DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/23/21

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Pitchers

Lance Lynn FD - P 10100 DK - SP 9900
Opponent - TOR (Alek Manoah) Park - TOR
FD - 33.99 DK - 19.25

Let me preface by saying I don't like anything about this slate in terms of pitching. With that said, there is really no other place to start than lance Lynn who is the odds-on favorite to win the American League CY Young award and while he faces a stacked Jays offense, he at least gives us a consistent floor with the strikeouts to counter those starts he gives up two to four earned runs. He is also facing the Jays at a good time as they have dropped seven of their last nine games scoring three or less six times. By default, Lynn is my top pitcher on this slate.

Zack Greinke FD - P 9200 DK - SP 8900
Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - HOU
FD - 32.21 DK - 16.85

Greinke has the best shot at a win and quality start(FanDuel) tonight as the Astros are the biggest favorites(-228) on the slate and he averages just shy of six innings pitcher per start. The issue here is that he is coming off a start where he struck out no batters across six innings and faces a hot Royals team that has won six of their last seven and have struck out a league-low 17% of the time over the last two weeks. Considering the lack of options and win equity here, Greinke is my top SP2 tonight.

Catcher/First Base

Yuli Gurriel FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 5100
Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - HOU
FD - 14.2 DK - 10.89

It took some time since returning from injury but Gurriel appears to be heating up and is fully on my radar Monday night. He enters the night with hits in three straight and four of his last five games and has crushed lefties to the tune of a .395 wOBA and 158 wRC+ on the season. He is my top play at first base in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is still in the low $3K range.

Ty France FD - 1B 3300 DK - 1B 3700
Opponent - OAK (Paul Blackburn) Park - OAK
FD - 9.49 DK - 7.24

If you want to go the value route on DraftKings, France is a player who seems to have a new position eligibility every week and I fit him in at first as he is listed there on both sites tonight. He has been a key piece of the Mariners push for the playoffs down the stretch having a great August hitting .365 with a .424 wOBA and consistently hits in the two or three-hole in the lineup. In play in all formats on DraftKings but GPP only for me on FanDuel at $200 more than Gurriel.

Second Base

Josh Rojas FD - 2B 3300 DK - 2B/OF 4700
Opponent - PIT (Wil Crowe) Park - PIT
FD - 9.62 DK - 7.39

The D-backs have been out of the race for a while but that hasn't changed the motivations of some and that is true for Rojas. He has arguably been the hottest hitter on the planet since the ASB with hits in 14 of 17 games including eight mulit-hit efforts, good for a .456 average and .516 wOBA. Tonight he and the D-backs get a plus matchup against the Pirates Wil Crowe who brings a 5.23 ERA/4.85 xFIP into the game over 18 starts this season. At these prices, if he is back in the leadoff spot he will be a core play for me tonight, and adding value is the multi-position eligibility.

Also Consider: Jose Altuve(HOU) if you have the salary as he is heating up with hits in five straight including three doubles and a triple and gets a plus matchup

Shortstop

Carlos Correa FD 4000 DK 4600
Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - HOU
FD - 14.04 DK - 10.56

The price almost reached the $5K on DraftKings mark on the weekend but after a 1 for 9 it has once again dropped back into the mid $4K range putting him right at the top of my rankings tonight. Like I have mentioned several times recently he finally hitting near the top of the order consistently and has really picked it up in August hitting .294 with a .368 wOBA. The Astros are my top team to target and Correa is a core play for me in all formats, especially on DraftKings.

J.P. Crawford FD 2900 DK 3400
Opponent - OAK (Paul Blackburn) Park - OAK
FD - 9.57 DK - 7.31

I mentioned the Mariners playoff push above with France and that will be on full display tonight in a matchup vs. the A's who they are trailing by three games in the wildcard. I like the spot for the M's offense in game one in a plus matchup vs. Paul Blackburn but what I like most is the value and it starts with Crawford in the leadoff spot. While he isn't going to win you a GPP very often, he has been consistent(.280 average) since taking over at the top of the order and provides excellent PTS/$ value as a one-off in cash or as a part of a full Mariners stack.

Third Base

Kyle Seager FD 3500 DK 3800
Opponent - OAK (Paul Blackburn) Park - OAK
FD - 10.08 DK - 7.58

As you can tell by now, the Mariners are probably my favorite team to target tonight and it comes down to a combination of plus matchup and tremendous PTS/$ value on both sites. Seager isn't a player you are rostering for consistency as he comes in hitting just .219 on the season but the good news here is that he enters the night with a seven-game hit streak. What we are always looking for out of Seager is the counting stats and he has delivered all season with 29 home runs and 82 RBI and gets another plus spot to add to that tonight. He is in play for me in all formats.

Patrick Wisdom FD 3200 DK 4900
Opponent - COL (Antonio Senzatela) Park - CHC
FD - 8.02 DK - 6.17
Matt Duffy FD 2200 DK 2600
Opponent - COL (Antonio Senzatela) Park - CHC
FD - 7.58 DK - 5.91

First of all, I am not excited about rostering any Cubs bat right now but we have a smaller slate, top pitchers we are going to want to pair together,  and the Cubs get a decent matchup. I am more inclined to roster them against lefty pitching but the value options are limited and they face a pitcher who has given up 7+ hits in eight of his last nine starts. Stay tuned for lineups later in the day to see who is favored of the two.

Outfield

Giancarlo Stanton FD 3700 DK 4200
Opponent - ATL (Huascar Ynoa) Park - ATL
FD - 12.72 DK - 9.41

The price is very fair on FanDuel but the real value comes on DraftKings where Stanton sits in the low $4K range. He still isn't the Stanton we or the Yankees expected at the start of the year but he does come in playing well with hits in 10 of his last 11 games with two doubles and three home runs. The matchup doesn't stand out at first glance as Ynoa has been solid overall but all seven home runs given up have come off right-handed bats. I am not calling a dinger tonight but I am calling a dinger tonight for Stanton!

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo FD 2400 DK 3200
Opponent - ARI (Humberto Mejía) Park - PIT
FD - 11.55 DK - 8.62

If you are in need of just one more value play to tie it all together, consider Yoshi Tsutsgo. It comes down to the starting lineup as he is currently projected to hit leadoff like yesterday and while he went hitless, he does have hits in two of his last three including two home runs. It also comes down to this game that I feel hits the over with production on both sides as the pitchers are average-at-best and the bullpens are even worse. Stay tuned for lineups.

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