DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 8/18/19

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. These next few weeks are monstrous for season-long fantasy owners and it's time to make a move in your leagues. While this is a DFS-centric article, these pieces can help any fantasy owner who needs advice. It just so happens that these articles help me to set my lineup every week and it truly helps breakdown how players are valued in the industry. With that in mind, let's get into this Sunday slate.

Pitchers

Jack Flaherty FD - P 10700 DK - SP 9700 Opponent - CIN (Alex Wood) Park - CIN FD - 31.75 DK - 17.18 This dude is quietly one of the hottest pitchers in the league right now and it's amazing that he remains low five-figures on both sites. Over his last seven starts, Flaherty is pitching to a 0.79 ERA and 0.73 WHIP while striking out 56 batters across 45.1 innings of action. Those are straight stupid numbers and it definitely puts him in play against an offense who just traded Scooter Gennett and Yasiel Puig. They weren't that good even with those two, ranking 28th in xwOBA this season. That's why the Cardinals enter this matchup as a -170 favorite. Zack Wheeler FD - P 11000 DK - SP 10700 Opponent - KC (Glenn Sparkman) Park - KC FD - 35.35 DK - 19.08 Wheeler's consistency can drive fantasy owners mad but there's simply too much potential in a matchup like this. This is a guy who's scored at least 34 FanDuel points in 13 of his last 21 starts and that shows the sort of ceiling this dude has. A 3.54 FIP and 25 percent K rate further shows just how good Wheeler can be and we expect to see that pitcher in such a premium match-up. Wheeler faces a Royals team who ranks 27th in runs scored, 24th in OBP and 26th in OPS. That's why Kansas City is only projected for four runs with New York entering this game as a -180 favorite. Matthew Boyd has some of the best strikeout stuff in the Majors and faces a Rays team who ranks 25th in K rate.

Catcher/First Base

Daniel Murphy FD - 1B 3300 DK - 1B 4000 Opponent - MIA (Jordan Yamamoto) Park - COL FD - 16.84 DK - 12.93 These prices are truly shocking. It's not every day that you see a great hitter like this in Coors Field priced so cheaply. We're talking about a guy who has a .310 AVG over his last 72 games which is pretty much on par with the contact-stud we've seen throughout his career. His profile plays perfectly in Coors Field and that's truly evident by his .337 AVG at home this year. The icing on the cake is that he gets the platoon advantage against a struggling Jordan Yamamoto, with Murphy tallying an OPS north of .900 against right-handers since 2016. Paul Goldschmidt FD - 1B 3500 DK - 1B 4200 Opponent - CIN (Alex Wood) Park - CIN FD - 14.56 DK - 10.96 Goldy has always been a stud against left-handers and we have to adore him at this sort of price. Let's take a gander at those absurd career averages, with Goldschmidt posting a .319 AVG, .588 SLG and 1.014 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Those are way too good of numbers from someone priced this cheaply and we can definitely exploit him against Alex Wood and his 5.59 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Wood is probably a better pitcher than that when healthy, but given that he's just starting his season he's definitely still rounding into shape. Not to mention, Goldy has 13 homers and 35 RBI over his last 35 games. If you're in need of a catcher, Yasmani Grandal remains too cheap and gets to bat from the left side against Erick Fedde.

Second Base

Keston Hiura FD - 2B 3500 DK - 2B 5000 Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSH FD - 11.63 DK - 8.9 Hiura has developed into one of the best second basemen in the league in his rookie season. Let's begin with his Triple-A numbers, as this dude completely mashed at that level this season. In fact, Hiura put together a .330 AVG, .688 SLG and 1.095 OPS in the minors this year. He's surprisingly been close to that at the Majors, totaling a .301 AVG, .574 SLG and .943 OPS. That's why he typically bats second, third or fourth in this potent lineup and it really makes his FanDuel price hard to understand. Facing Erick Feede isn't too bad either, with the Washington righty pitching to a 5.17 xFIP and 1.41 WHIP this season. Jose Altuve FD - 2B 4200 DK - 2B 4800 Opponent - OAK (Brett Anderson) Park - OAK FD - 14.03 DK - 10.87 Altuve has done serious damage against left-handers this season and he's undoubtedly one of the hottest hitters in the league right now. Let's start with his recent form, as Altuve is hitting .364 over his last 38 games. In fact, Altuve has a 1.065 OPS in that span and it's clear that a trip to the IL is just what the doctor ordered. Those numbers look mediocre compared to his splits, with Altuve accruing a .413 AVG, .853 SLG and 1.305 OPS against southpaws so far this season. Brett Anderson really isn't a lefty we need to fear either, with the Oakland left-hander posting one of the worst K rates in the Majors.

