DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 8/27/22

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Pitchers

Yu Darvish FD 10600 DK 10400
Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - KC
FD - 40.37 DK - 21.82

Darvish missed just one start(paternity list) and will be back on the mound Saturday to help the Padres attempt to hold on to the final NL wildcard spot. His second-half performance almost mirrors his first half in terms of ERA(3.41/3.35) but one area he has seen a huge improvement is in the strikeout department as he is striking out 29.6% of batters, almost 4% more than before the all-star break. That lines up well in this matchup against the Royals who have been a bottom 6 offense all season and have been striking out nearly 4% more in the second half. Darvish is our top projected pitcher on slate and an elite play in all formats.

Davis Martin FD 6300 DK 5700
Opponent - ARI (Merrill Kelly) Park - ARI
FD - 23.02 DK - 11.32

There is definitely a path to paying up for both pitchers on DraftKings tonight but I love finding a value SP2 to help load up on bats. Tonight I am Davis Martin who has been recalled by the White Sox to make another start after a successful one in early August where he held the Royals to three hits and one earned run over 5.2 innings. There is always some risk with these young guys who bounce around between the minors and majors and even between the bullpen and rotation but at a sub $6K price tag we are only looking for about 12 DK points and another performance like his last also gives him 3x+ upside. I will be taking a shot in all formats tonight.

Also Consider: Brandon Woodruff(MIL) as a -200 favourite against the Cubs or Domingo German(NYY) as a -240 favourite in a plus matchup against the A's

Catcher/First Base

Pete Alonso FD 4100 DK 5200
Opponent - COL (Kyle Freeland) Park - NYM
FD - 13.21 DK - 9.87

With Goldschmidt in a tougher matchup and priced like a mid-tier starting pitcher, it makes easy to start off with and build around Alonso tonight. He comes in red-hot with three straight multi-hit games, gets a plus matchup against a struggling Kyle Freeland(5.96 ERA/.828 OPS against since start of July), and crushes lefties(.368 wOBA/143 wRC+). He is my top pay-up bat tonight and I will be building around him and the Mets in all formats.

Joey Meneses FD 2800 DK 4100
Opponent - CIN (Luis Cessa) Park - CIN
FD - 10.1 DK - 7.72

At 30 years old, Meneses is a late bloomer in terms of making his major-league debut but making up for lost time as he is getting a tremendous opportunity with a rebuilding Nats team. Since making that debut at the start of August, he has tallied hits in 18 of 20 games with six home runs and enters the night with a terrific .321/.346/.577 slash line. He is projected to remain near the top of the lineup which puts him as one of our top PTS/$ plays on the entire slate. I will have exposure in all formats.

Second Base

Jonathan India FD 2900 DK 4600
Opponent - WSH (Paolo Espino) Park - WSH
FD - 10.34 DK - 7.81

The path to top pitchers tonight is very viable as the slate is jam-packed with mid-tier PTS/$ value. India is another one who stands out as he has gotten back to being very consistent for the Reds and enters the night with a nine-game hit streak including two doubles, a triple, and a home run. He and the Reds also get a terrific matchup against Paolo Espino who has really struggled since jumping back into the rotation posting a 5.53 ERA/5.789 FIP over his last 12 starts while giving up 12 home runs. Fire up India in all formats.

Also Consider: Gleyber Torres(NYY) who is very affordable on both sites, has hits in five of his last six games, and hits in the middle of the Yankees' lineup

Shortstop

Ha-Seong Kim FD 2600 DK 4300
Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - KC
FD - 11.48 DK - 8.77

With a consistent run in August where he tallied hits in 12 of 14 games, the Padres moved Kim to the leadoff spot yesterday and he rewarded them with his best game of the season with three hits including a home run and five RBI. He is projected to hit at the top of the lineup again today in a plus matchup against Daniel Lynch and has been much better against lefties hitting .296 with a .388 OBP and .828 SLG. Fire up Kim in all formats as a top value play tonight.

Also Consider: Luis Garcia(WAS) who is cheap on both sites, has hits in three of his last four, and hits at the top of the Nats lineup making him a nice pairing with Joey Meneses as a top value two-man stack

Third Base

Alex Bregman FD 4500 DK 5000
Opponent - BAL (Dean Kremer) Park - BAL
FD - 10.29 DK - 7.72

The Astros have the second-best record in baseball with one of the most balanced teams in the league. Let's talk about the offence led by Alex Bregman who has come on strong down the stretch with an incredible .386/.459/.711 slash line since the start of August with nine double and six home runs. The matchup may not jump off the page as Kremer has been pretty darn good for the O's but the positive here is that he has been much worse against righties and has the third-highest hard contact rate on the slate. Bregman is priced fairly on FanDuel but it is outrageous that he is the 7th most expensive player at the position on DraftKings where he is an elite play in all formats.

Tommy La Stella FD 2100 DK 2000
Opponent - MIN (Sonny Gray) Park - MIN
FD - 7.93 DK - 6.08

I am not overly high on the Giants tonight but it is hard to ignore the min price on La Stella who is projected to hit leadoff tonight. He isn't going to win you a GPP on his own but does have hits in four of his last five games. The matchup isn't great against Sonny Gray and Twins but at min price, hitting leadoff, he helps us pay up for Darvish and load up on bats. Stay tuned for starting lineups but if confirmed leading off, I will have exposure in all formats.

Outfield

Starling Marte FD 3800 DK 5600
Opponent - COL (Kyle Freeland) Park - NYM
FD - 12.67 DK - 9.85

Like I mentioned with Alonso to open the article, the Mets are a team I will be building around and there is more than enough value to pair the Polar Bear with Marte as an elite floor/upside combo in all formats. Marte has been terrific with his new team in 2022 and specifically during the summer months as he is hitting .310 since the start of July with 11 double-digit DK point performances while averaging 9.4 per game and has also been good against lefties(.368 wOBA/143 wRC+). Fire up Marte in all formats.

Jurickson Profar FD 2500 DK 4600
Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - KC
FD - 10.56 DK - 8.06

The Padres lead all teams in implied runs and what stands out the most is the value at the top of the lineup. I talked about projected leadoff hitter, Ha-Seong Kim, earlier and hitting right behind him is Profar and together they make a top PTS/$ two-man stack hitting in front of power bats in Machado and Drury. Profar is not a picture of consistency(.245 avg on the season) but does come in with hits in three of his last four and has been a plus hitter against lefties(112 wRC+). I will have exposure in all formats.

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