DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/1/22

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Pitchers

Max Scherzer FD 11500 DK 10600
Opponent - WSH (Patrick Corbin) Park - WSH
FD - 44.82 DK - 25.51

Since returning from injury in early July, Max has been back to his dominant self allowing just five earned runs over his last five starts(1.39 ERA) while adding 45 strikeouts(36% K rate) and just four walks. The dominance should continue as he faces his old team who, outside of the Pirates and maybe the Tigers, has been the worst offence in baseball, especially in the second half. They may not K a lot but also could be without their top hitter in Juan Soto who could be traded as early as today. The price is where it should be on FanDuel but considering we have seen multiple pitchers reach $11K on DraftKings this season, Max is actually coming a bit too cheap here. He is easily our top pitcher in all formats tonight.

Michael Kopech FD 8200 DK 7000
Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - KC
FD - 26.25 DK - 13.91

To say this isn't the season we expected from Kopech would be an understatement. The biggest issue has been the command of the strike zone which has both lowered the swing and misses while elevating the walk rate. It isn't all doom and gloom, however, as he comes into tonight having held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in three straight and has reached a near season-low price on both sites. On top of that, he faces a Royals' team that ranks bottom 10 offensively and have dropped five of their last six games. All things considered, Kopech is my top SP2 on DraftKings which allows us to spend up for some bats in terrific spots. Lock and load in all formats.

Catcher/First Base

Anthony Rizzo FD 3700 DK 4500
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 12.03 DK - 9.05

The Mets and Yankees lead all teams in projected scoring tonight and we will start with the latter who are surprisingly more affordable to stack, at least the top of the order. I turn to Rizzo first and don't get discouraged by the lefty/lefty matchup as he is excellent in the split with a .360 wOBA/137 wRC+ on the season and better yet, comes in red-hot with home runs in back-to-back games with multiple hits in three of his last five. It is much closer on FanDuel but on DraftKings with Rizzo sitting in the mid $4K range, he is my top play at first base tonight.

Nathaniel Lowe FD 2800 DK 3300
Opponent - BAL (Spenser Watkins) Park - BAL
FD - 8.24 DK - 6.25

I am always looking for value and if you choose that route at first, don't overlook Nate Lowe who checks a ton of boxes starting with the price. It is also hard not to take your eyes off his current form as he has not only been consistent since the break with hits in 10 of 11 games but has been extremely productive with a .395 wOBA/162 wRC+. He also gets a plus matchup against Spenser Watkins just gave up a season-high 10 hits to the Rays and comes in with a 4.03 ERA/5.05 xFIP. All things considered, Lowe is in play in all formats tonight.

Second Base

Marcus Semien FD 3400 DK 4700
Opponent - BAL (Spenser Watkins) Park - BAL
FD - 9.2 DK - 6.95

Texas comes in with some excellent PTS/$ value tonight which aligns tremendously with Max on the mound and pricey on both sites. Despite hits in four straight and double-digit DK points in three straight, Semien has seen his price drop to a near season-low and that is only one of the boxes he checks. He got off to a slow start after signing a huge contract in the offseason but has come on strong during the summer months and has tallied a .357 wOBA/135 wRC+ since the start of July. I mentioned the plus matchup above and what stands out, even more, is Watkins' reverse splits as he has given up a .367 wOBA/.508 SLG against righties. Fire up Semien in all formats.

Gleyber Torres FD 3200 DK 4800
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 9.81 DK - 7.51

I mentioned the Yankees coming a bit more affordable than the Mets tonight and Torres is one of the reasons why. He checks all the boxes starting with the price on both sites and also comes in hot with hits in four of his last five games with three extra-base hits. The matchup also aligns nice as Marco Gonzales has allowed an average of eight hits and over three earned runs per start over his last five while striking out under 10% of batters. On the flip side, Torres has assaulted left-handed pitching to the tune of a .406 wOBA/169 wRC+/.351 ISO. On FanDuel, we will have to choose between Semien and Torres but on DraftKings, with multi-position eligibility for Semien, we can play both if we want.

Shortstop

Tim Anderson FD 3300 DK 5300
Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - KC
FD - 12.49 DK - 9.73

Let's get away from the Yankees and Rangers here for a minute and spread the love a bit. Enter Tim Anderson who has been one of the most consistent hitters in the majors over the last four years since winning the batting title back in 2019. While the power has been down in 2022(6 HR), the consistency has not waned as he comes in with hits in seven of eight games since the break pushing his average up to .311 for the season. Overall, the matchup doesn't jump off the page but Keller has struggled a bit in July giving up three or more earned runs in three of his last four starts. All things considered, Anderson is my top play at short if spending up.

Javier Báez FD 2600 DK 4400
Opponent - MIN (Devin Smeltzer) Park - MIN
FD - 9.1 DK - 6.97

This one depends on the matchup as the Twins have yet to confirm a starter but Smeltzer is projected as of now and that means Javier Baez is all over my radar tonight as a top PTS/$. That is almost exclusively based on the splits as Baez may not be the same hitter as he was in years past but still absolutely crushes lefties to the tune of a .386 wOBA/154 wRC+/.238 ISO. He also comes in with hits in six of his last seven games overall, hits near the top of the lineup, and comes cheap on both sites, especially FanDuel. If facing a lefty, Baez is in play for me in all formats and will be a top PTS/$ play on FanDuel.

Third Base

DJ LeMahieu FD 3300 DK 5200
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 11.28 DK - 8.74

It has been a revolving door of positional eligibility for LeMahiue all season and tonight I am targeting him at third base. He hits leadoff for the Yankees who top the projected run list tonight and like Anderson, lacks power upside but is an incredible hitter and the only player in the modern era to win a batting title in both leagues. He isn't going to win a third title in 2022 but has been much better since the break with hits in eight of 10 games and has hit .344 since July 1 with an insane .420 wOBA/179 wRC+. Fire him up in all formats, especially considering the multi-positon eligibility.

Also Consider his teammate Josh Donaldson who has struggled recently but comes cheap if you need some value and he correlates with Yankees' stacks or Manny Machado(SDP) who may be struggling a bit at the moment but gets a plus matchup against Senzatela

Outfield

Starling Marte FD 3800 DK 5700
Opponent - WSH (Patrick Corbin) Park - WSH
FD - 12.4 DK - 9.64

Outside of Mets fans, I don't think Marte gets nearly enough credit for the impact he has had on the Mets who have the second-best record in the National League. He has tallied hits in five of seven games since the break with all of them being multi-hit efforts which has pushed his average up over .300 for the season. He has been very good vs. both splits in 2022 but really stands out against lefties with a .403 wOBA/168 wRC+. He isn't nearly on the same level as Judge but also comes much cheaper tonight and easier to build around making him my top play in the outfield tonight.

Alek Thomas FD 2400 DK 3200
Opponent - CLE (Cal Quantrill) Park - CLE
FD - 9.37 DK - 7.26

Despite the recent struggles, the system is still very high on Alek Thomas as a top PTS/$ value tonight. This is due to a couple of factors starting with the opportunity he is getting to hit near the top of the lineup. There is also a good chance he gets back on track in a matchup against Cal Quantrill who has given up an average of seven hits over his last six starts with six home runs. If trying to jam as many New York bats(Mets and Yankees) as possible, Thomas makes a ton of sense in all formats.

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