Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer throws in the first inning of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants Friday, Aug. 14, 2015, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Welcome back to another mid week edition of our daily fantasy baseball picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Today we have four games in the early slate leaving us with a healthy 11 game evening slate. Both slates are packed with some solid pitching options in great spots. Some of the early Vegas favorites are:
As always, be sure to check out all of our content published throughout the day, prior to lineup lock, so you don't miss out on any information. Let's dig in!
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Early Slate
Opponent - ATL (Teheran) Park - @SD
FD - 35.25 DK - 19.43
Outside of one bad start in Arizona, Pomeranz has been terrific this season for the Padres. In 11 starts he has only allowed the opponent five or more hits in two starts while striking out over 10.5 batters per nine innings. He will get one of the best matchups of any pitcher on the slate as he will face the Braves and their league low 16 wins. The Braves also rank dead last in wOBA(.255) and wRC+(55) vs. left handed pitching while striking out over 23% of the time.
Evening Slate
Opponent - CHW (Shields) Park - @CHW
FD - 38.96 DK - 21.72
It has been a roller coaster ride for Scherzer this season as he has alternated wins and losses over the last month and a half. He will look to record back to back wins for the first time since mid April on Wednesday in a matchup vs. the slumping White Sox who have lost eight of their last 10 games. The White Sox rank 27th in wOBA(.298) and wRC+(84) vs. right handed pitching while striking out 20.4% of the time. With 55 punch outs in his last five games, Scherzer has brought his K rate up to 11.18 K/9 for the season and if he can limit the long ball has one of the highest projected point totals on the entire slate.
Opponent - COL (Rusin) Park - @LAD
FD - 33.51 DK - 17.95
If you are looking for a second pitcher to pair with Scherzer on DraftKings or a value pitcher on FanDuel consider Maeda who the projection system has as one of the highest PTS/$ plays on Wednesday. He will face the Rockies who will get a negative park impact going from Coors Field to Dodger Stadium and have seen the impact with their hitting(.372 wOBA at home vs. a .037 wOBA on the road). Maeda comes into this game on a hot streak having won two straight straight starts while limiting the opponents to one earned run in 11.1 innings. If you wanted to load up on bats tonight throwing Maeda on the mound will allow you a ton of options.
Early Slate
Opponent - TOR (Dickey) Park - @DET
FD - 8.96 DK - 6.83
The catcher position is a little sketchy tonight with so many top pitchers on the bump. Take the punt route and roster Salty in the early slate who may strike out way too much(38.6% K/9 rate) but has nice power upside with seven home runs and 20 runs batted in for a 105 wRC+ for the season. His abysmal .192 average has room for improvement as his .250 BABIP is currently 67 points below his career mark.
Evening Slate
Opponent - COL (Rusin) Park - @LAD
FD - 8.38 DK - 6.46
Opponent - COL (Rusin) Park - @LAD
FD - 9.67 DK - 7.37
You can find cheap punt value on the evening slate with one of the two Dodger catchers. Both have hit lefties well over their careers and get a favorable matchup vs. the Rockies and Chris Rusin who has given up 22 earned runs for a 6.06 ERA since May 5th. He is walking over three batters per nine innings while the K rate(6.34 K/9) is below average. Punt your catcher position tonight and load up elsewhere.
Early Slate
Opponent - DET (Zimmermann) Park - @DET
FD - 10.88 DK - 8.21
Opponent - DET (Zimmermann) Park - @DET
FD - 13.31 DK - 9.95
The Jays bats were held in check last night but could see an awakening today in a matchup vs. Jordan Zimmerman who is more than due for some regression. He has pitched to an impressive 8-2 record and 2.58 ERA but dig a little deeper into the numbers and you will notice he is getting a bit lucky. His xFIP is sitting at 4.41, almost 2.00 higher than his ERA and is currently leaving 80% of runners left on base which is about 10% above league average. The Jays offense can definitely punish him and they have two first base eligible players hitting in the middle of the lineup. Unfortunately you cannot roster both so I would suggest using Smoak in a contrarian GPP lineup while I trust Encarnacion in all formats today.
Evening Slate
Opponent - CIN (Simon) Park - @CIN
FD - 12.67 DK - 9.87
Matt Adams has been one of the best PTS/$ performers on the season and still comes in under $4K on both sites. This is one of the reasons the projection system has him rated so high on Wednesday. It may also have to do with the positive park shift to Great American Ballpark and the fact Adams is red hot with hits in seven straight and is hitting .435 with a 246 wRC+ since May 19th. He will face gas can Alfredo Simon and his low K rate(6.46 K/9), high walk rate(4.18 BB/9) and 22.6% Hr/FB rate. The Cardinals are one of the top projected stacking options on the day with Adams smack in the middle of the lineup.
