Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 8/23/17

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Pitcher

Corey Kluber FD 11400 DK 13400
Opponent - BOS (Pomeranz) Park - @CLE
FD - 38.37 DK - 25.36

Finally, a slate with some real pitching diversity. While we've had some solid option over the past few days, it feels like we've been cornered in cash games into 1 or 2 guys. Tonight is a completely different story. We have 3 solid guys up top and a few more down low who deserve some consideration. Leading the pack at $13k is Corey Kluber. While he's going to cost you an arm and leg, he could be worth it. He has the highest floor and ceiling on the slate and will be lower owned than he should be. Boston is far worse out of Fenway and Kluber has been one of the 2 best pitchers on the season. Through 150 innings, he's held a combined .249 wOBA while striking out 12+ batters per 9 innings. The Sox can strikeout and go cold on the road. If anyone pitcher is going to force it, here he is. You can definitely fade Kluber if you like another guy more, but don't do it solely on the price. It's accurate.

Marcus Stroman FD 8900 DK 11600
Opponent - TB (Pruitt) Park - @TB
FD - 32.97 DK - 21.83

After Kluber, you have Marcus Stroman and Luis Severino. While Luis Severino is absolutely viable and I will have shares, I lean Stroman. He's a bit cheaper and draws an ideal match-up in Tropicana Field. Stroman is an ace and he's treated that way by the Jays. He will go to 110 pitches and will rarely go less than 5 or 6 innings. He's been just as good against lefties as righties and has held both to a .303 wOBA and 7.5 K/9. The Rays are absolutely atrocious and rank 3rd to last against righties at home. Oh yea, they also strikeout 25% of the time. Tropicana Field is much better for pitching than the Rogers Centre and the Rays hold a 3.97 implied total. Stroman is very safe in cash games and does have tournament upside, though I lean Severino there.

Catcher

Gary Sanchez FD 3500 DK 4800
Opponent - DET (Zimmermann) Park - @DET
FD - 10.52 DK - 8.08

If you have the funds, there is no disputing who the top dog at catcher is. Gary Sanchez is the best hitting catcher in baseball and it takes a negative match-up for him to be anything other than the raw projection leader. He sees an excellent match-up with Jordan Zimmerman tonight, who is nowhere near the pitcher he once was. Zimmerman has allowed a .354 wOBA to righties and 14 homers in just under 70 innings. He's just a below average pitcher at this point that relies on a good ballpark. Gary Sanchez on the other hand, is a beast. He hit the 2nd longest HR of the year just last night and will do his best to back it up tonight. LIke I said, he's going to cost you, so it'll have to be a spot where you're paying down at pitcher or paying down at all your other bats. Sanchez has the ability to hit 2 HR's on any given night, so don't write him off.

Robinson Chirinos FD 2600 DK 3600
Opponent - LAA (Heaney) Park - @LAA
FD - 8.3 DK - 6.33

If you're paying up at pitcher, you probably can't comfortably pay up for Gary Sanchez. Looking cheaper, you can either wait until lineups drop and find a backup or plug in Robinson Chirinos. Chirinos is facing off with a lefty, which I'm always keeping an eye out for. He's a switch-hitter, but destroys lefties to a .391 wOBA. Anytime the Rangers face a lefty, Chirinos jumps on my radar as a cheap C with HR upside. Tonight is no different. Andrew Heaney is as average as they get and he'll give up the homers in bunches. While Gary Sanchez is far and away the best choice up top, the bottom is more cluttered. Chirinos will be no more than 10% owned, so you have a good shot at a cheap, low owned dinger. Make sure he's in the order.

First Base

Anthony Rizzo FD 4500 DK 5200
Opponent - CIN (Wojciechowski) Park - @CIN
FD - 12.3 DK - 9.36

First Base is typically a spot with plenty to choose from, so it's a bit weird today. There are some different ways to go, but I'm not sure there's more than 3 or 4 in cash games. Anthony Rizzo is my favorite of the bunch. Rizzo and the Cubs will stay in Cincinnati and face off with the Reds and Asher Wojciechowski. The Woj hasn't been in the majors very long, but he's allowed a .379 wOBA in the short stint to lefties. He's also allowed 12 homers in just under 50 innings. Anthony Rizzo is as elite as it gets from the left side and you won't find an option better. Since the start of the season, Rizzo has held a .386 wOBA. He hits the ball hard nearly 35% of the time and will very rarely burn you. You will have to keep in mind that Anthony Rizzo is expensive, however. If you're paying up at pitcher, you may be tempted to pay down. We have that covered with our next option.

