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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 8/30/22
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Pitchers
Max Fried FD 10500 DK 9900
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 45.94 DK - 25.08
There are a few different aces taking the mound on Tuesday though not are all on the main slate. Fried is going against the Rockies who are one of the worst offenses in the league when they are away from Coors and he’s in an excellent spot to get the win. He’s a crazy -384 home favorite against Colorado, some of the best win odds you’ll ever see. Though he isn’t striking out a batter an inning on the season, he’s going more than 6.3 innings per start because he limits the walks and induces ground balls at more than a 50% rate.
Kevin Gausman FD 10200 DK 8700
Opponent - CHC (Marcus Stroman) Park - CHC
FD - 41.3 DK - 22.37
Gausman is another big favorite on Tuesday, though doesn’t have quite the same win odds as Fried. He’s sitting at -217 at home against the Cubs and coming under $9K on DraftKings. Pairing these two should be no problem over there. He’s struggled in two of his last three starts but has put together an excellent season, striking out more than 10 batters per nine while sporting a 7:1 K:BB ratio. That’s some of the best peripherals you will see. I slightly prefer Fried on FanDuel but it’s very close because Gausman has more K upside.
Catcher/First Base
Matt Olson FD 4000 DK 5100
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 13.32 DK - 9.91
There are a few teams in good spots on Tuesday with the run lines trending into the mid-5s. The Braves are one of them facing off against Jose Urena. Olson hasn’t put up quite the same power numbers as his last season in Oakland when he hit 39. But he does have 27 on the season with an .835 OPS. The price is up there because the Braves are a good offense, but I think you can afford him considering they are in one of the best spots on the slate.
Shea Langeliers FD 2800 DK 3000
Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSH
FD - 10.51 DK - 8.03
For their purposes, the A’s are actually in a pretty good spot against Erick Fedde and the Nationals. Oakland has a mid-4’s implied run line which, for them, represents an above-average number. Langeliers should hit second in the lineup and does project to have real major league power going forward. He won’t cost much on either site for a guy hitting near the top of the order and offers a way to save a little in order to fit the big arms.
Second Base
César Hernández FD 2300 DK 2700
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 10.1 DK - 7.75
Tony Kemp FD 2200 DK 2600
Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSH
FD - 9.94 DK - 7.65
This game between the Athletics and Nationals actually has a few semi-interesting fantasy plays mostly because everyone going here is coming pretty cheap. It’s for a reason seeing as how neither team is all that good. But they are also each facing off against well-below average arms in Cole Irvin and Erick Fedde. Both Hernandez and Kemp project to hit leadoff for their respective teams and both are coming near the minimums on both sites. For a weaker position, we might be able to get out of it on the cheap with dudes who have solid plate appearance expectation. We can take that from a cash game perspective for sure. They both make contact at a solid rate and have just enough speed on the base paths to offer a glimmer of upside.
Shortstop
Dansby Swanson FD 3800 DK 5300
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 12.69 DK - 9.69
Getting savings at second base means we can think about spending up in some other spots. And shortstop is one of those areas. Swanson has an excellent fantasy profile with 17 home runs and 16 stolen bases on the season to go with a .791 OPS. The strikeout rate is a bit on the high side at 26% but that’s much less of a concern against Jose Urena who is putting down batters at only an 11.6% clip this season. That’s one of the worst numbers you will see for a major league arm.
Willy Adames FD 3600 DK 5000
Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - PIT
FD - 12.35 DK - 9.35
Adames is another one who struggles at times with the swings and misses, but has such good power that we can live with that risk on a game-to-game basis. He has 26 home runs on the season, a career high, and his .761 OPS is on the back off a .466 slugging percentage. I prefer Swanson here because he has a higher floor, but both of them are good options.
Third Base
Austin Riley FD 3900 DK 5500
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 13.48 DK - 10.2
We are going to want to stack Braves whenever possible seeing as how Urena is one of the worst pitchers making his way to the mound on a semi-consistent basis. Riley is putting up another excellent season with a .908 OPS thanks to 31 home runs. He is on pace for a personal best power mark and at age 25 has become one of the best young hitters in the game. Again, the Atlanta guys are going to cost you but they are worth it on this slate of games.
I am pretty much playing Riley in all lineups here, but if you want to go cheaper you can consider guys like Ke'Bryan Hayes (FD $2500 DK $3400) or Jace Peterson (FD $2000 DK $3300)
Outfield
Ronald Acuña Jr. FD 3900 DK 6100
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 14.81 DK - 11.16
If you are stacking Braves it kind of has to start with this guy. Though there have been some struggles this season, it’s a tough fade to think about not playing the leadoff hitter who has some of the highest upside in the game. The 10 home runs are definitely a concern after hitting 24 last season in fewer plate appearances, but he still has 25 stolen bases and gets on base around 37% of the time. I prefer the FanDuel price for sure, but think Acuna will be a staple in cash lineups today.
Christian Yelich FD 3400 DK 4100
Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - PIT
FD - 12.8 DK - 9.67
Yelich isn’t likely to return to his fantasy dominance from a few years ago, but he’s still a viable play at these price points on a day-to-day basis. He has 11 home runs and 16 stolen bases on the season and is still getting on base 36% of the time. The power doesn’t look like it’s coming back, but he’s also no longer priced like an elite bat. I like him here on both sites considering the Brewers have one of the highest run lines on the day against Mitch Keller.
Nelson Cruz FD 2600 DK 3200
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 11.49 DK - 8.68
This might be the last season for Nelson Cruz who at age 42 is somehow still kicking around the majors. And though the numbers aren’t amazing, he is actually still putting in work against lefties. He’s got an above-average split against southpaws this season and, for his career, has a .943 OPS and 150 wRC+ in that platoon. He should be in the middle of the Nationals’ order here and is coming cheap on both sites.
