DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 8/4/19

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

After wild trade deadline and a crazy week, we're finally to Sunday! Now that this wild week is over, it's time to get back into the everyday grind. What's fascinating about this slate is that we have a ton of great pitching options and an abundance of dangerous bats. That means finding value will be key and we'll do our best to stray you towards some of those plays.  

Pitchers

Justin Verlander FD - P 12000 DK - SP 12000
Opponent - SEA (Matt Wisler) Park - HOU
FD - 41.49 DK - 23.96

It's going to be tough to fade Velrnader on this slate. This dude is straight nails anytime he takes the mound and you have to love him in a matchup like this. Let's start with the Mariners, as they currently rank bottom-10 in OPS, xSLG, wOBA and xwOBA since the opening month. That's particularly scary considering they own the third-worst K rate in the league. That's a nightmare against a guy like Verlander, who's currently pitching to a 2.73 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 34 percent K rate this season in what's become a Hall-of-Fame career. Not to mention, Verlander is projected to be a -300 favorite in this game. He's a great play in any format.

Shane Bieber FD - P 11200 DK - SP 10900
Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - CLE
FD - 38.45 DK - 21.01

Bieber has been one of the best pitchers in the AL and it's not a crazy statement to say he's the best Indians pitcher at this point. Many people would have said he's the fourth-best pitcher in this rotation at the beginning of the year and that's a testament to just how good this guy has been. We're talking about a pitcher with a 3.40 ERA and 1.01 WHIP while generating a 31 percent K rate. His last nine starts have been even more absurd, with Bieber posting a 2.57 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in that span while striking out 78 batters across 63 innings. That's why he'll enter this game as a -200 favorite. It's one of the feel good stories of the year, and a great reminder of why we're often projecting future ERA with xFIP instead of ERA itself - as Bieber had one of the widest splits acrooss these two categories last year.

We also love Patrick Corbin hosting his former team as a -190 favorite. 

Catcher/First Base

Daniel Murphy FD - 1B 3500 DK - 1B 4800
Opponent - SF (Tyler Beede) Park - COL
FD - 15.98 DK - 12.27

We've got a Coors Field game in the slate, so you know what that means. It's time to get some Rockies into our build and Murphy has easily been one of their best hitters over the last two months. In fact, Murphy is hitting .332 over his last 60 games en route to a .914 OPS. That's the stud that we've been waiting for all season long and it's clear that he's fully healthy. What we like here is that he gets the platoon advantage against Tyler Beede, with Murphy posting an OPS north of .900 against right-handers since 2016. Beede has been terrible this season too, pitching to a 5.01 ERA and 1.54 WHIP.  

Joey Votto FD - 1B 3300 DK - 1B 4100
Opponent - ATL (Julio Teheran) Park - ATL
FD - 11.1 DK - 8.32

Much like Murphy, people are overlooking just how good this guy has been recently. Not only does he have two homers in his last five games, Votto is hitting .310 since May 24. He's also got an OBP just shy of .400 in that span and that's the guy that we've become accustomed to throughout his career. Votto actually has an OBP north of .400 against right-handers for his career and a wOBA just shy of that number. Julio Teheran is definitely a guy we can exploit too, with the Braves righty pitching to a 5.16 xFIP, which is way off of his 3.38 ERA.  

Second Base

Rougned Odor FD - 2B 3100 DK - 2B 4500
Opponent - DET (Jordan Zimmermann) Park - TEX
FD - 11.36 DK - 8.69

Don't look now but Odor is finally starting to get hot. After a nightmarish first three months, Odor is finally hitting up to his weight. He might not be quite there yet actually but at least the power is coming around. Over his last 11 games, Odor has collected four doubles, four homers and 13 RBI en route to a .619 SLG. His OBP is still well below .300 in that span but this is simply a guy who will provide value through speed and power. That's evident by the fact that he's averaging 27 homers and 14 steals over the past four seasons and he's actually on pace to surpass those totals this year. Jordan Zimmermann is a guy we want to stack against too, as that gives Odor the platoon advantage against a guy who's 1-8 with a 7.23 ERA and 1.64 WHIP.

Ozzie Albies FD - 2B 3200 DK - 2B 4200
Opponent - CIN (Sonny Gray) Park - ATL
FD - 11.36 DK - 8.79

Albies is one of the hottest hitters in the game and it makes no sense why these sites continue to keep his price so low. Over his last 60 games, Albies is hitting .312 while generating an .894 OPS. The power numbers have been even better recently, with Albies totaling a .566 SLG and .937 OPS over his last 48 fixtures. While Albies is typically better against left-handers, the fact that Albies is a switch-hitter puts him in play against either platoon. It's not a great match-up with Gray, but sometimes the price is so low you have to consider him anyway. 

