Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 8/28/16

 

Welcome to Sunday baseball! We have an 11 game main slate on our hands with some aces and a few offenses in great spots to put up some runs. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on more pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise. Let's get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Chris Archer FD 9400 DK 9900
Opponent - HOU (Fister) Park - @HOU
FD - 31.94 DK - 21.64

First of all, pitcher is pretty horrible today. There is no single pitcher on this main slate that I am comfortable playing in both cash games and tournaments. On the late slate, Bumgarner is the easy and only option. On the main slate, we are going to have to look a little bit deeper. Chris Archer is going to start us off here due to his pure talent and upside, matched with the match up upside. The Astros have been pretty bad against righties with a 23.8% K rate that is backed up by a .735 OPS. While the Astros have a huge ceiling, they also get in a ton of ruts where they run cold and strikeout a ton, especially against right handers. While Archer is certainly difficult to trust, we may have to do tonight. He has sported a .308 combined wOBA on the season and is backed up by plenty of peripherals and batted ball rates. While the ballpark is far from ideal, Archer won't have anything to worry about if his stuff is on.

Ivan Nova FD 7000 DK 8000
Opponent - MIL (Anderson) Park - @MIL
FD - 27.83 DK - 18.14

When Ivan Nova is in the main picks article, you know it is a rough day at pitcher. However, Nova has been a big surprise this year as he has been relatively very good. While his wOBA sits around .335, his 3.45 xFIP and 39% hard contact rate suggest we will see some improvements very soon. His opponent, the Brewers, have been one of the worst teams in the league against righties. Over the course of 3400 at-bats, the Brewers have exhibited a .311 wOBA to go along with a crazy 25.8% strikeout rate. While Miller Park is a good park for righties, lefties tend to struggle and those are the guys we are really worried about. No, I don't expect a clean slate here, but we really don't need that at only $7K on FD and $8K on DK.

CATCHER

Gary Sanchez FD 3700 DK 4400
Opponent - BAL (Gausman) Park - @NYY
FD - 11.76 DK - 9.13

Catcher position is another tonight that is a bit rough, but don't worry, Gary Sanchez to the rescue. Sanchez has been absolutely amazing since entering the league with 10 home runs in only 85 at-bats. Against righties, he has hit 9 of those and has backed that up with an insane .619 wOBA. While those numbers are far from sustainable in any fashion, he is obviously a great hitter and has a ton of upside. His opponent, Kevin Gausman, has been very bag against right handers on the season with a .365 wOBA and a 22.5% line drive rate. The ballpark is a very nice factor as well as Yankee Stadium is one of the best parks in the league for power.

Chris Iannetta FD 2500 DK 2600
Opponent - CHW (Rodon) Park - @CHW
FD - 8.58 DK - 6.52

I told you, catcher is a pretty rough one. We are going to look at Chris Ianneta next here as the Mariners are taking on a left hander in Carlos Rodon.  Though Rodon is a pretty good pitcher, he has been horrible against righties with a .350 wOBA along with a 4.46 xFIP and a 13.9% HR/FB rate. Ianneta is no Buster Posey, but he can hit lefties and has a ton of power. If the power comes into play, we will be in a good spot as U.S. Cellular Field is a top 10 ballpark for right handed power. Sanchez is the preferred play at catcher, though I don't mind the pivot to Chris Ianneta.

FIRST BASE

Miguel Cabrera FD 4100 DK 4200
Opponent - LAA (Skaggs) Park - @DET
FD - 14.35 DK - 10.92

Miguel Cabrera is easily one of my favorite batters to play for a multitude of reasons, the first of which being the fact that he is a top 3 hitter in the world. Another reason is his consistency. Dating back to 2014 against lefties, Cabrera has sported a .382 wOBA that is backed up by plenty of peripherals and batted ball rates. While Skaggs profiles as a top prospect, he has been far from it against righties with a .359 wOBA and a 25.4% line drive rate. While Comerica Park is definitely a pitchers park, Cabrera is not reliant on power and he can exceed value in many different ways. Cabrera is one of my favorite players on the slate and I will have exposure to him in both cash games and tournaments.

Mike Napoli FD 3400 DK 4000
Opponent - TEX (Holland) Park - @TEX
FD - 10.9 DK - 8.27

Mike Napoli against a southpaw, yes please. Napoli, rightfully so, has been tagged as a left handed masher. Dating back to 2015, Napoli has sported a .364 wOBA against righties to go along with a 34% hard contact rate and a .204 ISO. While Derek Holland has been decent overall on the season, he has been pretty bad against righties. In 63 innings, Holland has exhibited a .341 wOBA and a 5,63 xFIP. As long as Holland stays in the rotation, we need to target the right handers who face off with him. While Miggy Cabrera is the easy cash game option, Napoli makes for a terrific pivot in tournaments, but only if you think he will be lower owned than Cabrera.

SECOND BASE

Dee Gordon FD 3100 DK 4500
Opponent - SD (Perdomo) Park - @MIA
FD - 9.91 DK - 9.54

Second base is a spot that I am going to pay up at tonight, with Dee Gordon and Daniel Murphy leading the list. We will touch on Dee Gordon first, who will be taking on Luis Perdomo and the San Diego Padres. Perdomo has been absolutely terrible against lefties on the season with a .366 wOBA that is backed up by plenty of horrid peripherals and batted ball rates. Gordon on the other hand, is a terrific hitter against righties and brings the type of speed upside that only a few guys have. If Gordon is hitting lead off, he makes for a tremendous play in all formats, though I prefer him on FanDuel where he is $1400 cheaper.

