DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/6/21

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Pitchers

Chris Bassitt FD - P 9800 DK - SP 9800
Opponent - TEX (Mike Foltynewicz) Park - OAK
FD - 44.32 DK - 24.15

My top pitcher on this slate is driven mainly by matchup as we all know Burnes is the better overall pitcher and it's not really close(sorry A's fans). While he faces a tough Giants team, Bassitt becomes my top option as he gets an elite matchup against the Rangers who have scored a league-low 44 runs since the ASB. In Bassitt's defense to my opening statement, he is having a career year with 3.28 ERA/3.92 xFIP and has already set career-highs in wins(11) and K rate(25%). All things considered, I will be overweight on Bassitt in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is $1,100 cheaper than Burnes.

German Márquez FD - P 9900 DK - SP 8400
Opponent - MIA (Sandy Alcantara) Park - COL
FD - 31.57 DK - 16.52

We have a full slate but the SP2 decision on DraftKings is not an easy one. It may seem crazy to consider a pitcher in Coors "safe" for cash games but hear me out. First of all, Vegas seems to expect a decent performance as the initial total(9.5) is the lowest I have seen in Coors since early in the season and the home team opens as a -160 favorite. For Marquez, he has actually been better at home with a 3.29 ERA(3.83 on the road) and .266 wOBA against(.300 on the road). At his price on Draftkings, we are looking for about 16 points for min value and he has hit that in seven of his last eight starts, topping 20 points four times. Lock and load.

Catcher/First Base

Joey Votto FD 4200 DK 6000
Opponent - PIT (JT Brubaker) Park - PIT
FD - 12.05 DK - 9.04

The price went up after another terrific outing but if you are paying up for one player, Joey Votto has placed himself in that conversation. From a first base perspective, he is still cheaper than Vladdy, has been much better in the short term, and has a better matchup against JT Brubaker. The Reds are in a great spot to pile up the runs again tonight and Votto is my top play at first base.

Jonathan Schoop FD 3700 DK 4200
Opponent - CLE (Cal Quantrill) Park - CLE
FD - 10.33 DK - 7.9

Schoop is having a season very comparable to his tremendous 2017 in Baltimore and the reason we saw his price reach the $6K mark on Draftkings at one point. This is precisely why I am writing him up as that price on DK has dropped off the table despite Schoop remaining red hot with hits in 18 of 20 games since the break for a .329 average and .369 wOBA. The matchup is not great so I would avoid him on FanDuel at that price but on DraftKings, I love the buy-low opportunity and will have a share in GPP formats.

Second Base

Jonathan India FD 3700 DK 4900
Opponent - PIT (JT Brubaker) Park - PIT
FD - 12.53 DK - 9.59

Whether you are stacking Reds in GPP or just wanting a piece of them for cash games, it starts with Jonathan India. Like I mentioned yesterday, he is having a great season overall and is likely the Rookie of the Year and it really got started when the Reds put him at the top of the order. That move happened on June 5 and since becoming the everyday leadoff hitter he has put together an elite .305/.433/.500 slash line. The price is going up but there is still a lot of room to grow so jump on him now in a plus matchup.

Tommy Edman FD 2800 DK 3100
Opponent - KC (Mike Minor) Park - KC
FD - 10.74 DK - 8.35

One lineup I will be watching for closely tonight is the Cardinals as Tommy Edman has been getting at-bats in the lineup spot. If that is the case tonight, he becomes a nice PTS/$ value play in a  decent matchup against Mike Minor who has given up four or more earned runs in 12 of 22 starts this year. What stands out the most are the splits, however, as Edman is MUCH better against lefties with an elite .382 wOBA, 142 wRC+, and .262 ISO.

Shortstop

Carlos Correa FD 3400 DK 4100
Opponent - MIN (Bailey Ober) Park - MIN
FD - 12.17 DK - 9.16

The Astros gave Correa a day off on Thursday so he should be well-rested and ready to help get the team back in the win column on Friday. The price has been holding steady on FanDuel all season but what stands out tonight is the price on DraftKings that is slowly going back up but is still very low for one of the best shortstops in the game. He has been streaky but comes in on the good end of that with hits in seven of his last nine games. All things considered, Correa is my top shortstop on DraftKings and right up there on FanDuel as well.

Amed Rosario FD 2900 DK 4200
Opponent - DET (Matt Manning) Park - DET
FD - 11.66 DK - 9.14

While Correa is the choice for me on DraftKings, I like the savings we get with Rosario on FanDuel. It is a tricky one to break down because Rosario is much better vs. left pitching but faces Manning who has reverse splits and has been terrible against right-handed bats. On top of the plus matchup and hitting 2nd in the lineup, Rosario has also been terrific lately hitting .308 with a 116 wRC+ since the All-Star break. At these prices, he is in play in all formats.

Third Base

Austin Riley FD 3500 DK 5100
Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSH
FD - 11.6 DK - 8.75

The days of getting Austin Riley at value prices are long gone as he has blossomed into one of the best offensive third basemen in baseball. he was always able to hit the breaking ball but struggled with the fastball/changeup combination and that was the huge stepping stone in 2021 as he has been well above-average vs. both. Since the All-Star break, he is hitting .355 with .481 wOBA and has been much better vs. righties(.399 wOBA/149 wRC+) putting him at the top of my rankings at the position in all formats.

Also Consider: Ty France(SEA) who is a huge reason the M's are sticking around in the playoff race as he comes in with a .329 average and .382 wOBA since the All-Star break

Outfield

Aaron Judge FD 3800 DK 5200
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 16.03 DK - 11.85
Giancarlo Stanton FD 3600 DK 4200
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 15.31 DK - 11.33

The Yankees are sitting at #1 in terms of implied runs tonight and are my first stop in the outfield. Let's start with Judge who is working his way back from a COVID-19 absence and while the power numbers have been down he does have hits in eight of 10 since returning. No better spot to get your power game back than vs. a lefty in which he holds an insane .423 wOBA and 173 wRC+ against. For Stanton, it really comes down to that ridiculously low price on DraftKings and the fact he is coming off three straight multi-hit games and has power for days, especially against lefties. Both players are top targets in all formats tonight.

Ramón Laureano FD 3400 DK 3900
Opponent - TEX (Mike Foltynewicz) Park - TEX
FD - 12.28 DK - 9.3

Another one of my top PTS/$ plays in the outfield, especially on DraftKings is Ramon Laureano. It starts with the matchup as the A's have a good one vs. Mike Foltynewicz who sports an ugly 6.00 ERA/5.22 xFIP and has already given up a league-high 31 home runs(31!!!). For Laureano, much like Judge, the power numbers have been down but he has been consistent with hits in 13 of his last 15 games and has a matchup that can kick start the power.

Also Consider: Michael Brantley(HOU) who continues to run a punt price on DraftKings despite leading the league in hitting. 

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