DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/8/22

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Pitchers

Chris Bassitt FD - P 10400 DK - SP 9300
Opponent - CIN (Justin Dunn) Park - NYM
FD - 41.78 DK - 22.97

Despite Jacob deGrom making just two starts this season, the Mets have a Top 5 starting rotation in terms of ERA(3.58) and a lot can be attributed to Chris Bassitt who came over from Oakland in the offseason. While the strikeout upside has been league-average(24%), he has been very consistent going into the sixth inning or deeper in eight straight starts thanks to a near-elite walk rate(6.6%). The Reds have been sneaky good recently winning six of their last eight but still rank bottom 10 in wOBA and wRC+ while striking out nearly 25% of the time and have been considerably worse against right-handed pitching. All things considered, he is our top arm on this slate.

Zac Gallen FD - P 9600 DK - SP 7900
Opponent - PIT (Tyler Beede) Park - ARI
FD - 32.01 DK - 17.13

Gallen has been one of the few bright spots for the rebuilding D-Backs in 2022 thanks to a somewhat transformation in his game. He is throwing fewer fastballs and more offspeed and while that has hurt his overall K upside(23.3% K rate), he has been more consistent with fewer walks, flyballs, and home runs which has led to a 3.31 ERA overall. What really stands out here is the matchup as he faces a Pirates team that ranks dead last in wOBA(.267) and wRC+(70) in the second half while striking our nearly 26% of the time. Finally, he is in play on both sites tonight but especially stands out on DraftKings where the price is back in the sub $8K range.

Catcher/First Base

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. FD - 1B 4300 DK - 1B 6200
Opponent - BAL (Jordan Lyles) Park - BAL
FD - 14.65 DK - 11.04

We definitely have some tough decisions to make on this smaller slate as we have a plethora of high-priced talent and it starts at first base. First up is Vladdy who extended his season-long hit streak to 18 games on Sunday and in that time is hitting .420 with a .487 wOBA, 223 wRC+ and surprisingly has also added four stolen bases! On Monday, he gets a matchup against Jordan Lyles who has been better in the second half but still sits with a 4.40 ERA/4.45 xFIP and has given up the second-highest barrel rate(7.7%) and xwOBA(.345)  on this slate. Vladdy is in play in all formats.

Pete Alonso FD - 1B 4200 DK - 1B 6100
Opponent - CIN (Justin Dunn) Park - NYM
FD - 14.22 DK - 10.62
Daniel Vogelbach FD - 1B 3000 DK - 1B 3700
Opponent - CIN (Justin Dunn) Park - NYM
FD - 12.38 DK - 9.21

We have multiple options with the Mets depending on your choice at starting pitcher and how much salary you want to spend at the position. This is where the tough decision comes in should you decide to spend up as Alonso has been just as good as, if not better than Vladdy in the second half hitting .393 with an insane .509 wOBA/240 wRC+. Even better is the matchup as he faces Justin Dunn who has been giving out walks like candy at AAA and posted a 6.75 ERA over eight starts in 2022.

Another popular route will be saving some salary and rolling with Vogelbach who came over in a trade at the deadline. He has been tremendous hitting over .300 across 13 games with his new team and has almost as many walks(10) as strikeouts(11) in that time.

Second Base

Luis Rengifo FD - 2B 2400 DK - 2B/3B 4100
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 7.65 DK - 5.89

Second base is a spot I will be looking for some value and Rengifo provides just that as he has been extremely consistent for the Angels for an extended period of time. Going back to mid-June, he has put together hits in 36 of 43 games for a .315 average which has also given him the opportunity to move up near the top of the lineup. He is also a switch hitter who has been so much better against left-handed pitching with a .387 wOBA, 155 wRC+, and .209 ISO. Rengifo is my top play at second, especially on FanDuel where the price remains suppressed in the mid $2K range.

