Daily Fantasy MLB Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 8/25/18

It's the last Saturday in August! Pennant races are heating up, and for some teams, every game is becoming a must win. With just a handful of games this afternoon, we're going to focus this article mainly on the nine-game main slate. We've got some solid arms on the hill highlighted by Clayton Kershaw, and there's a game in Coors Field, so you know what that means. Let's get down to it, and take a look at tonight's top picks!

Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB optimizer and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

First time with MLB? Be sure to read our free MLB Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.

Pitcher

Clayton Kershaw FD 11600 DK 11800
Opponent - SD (Brett Kennedy) Park - LAD
FD - 49.12 DK - 27.55
Clayton is back! While some time spent on the DL earlier this season has hindered his season stats, Clayton Kershaw is pitching his best stuff right now. He's pitched into the seventh inning in four of his last seven starts, while throwing nine straight quality starts, and he's throwing straight heat. Through his last 15 IP he's picked up 16 K's while walking just one batter. Kershaw is looking like his old self, while still coming at quite the discount on both sites, and today we get the luxury of finding him facing one of the saddest offenses in the game. The Padres have a sorry .292 team wOBA this season, and strike out at an astonishing 25.3% rate. With the Dodgers opening as -410(!!!) favorites, Kershaw should mow his way through the Padres order with little trouble and is a top play today in all formats.

Corey Kluber FD 11200 DK 11000
Opponent - KC (Heath Fillmyer) Park - KC
FD - 44.18 DK - 24.4
While that Dodgers line is one of the most ridiculous opening lines I've ever seen come out of Vegas, this line on the Indians game against the Royals isn't far off itself. Cleveland opens as -300 favorites against Kansas City who are almost as poor as the Padres as offenses go in 2018. The Royals have scored the fewest runs in the majors this season. They're bottom five in home runs, OPS, and wOBA. The one thing in their favor is they don't strike out a ton, just 20% of the time against RHP, which could limit the upside of Corey Kluber, who has lost nearly three batters on his K/9 over last season, with his lowest k% since 2013. Still, Kluber is proving to once again be one of the best pitchers in the majors again this season with a 3.19 xFIP, and a top ten ERA (2.74). Kluber provides a bit of salary relief over Kershaw in cash games, though the upside could be limited.

Robbie Ray FD 7800 DK 8000
Opponent - SEA (Wade LeBlanc) Park - ARI
FD - 31.66 DK - 17.04
Robbie Ray, like Clayton Kershaw, spent a significant amount of time this season on the DL. Over his last few starts he's looked solid, and at around $8K on both sites is a terrific GPP option on FanDuel, while filling the SP2 slot on DraftKings quite nicely. He's struggled at times with his control but has kept the damage limited to three runs or less in four of his last five starts. The biggest concern is with the free passes pushing his pitch count up; he doesn't tend to make it very deep into games all too often. Still, Ray is yet again proving to be one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game. With an 11.60 K/9, only four qualified pitchers can claim better. Vegas has yet to drop a line on this game, but the Mariners are an average offense with a .306 wOBA against southpaws. I'm not expecting a line like the two guys above have, but can see the Diamondbacks as modest -130 to - 140 favorites at home against Wade LeBlanc and the Seattle offense. Seattle doesn't strike out often, but they don't walk much either. If Ray can get a few of these guys swinging, and work his way into the sixth, he could provide enough upside pop while at the same time allowing for plenty of big name bats.

Early slate consider: Rick Porcello (BOS)

First Base/Catcher

Matt Carpenter FD 4700 DK 5500
Opponent - COL (German Marquez) Park - COL
FD - 13.69 DK - 10.17
We're going to talk an awful lot today about the Rockies against John Gant in Coors Field, but first up, let's take a good hard look at Matt Carpenter. Carpenter has the fourth-most home runs in baseball this season (34) and leads all first basemen with that number. It's been a career season for Carpenter, who is posting a wOBA just shy of .400 with an OPS of .959 while walking 15% of the time. The Rockies are favored in this one, which is why we'll focus more on their side of the matchup, but there's something to be said for considering theleft-handedd Carpenter against Marquez, who holds a .344 wOBA allowed in the split with 1.76 HR/9 surrendered at home this season.

