DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/27/21

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Pitchers

Interesting slate tonight in that we have two top pitchers, both in plus matchups followed by a sea of pitchers who are either struggling, not consistent, have ugly matchups. I don't think we can pay up for both top pitchers on DraftKings tonight but I am going to make a case for both anyway.

Gerrit Cole FD 11200 DK 10500
Opponent - OAK (James Kaprielian) Park - OAK
FD - 38.33 DK - 21.4

After Getting popped by Tampa in July, Cole has bounced back in a big way giving up just seven hits and one earned run over his last two starts(11.2 IP) while striking out 15 and walking just two. While the matchup doesn't jump off the page, he does get the A's at a good time as they went to Thursday night's game losers of four straight and eight of their last 10 while scoring just 2.7 runs per game. It is close but coming slightly cheaper than McClanahan on DraftKings, Cole is my top pitcher but by the smallest of margins.

Shane McClanahan FD 10500 DK 10700
Opponent - BAL (Matt Harvey) Park - BAL
FD - 35.49 DK - 19.33

While it may seem crazy that McClanahan is the most expensive pitcher on DraftKings and more than Cole there is an argument for it. First of all, he is having a tremendous rookie season with a 3.63 ERA and even better 3.20 xFIP while also adding a 28.5% K rate. He also gets a terrific matchup against an Orioles team he has faced three times in the second half, holding them to 14 hits and five earned runs across 17 innings while striking out 7+ in each start. I will have exposure in all formats.

Catcher/First Base

Yuli Gurriel FD 3400 DK 5000
Opponent - TEX (Glenn Otto) Park - TEX
FD - 12.79 DK - 9.81

I have always found it very interesting being a baseball writer and getting the same teams/players daily but having different player pools. A lot of that has to do with matchups for sure but this season pricing has dictated so much of my player pool. A great example is Paul Goldschmidt being $4800 on DK last night and now in a similar matchup is $6K tonight.

If you have the money, there are a ton of options to pay up for here but for me, I am going to old faithful in Yuli Gurriel in the next tier of pricing. It took him a few games to get back on track after a short stint on the IL but has heated up and comes in with hits in six straight and seven of his last eight games. The Astros are once again near that top of my exposure list and it starts with Gurriel at first.

Albert Pujols FD 2200 DK 2700
Opponent - COL (Kyle Freeland) Park - COL
FD - 9.42 DK - 7.15

Any time the Dodgers face a lefty, Albert Pujols immediately comes to mind. He is in the late innings of his career but still a productive platoon player and has shown that with an elite .396 wOBA and 153 wRC+ in 125 plate appearances in the split in 2021. He is also projected to hit 4th or 5th in the lineup and if that is the case, I will be sure to try and find a spot for him in all formats, especially on FanDuel where we don't have to give up the 1B spot.

Second Base

Kike Hernández FD 3600 DK 4300
Opponent - CLE (Logan Allen) Park - CLE
FD - 11.91 DK - 8.98

It's time for your daily Kike Hernandez recommendation and to be honest, the sites are making it too easy. He hits leadoff for one of the best offenses in baseball who gets yet another plus matchup against a below-average pitcher. He has been incredibly consistent reaching base in 16 straight games with six multi-hit games, five doubles, and two home runs. All things considered, Hernandez is my top play at second and one of my favorite overall PTS/$ on the slate.

Tommy Edman FD 3000 DK 4300
Opponent - PIT (Dillon Peters) Park - PIT
FD - 10.42 DK - 8.11

It's not a direct copy/paste from yesterday(I switched their order) but I am on the exact same plays at second base. While Goldschmidt's price caught a ride to the moon after a pretty weak effort last night, Edman's price only jumped $100 on DK after another two-hit, two-RBI effort. He gets another plus matchup against the Pirates, hits leadoff in front of Goldy and Arenado, and comes in hot with hits in 12 of his last 13 games. Fire up Edman in all formats, especially on FanDuel with multi-position eligibility.

Shortstop

Bo Bichette FD 3600 DK 4700
Opponent - DET (Matt Manning) Park - DET
FD - 14.64 DK - 11.24

Shortstop is much like first tonight in that there are almost too many options at the top in great spots. The reason I am going down the board with Bichette is because of the tremendous buy-low as his price has dipped below $5k on DraftKings for an extended period of time while his average price has been mid to high $5k for almost the entire season. He is struggling in the short term but is more than capable of blowing up this price tag in a terrific matchup. I will have exposure in all formats.

Also consider: Trea Turner(LAD) as the top payup as he crushes lefties(.464 wOBA) and comes in hot with hits in nine of his last 10 games or Amed Rosario(CLE) as a value option who also hits lefties well(.383 wOBA) and has been hot(hits in 11 of last 12)

Third Base

Alex Bregman FD 3600 DK 4800
Opponent - TEX (Glenn Otto) Park - TEX
FD - 12.86 DK - 9.58

The theme of today's article has been geared towards buy-low values so let's keep it going at third base. Bregman made his return to the Astros lineup last night after missing over two months and looked very good with two hits(one double) and no strikeouts. He is a player who is regularly in the mid to high $5K range on DK and I expect that price to get back there before the weekend is over so take advantage of the value while you can.

Josh Donaldson FD 3200 DK 3700
Opponent - MIL (Eric Lauer) Park - MIL
FD - 11.61 DK - 8.6

Feels like we have been talking about Donaldson's DraftKings price for months now as it seems to be locked into the sub $4K range. I sort of get it as the Twins are looking forward and in rebuild mode but Donaldson never quits and comes in with hits in nine of his last 11 games and has home runs in three of his last five. On top of that, he still hits lefties to the tune of a .351 wOBA with a .231 ISO. He is in play in all formats for me on DraftKings but GPP only on FanDuel.

Outfield

Eloy Jiménez FD 3400 DK 4600
Opponent - CHC (Keegan Thompson) Park - CHC
FD - 13.4 DK - 10.16
Luis Robert FD 3800 DK 4000
Opponent - CHC (Keegan Thompson) Park - CHC
FD - 12.77 DK - 9.75

I have somehow gone this entire article without mentioning a White Sox player despite them being Top 5 in implied runs(5.4) tonight. The good news is that they have a deep lineup and cover almost every position and my favorite targets come in the outfield. Jimenez got a late start to the season but since joining the lineup in the second half he has posted a .288 average with seven home runs, 25 RBI, and  132 wRC+. The best part is the price which fell into the mid $4K range on DraftKings putting him as a top target in all formats.

For Robert, he got off to a great start this season and then was hit by injury which had him miss just over three months. Since returning in early August, he has been incredible with hits in 12 of 14 games for a .356 average and .406 wOBA. His price is also suppressed on DraftKings and he is projected to hit 5th right behind Jimenez making the pair one of my favorite two-man stacks tonight.

Tyler Naquin FD 3400 DK 2700
Opponent - MIA (Zach Thompson) Park - MIA
FD - 9.77 DK - 7.49

To finish things off today, let's mention one last DraftKings pricing mystery. Tyler Naquin has arguably been the hottest player in baseball over the last couple of weeks entering the night with a 15-game hitting streak in which he has hit .446 with a .554 wOBA. He is also projected to hit second for the Reds who get a decent matchup against Zach Thompson who carries an xFIP(4.47) that is a run and a half higher than his xFIP. GPP only on FanDuel but he is a full-go in all formats on DraftKings at this price.

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