Also consider: Whit Merrifield(TOR) who makes a nice option if targeting a mid to lower half of the order stack for the Jays and he has tallied hits in all three starts with his new team

Shortstop

Francisco Lindor FD - SS 3900 DK - SS 5900
Opponent - CIN (Justin Dunn) Park - NYM
FD - 13.3 DK - 10.09

Lindor stayed red-hot over the weekend going 8 for 16 and now has hits in 25 of his last 27 games overall. He hasn't been a high-average guy since early in his career with Cleveland but does have the average up to .270 on the season and more importantly has been a beast for fantasy production with 77 RBI and 68 runs scored. I mentioned the plus matchup against Justin Dunn earlier and should he only get through a couple of innings, the Reds' bullpen ranks dead last this season. To top it off, Lindor is a switch hitter who has also been much better against righties(.362 wOBA, 140 wRC+) putting him in elite territory on this slate.

Luis García FD - 2B 2400 DK - SS 3500
Opponent - CHC (Keegan Thompson) Park - CHC
FD - 7.94 DK - 6.18

With Juan Soto out of the picture, targeting the Nats is not at the top of my list but if you are in need of value Luis Garcia provides just that. He has seen some added opportunity getting moved up the lineup and has been surprisingly consistent as of late with hits in 10 of his last 12 games(.360 average) including five multi-hit efforts. He also gets a plus matchup against Keegan Thompson who has given up five earned runs in two of his last three starts and three home runs in his last two. At these prices, Garcia is in play in all formats as a top value to help us get those expensive bats with top pitching.

Third Base

Matt Chapman FD - 3B 3400 DK - 3B 4700
Opponent - BAL (Jordan Lyles) Park - BAL
FD - 10.72 DK - 7.97

There are few teams I would consider stacking the bottom half of the lineup in cash games but the Jays are one of them with a very balanced lineup. Chapman was not a part of this discussion earlier in the year when he was struggling mightily but like he has done in the past with the A's, he has come on strong in the second half. He is hitting over .300 since the break and despite an ugly 41% K rate, he has still managed to get on base at over a 40% clip and has also found the power stroke with six home runs and 13 RBI. The price is on the rise which does add some risk but the options aren't great at the position tonight so I will have exposure in all formats.

Also Consider: Brandon Drury/Manny Machado(SDP) who get tougher matchups and are expensive but both crush lefties and make nice GPP pivots off the Mets and Jays bats or Patrick Wisdom(CHC) if you are brave enough to go back to the Cubs who continually let us down. 

Outfield

Teoscar Hernández FD - OF 3800 DK - OF 4600
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 10.24 DK - 7.76
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. FD - OF 2900 DK - OF 4000
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 8.27 DK - 6.34

The Jays' outfield is going to be popular tonight as they have been both red-hot and also come very affordable on both sites which really helps on this smaller slate. Let's start with Lourdes Gurriel who has been moved up to the leadoff spot with George Springer placed on the IL and with a price that has been slow to adjust, he provides elite PTS/$ value. He has also been red-hot since the start of June hitting .365 with a .388 wOBA and 153 wRC+. Teoscar comes at a little bit more of a cost but has also been on a heater entering Monday with a seven-game hit streak which includes three home runs, six RBI, and six runs scored. While I do prefer Gurriel for cash games if choosing just one, both these Jays' outfielders are in play in all formats tonight.

Alek Thomas FD 2700 DK 3600
Opponent - PIT (Tyler Beede) Park - PIT
FD - 11.03 DK - 8.55

I have yet to touch on the D-Backs who have really started to heat up in August scoring nearly five runs a game and get a terrific matchup to add to that on Monday night. Let's start with the matchup as they face Tyler Beede who was an average bullpen arm with little to no K stuff(13% K rate) and got rocked in his first start of the season giving up five hits and four earned runs in an inning and a third against the Brewers. The D-Backs outfield is filled with value but I will lean heavily on Thomas who is not only cheaper than Varsho but also hits higher in the lineup. More good news as he also comes in hot with hits in five of his last six games with three extra-base hits. He checks almost every single box and is right up there with Gurriel as my top PTS/$ play in the outfield.

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