DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday, 8/21/22

It's been an incredible weekend for sports. The Astros-Braves series has been the one to watch, and the Blue Jays-Yankees showdown has also been exciting. Every matchup gets more important the closer we get to the finish line, and it's finally in sight after nearly six months of ball!

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Pitchers

Shohei Ohtani FD - P 11000 DK - SP 10500
Opponent - DET (Eduardo Rodriguez) Park - DET
FD - 43.08 DK - 23.58

I thought there was no chance that Shohei could be an elite two-way player, but he's proving me wrong. His pitching is actually what surprises me most, developing into an ace this season. The right-hander has a 2.69 ERA and 1.06 WHIP for the year but has been even better recently. In fact, Ohtani has a 1.81 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 12.9 K/9 rate across his last 11 starts. That makes him tough to avoid against the Tigers, with Detroit sitting bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. That's why he enters this matchup as a -200 favorite, with the Motor City Kitties projected for only three runs.

Luis Castillo FD - P 10800 DK - RP 9400
Opponent - OAK (JP Sears) Park - OAK
FD - 41.7 DK - 22.22

Castillo has taken on the ace role in Seattle, and it looks like the Mariners have stumbled into just that. This guy was always a great pitcher in Cincy, but a 2.73 ERA and 1.05 WHIP have him looking like one of the best pitchers in baseball. He's been even better as of late, collecting at least 40 FanDuel points in eight straight starts, totaling a 1.81 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 10.7 K/9 rate in that span. A 40-point floor is impossible to find, and it should be easy to reach in this matchup. Just like the Tigers, the A's rank 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. All of that has Oakland projected for just three runs in this spot, with Seattle sitting as a -220 favorite.

Ryan Pepiot (FD $7600/DK $6400) will be a -175 favorite against a 27th-ranked Marlins offense and is way too cheap with that win potential in his back pocket.

Catcher/First Base

Luis Arraez FD - 1B 3200 DK - 1B/2B 3900
Opponent - TEX (Kohei Arihara) Park - MIN
FD - 10.01 DK - 7.84

We're paying up at the pitcher position, so let's save some salary with our first basemen. This is the best position to do just that because there are so many good cheap options at this position. It's hard to understand why Arraez remains so affordable, leading baseball with a .333 average. His numbers against righties are even more radiant, registering a .354 AVG, .415 OBP, and .884 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. That has him batting leadoff for this talented lineup which is big news since Arraez has a 1.088 OPS across his last 11 games. Kohei Arihara is a fantastic matchup, too, with the Rangers righty providing a 6.41 ERA and 1.49 WHIP throughout his career.

Daniel Vogelbach FD - 1B 2600 DK - 1B 3800
Opponent - PHI (Kyle Gibson) Park - PHI
FD - 8.93 DK - 6.64

The Mets didn't make many big splashes at the trade deadline but acquiring Vogelbach was a nice boost for this offense. The beefy first baseman has been crushing right-handed pitching all season, providing a .382 OBP, .532 SLG, and .914 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Those are incredible totals from such an affordable player, and it consistently earns him a spot right behind Pete Alonso in this stacked lineup. Getting to face Kyle Gibson in a hitter's haven like Citizen's Bank Park is enormous, too, with Gibson totaling a 4.44 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in his journeyman career.

Jorge Alfaro (FD $2700/DK $4000) has one of the best matchups of the day of any catcher, and we'll dive into the Padres later on.

Second Base

Brandon Lowe FD - 2B 2600 DK - 2B 4600
Opponent - KC (Zack Greinke) Park - TB
FD - 11.2 DK - 8.36

I was shocked to see how low Lowe's price was on FanDuel. It's certainly been a down year for the lefty masher, but he should never remain this cheap with such a lofty power potential. Since becoming a regular player in 2019, Brandon has a .337 OBP, .506 SLG, and .843 OPS. He's also flashed 40-homer upside and can go on a dinger binge any given weekend. We believe that can happen here because Lowe has a .353 OBP, .513 SLG, and .866 OPS against righties since 2020. It's not like Zack Greinke is a scary righty, totaling a 5.33 xERA and 1.35 WHIP in what's looking like his last season.

Jonathan India FD - 2B 2700 DK - 2B 4700
Opponent - PIT (Zach Thompson) Park - PIT
FD - 10.48 DK - 7.92

It's been a rough season for the 2021 Rookie of the Year, but he looks poised to finish the season strong. A trip to the IL did India some good, posting a .277 AVG, .333 OBP, .477 SLG, and .810 OPS across his last 35 games. That's really all you can ask for from such a cheap player, and he should continue to produce atop this lineup. Zach Thompson is far from terrifying, totaling a 5.51 ERA and 1.54 WHIP this year. That makes the Reds one of the sneakiest stacks on the board with all the cheap players they possess, and India would have to be the foundational piece with his table setting at the top.

