Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings, and Victiv 8/29/15

Happy weekend, everyone! Well, it's a massive day of games today. Like we often do on multi-slate days, we'll give 1 play per position for the early slate, and 2-3 for the late slate depending on who's jumping off the page. If you want projections for every single player going today? Go ahead and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks. Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings, Victiv, and Yahoo.

Pitchers

Corey Kluber - FD 11700 DK 12900 Victiv
Opponent- LAA (Richards) R Park- @Cle
All the big name pitchers today have a fairly tough match-up today, but the one I like best is Corey Kluber. Lester's got the Dodgers, who have the fourth best wOBA in the majors against LHP. Lance Lynn's got the Giants, who rank 6th in wOBA against righties. So, there's Kluber. Perennially underrated by casual fans, Kluber's ~2.70 xFIP over the last two seasons is phenomenal, and his 2.92 number for this year ranks 9th in the majors. He's a true ace, whatever his ERA suggests. And then there's the Angels. Did you know that, even including Mike Trout's ridiculous year, the Angels are 20th in the majors in wOBA against right handed pitching? That's just terrible. It also means the Angels are more reliant on Trout for scoring runs than you might realize - they can put up some bad games when his hits find gloves. I don't think there's a ton of upside here, but I'll play him in all my 50/50s.

Jordan Zimmermann - FD 8700 DK 9500 Victiv
Opponent- Mia (Koehler) R Park- @Was
The boring, cheap answer if you don't think Kluber quite justifies the price tonight. Zimmermann's a tick above league average, but he plies his trade in a way that's not exactly exciting for fantasy purposes. He's got great control, below average put-away stuff, and really gets by on his consistency. But hey, if you're in a 50/50, consistency probably sounds pretty good! He'll also be facing the team against whom it's easiest to be consistent. The Marlins are dead last in the league in wOBA this season, and that number is buoyed by the 3 months they got out of Stanton. I'm not sure there's incredible upside here, but there actually might be if he just goes deep and gets the W against Koehler and the Marlins.

Jeff Samardzija - FD 8600 DK 8300 Victiv
Opponent- Sea (Iwakuma) R Park- @Cws
If you want to take a shot on a little off-beat upside, I find Samardzija pretty intriguing. Sure, the Ks have been down this year. That's bad. But there's some silver lining here. First of all, he's got back to back 7 strike out games against two pretty good offenses that don't strike out much (the A's and Sox). Today he'll face the Mariners, who have struck out at the 6th highest rate against right handed pitching in the majors. They're also in the bottom half of the league in terms of wOBA. This could also blow up in your face. But our projection system thinks this could be one of his better starts of the season, and he's fallen seriously out of favor in the daily fantasy baseball community.

Early Slate play: Lance Lynn? This is an awful slate for pitching with DeGrom facing the never-strike-out Red Sox.

Just killing time until fantasy football season? Fantasy Pros has a pretty cool mock drafting software you can check out!

Catchers

Stephen Vogt - FD 2500 DK 3700 Victiv 4100
Opponent- Ari (Chacin) R Park- @Ari
Vogt's priced has dropped to an unacceptable level for a guy with a .841 OPS and 15 homers in 328 plate appearances against right handed pitching this season, especially for a guy at a position with so few decent offensive options. Today he'll face Jhoulys Chacin, and while I'm heartened to see that Chacin is still trying to keep his dream alive, I take one look at the 5.36 K/9 he had in AAA this year and can't help but feel he's doomed to get tortured at the major league level. I love Vogt here, especially away from his unfriendly home pitcher's park.

Derek Norris - FD 3000 DK 3400 Victiv 4300
Opponent- Phi (Morgan) L Park- @Phi
Norris hasn't come around against right handed pitching, which certainly limits his real life value. But for daily fantasy purposes? We don't really care about that much at all. The 26 year old has a career .834 OPS against southpaws, and that takes into account all those plate appearances he's had in Petco. Today he'll face Adam Morgan, one of the very worst pitchers in the majors in the league, and one of very few who can claim an xFIP (5.42) higher than his K/9 (4.72). Throw in a great hitter's park in Philly, and this one looks pretty darn good. And frankly, taking away Norris' Achilles Heel (the strikeout) means you can probably play him in any format.

