DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/19/22

Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

Pitchers

Shane McClanahan FD - P 11200 DK - SP 10200
Opponent - KC (Brady Singer) Park - TB
FD - 46.69 DK - 25.96

McClanahan is in the Cy Young running right now and it’s for good reason. He’s having one of the best seasons around, rocking a 2.28 ERA and 2.29 xFIP with 11.05 Ks per nine and a 6.2 K:BB ratio. He’s a -211 home favorite against the Royals who aren’t going to offer much resistance here. It’s basically a two-man cash discussion for guys taking the mound and McClanahan is one of the very best doing it right now.

Blake Snell FD - P 10500 DK - SP 9300
Opponent - WSH (Paolo Espino) Park - SD
FD - 46.68 DK - 25.74

And then there’s Snell who doesn’t have the peripherals like McClanahan but has plenty going for him here on Friday. He’s easily the biggest win odds guy seeing as how he’s a whopping -370 home favorite against the Nationals. That really makes a difference on FanDuel where the win counts for more and it’s a close call between him and McClanahan here. On DraftKings, I think you just play them together and Snell coming at under $10K helps.

Catcher/First Base

Brandon Belt FD 3100 DK 2800
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 15.9 DK - 11.84

We’ve got a game in Coors and the Giants have a whopping 6.7 implied run line on the day facing off against Jose Urena. That run line is about two runs more than just about every team on the slate and for many, it’s three runs more. We are going to want as many of these guys as possible and the prices aren’t terrible either. Belt is having a bad season though he still walks 13% of the time and the BABIP is about 70 points lower than his career average. He’s coming too cheap on DK if he’s hitting fifth (or higher) in the lineup.

C.J. Cron FD 4100 DK 5000
Opponent - SF (Alex Wood) Park - SF
FD - 13.52 DK - 10.16

Though we will mostly focus on the Giants in this article, it’s worth noting that the Rockies have the second-best run line on the day facing off against Alex Wood. Cron has slowed down on the season with the OPS just about .800 now, but he still has 23 home runs and this is Coors we are talking about. Plus, for his career, he’s been better against lefties with a .347 wOBA and 117 wRC+ in that split.

Second Base

Thairo Estrada FD 3800 DK 4000
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 14.21 DK - 11

Estrada should be hitting second in the lineup and is putting together a solid fantasy season so far. He has 11 home runs and 16 stolen bases in something of a breakout year for the 26-year-old. He puts the ball in play about 80% of the time, something you really want to see in Coors, and is tough to put down on strikes. Not like Urena has that in his bag at all, but it’s just nice to have anyway. The DK price makes you think about it, but not for very long.

Jonathan India FD 2700 DK 4700
Opponent - PIT (Bryse Wilson) Park - PIT
FD - 10.9 DK - 8.23

Again, I want as many Giants as possible in cash game lineups on Friday, but for the sake of options, there are some other guys to consider here. India is one of them and should be hitting second in the lineup facing off against Bryse Wilson. India has had some injuries this season and hasn’t repeated the 2021 breakout season, but there’s still fantasy upside here in the right matchup. Wilson is one of those guys.

Shortstop

Brandon Crawford FD 2900 DK 2000
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 13.31 DK - 10.11

How many Giants are too many Giants? We are about to find out. The issue here with SF is that the run line just completely outpaces every other squad in such a major way that it’s almost imperative to get as many as possible into lineups. Crawford is having a horrendous season, but he’s also coming at the stone minimum on DraftKings. That’s just wrong considering the situation and we should probably play him even with him hitting lower in the lineup.

Paul DeJong FD 2400 DK 3900
Opponent - ARI (Tommy Henry) Park - ARI
FD - 10.88 DK - 8.21

I think we definitely want to go cheap at the shortstop position on Friday and DeJong does help you do that on FanDuel at least. He’s going to hit lower in the Cardinals’ order, and the numbers aren’t all that impressive, but again we are mostly looking for savings. He’s been better against righties than lefties for his career, but he’s still been serviceable against southpaws and Tommy Henry has had a terrible first 17 innings in the majors for the Diamondbacks.

Third Base

Wilmer Flores FD 3600 DK 3800
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 13.96 DK - 10.65

Flores is likely to hit fourth in the Giants lineup on Friday against the Rockies and could see a lot of ownership on this slate. He has 16 home runs on the season with a .782 OPS. He puts the ball in play about 75% of the time and though he’s been better against lefties for his career, the returns against righties are above average. Under $4K on DraftKings won’t have you breaking the bank for him at all.

Eugenio Suárez FD 3000 DK 4800
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 11.99 DK - 8.92

I much prefer Flores here, but there’s at least a case for Suarez, especially on FanDuel where he’s coming cheaper. The Mariners are facing off against the lefty Cole Irvin who is striking out fewer than six batters per nine. And Suarez has been much better against lefties for his career with an .844 OPS and .360 wOBA in that split. The walk rate climbs to 13% against southpaws and his ISO is about 20 points higher as well.

Outfield

LaMonte Wade Jr. FD 3000 DK 2400
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 15.11 DK - 11.42

Joc Pederson FD 3400 DK 3900
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 15.33 DK - 11.51

Wade and Pederson should hit first and third in the Giants’ lineup on Friday and Wade is likely to be major chalk on DraftKings especially if that is his slot in the order. He’s simply mispriced at $2400 there and will have a ton of ownership. He has a .768 OPS on the season with eight home runs and a 12% walk rate in 134 plate appearances. This is just what we are looking for in a cash game play and frankly, this one is pretty easy.

Meanwhile, Pederson came out of the gate with a ton of power though has tailed off as the season has gone on. He still has an .815 OPS though and the 17 home runs still play. Seeing as how he should hit third here against the righty Urena, I think we can pretty easily play him on both sites seeing as how the Giants’ run-in just completely crushes every other team on the slate.

Tyler O'Neill FD 3000 DK 4600
Opponent - ARI (Tommy Henry) Park - ARI
FD - 13.21 DK - 9.99

Tyler O’Neill should be hitting second in the Cardinals lineup on Friday when they face off against the lefty Henry. Coming off the 34 home run season in 2021, it’s been a rough one for O’Neill this time around and the OPS isn’t even cracking .700. But he is considerably better against lefties for his career with a .832 OPS and .359 wOBA. I know this year has been a stain, but think we can still run him out there in cash games because of the matchup.

GRAB A FREE TRIAL OF OUR PROJECTION SYSTEM, AND CHECK OUT DFSR PRO!

START A FREE TRIAL NOW!