DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday, 8/7/22

It feels crazy to say, but the season is starting to wind down. Teams are well past the century mark in terms of games played, and every matchup feels critical at this point of the season. The Dodgers-Padres series has been the talk of baseball circles, but that's one of two games that won't make it onto this slate. There's still a ton to talk about, so let's kick things off with the arms!

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Pitchers

Aaron Nola FD - P 10800 DK - SP 10000
Opponent - WSH (Cory Abbott) Park - PHI
FD - 43.75 DK - 23.84

Nola has been one of the best pitchers in the NL this season, and he could be in line for one of his best starts against this offense. Washington ranks 22nd in OPS and 25th in runs scored but could have the worst lineup in baseball after trading Juan Soto and Josh Bell. Those two inflated the averages in this offense, and they certainly won't fair well with Nelson Cruz and Luke Voit as the two most dangerous bats. Nola will show how bad they are, providing a 2.98 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate since the end of April. That's why he enters this matchup as a -300 favorite, with the Nats projected for just 3.5 runs.

Jacob deGrom FD - P 10300 DK - SP 10200
Opponent - ATL (Spencer Strider) Park - NYM
FD - 40.97 DK - 23.74

I personally believe that deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball. It's been a long road back for him to get back on the mound, but we might never see him this cheap for the remainder of the season. Since 2018, Jacob has maintained a 1.94 ERA and 0.88 WHIP while striking out 780 batters across 586 innings. Those are easily the best stats in the sport, and he could be looking at 70-80 pitches in this spot. That's really all he needs to be a beast, with deGrom dropping 30 FanDuel points across 59 pitches in his debut. Atlanta is a tough matchup, but they own the second-worst strikeout rate in the league. In their two meetings last season, deGrom struck out 20 batters across 12 innings while allowing just three runs.

Corbin Burnes (FD $11300 DK $10300) took down NL Cy Young last season and should have another gem against a 25th-ranked Reds offense.

Catcher/First Base

Ty France FD - 1B 3400 DK - 1B 4600
Opponent - LAA (Tucker Davidson) Park - SEA
FD - 11.07 DK - 8.44

Seattle is one of the sneakiest stacks on the board. The matchup is the main reason for that, with Tucker Davidson totalling a 6.46 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. He's simply being forced into this rotation because of injuries, and he'll certainly struggle with a guy like France. The cleanup hitter for the Mariners has a .306 AVG, .378 OBP, .478 SLG, and .856 OPS so far this season. That's the stud we've seen for three years now, and we certainly don't mind that he's got a .328 AVG, .391 OBP, .590 SLG, and .981 OPS over his last 15 games. Not to mention, he's got the platoon advantage against this terrible lefty.

Ji-Man Choi FD - 1B 2900 DK - 1B 3600
Opponent - DET (Matt Manning) Park - DET
FD - 9.5 DK - 7.09

Choi always remains cheap on these DFS sites, and it's hard to understand why. The Korean first baseman is amid another solid season, compiling a .357 OBP and .762 OPS. He's got a .354 OBP and .798 OPS since 2017 as well. His biggest asset here is that he faces a righty, with Ji-Man amassing a .364 OBP and .796 OPS against right-handers since 2018. The elite on-base numbers always keep him in the heart of this talented Tampa lineup, and they should thrive against Matt Manning. The Tigers righty has a 5.49 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across nearly 100 career innings.

J.T. Realmuto (FD $3400 DK $5600) has two triples and two homers over the last two games and should keep raking against this horrific Washington pitching staff.

Second Base

Brandon Lowe FD - 2B 3100 DK - 2B 5200
Opponent - DET (Matt Manning) Park - DET
FD - 10.91 DK - 8.15

We just discussed how Tampa should thrive against Matt Manning, projected for nearly five runs in this spot. That's big news for their best hitter, which happens to be this guy. Lowe has been one of the best power-hitting second basemen in baseball, belting a .510 SLG and .849 OPS throughout his five-year career. We love that with his recent form, registering a .444 OBP and 1.194 OPS over his last six games. He also gets the platoon advantage just like Choi, collecting a .358 OBP, .530 SLG, and .889 OPS against righties since 2020. Stacking Seattle and Tampa is a great way to get stud pitchers like Nola, Burnes, and deGrom into your lineup, and we have even more value bats right around the corner!

Ketel Marte FD - 2B 3300 DK - 2B 4900
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - ARI
FD - 11.45 DK - 8.76

Speaking of cheap stacks, let's get some exposure to the Diamondbacks. This can be a tricky offense to trust at times, but facing a guy like Jose Urena makes them an enticing option. We say that because the Rockies righty has a 10.22 ERA and 2.03 WHIP across his last three starts. That's why he's been passed around the league over the last three years, and he could struggle with some of these Arizona bats. Marte is easily the best hitter of the bunch, tallying a .304 AVG, .367 OBP, .521 SLG, and .888 OPS since 2019. That's a large sample size of dominance, and it looks even better with Marte providing a .370 OBP, .505 SLG, and .875 OPS across his last 53 games.