Freddie Freeman FD 4300 DK 4600
Opponent - MIA (Wei-Yin Chen) Park - MIA
FD - 11.96 DK - 8.98
I see no reason to spend down at first tonight when we have fantastic options to consider in the upper tier like Carpenter, and Freddie Freeman in fantastic matchups. Freeman may not have the luxury of hitting in Coors Field tonight, in fact, Marlins Park, year over year, proves to be one of the top pitcher's parks in the game. Still, it's a great matchup as Freeman will step into the box against Wei-Yin Chen, whose xFIP has finally crept above the 5.00 mark, with an equally atrocious 5.20 ERA. He's allowing 1.52 HR/9 and a 1.97 K/BB ratio. Freeman is better against RHP, but even in the reverse platoon holds an excellent .347 wOBA and an OPS approaching .800. There are going to be opportunities to save in other positions, but here at first base, there's no need to skimp with two of the best in fantastic spots.

Yan Gomes FD 2600 DK 3700
Opponent - KC (Heath Fillmyer) Park - KC
FD - 10.12 DK - 7.65
Behind the plate tonight I'm going with Indians catcher Yan Gomes in Kansas City to continue the series with the Royals. Gomes has been excellent this year with a .314 wOBA, his best since 2014, while slashing .253/.307/.428. He's moderately priced across the industry and finds himself going against KC rookie right-hander Heath Fillmyer. Fillmyer only has seven starts to his credit, with a handful of bullpen appearances. As a starter, he's allowing a .344 wOBA against, with a 5.39 xFIP, 5.29 ERA, and a 43.2% hard-hit rate. Gomes is a bottom of the order guy, but he's dirt cheap, and in a great matchup, so I'm willing to ride with him.

Early slate consider: Justin Smoak (TOR), Anthony Rizzo (CHC) at first base, Buster Posey (SFG) behind the plate.

Second Base

DJ LeMahieu FD 3500 DK 4700
Opponent - STL (John Gant) Park - COL
FD - 12.58 DK - 9.83
We can find plenty of value in the middle infield. We'll start out with DJ LeMahieu of the Colorado Rockies at home against John Gant and the Cardinals. Vegas likes the Rockies for six runs in this one, so we can expect a ton of fantasy goodness to come from the Colorado lineup. While DJ prefers the lefties, I think there's a strong case to be made for him here against Gant. First off we have the price. $3.5K on FanDuel, and even $4.7K on DraftKings, is not too much to ask from a two-hole hitter in Coors Field. Especially against a guy like Gant who bounced around the farm system of several teams before finally getting a call-up for the Braves in 2016. Last year he made a handful of appearances for the Cards who have started him a dozen times already in 2018. Through his 21 career starts, Gant has a 4.43 xFIP, a .308 wOBA against, and walks 10% of the batters he faces. DJ had the night off last night, so expect to see him back in his usual role tonight, and I plan on having a ton of exposure, even in the weaker split, given the price and the matchup.

Ozzie Albies FD 3300 DK 4300
Opponent - MIA (Wei-Yin Chen) Park - MIA
FD - 11.38 DK - 8.85
Switch-hitting Ozzie Albies is having an exciting rookie campaign. Through 180 major league games since his debut late last year, Albies has a .336 wOBA with 27 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a .277/.322/.466 slash line. He's crushed lefties with a .388 wOBA, .914 OPS, and .207 ISO, and today he faces off with a terrible lefty in the form of Wei-Yin Chen. Chen's been just all around bad this season but has been particularly generous to the right side of the plate, allowing a .352 wOBA so that's where we can look for Albies to be tonight hitting in the two hole for an Atlanta offense projecting for 4.5 implied runs.