Shortstop

Willy Adames FD - SS 3200 DK - SS 4900
Opponent - CHC (Justin Steele) Park - CHC
FD - 10.24 DK - 7.76

Adames has let his average go by the wayside this season, but he's still one of the most powerful shortstops in our sport. Since being traded from the Rays, Adames is flirting with a .500 SLG and .250 ISO. He's actually got his homer total up to 24 bombs this year, picking up two of those over his last five fixtures. That means he's seeing the ball well right now, and that should continue since he faces a lefty from the right side here. Justin Steele is not a southpaw we need to stay away from, either, accumulating a 1.39 WHIP.

Ha-Seong Kim FD - SS 3200 DK - SS 4100
Opponent - WSH (Patrick Corbin) Park - SD
FD - 9.12 DK - 6.97

I've never been high on Kim as a hitter at this level, but anyone against Patrick Corbin is in a good spot. Let's start there, with the Nationals lefty producing a 6.96 ERA and 1.80 WHIP this year. That's hard to do across 116 innings, but it makes Corbin the best matchup in fantasy baseball right now. We love that with Kim's sensational splits, generating a .297 AVG, .393 OBP, and .844 OPS against lefties this season. The Padres also like to bat him leadoff at times in these spots, and if that's the case, Kim would be one of the best values on the board with SD projected fo so many runs.

Third Base

Manny Machado FD - 3B 4600 DK - 3B 6000
Opponent - WSH (Patrick Corbin) Park - SD
FD - 15.13 DK - 11.48

We just discussed how Corbin has been the worst pitcher in baseball, making Manny the best play on the board. This has been one of the best hitters in baseball this season, tallying a .302 AVG, .373 OBP, .533 SLG, and .906 OPS. His recent form is even more ridiculous, amassing a .413 AVG, .471 OBP, .783 SLG, and 1.253 OPS across his last 11 games. Getting such a hot hitter against such a lousy pitcher is a treat, but we didn't even discuss that Machado has the platoon advantage as well. In 17 at-bats against Corbin, Manny has a .412 OBP, .667 SLG, and 1.079 OPS.

Matt Chapman FD - 3B 2900 DK - 3B 4800
Opponent - NYY (Nestor Cortes) Park - NYY
FD - 8.58 DK - 6.38

Using hitters against Nestor Cortes has not been a great strategy this season, but there are some leaks in this Yankees boat. The crafty lefty has been a revelation this season, but a 3.88 ERA across his last 12 starts is nothing to completely avoid. His advanced numbers tell us that negative regression is right around the corner, and facing this righty-heavy Toronto lineup could help even out the averages. Chapman is the best value on this team, compiling a .282 AVG, .369 OBP, .619 SLG, and .987 OPS across his last 37 games played. Those averages make him a Top-10 player in fantasy in that stretch, and we don't mind that Chapman has better splits against southpaws as well.

Outfield

Kyle Schwarber FD - OF 3200 DK - OF 5900
Opponent - NYM (Jose Butto) Park - PHI
FD - 12.15 DK - 9

Jose Butto sounds like a pitcher that's going to get blown up. The Mets right-hander is making his first career start here in the absence of Taijuan Walker, posting a 4.12 ERA and 1.33 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A this season. Those subpar averages won't go over well against Kyle Schwarber, leading the NL with 34 dingers this year. We love that since he hits atop this dangerous Phillies lineup, with Philly projected for five runs in their hitter-friendly home ballpark. All of that makes Schwarbs one of the safest bets to homer, especially since he has a .591 SLG and .955 OPS against right-handers since 2020.

Bryan Reynolds FD - OF 3300 DK - OF 4100
Opponent - CIN (Mike Minor) Park - PIT
FD - 10.94 DK - 8.33

The Pirates might have the worst lineup in the NL, but it's certainly no fault of Reynolds. This guy has quietly had a breakout season for the Buccos, leading the team with 20 homers. He's done some severe damage recently, totaling a .391 AVG, .462 OBP, .957 SLG, and 1.418 OPS across his last six games. That makes him way too cheap on both DFS sites, and a matchup with Mike Minor might be the best part of this. The Reds lefty has a 6.31 ERA and 1.61 WHIP to go along with a nightmarish 1-10 record. Not to mention, Bryan has a .375 OBP against lefties since 2020.

Hunter Renfroe FD - OF 3100 DK - OF 4300
Opponent - CHC (Justin Steele) Park - CHC
FD - 10.67 DK - 8.01

The Brewers have a bunch of powerful righties, and Renfroe is undoubtedly the most dangerous one of the bunch. The righty masher is just shy of a .500 SLG throughout his career, posting a .503 SLG and .819 OPS this season. He's been on a tear since the All-Star break, too, accruing a .561 SLG and .888 OPS across his last 28 games. That form pairs wonderfully with his spectacular splits, with Renfroe producing a .348 OBP, .513 SLG, and .861 OPS, with the platoon advantage in his favor since 2020. Andrew McCutchen also has similar splits, and these two are a great stack with the aforementioned Adames.