Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 8/29/16

 

Welcome to Monday baseball! We have a 13 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

Jose Fernandez FD 11000 DK 12700
Opponent - NYM (Montero) Park - @NYM
FD - 38.64 DK - 25.2

Jose Fernandez is going to start us off here at the pitcher position, as he usually does when he is on the mound. Fernandez has been absolutely brilliant this year and there are no stats that you can find that will turn against that. Against both lefties and righties, Fernandez has sported a .272 wOBA to go along with an insane 1.55 xFIP against right handers. His opponent, the Mets, have been pitiful against right handers on the season with a .306 wOBA, which is the 24th worst in the league. This game will take place in Citi Field, which is one of the best parks in the league for right handed pitching. Fernandez is going to be my top option at pitcher in both cash games and tournaments, though there are a few guys we can look at instead.

Carlos Martinez FD 9700 DK 10300
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 33.46 DK - 21.87

If you want to pay down a bit for a guy that is rather safe and is a terrific cash game option, you can look long and hard at Carlos Martinez. Martinez has been very good against both lefties and righties. Against right handers in specific, Martinez has sported a .223 wOBA that is backed up by a 8.38 K/9 and a 25% hard contact rate. Martinez and the Cardinals will be taking on the Brewers, who are one of the worst teams in the league against right handers. The Brewers have exhibited a .297 wOBA  against right handed pitching and there is no reason to believe that they will be any better off here. While the ballpark is decent, the Brewers are bad enough against righties that it doesn't really bother me.

CATCHER

Wilson Ramos FD 3300 DK 3900
Opponent - PHI (Thompson) Park - @PHI
FD - 11.25 DK - 8.67

Starting us off at catcher, we are going to look at Wilson Ramos. Ramos has been one of the best hitting catchers in the league, especially against righties as evident by his .359 wOBA and a 36.3% hard contact rate. The Nationals will be taking on Jake Thompson, a right handed youngster that has been absolutely horrible against both lefties and righties. Against righties, he has given up a .389 wOBA and a 42.9% hard contact rate. Citizens Bank Park is a great ballpark for right handers and is a huge upgrade from his park in Washington D.C. Ramos is my top option in both cash games and tournaments, and is way too cheap on both sites.

Brian McCann FD 3200 DK 4100
Opponent - KC (Gee) Park - @KC
FD - 9.65 DK - 7.25

If you are looking for a tournament catcher, take a look at Brian McCann. McCann, while aging, has still hit righties pretty well over the previous few years with a .356 wOBA as well as 90% of his homers coming off of righties. Dillon Gee is not very good at all and has struggled  mightily against lefties. Over the course of 48 innings, Gee has sported a .351 wOBA that is backed up by a 4.71 xFIP and a 34% hard contact rate. While Kaufmann Stadium is a pitcher park, McCann can hit it out anywhere when he makes good contact. While he is a strict tournament play, he is a great one at that.

FIRST BASE

Mike Napoli FD 3400 DK 4200
Opponent - MIN (Santiago) Park - @CLE
FD - 11.37 DK - 8.62

Napoli is a guy I love to roster against lefties as he is very underrated and constantly goes under owned in great match ups. I expect more of the same here against Hector Santiago, who has been horrible against righties with a .344 wOBA and has allowed an absurd 21 home runs. Napoli, however, has been great against lefties over the past 3 seasons with a .362 wOBA. While Progressive Field is known as a pitchers park, it has actually been a very good park for right handed power. If you are looking for a consistent guy with HR upside, Napoli is your best bet tonight.

Edwin Encarnacion FD 4200 DK 5000
Opponent - BAL (Miley) Park - @BAL
FD - 13.49 DK - 10.1

You are going to see a lot of Blue Jays here and Encarnacion is going to be the first. While Encarnacion has actually hit righties better, his numbers against lefties are nothing to scoff at. Dating back to 2014, Encarnacion has sported a .356 wOBA against southpaws and his power numbers have never looked better. I will touch on Wade Miley in a bit, but just know that his a left hander that has consistently struggled against right handed power hitters. Though the Blue Jays home is a good hitting park, this is still a big upgrade for righties with Camden Yards. While I prefer Napoli in cash games, Encarnacion is going to be my favorite tournament option.

SECOND BASE

Daniel Murphy FD 4300 DK 5400
Opponent - PHI (Thompson) Park - @PHI
FD - 12.86 DK - 10.13

Murphy is going to be our top option at second base for the second day in a row here, and I am going to go out on a ledge and say I prefer him even more today. Jake Thompson is still getting acclimated to the majors and I think it is going to take a bit longer until he starts showing who his true talent is. Murphy on the other hand, has been spectacular against righties. Over the course of 320 at-bats, Murphy has sported a .427 wOBA that is backed up by all necessary peripherals and batted ball rates. As mentioned, Citizens Bank Park is one of the best parks in the league for left handed hitting.