Brian McCann - FD 3400 DK 3800 Victiv 4800
Opponent- Atl (Wisler) R Park- @Atl
If you go a little cheaper at pitcher today, McCann makes for a very solid play against Matt Wisler in his old home town. McCann has 17 homers and a .789 OPS in 313 plate appearances against right handed pitching this season (and his 22 homers are best in the majors for backstops), making him generally the highest upside play at the position from night tonight. Matthew Wisler is also having a hell of a time at the major league level. His 5.71 K/9 is less than intimidating, and his 4.89 xFIP would place him in the bottom 5 in the majors if he qualified. Like this play for any format, if you can afford it.

Early slate play: Russell Martin. Buck Farmer just ain't a major leaguer.

First base

Paul Goldschmidt - FD 4600 DK 5900 Victiv 5800
Opponent- Oak (Doubront) L Park- @Ari
Have you seen what Paul Goldschmidt has done against left handed pitching this season? His 1.098 OPS is the third highest in the majors. Another crazy stat - his 10 steals against lefties is 3rd in the major leagues. For any position. The man is a living fantasy legend. Today, he'll face what's left of Felix Doubrount in his incredibly favorable home park (where is OPS vs LHP balloons to 1.241 this year). If you'd forgotten about Doubrount, who could blame you? He's a supremely forgettable career 4.13 xFIP guy who's coming back from a foot injury. Goldschmidt is easily my favorite big money play tonight.

Prince Fielder - FD 3000 DK 4200 Victiv 5200
Opponent- Bal (Jimenez) R Park- @Tex
Prince has turned into a pretty weird player. He's lost some of that bell-tower power he used to have, but he's made up for it with a shockingly consistent approach against righties. He's walked as much as he's struck out against northpaws this season, and his .906 OPS against right handed pitching has largely been compiled through hard-hit line drives. This makes him a great play for formats that value consistency (50/50s and double-ups) when he's got a good right handed pitching match-up. Jimenez actually hasn't been awful this year, but I don't love his chances in the Texas heat against Fielder & co.

Another safe option that I'm not particularly enamored with, but our projection system likes, is Freddie Freeman.

Early Slate play: Justin Smoak, for some cheap upside. For safety? Meh, Brandon Belt? Tough spot.
 

Second base

Jedd Gyorko - FD 2600 DK 2900 Victiv 4500
Opponent- Phi (Morgan) L Park- @Phi
Gyorko is not a guy many will play in 50/50s, but tonight might just be the night to do so. The reasons are myriad - he'll face one of the league's worst lefties, face a guy who doesn't strike anyone out, hit in a park far more favorable for his skill set than Petco, and in the heart of the lineup. And all of this for very affordable prices. If you pay up on pitching, this is a great way to get upside (and perhaps more safety than you might think) on the cheap.

Anthony Rendon - FD 3500 DK 3600 Victiv 5100
Opponent- Mia (Koehler) R Park- @Was
You guys! Second base is actually not terrible today! I like Rendon here for a couple of reasons. First of all, he's been hitting for average and power recently, making me think the injury concerns are finally past him. Today, he'll be up against Tom Koehler, who's 4.52 xFIP is just bad. I think Rendon could have a very nice day, even if he's definitely not a conventional upside guy.

Jose Altuve - FD 3800 DK 4700 Victiv 5400
Opponent- Min (Pelfrey) R Park- @Min
If you can afford him, Altuve looks very enticing to me. Yes, he is definitely better against left handed pitching, but when you're facing a guy like Pelfrey, handedness almost goes out the window. Altuve is a guy who can pack more upside than you might realize - his 10 homers and 33 steals are terrific for the position, and Pelfrey's pitch-to-hard-contact style should be like batting practice for the diminutive keystoner. Like him in any format.

Early slate play: Kolten Wong. Love him against Vogelsong, for sure.

Shortstop

Jose Reyes - FD 3000 DK 4000 Victiv 4400
Opponent- Pit (Happ) L Park- @Pit
Reyes is a guy I'm going to prioritize on Saturday. The price is affordable, and the upside is through the roof. He's batting at his usual spot atop the lineup, he's running again, and blessedly, he seems to have found his power stroke. With a triple and 2 homers in his last 5 games, it's looking like he could justify a price 20% north of here, making this a lovely steal. Today he'll face JA Happ - the vice president of the "just a guy" club - a perennially below average pitcher that shouldn't spook you here whatsoever. I love Reyes in any format.

Alcides Escobar - FD 2300 DK 3400 Victiv 4300
Opponent- TB (Odorizzi) R Park- @TB
I was tempted to list "no one" in this second slot, but I'll grudgingly offer up Escobar just in case you want to go against the grain, or you just really can't find the $700 elsewhere. What does he do well? He curries favor with his manager, and gets to bat leadoff in front of guys who can knock him in. That sums it up. But for the minimum prices at a god-awful position, you can frequently do quite a bit worse.