Opponent - HOU (Fister) Park - @TEX
FD - 9.73 DK - 7.41
If you are wanting to go a little more contrarian at first base tonight you can take on the risk with struggling Prince Fielder who will be playing his third game since being benched over the weekend. While the average remains below the Mendosa line(.200) there are signs in the numbers that he may have some positive regression coming his way. He is working with a .221 BABIP which is over 100 points lower than last season and close to 80 points lower than his career mark. Roster him in GPP's at a possible rock bottom ownership and hope the benching has set a fire under his butt and wins you all the money. Doug Fister has really struggled vs. left handed bats with a .383 wOBA against so stacking the left handed strong middle of the Rangers lineup is a great way to go tonight.
Early Slate
Opponent - TOR (Dickey) Park - @DET
FD - 9.55 DK - 7.69
The options are at second base on the early slate are limited having me lean towards the top option in Ian Kinsler. He has put together three straight multi hit games and has hits in eight of his last nine with 11 runs driven in. He will face R.A. Dickey tonight who is coming off 6.2 of two hit ball vs. the Red Sox after walking five batters. His 2.74 ERA looks shiny and nice but the 4.55 xFIP suggests he will come back to Earth very soon, especially if he continues to walk batters at such a high rate. As a Jays fan it hurts to say but I feel the Tigers will have no problem with the offense on Wednesday clubbing their way to a series sweep.
Evening Slate
Opponent - CLE (Carrasco) Park - @SEA
FD - 12.06 DK - 9.38
The projection loves him on a PTS/$ basis as the price continues to plummet on both sites. While he has cooled off(.255 avg last two weeks) since the red hot start, he is still hitting .284 for the season with 16 home runs and 48 RBI with an elite 147 wRC+. He will face Carlos Carrasco who will be making his second start since returning from the disabled list. He pitched five innings in his return against the Royals striking out only two and giving up three earned runs. At this price point Cano is a safe play in any format.
Opponent - OAK (Hahn) Park - @MIL
FD - 10.25 DK - 8.32
After taking a seat vs lefty Sean Manea yesterday, Scooter should be back in the lineup to face Jess Hahn on Wednesday. While he has struggled since opening the season on a tear, he has been much better at home(.322 wOBA/93 wRC+) than on the road(.268 wOBA/64 wRC+).While he is a bit over priced on DraftKings, he fits nicely into a lineup on FanDuel under $3K.
Early Slate
Opponent - ATL (Teheran) Park - @SD
FD - 6.87 DK - 5.87
With little to nothing available at shortstop on the early slate I am going to take the value with Ramirez despite hitting at the bottom of the Padres lineup. Over the past two weeks he is hitting .333 with .393 wOBA and 153 wRC+ and has hits in nine of his last 10 games. The Padres and Ramirez will face Julio Teheran who has struggled in his last three starts giving up five home runs.
Evening Slate
Opponent - CIN (Simon) Park - @CIN
FD - 11.34 DK - 9.09
Diaz has been a huge part of the Cardinals offense who ranks second in the league with 307 runs scored. He has been batting in the two hole for most of the season and should stick there with his excellent .359 OBP which has lead to 38 runs scored. Not only can he get on base and score runs, he is also equipped with power and already has eight bombs on the year with 30 RBI and a 140 wRC+. Getting a matchup vs. Alfredo Simon(love to pick on him) only makes the play that much better as he has given up four multi home run games this season with an awful 22.6% HR/FB rate.
Opponent - TB (Odorizzi) Park - @ARI
FD - 11.34 DK - 8.93
Lamb is the top PTS/$ play at third base in the early and is an affordable price on both sites. He has been heating up since the middle of May hitting .284 with six home runs, 14 RBI and an impressive 149 wRC+. He is a patient hitter(10.6% BB rate) which shows in his .350 OBP and 28 runs scored. He has hit all over the D Backs lineup but has been consistently in the cleanup spot over the past few weeks which adds to his opportunities hitting behind Goldy.
Opponent - LAA (Weaver) Park - @NYY
FD - 11.24 DK - 8.63
He makes for an interesting contrarian play on Wednesday night as the Yankees have been over looked with all the other great options out there. A Rod also gets over looked because not many people, outside sympathetic Yankee fans, actually like him. It's too bad cause he provides value in the daily game despite his high K rate and low walk rate. He is coming off a 33 HR season and is on his way to another 30+ effort with seven coming into tonight. He will face batting practice machine, Jered Weaver who has given up at least one long ball in 10 of his 11 starts this year.
