DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/30/19

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. We're back at it again with another monster Friday slate and we have some plays we absolutely love. The Rockies participate in Coors Field again and we're looking at an enormous 14-total in that contest. That means it's going to be tough to fade but it's going to be fascinating putting the correct pieces together for this difficult puzzle known as DFS baseball!

Pitchers

Trevor Bauer FD - P 9600 DK - SP 10400 Opponent - STL (Dakota Hudson) Park - STL FD - 32.65 DK - 17.51 Yeesh, Bauer has downright sucked since joining the Reds but he has too much potential to be priced this cheap. We're talking about an AL Cy Young candidate from last season who still has a 4.16 FIP and 28 percent K rate. Those are way off of his 2.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP from last season but that shows just how special this dude can be. The reason we like him here is because he gets to face a weak offense in a pitcher's park. In fact, the Cardinals rank 21st in runs scored, 19th in OBP, 24th in SLG and 22nd in both OPS and wOBA. The scary thing about this spot is that they're sending out a bunch of righties like Goldy, DeJong, Ozuna and Molina against Bauer, which gives the Reds pitcher even more upside in terms of strikeouts. Madison Bumgarner FD - P 9200 DK - SP 10200 Opponent - SD (Dinelson Lamet) Park - SF FD - 35.2 DK - 18.56 This is probably the safest play on the board. Bumgarner has been his usual stellar self this season, pitching to a 3.71 ERA ad 1.10 WHIP. He's been even better at home, with Mad Bum generating a 2.95 ERA and 0.93 WHIP at Oracle Park this season. That's really no surprise when you consider that it's the best pitching park in the Majors. The match-up is simply the icing on the cake, with the Padres ranked 27th in K rate, 26th in runs scored and 28th in xwOBA. That's why we're looking at a total of 7 here, which is the lowest of the slate. Don't forget about Bumgarner's counterpart, Dinelson Lamet, who has a 29 percent K rate and also faces a bad offense. Our projection model also likes Aaron Nola hosting the Mets, as he's been much better since the All-Star break.

Catcher/First Base

Daniel Murphy FD - 1B 3300 DK - 1B 4500 Opponent - PIT (Dario Agrazal) Park - COL FD - 16.72 DK - 12.84 We got Coors Field on this slate, so it's time to start listing off the Rockies. Murphy is actually one of the only guys who's a value, as he should be $500 more on each site. The reason for that is because he'll be in the heart of an order who's projected for seven runs. That's monstrous from a player who has a .324 AVG and .838 OPS at home this season. That's pretty much the player we've been seeing for about three months now too, with Murph totaling a .319 AVG and .865 OPS over his last 78 games in total. Ji-Man Choi FD - 1B 2400 DK - 1B 3800 Opponent - CLE (Shane Bieber) Park - TB FD - 13.05 DK - 9.83 This play is a bit of a surprise against a stud like Bieber but Choi is way too good to be priced this low. Let's start with his spot in the order, with Choi batting either leadoff or cleanup against right-handed pitching. That's really no surprise when you see his .370 OBP, .489 SLG and .859 OPS against righties dating back to 2017. Those numbers would tell us that he should be a $1,000 more on each site and it's hard to understand why it remains so low. Not to mention, Choi has a .392 OBP and .892 OPS over his last 21 fixtures. Daniel Vogelbach has some of the best power in the game and is definitely in consideration at Globe Life Park.

Second Base

Whit Merrifield FD - 2B 3200 DK - 2B/OF 4500 Opponent - BAL (John Means) Park - KC FD - 13.32 DK - 10.42 Merrifield has quietly been a great fantasy producer for three years now and it's time that these sites start treating him with some respect. Dating back to 2017, Whit is hitting .298 while providing 96 steals and an OPS above .800. Those are simply amazing numbers from a power-speed demon like this and we have to love that he gets the platoon advantage here. In that same span, Merrifield is amassing a .511 SLG and .865 OPS against southpaws. John Means is not a lefty we're worried about either, with the Orioles southpaw pitching to a 5.49 xFIP this season. Ozzie Albies FD - 2B 3200 DK - 2B 4400 Opponent - CHW (Ivan Nova) Park - ATL FD - 12.79 DK - 9.89 Albies has been brilliant for two months now and his price just continues to middle. Since June 7, Albies is hitting .301 en route to a .545 SLG and .901 OPS. That's all you can ask for from a player priced so reasonably, particularly in such a good matchup. While Ivan Nova has been much better recently, he still has a 4.37 ERA and 1.37 WHIP for the season. What's also intriguing is the fact that Nova has a K rate south of 20 percent and we always love when players as talented as this get the opportunity to put the ball in play. Jose Altuve is also in consideration with all of the other Astros.

