Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 8/27/16

 

Welcome to Saturday baseball! We have an 11 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

Noah Syndergaard FD 10800 DK 12300
Opponent - PHI (Hellickson) Park - @NYM
FD - 41.8 DK - 27.31

On the main slate, there are 3 top priced pitchers, with Noah Syndergaard leading the bunch. Syndergaard and the Mets will be taking on the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been absolutely horrible against righties. In 3500 plate appearances against righties, the Phillies have sported a lackluster .300 wOBA that is backed up by a 21.8% K rate and a putrid .700 OPS. Syndergaard on the other hand, has been dominant against righties and lefties with a .282 wOBA to go along with superior peripherals and batted ball rates. While he will cost you a pretty penny, Syndergaard is worth it, especially in cash games. In tournaments, he is obviously in play, though there are a few other options to use. While he is $12300 on DraftKings, he is a very affordable $10800 on FanDuel.

Jameson Taillon FD 7700 DK 9900
Opponent - MIL (Nelson) Park - @MIL
FD - 31.07 DK - 20.47

If you are looking to pay down for a guy with upside, Jameson Taillon is a great way to. Taillon has been spectacular since entering the league, though the sample size is far from big enough. Over the course of 60 innings, Taillon has sported a .280 wOBA to go along with a 7 K/9 and a 3.16 xFIP. His opponent, the Brewers, have been far from spectacular against right handers. They have exhibited a .310 wOBA, though their 25.4% K rate and .717 make them stick out as a good team to target. When you combine with price and match up, this is a tough one to pass up, especially in tournaments. While he is very expensive on DraftKings, he is very fair priced on FanDuel at just $7700. While I'm not recommending him for cash games, he is my 2nd favorite pitcher on the slate.

CATCHER

Wilson Ramos FD 3200 DK 3700
Opponent - COL (De La Rosa) Park - @WSH
FD - 10.93 DK - 8.42

Starting us off for hitters at the catcher position, we are going to look at Wilson Ramos. Ramos and the Nationals are in a great spot here against Jorge De La Rosa, who has been far from good vs righties. With a .350 wOBA and 15 home runs, De La Rosa is certainly a guy you van target with right handers. Ramos has been arguably the best hitting catcher in the league this year with a .359 wOBA against lefties. While the ballpark is far from idea;, Ramos is not reliant on power and can score in many different ways. As usual, he is a much better deal on FD where he sits $500 cheaper.

Jacob Realmuto FD 2800 DK 3800
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @MIA
FD - 10.1 DK - 8.42

If you are looking for a cash game catcher that is fairly priced, there is no reason to look past Jacob "J.T." Realmuto. While Realmuto has been better against righties, his peripherals suggest some positive regression in his favor against southpaws. While we will touch on Richard later, all you need to know is that he is a bad lefty who is going to have some troubles here. With Ramos cheaper on DraftKings, it is not a discussion. On FanDuel, it is a completely different story. With Syndergaard on the mound, I am going to do my best to save salary wherever I can and this is a great spot to do so.

FIRST BASE

Miguel Cabrera FD 4300 DK 5400
Opponent - LAA (Chacin) Park - @DET
FD - 14.53 DK - 11.05

Some may say Miguel Cabrera has had a disappointing season, but the numbers completely disagree. Against righties in particular, Cabrera has sported a .399 wOBA to go along with some spectacular peripherals and batted ball rates. The Tigers will be taking on one of the worst pitvhers on the slate, Jhoulys Chacin. Against righties, he has given up a .339 wOBA as well as a high 25% line drive rate. Cabrera is still one of the absolute best hitters in the league, and makes for a tremendous play across the board and industry.

Brandon Moss FD 3600 DK 5000
Opponent - OAK (Neal) Park - @STL
FD - 12.27 DK - 9.28

Brandon Moss is one of mt favorite players to roster as he is always affordable and has as much consistent upside as anyone else on the slate.  We will touch on Zach Neal next, but just know that he is a youngster that has struggles mightily. Moss, however has been great against righties over the past few seasons with a .352 wOBA and he has hit 95% of his homers against right handers. While Busch Stadium is far from a hitters park, Moss has enough power to hit it out anywhere, let alone Busch Stadium.

SECOND BASE

Matt Carpenter FD 3900 DK 5200
Opponent - OAK (Neal) Park - @STL
FD - 12.68 DK - 9.74

Second base is a position that I am going to look to pay up at to either Matt Carpenter. While both are in tremendous spots, I think I am going to lean on Carpenter in cash games. Like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Neal is a youngster that has struggled a bit. Against lefties, he has given up a .350 wOBA, not to mention the 5.08 xFIP.  Carpenter has been one of the better hitters in the majors and while we probably can't expect a home run, Carpenter can exceed value in plenty of different ways. Like most, Carpenter is super affordable on FD and nearly impossible to pay up for on DK.