Tommy Joseph FD 2100 DK 2800
Opponent - MIA (Nicolino) Park - @PHI
FD - 9.96 DK - 7.57

The Phillies aren't a team you roster very often, but when you do, it's typically for a 1-off HR. That's exactly what we're doing tonight at 1B with Tommy Joseph. Joseph is extremely cheap and has an incredible match-up against a poor lefty. He's struggled this year, but has posted a .386 wOBA against lefties since entering the league. Justin Nicolino is your run of the mill young lefty, allowing a .255 wOBA since 2016. Everything lines up perfectly and it will just come down to whether Joseph will come through. If he does, you have an insane advantage with a cheap HR at one of the more important positions. The Phillies are an interesting lineup tonight and we will take a look at a couple guys for upside.

Second Base

Brian Dozier FD 4200 DK 4600
Opponent - CHW (Shields) Park - @CHW
FD - 10.74 DK - 8.48

We have somehow avoided the Minnesota Twins so far, but you know there coming day. It's weekly James Shields day, so ignoring them isn't an option. If you've been playing MLB DFS this season, you know how absolutely horrid James Shields has been. We'll dig a bit deeper later, but just know he's been bad against both sides of the plate and has some serious HR issues. On the other side of the ball, Brian Dozier is a very potent hitter. He's going to hit 35+ HR when it's all said done and has more upside than any 2B. He's posted a .368 wOBA against righties with a nice xFIP on great peripherals. Brian Dozier is one of the top plays of the day and he is viable in both cash games and tournaments. The Twins are a team we will be targeting a ton.

Robinson Cano FD 3800 DK 4900
Opponent - ATL (Dickey) Park - @ATL
FD - 10.53 DK - 8.03

Second base is actually pretty shallow tonight, so I'll be focusing on just a few guys. Brian Dozier is the main one and will likely be in 100% of my cash games. In tournaments, Robinson Cano will be my pivot. He sees a very nice ballpark upgrade and gets to face off with R.A. Dickey. Dickey is simply horrible at this point and has a ceiling of decent when his knuckler is at 100%. He's allowed a .336 combined wOBA on the season and a pitiful 1.6 K/BB. He's giving up runs in every start and you don't even really run the chance of seeing dominant Dickey at this point. Cano is still the same beast as ever against righties and has held a .368 wOBA dating back. In a park like this, his wOBA would be far over .400. I also don't like to look at BvP, but make an exception when it comes to the knuckleball. Cano has hit .300 off of Dickey in 30 at-bats, so we know he can at least see the knuckleball. You know this is a problem if you've ever rostered a Carlos Gomez or Jorge Soler against Dickey. As for the rest of the Mariners, I only like them in tournaments. The Mariners aren't a great cash game stack for me.

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Shortstop

Eduardo Escobar FD 2700 DK 3700
Opponent - CHW (Shields) Park - @CHW
FD - 8.26 DK - 6.54

I'm not sure how many more starts the White Sox will allow James Shields to pitch. He's absolutely horrible against everyone and there is no chance he sits and dominates these Twins. On the season, Shields has posted a .405 wOBA against lefties and a .308 against righties. Eduardo Escobar is a switch-hitter and he's held a .344 respective wOBA against righties. He will find himself in the top of the order and makes himself viable across the board. This ballpark is average and I see no reason to avoid any of the Twins. They come in with an implied team total over 6 and while they may be popular, I don't see why not. Make sure you don't avoid these guys just because there popular. There's a very good reason they are popular and it goes by James Shields. Don't get too cute and end up ignoring one of the top offenses on the slate

Corey Seager FD 3700 DK 4700
Opponent - PIT (Williams) Park - @PIT
FD - 10.98 DK - 8.45

Eduardo Escobar is going to be popular, so I don't mind the pivot. Let's be real, it's still Eduardo Escobar. He's pretty good, but let's not act like he can't have a bad game. We have an SS here in Corey Seager that is a cash game option on a daily basis. He faces off with Trevor Williams tonight, who is the definition of an average righty. He's allowed a .330 wOBA and has no pitches that overpower, but relies on early, soft contact. Seager is one of the best hitters in baseball against righties and PNC Park is an upgrade from Dodger Stadium. Seager is very fairly priced on both sites and makes for a solid option in all formats. I definitely prefer Escobar in cash games for the price, to be clear. Seager is just a world-class hitter in a good match-up that may go lesser than 10% owned.