Shortstop

Alex Bregman FD - SS 4300 DK - 3B/SS 5400 Opponent - TOR (Trent Thornton) Park - TOR FD - 15.18 DK - 11.44 The Astros are one of the best stacks on the board and Bregman would be a major part of it. This dude is obviously a stud with his .412 OBP, .571 SLG and .983 OPS but he's been doing most of that damage recently. In fact, Bregman has a .420 AVG, .500 OBP, .807 SLG and 1.307 OPS over his last 20 games. That's no small sample size and he's arguably the hottest hitter in the game right now. That puts him in play against anyone and we're not scared of Trent Thornton and his 5.34 ERA and 1.52 WHIP. Elvis Andrus FD - SS 3200 DK - SS 4200 Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - TEX FD - 12.09 DK - 9.42 Andrus isn't the sort of guy that's going to excite fantasy owners but he's always in play in situations like this. What we like here is that he faces a low-strikeout pitcher in a great environment. That's huge for a BABIP player like Andrus, as he'll surely get on at least once or twice, which puts him in a great spot to steal and score. It's not like Marco Gonzales is a guy we need to fade either, with the southpaw pitching to a  4.17 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. Andrus has a much better power stroke against lefties too, posting a .445 SLG and .773 OPS against them since 2017. Seeing as how we love the rest of the Rockies, Trevor Story is hard to overlook too.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado FD - 3B 4700 DK - 3B 5700 Opponent - PIT (Dario Agrazal) Park - COL FD - 18.4 DK - 13.85 Rockies are a major theme of this article and it's time to go over why it's such a good spot. Anytime you get to hit in Coors Field, it's obviously huge but facing a bad pitcher is simply the cherry on top. Dario Agrazal is just that, with the right-hander pitching to a 4.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 6.38 xFIP. That's why Colorado is the highest-projected team on this slate and we can't fade their best hitter in these circumstances. Dating back to 2017, Arenado has a .342 AVG, .652 SLG and 1.057 OPS in the friendly confines of Coors Field. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. FD - 3B 3100 DK - 3B 4100 Opponent - HOU (Wade Miley) Park - TOR FD - 10.85 DK - 8.31 Guerrero continues to be priced like the guy who struggled in his first two months but he's been a different player since the All-Star break. In fact, Vlad Jr. is hitting .367 over his last 34 games while providing a .635 SLG and 1.051 OPS in that span. That's the stud that we've been waiting for all season long and we have to love him against a lefty. For his minor league career, Guerrero had an OPS north of 1.000 against southpaws and that's really scary against Wade Miley and his 18.6 percent K rate. Josh Donaldson also pops up highly in our projection system against Ivan Nova.

Outfield

Charlie Blackmon FD - OF 4400 DK - OF 5700 Opponent - PIT (Dario Agrazal) Park - COL FD - 18.1 DK - 13.91 Let's cap off our Rockies stack with the best option on the board. This dude has been absolutely absurd all season long and it's truly amazing just how drastic his splits are. At home this season, Blackmon is putting together a .400 AVG, .453 OBP, .791 SLG and 1.244 OPS. Many of those numbers lead the Majors and it's really no surprise when you consider how special of a place Coors Field is to hit in. Getting to face a righty with an xFIP over 6.00 is simply a bonus, as that also gives Blackmon the platoon advantage in his favor. Not to mention, Blackmon has a .573 SLG and ,918 OPS over his last 24 games in total. George Springer FD - OF 4000 DK - OF 5100 Opponent - TOR (Trent Thornton) Park - TOR FD - 15.64 DK - 11.82 Let's cap off our Astros stack with their leadoff hitter. After homering on Friday, Springer is now one of the league leaders with a .564 SLG and .950 OPS. Those stellar numbers are really frightening for opposing pitchers atop this lineup and Springer is always in consideration against a gas can like Thornton. The leadoff man is really seeing the ball well right now too, attaining an OBP just shy of .450 over his last eight outings. Anthony Santander FD - OF 2900 DK - OF 4200 Opponent - KC (Eric Skoglund) Park - KC FD - 11.1 DK - 8.57 Some people may be asking, "who is this guy?" He's actually the Orioles most consistent hitter right now and he continues to be undervalued for DFS purposes. A .288 AVG, .493 SLG and .820 OPS speaks for itself, as he's been absolutely raking the last few weeks. In fact, Santander is hitting .307 over his last 39 games while posting an .890 OPS in that span. What we like here is that he gets the platoon advantage against Eric Skoglund, who's currently pitching to a 5.90 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 93 Major League innings. If you do go contrarian with Ji-Man Choi, pairing him with Tommy Pham is a cheap two-man stack with plenty of upside.

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