Jose Altuve FD 4000 DK 5000
Opponent - TB (Snell) Park - @HOU
FD - 12.06 DK - 10.45

Altuve is a very interesting guy to roster. On one hand, he appears to lack power, but on the other hand, he has over 10 home runs and has proven to be one of the most consistent hitters in the league, against lefties dating back to 2015, Altuve has exhibited a .386 wOBA to go along with a 34.2% hard contact rate. While Blake Snell is a good prospect, he has struggled a bit against righties and I would not be surprise to see the Astros get to him. While no others will be mentioned, I am a big fan of the Astros stack in tournaments.

 

SHORTSTOP

Tim Anderson FD 2600 DK 4200
Opponent - SEA (Miranda) Park - @CHW
FD - 9.26 DK - 8.25

Tim Anderson has entered the league on fire and has shown no signs of slowing down, at leat anytime soon. The White Sox are taking on Ariel Miranda, who has been all around horrible on the season. With a .365 combined wOBA and a 5.41 xFIP, we can safely target anyone against Miranda. Though many of the ballpark are pitcher-favored today, U.S. Cellular Field is far from it as it ranked in the top 1- for power over the last couple years. Due to the position being very scarce, I am comfortable using Anderson in both cash games and tournaments, especially on FanDuel at only $2800 (WOW).

Brandon Crawford FD 3000 DK 4000
Opponent - ATL (Foltynewicz) Park - @SF
FD - 9.34 DK - 7.3

Brandon Crawford is another guy I love to roster as he is very boon or bust, especially at home with the right field short porch. The Giants will be facing Mike Foltynewicz, who has actually not been that bad. That being said,, he is still horrible against lefties with a .351 wOBA and should be targeted by any big lefties that make there way into the lineup. Though the ballpark is atrocious for hitters, the short porch in right field is a spot that Crawford has been aiming for years.

THIRD BASE

Jacob Lamb FD 3500 DK 4500
Opponent - CIN (DeSclafani) Park - @ARI
FD - 11.21 DK - 8.71

Jacob Lamb against a righty, yes please. Dating back to lat season, Lamb has sported a +.370 wOBA against righties and his peripherals complete;y support it. With a 38% hard contact rate and a 24% line rive rate, he is obviously complete;y legitimate against right handers. While Anthony DeSclafani has been rather impressive, his .341 wOBA against righties over the past few years is enough for me to throw Lamb out there against him. Lamb is one of mt favorite plays on the day and I am comfortable with him in both cash games and tournaments

Martin Prado FD 2700 DK 4500
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @MIA
FD - 9.3 DK - 7.34

Sure, Martin Prado is boring. One of the most boring players in the league, absolutely. That being said, is boring really a bad thing? Prado has been very consistent, especially against lefties, and I see no reason for him to stop now. Against southpaws, Prado has toted a ridiculous .458 wOBA that is backed up by all of the necessary peripherals and batted ball rates. While I certainly prefer Lamb in all formats, Prado is a close 2nd and may be first for cash games. While way too expensive on DK, he is way too cheap on other sites across the industry.

 

OUTFIELD

Marcell Ozuna FD 3200 DK 4700
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @MIA
FD - 11.63 DK - 9

The Marlins are obviously one of out favorite offenses of the night as they will be taking on Clayton Richard, who can be picked on consistently. Richard has been atrocious against righties over the past 3 seasons with a .367 wOBA that can be traced back to any supporting peripheral.  Ozuna on the other hand, has been amazing against lefties. In 100 at-bats, Ozuna has sported a .423 wOBA and has hit 10 of his 22 home runs against lefties, though only a quarter of his at-bats came against them. Like everyone, he is very fair priced on FD and the exact opposite on DraftKings.

Jayson Werth FD 3400 DK 4400
Opponent - COL (De La Rosa) Park - @WSH
FD - 11.83 DK - 9
Bryce Harper FD 3700 DK 4800
Opponent - COL (De La Rosa) Park - @WSH
FD - 13.48 DK - 10.4

Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper are one of the better outfield combos in the league, though they are not hyped up as big as they should. Both Werth and Harper have sported wOBA +.370 against lefties. While Harper doesn't have the platoon advantage, he obviously has the power to hit it out anywhere and is just fine against left handers. Though the ballpark is a negative, both of these guys have proven there ability to hit here.

Nelson Cruz FD 3500 DK 4500
Opponent - CHW (Quintana) Park - @CHW
FD - 11.07 DK - 8.37

Nelson Cruz has been known as a left handed killer over the course of his career, and this year has been no different. Since 2014, Cruz has sported a .411 wOBA to go along with a crazy 46% hard contact rate and a 24% line drive rate. The Mariners are moving into U.S. Cellular Field, which is a top 10 ballpark for right handed power. They will be taking on Jose Quintana tonight, who is a rather good pitcher. Therefore, Cruz will be very low owned and still has more upside than anyone. While I prefer the option listed above, Crux makes for a great play across the board.

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