Third Base

Jake Lamb FD 3700 DK 4500
Opponent - NYM (Flexen) Park - @NYM
FD - 10.42 DK - 7.94

Call me crazy, but I just can't stay away from Jake Lamb when he's facing this type of righty. Chris Flexen isn't a horrible pitcher, but he's far from ready for this level. The sample size is far too small, but he's allowed a .410 combined wOBA so far. He now faces off with an extremely lethal Diamondbacks order that's swinging the bat well. Lamb is an absolute monster against righties, clocking in with a .404 wOBA and 27 total homers. Citi Field may not be as friendly as Chase Field, but there's no question of whether Lamb can reach the seats. He's one of the best hitters in baseball. If he hits it, the ballpark won't play a factor. What will play a factor is his price. He is expensive and not a must. If you're choosing between Lamb and a pitcher, go pitcher 100% of the time and look at our next guy for 3B.

Luis Valbuena FD 2700 DK 3700
Opponent - TEX (Cashner) Park - @LAA
FD - 8.58 DK - 6.42

If you need to go cheap, Luis Valbuena is perfect. I can't sit here and tell you he's reliable or anything, because he isn't. He's very boom or bust and a guy that relies on the HR. If Valbuena doesn't hit an HR, he will likely bust. He's a strict GPP-only ply, but a fantastic one at that/ He's been slamming the ball over the past week or so and Vabuena is a very streaky hitter. He faces off with Andrew Cashner tonight, who is everything but scary. Cashner has sported a .320 wOBA on the year and has huge HR issues. Valbuena isvery cheap and if he does hit an HR, puts you in an excellent spot. I see no reason to go anywhere else if you need to punt at 3B.

Outfield

Eddie Rosario FD 3900 DK 4500
Opponent - CHW (Shields) Park - @CHW
FD - 9.41 DK - 7.49
Byron Buxton FD 3400 DK 4200
Opponent - CHW (Shields) Park - @CHW
FD - 8.16 DK - 6.84

Capping our Twins exposure off in the OF, we'll take a look at Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton. With Shields having such worse numbers against lefties, I do lean Rosario for the upside. You can also get Byron Buxton, the leagues leading prospect, for just 5-10% owned in tournaments. James Shields is essentially batting practice at this point and a surprise if he lasts more than 5 innings.  Buxton has struggled for his entire career, but looks to be turning THE corner. Don't sleep on him for the rest of the season. Eddie Rosario is just a very good hitter that can hit to all fields. Be ready to target both of these guys.

Rhys Hoskins FD 3100 DK 3700
Opponent - MIA (Nicolino) Park - @PHI
FD - 11.02 DK - 8.39

If you haven't taken the chance to watch Rhys Hoskins hit, go ahead and do it. While he's nothing spectacular like Stanton or Judge, he has the presence at the plate of someone that belongs. The numbers back it up, too, hitting 5 homers in his first 50 at-bats. He draws another spectacular match-Up here with Justin Nicolino. Nicolino is an underwhelming lefty with a 4 pitch base arsenal. He throws the 4 seam and change mostly, but has been mauled against righties by the 3 and 4 pitches. Hoskins is super cheap and gives you as good of a shot at an HR as most guys in the high-end pricing. He may be highly owned in cash, but I'm jumping onboard unless I think it ends up over 30%.

Kyle Schwarber FD 3500 DK 4100
Opponent - CIN (Wojciechowski) Park - @CIN
FD - 10.27 DK - 7.71

Joe Maddon likes to switch up the batting order, so who knows where Schwarber will end up. Over the last week or so, Schwarber has found himself in the 2 hole against righties. It puts him in an insane spot and one that you can't just fade in cash games. Especially when the Cubs are one of the highest imlped team totals of the day. Asher Wojciechowski is absolutely horrible and he is going to have trouble with these Cubs bats. The Cubs will look to put up another million runs after blistering the Reds bullpen last night. The entire Cubs offense is in play as a stack and one I really like. Schwarber and Rizzo lead the pack and I don't think they exceed 20% owned. Schwarber is also expensive, so he's not the easiest to fit if paying up elsewhere.

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