a while now and it looks like he has finally exploded out, and will likely never look back. Against righties, Profar has sported a .338 wOBA t go along with some great power and batted ball numbers. Dan Straily has given up a .342 wOBA against lefties over the past couple years and there is no reason to think that stops anytime soon. While he isn't preferred over the above options, I love him as a 1 off as well as part of a Rangers stack.

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