Brian Dozier FD 3200 DK 4200
Opponent - SD (Brett Kennedy) Park - LAD
FD - 11.02 DK - 8.32
Last night Chris gave you Brian Dozier as a GPP pivot at second base and if you took that bit of advice you know it paid off quite nicely. I'm going to ride on that and recommend him once again. Dozier is a bit tough to trust in cash games, though he has risen his OBP nearly 60 points since being traded to the Dodgers. In that time he's got a .349 wOBA, three home runs, and a stellar 18.6 BB%. He doesn't get his preferred split tonight, but what he does get is a Padres rookie making just his fourth career start, with five home runs, 13 earned runs allowed on 26 hits through just 14 IP. He'll likely drop to the heart of the order with the RHP on the hill, but for a Dodgers team projecting for just under five implied runs, Brian Dozier is quite the exciting play with plenty of upside.

Early slate consider: Devon Travis (TOR), Cesar Hernandez (PHI)

Shortstop

Carlos Correa FD 3500 DK 4400
Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - LAA
FD - 12.48 DK - 9.4
Tonight's an excellent night to look at the Astros. Not only are they just about back to full health, they see a positive matchup tonight against an Angels rookie who in 19 career starts has proven over and again he's a pitcher worth targeting for DFS purposes. Jaime Barria hits the hill tonight with a career 4.54 xFIP, 3.41 ERA, 1.38 HR/9, and 38.3% hard hit rate. The game will take place in Angel Stadium, which while average as far as park factor, still favors the hitter more than Minute Maid Park, where the Astros play the majority of their games. When healthy, this Houston lineup is one of the toughest in the majors to face, and the Angels rookie right hander will certainly be challenged tonight. Carlos Correa, who returned earlier this month, after missing over a month on the DL, is still underpriced, and comes to us as a complete bargain play, especially on FanDuel. He's struggled some at the plate since returning to the lineup, but he's still a guy with a .332 wOBA, .253/.336/.442 slash line. He had a 3 for 3 night earlier this week in Seattle, and is 1 for 3 with a run scored in Friday night's game as I write this, so things could be turning around. Now is the time to get in while the price is still nice and low.

Francisco Lindor FD 4400 DK 5200
Opponent - KC (Heath Fillmyer) Park - KC
FD - 14.53 DK - 11.13
We discussed the Indians matchup against the Royals and Heath Fillmyer earlier, and it's because of that matchup, that Francisco Lindor is coming in with the top raw points projection outside of Coors among our position players tonight. One of the best shortstops going in the game today, Lindor is the one exception I'm willing to make in my plan to go cheap with the middle infield. If you can afford to spend up on Lindor, who holds a .351 wOBA, .829 OPS, with 75% of his career home runs coming off of RHP, then you certainly have to give it some consideration. When all is said and done 2018 is going to be the breakout season for the fourth year Indians infielder, whose wOBA sits nearly 50 points above his career number, an OPS over .900, and a chance to crush his career-best 33 home runs hit last year. Outside of Coors Field, Lindor is my lock of the night.

Early slate consider: Tim Anderson (CHW)

Third Base

Nolan Arenado FD 4800 DK 5400
Opponent - STL (John Gant) Park - COL
FD - 16.16 DK - 12.17
We're going to get to the Rockies lefties against John Gant in just a moment, but first, we can't talk about a game in Coors Field and not mention Nolan Arenado. Arenado has been a total stud for the Rockies once again in 2018. His .403 wOBA is sixth best in baseball, he blasted his thrityfirst home run of the season last night, his .960 OPS is a career best, and he shows no signs of letting up any time soon. With base hits in nine of his last ten, including three multi-hit efforts and two home runs in that span, it's no surprise Arenado leads all position players tonight in raw points projection and is one of the top points per dollar projections at the position. I'm planning a ton of exposure to Arenado in my lineups tonight.

Mike Moustakas FD 3300 DK 4000
Opponent - PIT (Jameson Taillon) Park - MIL
FD - 10.81 DK - 8.21
If you just can't fit Arenado into your lineup, you may want to rethink your lineup. If you're still stuck, then you could do much worse than pivoting down to the moose. Mike Moustakas was having a solid year for Kansas City before being traded to Milwaukee at the end of July. His numbers in 2018 are down just a bit but still sit above his career totals. Today he goes up against Jameson Taillon of the Pirates, in his preferred split. Against right-handers, Moustakas holds a .323 career wOBA, .752 OPS, while Taillon has been average at best this season with a 3.69 xFIP, nearly 2.5 BB/9 allowed, and a 1.23 WHIP. Moose has been a bit of a risky play in recent weeks, but he homered last night, proving himself a solid GPP option for the price.

