DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 8/9/22

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Pitchers

Shohei Ohtani FD 11200 DK 10300
Opponent - OAK (James Kaprielian) Park - OAK
FD - 45.49 DK - 25.11

We have an interesting day with some high-priced arms and a game in Coors which will make for some interesting decisions all around. It will be tough to fit everyone, price-wise but we will look at all the best options here. Ohtani has been one of the best pitchers in the league this season, rocking a 2.29 xFIP and striking out more than 13 batters per nine. It really doesn’t get much better than that. Here he’s a -182 road favorite against the A’s who have the second-worst team wOBA in the league. This all lines up perfectly for cash games.

Zack Wheeler FD 10700 DK 10400
Opponent - MIA (Braxton Garrett) Park - MIA
FD - 41 DK - 22.22

Wheeler isn’t striking out quite as many batters as last season, but he’s still been excellent with a 2.69 ERA and 27% K rate. He isn’t cheap on either site, but it’s for good reason. The Phillies are -241 home favorites against the Marlins, the best win odds of any team on the slate. And Miami ranks 27th in team wOBA this season, making them another bottom-feeding offense facing off against an ace.

Catcher/First Base

Paul Goldschmidt FD 4500 DK 6400
Opponent - COL (Ryan Feltner) Park - COL
FD - 15.28 DK - 11.58

Yadier Molina FD 2700 DK 2200
Opponent - COL (Ryan Feltner) Park - COL
FD - 9.94 DK - 7.67

We’ve got a game in Coors and are going to want to get as many Cardinals bats into the mix as possible. Some are fairly priced so it won’t be an enormous stretch to get there. Goldschmidt is having one of the best hitting seasons in the majors right now with a 1.029 OPS thanks to 26 home runs and a .415 OBP. He's expensive but worth the price considering he’s in the best ballpark with the most implied runs. If you can fit him in lineups, don’t hesitate.

Molina meanwhile is having a struggle of a season at the plate and could be nearing the end of the line in what he’s able to do with the bat. Heck, the dude is 40 and is still starting because of what he does behind the plate, not at it. That being said, he’s coming near the minimum on DraftKings and gets to hit in Coors. That’s definitely worth something on this slate.

If looking to save some money at the position, then you can play Michael Chavis (FD $2200 DK $2000) who should be hitting third for the Pirates when they face the lefty today. He’s coming about the minimum on both sites and offers an excellent way to cut costs a day with a lot of expensive arms and bats.

Second Base

Nolan Gorman FD 3200 DK 4400
Opponent - COL (Ryan Feltner) Park - COL
FD - 13.9 DK - 10.62

Again, the Cardinals' 6.4 implied runs are the highest, by far, on the slate so prioritizing the bats here is going to be our marching orders for Tuesday. Gorman should be hitting second for St. Louis and at these prices, it makes for a pretty easy call when it comes to cash games. He strikes out a lot, 32% on the season, which could be something of a concern against Feltner who has flashed some decent K stuff. But Gorman also has pop in the bat with 12 home runs and a mid-700s OPS. The prices on both sites are just too good to pass up here.

Luis Rengifo FD 2400 DK 4200
Opponent - OAK (James Kaprielian) Park - OAK
FD - 11.26 DK - 8.67

The Angels are pretty much a mess so Rengifo gets to bat third for this team. He’s coming real cheap on FanDuel and makes for a halfway decent way to save a little bit on a slate where you will need to. The guy has been adequate at the plate with a .733 OPS and he puts the ball in play about 80% of the time. With six home runs and five stolen bases in his 290 plate appearances, there was just enough pop and speed to play at these salaries.

Shortstop

Dansby Swanson FD 3500 DK 4800
Opponent - BOS (Rich Hill) Park - BOS
FD - 12.41 DK - 9.48

While the Cardinals have the most implied runs on the slate, the Braves are also in a good spot against the lefty Rich Hill here. They are in for 5.4 runs and on a non-Coors slate would be one of the most-owned teams. We can still consider some of them here and Swanson is coming at a solid FanDuel price. He has 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases this season with an .809 OPS. He’s basically platoon neutral for his career though has been slightly better against lefties.

Paul DeJong FD 2700 DK 3500
Opponent - COL (Ryan Feltner) Park - COL
FD - 12.3 DK - 9.28

He’s going to hit near the bottom of the Cardinals’ order, but you also aren’t playing all that much for the chance to play him. He’s another high-K guy though does have some power. Most of the case for DeJong is that his team is playing in Coors and you don’t have to break the bank to play him on either site.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado FD 4300 DK 5600
Opponent - COL (Ryan Feltner) Park - COL
FD - 14.56 DK - 11.03

Just a few more Cardinals bats to cover here, but they are worth it today. Arenado will once again return to Coors, the park he made home for years and the park that he crushed for years as well. He’s having an excellent season away from those friendly confines with a .921 OPS thanks to about an 80% contact rate, .370 OBP, and 22 home runs. It will be tough to fit one or two ace-level arms, Goldschmidt and Arenado into lineups so choices will have to be made. But know that it’s tough to go wrong here.

Josh Rojas FD 3000 DK 4600
Opponent - PIT (Zach Thompson) Park - PIT
FD - 12.05 DK - 9.23

If looking to save some then Rojas offers a chance to go down in salary for a guy in a good spot. He’s set to hit leadoff for the Diamondbacks and is coming at a fine enough FanDuel price. Considering the plate appearance expectation and that Arizona has a 5.1 implied run line against Zach Thompson, I think we can make the play here on the third baseman. He has a low-700s OPS which plays fine enough for the salary tier.

Outfield

Ronald Acuña Jr. FD 3700 DK 5100
Opponent - BOS (Rich Hill) Park - BOS
FD - 14.31 DK - 10.78

Acuna is facing off against the lefty Hill and won’t kill you on price on FanDuel considering the kind of upside he has here. While the power hasn’t totally been there, having hit only nine home runs, he has still stolen 24 bases in just 334 plate appearances. And this guy has tagged lefty pitching for his career with a .942 OPS, 148 wRC+, and .397 wOBA in that split. He’s crushed southpaws and I do think we are getting him at something of a discount.

Dylan Carlson FD 3100 DK 4300
Opponent - COL (Ryan Feltner) Park - COL
FD - 14.23 DK - 10.82

Carlson should be in the leadoff spot for the Cardinals on Tuesday and that alone makes him worth a long look in cash games. When you have the most implied runs and a guy in the top spot at middle-tier prices then it’s basically a snap call. He doesn’t have tremendous power or speed, but he makes a decent amount of contact and doesn’t K all that much. For Coors, getting the ball in play is the name of the game and Carlson does just that.

Strongly consider Tyler O'Neill (FD $3500 DK $5100) though he’s moved down into the lower middle of the order.

Rafael Ortega FD 2200 DK 2500
Opponent - WSH (Paolo Espino) Park - WSH
FD - 10.58 DK - 8.15

Ortega offers another chance at saving on salary while getting someone with solid plate appearance expectation. That’s because he’s coming near the minimum on both sites and is slated to hit leadoff for the Cubs. He has some speed on the base paths and a little bit of power, but the big win is Chicago has a 4.8 implied run line and he’s coming close to free on Tuesday.

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