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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/29/22
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Pitchers
Corbin Burnes FD - P 11100 DK - SP 10400
Opponent - PIT (JT Brubaker) Park - MIL
FD - 39.23 DK - 22.57
The Dodgers got to him last time out but it doesn't really change the big picture which has been another Cy Young-worthy season. He is one of just seven pitchers in baseball with an ERA(2.84) and xFIP(2.97) under three and then adds a ton of upside with a 31.4% K rate and 15.4% swinging strike rate. He will look to add to those numbers tonight in an elite matchup against a Pirates team that ranks dead last in wOBA(.271) and wRC+(71) in the second half while striking out 26% of the time. Burnes leads our projections on Monday and is an elite play in all formats.
Frankie Montas FD - P 9100 DK - SP 7200
Opponent - LAA (José Suarez) Park - LAA
FD - 35.6 DK - 19.44
It has been an up-and-down start with the Yankees since being traded but to be fair, he has faced some tough offences and ran a BABIP that is 44 points higher than his time with the A's. More good news as he easily gets his best matchup since the trade against an Angels team that is bottom five in wOBA(.284) and wRC+(82) in the second half with a 25% K rate as a team. The DraftKings optimizer is always going to lean on double pay-up at starting pitching but it is hard to ignore the absurd price on such a talented arm in Montas. I will have exposure in all formats.
Catcher/First Base
Paul Goldschmidt FD 4700 DK 6200
Opponent - CIN (Chase Anderson) Park - CIN
FD - 16.17 DK - 12.26
It should come as no surprise that Paul Goldschmidt leads our overall projections on Monday as he is chasing Triple Crown history. He leads in average(.338) and RBI(105) and is just two home runs(33) behind Schwarber and not that it counts but he also leads the slash line Triple Crown with a crazy .338/.421/.629 line. It's no secret he has been all-world against lefties but has definitely held his own(lol) against righties with a .415 wOBA/173 wRC+ on the season. Paying up for pitching and a big bat is not that hard these days and Goldy is one of those elite bats we can build around in all formats.
Rhys Hoskins FD 3400 DK 5000
Opponent - ARI (Madison Bumgarner) Park - ARI
FD - 12.94 DK - 9.6
Seeing as $6K on DraftKings is the new $5K, Hoskins comes at a bit of a discount considering he checks almost every box tonight. It starts with the matchup against aging Madison Bumgarner who has given up four or more earned runs in five straight starts and has posted a 6.38 ERA/4.74 xFIP in the second half with a 46.7% hard contact rate and 12.5% barrel rate. For Hoskins, he is never going to be the consistent average guy(.247) as he does struggle against righties but the good news is he crushes lefties to the tune of a .430 wOBA/178 wRC+. The Phillies are a top team to target tonight and Hoskins is at the top of my list.
Second Base
Nick Madrigal FD 2400 DK 2700
Opponent - TOR (José Berríos) Park - TOR
FD - 7.51 DK - 5.97
I mentioned how easy it is to load up on top pitching and an elite bat and this is a perfect example of why. Madrigal is hitting leadoff for the Cubs and while he isn't going to singlehandedly win you a GPP, he is a great cash option as he is getting on base at a .349 clip since being moved to the top of the order. The matchup may not look great but Berrios has been a roller coaster ride all season with a 5.28 ERA/4.04 xFIP and is among the leaders of hard contact(44%) and barrel rate(11%) given up. Madrigal is my top PTS/$ play at second base tonight.
Jean Segura FD 3100 DK 4200
Opponent - ARI (Madison Bumgarner) Park - ARI
FD - 10.24 DK - 7.95
Back to the Phillies who get a terrific matchup tonight against a struggling veteran in Madison Bumgarner. Segura falls into the secondary play category as he is not only more expensive than Madrigal but he is also hitting down in the batting lineup. He missed over two months with an injury but has returned better than ever posting a .297/.376/.405 slash line since his return in early August and also hits lefties very well(.364 wOBA/129 wRC+ since the start of 2021). I will likely lean on Madrigal in cash but will have a ton of exposure to Segura in GPP formats tonight.
Shortstop
Willy Adames FD 3600 DK 4900
Opponent - PIT (Undecided) Park - PIT
FD - 11.57 DK - 10.19
Once again the shortstop position is a bit of a dead zone with the top guys in tough matchups or struggling. Yes, Adames is not having the best season hitting just .228 on the season but has been much better in the short term with hits in eight of his last nine games including three doubles and three home runs. There is no confirmed starter for the Pirates at this point but it is very likely going to be a bullpen game which plays into the Brewers' hands as the Pirates are bottom five in that department. Fire up Adames in all formats.
Also Consider: Bo Bichette(TOR) as a GPP option as the Jays are in a great spot but have struggled offensively
Third Base
Nolan Arenado FD 4000 DK 5600
Opponent - CIN (Chase Anderson) Park - CIN
FD - 13.56 DK - 10.28
Brendan Donovan FD 2600 DK 3200
Opponent - CIN (Chase Anderson) Park - CIN
FD - 11.19 DK - 8.65
The Cards give us multiple options at the third base position and we will start with the second legit MVP candidate on their team. I honestly don't think Arenado will get the votes that Goldy will but he is having a terrific season(.306/.370/.567 slash line) and has been even better down the stretch hitting .366 in August with an insane .480 wOBA and 216 wRC+. He also comes a bit cheaper than Goldy if you are looking to still have some elite exposure to the Cards but can't afford Goldy.
You can also play both of these guys together as Donovan has multi-positon eligibility and that is only one of the boxes he checks. He comes cheap on both sites and hits second in the lineup putting him near the top of our PTS/$ rankings and comes in red-hot with hits in 10 straight games.
Alec Bohm FD 3200 DK 4400
Opponent - ARI (Madison Bumgarner) Park - ARI
FD - 8.17 DK - 6.28
There is a good chance Bohm comes a little lower owned as most will be going with one of the two Cards here and that has me licking my chops. Bohm was the Phillies 1st round pick(3rd overall) in 2018 and is delivering for the team in a big way in 2022. He has been good all season and even better in the second half with a .324/.358/.451 slash line and like the other Phillies I have mentioned, he crushes lefties to the tune of a .407 wOBA/163 wRC+.
Outfield
George Springer FD 4000 DK 5700
Opponent - CHC (Javier Assad) Park - CHC
FD - 13.48 DK - 10.12
As a Jays fan, it really crushed my soul watching the Jays get swept over the weekend to a team that was 20 games under .500 but George Springer has been one of the few bright spots recently. Since returning from injury in mid-August, he has put together an 11-game hit streak while hitting .475 in that time and has finally got back to playing in the outfield. The Jays are right there with the Cards and Phillies in terms of implied runs facing a rookie pitcher who walked(4) more than he struck out(3) in his debut. I will only be stacking Jays in GPP formats but if wanting exposure to one player in cash, it has to be Springer hitting leadoff.
Lars Nootbaar FD 3100 DK 3000
Opponent - CIN (Chase Anderson) Park - CIN
FD - 11.89 DK - 9.1
Let's cap off the article with one more value option that helps us get to top pitching and some elite bats. The Cardinals are easily my favourite team on the slate and have been for some time as they are so easy to stack with two elite MVP candidates surrounded by value bats who have been red-hot down the stretch. Nootbaar is one of those and he is now hitting leadoff for the Cards and has hit .326 with a .488 wOBA since the full transition to the top of the lineup. Elite PTS/$ value in all formats.