Daniel Murphy FD 4200 DK 5400
Opponent - COL (Bettis) Park - @WSH
FD - 12.68 DK - 9.99

If you are looking to pay up even further, a great way to go is Daniel Murphy. While Bruce Harper is the big name on the Nationals, Murphy has arguably been better this season and all of the underlying stats backup that claim. Against right handers, Murphy has sported a ludicrous .428 wOBA that is supported by an egregious 40.3% hard contact rate. While Bettis is a quality pitcher, he struggled against lefties, which is a tough spot to be in when you are facing a lineup with Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper in it. While I definitely prefer Gordon in cash for a bunch of reasons, Murphy is someone I will have a bunch of exposure to.

 

SHORTSTOP

Troy Tulowitzki FD 3200 DK 4500
Opponent - MIN (Gibson) Park - @TOR
FD - 10.57 DK - 8.06

Shortstop is another position that is a bit weak on the main slate, with only a few bad pitchers going. While Kyle Gibson isn't necessarily "bad", he is also not very good either. Tulowitzki, however, is still one of the best hitters at the position. Against right handers since 2013, Tulowitzki has sported a .362 wOBA and everything necessary backs that number up. This game will take place in Rogers Centre, which is a top 8 ballpark for right handed power in both 2014 and 15. While the position lacks both, I am a fan for Tulo due to his consistency and upside.

J.J. Hardy FD 2200 DK 2800
Opponent - NYY (Sabathia) Park - @NYY
FD - 8.16 DK - 6.4

While this is the first Orioles bat mentioned, you are going to see a few more and they enter as one of out absolute favorite offenses as a whole. Against lefties, Hardy has always been very good as evident by his .331 wOBA sinve 2015. The power has returned this year and while it's not as good as it once was, it gets the job done. In cash games, go with Tulowitzki. However, tourneys are a complete different story and I prefer Hardy in that format. On DK, it is hard to find value and Hardy gives you a tremendous way to pay up at a spot that doesn't have have much opportunity cost.

THIRD BASE

Maikel Franco FD 2900 DK 4000
Opponent - NYM (Gsellman) Park - @NYM
FD - 9.72 DK - 7.5

Maikel Franco is scared of nobody, especially not Robert Gsellman. Gsellman comes in as the 14th best prospect for the Mets, in a farm system that is far from deep or good. Gsellman has given up a .541 xFIP to righties so far in 20016 and none of his numbers tell us to expect anything different. While Franco is a righty, he actually hits righties better than he does lefties as evident by his .351 wOBA since entering the league against righties. While he is a bit risky in cash games, he is a top 2 option at 3rd for tournaments.

Manny Machado FD 4200 DK 4800
Opponent - NYY (Sabathia) Park - @NYY
FD - 11.93 DK - 9.36

Manny Machado, my top play on the slate. Machado and the Orioles are my personal favorite offense on the slate and he is a big reason for the love. Against lefties, Machado has sported a .370 wOBA that is backed up by a very strong set of peripherals. He will have the honor of facing off with C.C> Sabathia tonight, who has given up a +.400 wOBA to righties over his last 15 starts. While he got lucky in the beginning of the seasons, the regression monster held no mercy and has exposed Sabathia for the true gas can he is. Machado is my favorite play on the slate and he is going to be my call for homer of the day.

OUTFIELD

Mark Trumbo FD 3400 DK 4600
Opponent - NYY (Sabathia) Park - @NYY
FD - 12.09 DK - 9.24

Steve Pearce FD 2900 DK 2800
Opponent - NYY (Sabathia) Park - @NYY
FD - 10.43 DK - 8.08

Mark Trumbo and Steve Pearce enter as our first and favorite outfield duo. As mentioned, C.C. Sabathia is absolutely horrible and the regression monster has hit him like a train. The Orioles are not a good team to face when you are bag against right handers, as evidenced by the .331 wOBA as a team, which is top 5 across the board. Both Trumbo and Pearce have sported wOBA's over .3700 against lefties since 2-15 and I see no reason to expect anything different here. While Yankees Stadium is better for lefties, it is not a bad park for right handed power. The Orioles are a team you will want exposure to and either of these guys are a great way to do just that.

Justin Upton FD 3400 DK 4300
Opponent - LAA (Skaggs) Park - @DET
FD - 11.8 DK - 9.25
J.D. Martinez FD 3900 DK 5000
Opponent - LAA (Skaggs) Park - @DET
FD - 13.62 DK - 10.42

Our second and final outfield duo, J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton. Both Upton and Martinez have destroyed lefties over the past few seasons. Dating back to the start of 2-14, both of these guys have sported +.360 wOBA's against righties and there are no signed that point to any negative regression. As mentioned, Tyler Skaggs has been horrible against righties and is someone we should look to pick on when given the chance. After the Orioles duo, Martinez and Upton come next for me in terms of both cash games and tournaments. If I had to only pick one, I would go with lower Upton due to his price and projected lower ownership.

Rajai Davis FD 3300 DK 4600
Opponent - TEX (Holland) Park - @TEX
FD - 10.9 DK - 9.8

We are going to touch back on the Indians to close us off here, with Rajai Davis. Like Mike Napoli, Davis is a pronounced left handed masher and the coaches certainly recognize it. Against lefties, Davis always hits lead off, which puts him in a tremendous spot. In 2016, Davis has sported a .349 wOBA against lefties and has also flashed some power/speed upside. While he is very expensove on DraftKings, he is very affordable on FanDuel at only $3300. Davis is a top 5 play in both cash games and tournaments in the outfield.

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