Shortstop

Francisco Lindor FD - SS 4100 DK - SS 5400
Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - CLE
FD - 14.78 DK - 11.27

The Indians have become one of the scariest lineups in baseball and Lindor is a major reason why. Over his last 17 games, the man known as Mr. Smiles is hitting .382 en route to a .658 SLG and 1.063 OPS. That's actually not far off of his season-long numbers, as this is truly one of the greatest players in our game. What we like here is that he gets to face Jaime Barria, who's pitching to a 6.28 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. It also puts Lindor on the left side, as he's got a .960 OPS against right-handers since the start of last season. 

Bo Bichette FD - SS 3500 DK - SS 4300
Opponent - BAL (Thomas Eshelman) Park - BAL
FD - 12.19 DK - 9.34

Bichette was one of the best players in the minors and he's carrying over that form to this level. Not only does he have a hit in all five of his games at the Majors, Bichette also has three doubles and one homer en route to a 1.162 OPS. That obviously won't maintain but it shows just how good this kid can be. That's really not far off of his .321 AVG and .894 career OPS in his three years in the minors. We have to like him against a guy like Tom Eshelman too, who's pitching to a 6.35 ERA and 1.54 WHIP this season. 

Third Base

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. FD - 3B 3900 DK - 3B 4900
Opponent - BAL (Thomas Eshelman) Park - BAL
FD - 13.97 DK - 10.7

Everyone talked about just how big of a disappointment this guy was a few weeks ago but those skeptics are eating their words now. Over his last 14 games, Guerrero is providing a .412 AVG, .478 OBP, .784 SLG and 1.258 OPS. His last six games have been even more absurd, with Vlad Jr. ripping 17 RBI while accruing three doubles and four homers in that span. That's the stud we've been waiting for all season and we have to love him against a pitching staff with the worst numbers in the league. 

Jose Ramirez FD - 3B 3600 DK - 3B 4700
Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - CLE
FD - 13.05 DK - 9.88

Much like the last four write-ups, Ramirez is one of the hottest hitters in the game. Over his last 26 fixtures, Ramirez is hitting .318 while generating a .997 OPS. That's the Top-10 pick that we loved at the beginning of the year and he's actually been doing this damage for close to two months now. What we like here is that he gets to bat from the left side, with Ramirez posting a .910 OPS against righties since 2017. It also gives him a much better chance to swipe a bag, which is big for a guy with 22 steals. 

There's a game being played in Coors Field, so you know we love Nolan Arenado too. 

Outfield

Shin-Soo Choo FD - OF 3700 DK - OF 4500
Opponent - DET (Jordan Zimmermann) Park - TEX
FD - 14.51 DK - 10.99

We love the Rangers in this spot against Zimmermann, so we have to adore Choo. This guy has done nothing but produce atop this lineup and he should do just that with Texas projected for more than six runs. It's no surprise their projection is so high when you look at the disastrous Zimmermann numbers in the Odor write-up. Choo has always destroyed right-handers too, generating a .396 OBP and .922 OPS against them this season. 

Charlie Blackmon FD - OF 4400 DK - OF 5300
Opponent - SF (Tyler Beede) Park - COL
FD - 18.27 DK - 14.03

We obviously love the Rockies on this slate and Blackmon is easily one of the best plays on the board. Hitting atop a lineup projected for seven runs is a major reason why and he's actually a $500 discount from his price early on in the year. That really doesn't make any sense against a guy who has a 5.01 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. Blackmon's home splits this season are absolutely ridiculous too, with the lefty slugger providing .407 AVG and a 1.283 OPS at Coors this season. Obviously, that's absurd, and his projections exemplify that absurdity. 

Yasiel Puig FD - OF 3200 DK - OF 4400
Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - CLE
FD - 13.11 DK - 9.96

Puig has been superb since the opening two months and these sites need to take notice. Over his last 41 games, Puig is hitting .320 while providing a 1.000 OPS. He's actually one of the only players in the league who's got at least 20 homers and 15 steals, as that really shows his versatility as a fantasy option. We already discussed that we want to stack Indians against Jaime Barria and Puig's insertion into cleanup for this club definitely puts him in play. 

Eddie Rosario has a superb matchup against Brad Keller and is definitely in play with the Twins projected highly. 

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