Shortstop

Trevor Story FD - SS 4500 DK - SS 5400 Opponent - MIA (Jordan Yamamoto) Park - COL FD - 18.27 DK - 13.87 Let's continue our Rockies with the best shortstop in the game. We haven't really gotten into this matchup yet, so let's discuss why we want to stack Colorado. Hitting in Coors Field is the main culprit, as that has the Rockies projected for seven runs. That big total is particularly intriguing against Jordan Yamamoto, who's allowed at least four runs in five-straight starts while pitching to an 8.28 ERA in that span. All of that makes Story a fantastic option with his stellar home numbers, with Story posting a .673 SLG and 1.064 OPS at Coors this season. Not to mention, Story has six doubles, one triple and five homers en route to a 1.226 OPS over his last 14 fixtures. Paul DeJong FD - SS 3400 DK - SS 4000 Opponent - CIN (Alex Wood) Park - CIN FD - 13.31 DK - 10.11 DeJong is yet another guy who has the platoon advantage in his favor and we truly believe that the Cardinals are one of the best sneaky stacks of the day. While many people don't talk about it, DeJong is actually one of the best power-hitting shortstops in the league. That's evident by his .473 career SLG and .793 OPS. That's on par with his numbers this season and we have to love that he gets the platoon advantage against Alex Wood. The Reds lefty is currently pitching to a 5.59 ERA and 1.45 WHIP which is truly scary against a St.Louis lineup who's won six of seven and dropped 13 runs on Friday night. We love all of the Red Sox, so Xander Bogaerts is obviously in play.

Third Base

Rafael Devers FD - 3B 4400 DK - 3B 5700 Opponent - BAL (Gabriel Ynoa) Park - BOS FD - 18.75 DK - 14.26 Nolan Arenado FD - 3B 4600 DK - 3B 5200 Opponent - MIA (Jordan Yamamoto) Park - COL FD - 18.53 DK - 13.95 We've already discussed the Rockies and their matchup thoroughly, so we'll combine these two and let you decide who you want to go with. Let's give you a quick breakdown of Arenado, as he's simply one of the best hitters in the game. We're talking about a guy with a .540 career SLG and .889 OPS. He's been absolutely ridiculous at home, generating a .342 AVG, .646 SLG and 1.052 OPS at home since 2017. Now that we have that out of the way, we can discuss Devers. Since the opening month, Devers has a .338 AVG and an OPS north of 1.000. That's truly incredible and it's scary just how hot he is right now. Over the last three games, Devers is hitting .714 while collecting five doubles and a home run en route to a 2.036 OPS. Those are numbers that take a second look and it's hard to fade this guy the way he's swinging the bat. We also love that he faces Gabriel Ynoa and we'll go over that more in our next write-up. Todd Frazier has been better than this price would indicate and he's definitely in play at his dirt-cheap price tag.

Outfield

Mookie Betts FD - OF 4300 DK - OF 5300 Opponent - BAL (Gabriel Ynoa) Park - BOS FD - 21.62 DK - 16.45 J.D. Martinez FD - OF 4200 DK - OF 5400 Opponent - BAL (Gabriel Ynoa) Park - BOS FD - 20.68 DK - 15.53 We already forecasted our love for the Red Sox in the Devers write-up and these two guys are easily the cream of the crop. Let's discuss this matchup against the Orioles, as this is one of the worst pitching staffs of all time. That's evident by an ERA approaching 6.00, as they're actually on pace to shatter the record for most home runs allowed. Ynoa has been a major part of that, pitching to a 5.93 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. There's actually some talk that Ty Blach may make a spot start and his 13.94 ERA and 2.71 WHIP is even worse. Now that we got this tasty match-up out of the way, let's discuss these stud hitters. Both of these guys have been scorching recently and they both rank Top-10 in total fantasy points since the beginning of last season. Over his last 40 games, Betts is providing a .396 OBP and .983 OPS while scoring an absurd 45 runs. Martinez has been even better recently, amassing a .394 AVG, .464 OBP, .737 SLG and 1.202 OPS over his last 25 games. Don't fade these guys! Charlie Blackmon FD - OF 4700 DK - OF 5300 Opponent - MIA (Jordan Yamamoto) Park - COL FD - 18.23 DK - 14.01 Blackmon is the final piece to our Rockies stack and he's probably the best play of the bunch. We really don't need to go over this Yamamoto matchup anymore but it does give Blackmon the platoon advantage. Since 2017, Blackmon has a .380 OBP, .578 SLG and .958 OPS against right-handed pitching. What makes him truly scary are his absurd numbers at home. In fact, Blackmon is generating a .408 AVG, .457 OBP, .796 SLG and 1.253 OPS at Coors Field this season. That's why he's one of the most expensive players on the board and rightfully so.

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