Shortstop

Willy Adames FD - SS 3700 DK - SS 5100
Opponent - CIN (Graham Ashcraft) Park - MIL
FD - 11.84 DK - 8.97

It was really challenging to pick shortstops on this slate. With that said, Adames has been fantastic ever since he put on a Brewers uniform, and we like him in this matchup. Let's start there, with Graham Ashcroft accruing a 5.51 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across his last nine starts. That terrible form is even more concerning against this lineup, with the Brew Crew dropping six runs on him earlier in the year. That's rough against Willy, flirting with a .250 ISO, .500 SLG, and .850 OPS since joining Milwaukee. All he needs is one extra-base hit to provide value, and that looks like a good bet in this matchup.

Jorge Mateo FD - SS 2700 DK - SS 3400
Opponent - PIT (Bryse Wilson) Park - BAL
FD - 7.91 DK - 6.17

Mateo's average won't jump off the page, but this guy has been a beast in fantasy all season. His power-speed combo is the main reason why, totalling 10 homers and 26 steals. Plenty of that damage has come recently, with Mateo maintaining a .300 AVG, .629 SLG, .966 OPS, and five steals across his last 20 games. That makes it hard to understand why he remains so affordable, especially since almost all of his steals have come against right-handers. All of that makes Baltimore one of the best cheap stacks along with the other teams mentioned above, and we haven't even discussed how good of a matchup Bryse Wilson is. We'll dive into that later on!

Third Base

Rafael Devers FD - 3B 4200 DK - 3B 5900
Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - KC
FD - 14.07 DK - 10.63

We've provided you with numerous value bats earlier on, so let's get a stud like Devers into your build. This dude is simply one of the best bats in baseball, accumulating a .315 AVG, .372 OBP, .590 SLG, and .962 OPS so far this year. That's the All-Star player we've seen for a few years now, and we don't mind that Rafael has a .388 OBP, .631 SLG, and 1.019 OPS against right-handers as well. This is a righty he can keep raking against, too, with Brad Keller collecting a 4.61 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this season. Not to mention, Devers has a .958 OPS across his last 15 games!

Josh Rojas FD - 3B 3000 DK - 3B 4700
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - ARI
FD - 11.77 DK - 9.01

Stacking against the Rockies pitching staff has worked all season, and we want to go right back to the well here. We already discussed how Urena has a 10.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP, and it has Arizona as one of the most dangerous stacks on the board. Rojas would have to be one of the pieces of that stack, batting leadoff for this cheap lineup. He's done damage since being rewarded with this role, tallying a .297 AVG, .376 OBP, .808 OPS, and eight steals across his last 33 games. That's really all you can ask for from a player in this price range, particularly with Josh getting the platoon advantage from the left side!

Outfield

Kyle Schwarber FD - OF 3700 DK - OF 6200
Opponent - WSH (Cory Abbott) Park - PHI
FD - 15.42 DK - 11.42

Schwarber is a risky play, but this is one of the best home run bets on the board. He's leading the NL with 33 bombs, connecting on 24 of those since May 30. That directly correlates with his move to the leadoff spot, with Schwarber generating a .566 SLG and .879 OPS in that span. The best part of this is the matchup, though, with Corey Abbottpitching to a 5.08 ERA and 1.67 WHIP at Triple-A this year. He's made just one start at this level, and it's scary to think how bad a fill-in for the worst pitching staff in baseball could be in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the sport. Not to mention, Schwarbs has done almost all of his damage against righties throughout his career.

Cedric Mullins FD - OF 3400 DK - OF 4900
Opponent - PIT (Bryse Wilson) Park - BAL
FD - 12.88 DK - 9.91

We foreshadowed that we want to stack against Bryse Wilson, so let's start there! The right-hander has a 6.20 ERA and 1.57 WHIP this season, giving him a 5.77 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 178 career innings. It's hard to understand how a gas can like that has a job, especially since he's surrendered a .445 OBP, .686 SLG, and .475 wOBA to lefty bats this year. Those are some of the worst splits in the game, and Mullins is undoubtedly the O's best left-handed bat. Since the start of last season, Cedric has a .279 AVG, .345 OBP, .812 OPS, and 54 steals, making him one of the best options in DFS.

Taylor Ward FD - OF 3100 DK - OF 3900
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - SEA
FD - 8.52 DK - 6.46

It's been a nightmarish season for the Angels, but Ward has been a bright spot in a dark season. He's been hitting leadoff for this club, compiling a .364 OBP, .463 SLG, and .827 OPS. That alone makes him an incredible value in this price range, and it looks even better since he gets the platoon advantage against a subpar southpaw here. That happens to be Marco Gonzales, with the Seattle southpaw slinging a 6.75 ERA and 1.67 WHIP across his last four starts.