Early slate consider: Evan Longoria (SFG)

Outfield

Charlie Blackmon FD 4700 DK 5400
Opponent - STL (John Gant) Park - COL
FD - 14.78 DK - 11.37
Carlos Gonzalez FD 3900 DK 5000
Opponent - STL (John Gant) Park - COL
FD - 13.61 DK - 10.32
David Dahl FD 4000 DK 4900
Opponent - STL (John Gant) Park - COL
FD - 12.74 DK - 9.81
We took a look at a couple of the Rockies from the right side of the plate already, now we're going to hit a trio of guys hitting from the left side in the outfield. First up, we have Charlie B. in the leadoff spot. Blackmon has strong splits against both sides in his career, but the slight edge is when there's a RHP on the hill. Against righties, Blackmon has a career .369 wOBA, an OPS over .850, 17.1 BB%. He's crushed 103 of his 133 career home runs off of right handers. He has hit safely in seven of his last ten, with two home runs, including a two run shot last night. His numbers have fallen off dramatically from last seasons career year, but he still sits with a top wOBA among outfielders at .350, while sitting just behind him at .348 is Carlos Gonzalez. CarGo, another career righty smasher, holds a career .384 wOBA in the split, with an OPS over .900 and .300/.366/.541 slash line. They're practically begging you to play him on FanDuel for that price, while $5K on DraftKings isn't out of the question either given the matchup. In his limited time as a starter, Gant is allowing a .308 wOBA against, with a 42.4% hard hit rate, and a 9.4% K-BB%. Against left handed hitters he's surrendering 1.46 HR/9 with a 47.8% hard hit rate. That can lead to a very rough night in the mile high city.

The last Rockies batter we'll look at is David Dahl. Dahl, another left-handed bat, started the season with the Rockies before heading down for some time with the Triple-A team. They recalled him earlier this month. In that time since his call-up, Dahl is posting a .370 wOBA, 10% walk rate, and seven of his 14 hits have gone for extra bases including three home runs. He's yet another career righty smasher, sporting a .364 wOBA, and .919 career OPS in the split. He'll likely be the farthest down in the order of all the Rockies we've discussed tonight, but with the highest expected run total of the night, he should see plenty of opportunity at the plate and is just as solid a play as his teammates given the price.

George Springer FD 3700 DK 4100
Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - LAA
FD - 12.17 DK - 9.18
Josh Reddick FD 2700 DK 3600
Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - LAA
FD - 8.73 DK - 6.68
Since I gave you more Rockies than we may be able to fit in a single lineup, let's take a look at a couple other outfield options coming to us courtesy of the Houston Astros. George Springer sat out again last night, as he deals with that quad tightness. You'll definitely want to make sure he's playing before locking him in, but if he is in the lineup, we can certainly consider him against Jaime Barria. Leading up to quad issue Springer was rolling along with hits in eight of his last eleven games, including a two hit, one run, one RBI performance in his last appearance last Sunday. Even if Springer remains unavailable, we can still consider Josh Reddick in the outfield. Redick has had a bit of an off season, but has always hit better against RHP, a split he holds a career .337 wOBA, .785 OPS, and .333 OBP in. He hits in the seven hole, but he's near minimum price and frees up room for some of those more expensive options we've discussed above.

Early slate consider: Andrew McCutchen (SFG), Rhys Hoskins (PHI), Nick Williams (PHI), Curtis Granderson (TOR)

With that, another day of DFS picks comes to a close. Thanks for reading, and as always best of luck out there tonight. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below, and check back later for the pitchers/stacks breakdown. Cheers!

GRAB A FREE TRIAL OF OUR PROJECTION SYSTEM, AND CHECK OUT DFSR PRO!