Early Slate
Opponent - TB (Odorizzi) Park - @ARI
FD - 10.07 DK - 7.99
Opponent - TB (Odorizzi) Park - @ARI
FD - 8.13 DK - 6.91
Both D Backs outfielders make great value plays tonight at great price points on both sites. Bourn is near minimum price and hits second with run scoring and steal upside. Peralta hit a home run in his first game back since being activated off the disabled list hitting in the six hole but could quickly make his way back up the lineup where he spent most of April. The projection system is high on the D Backs left handed bats in the early slate.
Evening Slate
Opponent - MIN (Nolasco) Park - @MIN
FD - 12.62 DK - 9.51
If you can stomach the unusually high strikeout rate(34.2%) there is some power upside and you can get it at a low salary and projected low ownership as well. This is the recipe for GPP success. He is still a bit over priced on DraftKings but has seen a dramatic price decrease over on FanDuel(dropped $1,800 in less than a month). His low .247 BABIP suggests there is some positive regression in site. Ricky Nolasco does have K upside(8.22 K/9) but has been prone to giving up the home run with nine allowed in 11 starts this season.
Opponent - KC (Volquez) Park - @BAL
FD - 11.19 DK - 8.8
It has been an impressive start to his career in the major leagues as he is slashing .377/.449/.493 with a 161 wRC+. While these numbers are sure to regress as his BABIP is a sky high .431, he will continue to get opportunities as long as he sticks in the two hole. On a day with so many high end pitchers, Kim provides a stable source of points at an affordable price to allow for one or more(DraftKings) of those top pitchers.
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View Comments
Cards got Lamb-asted last PM. Wonder what we'll hear about "Big Pasta" Simon today after he handed Colorado a big plate al-dente to chew on last outing.
Chris Carter hit two home runs last night. Great call
I know the Mets bats are anemic, but any thoughts on rolling the Viking v. the Pirates tonight as a low owned option in a tournament??
Yeah it was close on writing up him or Scherzer. Kind of a 1, 1A situation
I doubt he will be very low owned. I would guess 20-25%. I know I am rolling with him over Scherzer in most line ups.
I like his price tag for tonight, just think it is a good spot in a must win for the Mets to get their ace on the hill in a possibly 1-0 or 2-1 game.
@jodie If you read the stacks article you will definitely hear about Big Pasta. Yes he beat the Rockies in Colorado but we don't care about wins. He gave up three long balls to the Rockies bats which is all we are really looking for. LOL. Great spot for a Cards(2nd in hitting vs. RH pitching)
I would like an opinion on this. When I make cash game lineups, I always seem to even out so I dont really lose or win money over time. Recently have been doing tourneys and while I have realized that I am much better at making tourney lineups and placing in GPPs, I i always place in the top 50% of GPPs. Should I enter tourney lineups into cash games? I know in NBA thats a risk, but I feel like MLB is just so unpredictable sometimes that that rule does not apply. Let me know your thoughts. Thank ya
It doesn't seem awful to me, Zac. In fact, it might be great to just hedge 10 "tourney lineups" for the same buy-in you would use for cash due to the clustering effect of outcomes in baseball.
Any opinions on Chicago game weather wise? Will game be pushed back to late afternoon? Postponed ? Any thought? Thank you
@eb What I see is it looks like a fast moving front and should be close to being past the park at gametime.. But of course im not a weatherman, im rolling the dice on a small cubs lefty stack with the wind the way it is blowing.. good luck
Just checked hourly for philly area looks like a delay a worst
Will there be a weather report today? And also the long ball targets? Those 2 new additions have been AWESOME!!! My friends have all been using ESPN & other sites, I told them about these 2 new articles & they are now DFSR lovers like myself. Best picks, best write ups, & accurate majority of the time. You recommended Chris Carter as a Value Long Ball Target & boy did he come through. Ozuna didn't but w the Carter recommendation, you def made up for it. So I sell n praise this site to all my fellow DK players, (I have no FanDuel friends, nobody uses it around here), & those 2 new articles Weather Report & Long Ball Targets really put you guys atop the fantasy sites. Please tell me both will be released today. Especially the weather bc it's raining pretty good here in Northeastern PA, so Pilly, NYY, NYM, PITT, Cin, can all be in jeopardy if they're all home which I believe they all are. Keep up the good work & I guarantee I alone will bring many more ppl to your site! Thanks
Hey Dickie, I am not too sure if the long ball article is going up today. I just asked for you and will let you know when I get the answer. If it's not, I might be able to hop on and put one together. If not, you can ask me any questions you might have @VarneyDFS on Twitter as well @dailyfantasysr. We really appreciate the loyalty. It means a lot. Good luck tonight!
@bill thanks man! Baseballs are.com has storms high possibility all the way till 4pm
@eb also looking at it the cubs don't see philly again this year so it may be delayed but im guessing they do all they can to get it in today even if it starts later.. just my 2 cents bud.. good luck
*Baseball data.com typo