Early Slate: Jhonny Peralta, though I'm sure others will give you Tulo. Makes sense if you have the dough, but I'd prefer to go cheap here.

Third base

Todd Frazier - FD 2800 DK 4500 Victiv 5200
Opponent- Mil (Garza) R Park- @Mil
Frazier is a lefty killer by trade, but at these prices, we can punch in his 16 homers and 10 steals in 400 PA against right handed pitching this year and figure he can still do a little something for us against the right pitcher. As for Garza, his decline has been precipitous. His K/9 is at a career low, his BB/9 are near a career high, and his HR/9 are at a career high. His 4.40 xFIP is an embarrassment to his legacy. This isn't a sure thing or anything, but the value might be too good to pass up.

Josh Harrison - FD 2500 DK 3900 Victiv 4400
Opponent- Col (Rusin) L Park- @Pit
Our projection system actually likes him best on a points per dollar basis, but the upside here doesn't thrill me, so I ranked him down just a little bit. Still, Harrison has walked as much as he's struck out against left handed pitching this season, and Chris Rusin has been solidly below average wherever he's pitched this year. Harrison also gets looks from the lead-off spot, and the extra PA really make a difference. Not an upside play by any means, but a nice way to escape the position cheaply and get a nice high floor out of it.

Aramis Ramirez - FD 2800 DK 3900 Victiv 4700
Opponent- Col (Rusin) L Park- @Pit
Unlike Harrison, Ramirez actually plays third base! He also bats amid some serious offensive weapons, and has been considerably tougher at the plate since the all-star break. While it hasn't translated into a great season line, his 9 BB against 12 Ks in 118 PA means he's likely to put up way better numbers than he has so far. His .186 BABIP against lefties is a full .104 points below his established career levels, and I like him to get the bat going against Rusin here. I'd play him in double-ups, or big tournaments.

Early Slate play: Matt Carpenter. Again, Vogelsong is just so damned bad. If you're running out of room for Cards, our system likes Longoria as well.

Outfield

Justin Upton - FD 4000 DK 4500 Victiv 5600
Opponent- Phi (Morgan) L Park- @Phi
The easy big money play at the outfield position today. It's hard to overstate how bad Upton's been against left handed pitching this season, but I'm still holding a steady hand on him here. I can't explain why he's been striking out so much, other than perhaps trying to compensate for a tough home park. But none of that will be any worry tonight until he gets into the bullpen. Adam Morgan can't strike anyone out, and Philly is a great place to pitch. Fantastic spot for upside, for sure.

Brett Gardner - FD 3000 DK 4400 Victiv 4700
Opponent- Atl (Wisler) R Park- @Atl
Jacoby Ellsbury - FD 3300 DK 4400 Victiv 5000
Opponent- Atl (Wisler) R Park- @Atl
Two guys that can put up big numbers with a lot of speed and only a little power, but they should get to ply their left handed trades against the meek Matt Wisler with ease on Saturday. No reason to dig too deep, here. They aren't traditional upside guys, but pairing them can give you good stacking upside, and I can definitely see pairing them both with Upton in big tournaments.

Jay Bruce - FD 2700 DK 3900 Victiv 4600
Opponent- Mil (Garza) R Park- @Mil
A home-run upside play. Bruce has been .100 points better against right handed pitching for his career, and Garza has allowed a remarkable .365 wOBA to left handed bats this year. There's some strike-out risk here (as always, with the Bruce), but the upside is probably worth it given these super-low prices. At least in big tournaments.

Andrew McCutchen - FD 5000 DK 5100 Victiv 5800
Opponent- Col (Rusin) L Park- @Pit
Starling Marte - FD 3700 DK 4800 Victiv 5100
Opponent- Col (Rusin) L Park- @Pit
Good things come in pairs! McCutchen has been blistering hot against lefties this season (and for his career, really), posting a 1K OPS and giving southpaws no relief at all. He's also had a 1K OPS overall since the all-star break. He's also incredibly expensive. I get it. This is an upside stack for big tournaments, and probably nothing more, given the prices. Marte isn't the player McCutchen is, but 15 homers and 25 steals in just shy of 500 PA this season is nothing to sneeze at. I can see fitting him into lineups for any kind of contest.

A ton of cheap guys, headlined with Josh Reddick. There are always a lot of platoon guys at the outfield position you can choose from, and today is no exception. If you want to sift through them all yourself?
 

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