Matt Carpenter FD 4000 DK 5000
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 11.94 DK - 9.18

If you are looking to pay down a tiny bit for a guy in a similar spot, take a look at Matt Carpenter. Carpenter, like Murphy, has been one of the best hitters in the league against righties and Carpenter was having a terrific season before the injury. The Cardinals will be taking on Zach Davies, who has given up a ,334 wOBA to lefties as well as a 33.4% hard contact rate. Carpenter on the other hand, has held a near .400 wOBA against righties dating back to 2013. Miller Park is a much better stadium for hitting than Busch Stadium and I will look for the Cardinals to take advantage of that here.

 

SHORTSTOP

Troy Tulowitzki FD 3200 DK 4200
Opponent - BAL (Miley) Park - @BAL
FD - 10.92 DK - 8.32

Tulowitzki is going to lead us off at shortstop, a position that usually lacks both safety and upside. However, I am seeing a bit of both tonight, mainly because of what Tulowitzki offers here. The Blue Jays have started destroying left handers again and hat is to no small part of the Tulowitzki return. Tulo has destroyed lefties dating back to 2012 with a nearly .400 wOBA that is backed up by plenty of peripherals and batted ball rates.  With this game being played in Camden Yards I expect Tulowitzki to be swinging for the fences. While he is very expensive on DK, he is only $3200 on FanDuel.

Jhonny Peralta FD 3000 DK 3700
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @MIL
FD - 9.47 DK - 7.32

Peralta is going to finish us off here at shortstop as a guy that brings pure upside for a very affordable price. While Peralta isn't nearly as powerful as he used to be, he still has his moments where the ball is jumping off of the bat. As mentioned, Davies is a bad pitcher and is someone that I am completely comfortable targeting. Miller Park is one of the best parks in the league for right handed power, and Peralta is a guy who hits a ton of fly balls to left field, as evident by his batted ball pull rate. Though Peralta is a pure tournament play, he is a terrific one at that. As a note, I love the Cardinals stack in tournaments as it will likely go under owned and has a ton of upside.

THIRD BASE

Josh Donaldson FD 4400 DK 5200
Opponent - BAL (Miley) Park - @BAL
FD - 13.99 DK - 10.63

My favorite play of the night, Josh Donaldson. The Blue Jays are one of out favorite offenses of the night and Josh Donaldson is a big reason why. Donaldson has destroyed lefties for a few years now and his +.400 wOBA over the past 162 games suggest no decline. The opposing pitcher, Wade Miley, has been pretty horrible against righties over the past few seasons with a .346 wOBA that is held up by a 34.2% hard contact rate. I am going to call Donaldson out as my homer pick of the night and this is one of those times that I am pretty confident. While baseball is very variant and difficult to predict, this is one of those match ups that you have to look at and realize that Donaldson has a huge advantage in every aspect.

Justin Turner FD 3900 DK 5100
Opponent - COL (Gray) Park - @COL
FD - 13.2 DK - 10.28

Justin Turner against a right hander, one of my favorite targets in daily fantasy baseball. Most regular players will look at the righty on righty match up and just assume that he is at a disadvantage, though that is far from the truth. Turner has hit righties much better than he has lefties over the past few seasons with a .362 wOBA and a 24% line drive rate. While Gray isn't a guy I tend to target, I am comfortable targeting most pitchers in Coors Field, let a lone a youngster that has a lack of experience. While I will have nearly 100% exposure to Donaldson, any left over ownership will be on Turner and a hint of Kris Bryant.

OUTFIELD

Josh Reddick FD 3500 DK 4000

We are going to take a look at another Dodger bat here with Josh Reddick, who will likely be hitting 4th or 5th in the lineup. The Dodgers are in a great spot here against Jon Gray in Coors Field. While Gray is a pretty good pitcher, he is very young and has struggled at home in the hitter haven that is Coors Field. While Reddick is having a bit off a disappointing season, he has always hit righties well and will continue to do so. Reddick makes for a great play in both cash games and tournaments.

Carlos Gonzalez FD 3900 DK 5100

While this is the first Rockies bat mentioned, they are in a great stack spot against Kenta Maeda and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gonzalez is my favorite hitter in the lineup tonight and will be someone I get a ton of exposure to in both my cash games and tournaments. CarGo has been one of the best and most consistent options against right handers for about 10 years now and this year has been no different. While Kenta Maeda is a very goo pitcher, he will be visiting Coors Field and even the best pitchers in the world have trouble going 6 innings. While it's not a perfect spot, CarGo is a guy I am cpmfortable using against most righties at home.

Kole Calhoun FD 3300 DK 3300
Opponent - CIN (Straily) Park - @LAA
FD - 10.74 DK - 8.36
Mike Trout FD 4200 DK 4900
Opponent - CIN (Straily) Park - @LAA
FD - 13.59 DK - 10.78

The Angels are a vert tough team to target as the weak spots of their lineup are just atrocious. If Trout was on a good team, he would be insanely highly owned every night and rightfully so. That being said, both of these guys still have a lot of upside. Both Trout and Calhoun have sported +.360 wOBA's against righties over the least 2 years. Straily, however, has been pretty bad against right handers with a .341 wOBA and a 34% hard contact rate. While Trout is obviously the top option here, I am a big fan of both in all formats.

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