DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 8/26/20 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. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW!   Pitchers Jacob deGrom FD - P 10700 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - MIA (Elieser Hernandez) Park - NYM FD - 41.16 DK - 23.23 We get two elite ace pitchers to choose from tonight and deGrom is getting the nod as my #1. Both pitchers have been terrific to start the year and have very similar stats in all areas(ERA, xFIP, K rate, WHIP) so let's turn to the matchup as this is where the big difference is for me tonight. Kershaw faces a Giants team that has not only been red-hot lately(147 wR+ last 7 days) but have the 6th lowest team K rate(21.3%) on the season. On the flip side, deGrom faces a Marlins lineup that has struck out 24.8% of the time(7th most) to start the season and is below average in almost every offensive stat. With a price that has reached a season-low combined with an elite matchup, deGrom is easily my top pitcher in all formats tonight. Dinelson Lamet FD - P 9300 DK - SP 8600 Opponent - SEA (Taijuan Walker) Park - SD FD - 33.05 DK - 18.39 Lamet has been on our radar all season and has been one of the most consistent PTS/$ arms in all of fantasy baseball. He has gone at least five innings all six starts and has only allowed more than one earned run once(two last start) this season, good for an elite 1.89 ERA. I do not expect this level of production to continue as he is running a very unsustainable .203 BABIP and 3.74 xFIP but in no way am I expecting a huge falloff and especially not tonight vs. the Mariners who have struggled a ton over the last couple weeks posting a .290 wOBA, 85 wRC+, and 25% K rate. Lamet is my favorite SP2 on DraftKings and is in play in all formats over on FanDuel allowing you some upgraded bats. Catcher/First Base Anthony Rizzo FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 5300 Opponent - DET (Michael Fulmer) Park - DET FD - 13.95 DK - 10.46 While the Cubs are right up there once again in terms of implied runs, they are very hard to trust in cash games as they have wildly inconsistent. With that said, I am going back to Rizzo on FanDuel where the price is much more reasonable in relation to his performance to start...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 8/25/20 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. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Shane Bieber FD - P 12000 DK - SP 10800 Opponent - MIN (Rich Hill) Park - CLEFD - 42.01 DK - 23.24 It’s hard to really appreciate just how dominant Bieber has been to start this season. He’s been absolutely untouchable in his first six starts which amount to about a good a run as any pitcher has had, ever. He’s striking out 43% of opposing batters (14 K/9) and walking only 4% (1.33 BB/9) and is sporting a 1.11 ERA through 40.2 innings. The 1.52 xFIP is just a tick *worse* and is still ultra-elite. This isn’t a good matchup against the Twins, but he’s just the best pitcher in baseball right now and while the K’s are likely to come down some, he’s still been trending this direction. Batters are swinging out of the zone at 40% and he’s added a cut fastball out of nowhere that’s become his second-best pitch. It’s time to just marvel at what this guy is doing. Lucas Giolito FD - P 10400 DK - SP 9700 Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - CHWFD - 37.76 DK - 20.17 In some ways, Giolito is having an even better season this year than in 2019. He’s striking out more batters per nine (11.68) and the xFIP is down .2 runs from last year. His only real issue is the walks are up from 2.9 per nine last season to over four this time around. But he’s the best money line win favorite on the slate at -205 against the Pirates. Pittsburgh ranks second to last in team wOBA this season and strike out 24% of the time. This is a smash spot for Giolito. Tyler Glasnow FD - P 9000 DK - SP 10900 Opponent - BAL (Tommy Milone) Park - TBFD - 38.36 DK - 21.2 Glasnow is averaging fewer than five innings per start this season because he’s struggling to keep the ball in the zone. It’s let to a walk rate over 5 BB/9. But the K stuff is very much there, putting down 37% of batters with a 15 K/9. Don’t get too worried about 6.00 ERA because the 3.54 xFIP is about 2.5 runs lower. He’s compounding the walk issues with a career-worst 68% LOB% and .349 BABIP against. That’s a lot of run bad on top of the walks. The Orioles have actual been decent with...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/24/20 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. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers I will preface the pitcher write-up by saying that I love the PTS/$ value with Flaherty tonight but he was limited to just 41 pitches in his first start back from the Cardinals COVID break and the expectation is he will be eased back in for two or three more starts. If that news changes on Monday, he will most definitely be the top pitcher in our optimized lineups. Trevor Bauer FD - P 12000 DK - SP 10200 Opponent - MIL (Brett Anderson) Park - MIL FD - 39.89 DK - 21.78 If Flaherty is limited again on Monday, I love going to Bauer as my top pitcher and the system agrees as he currently sits atop the raw points projections. He and the Reds are only -130 favorites, mostly due to being on the road, but get a plus matchup vs. a Brewers team that ranks bottom five in team wOBA(.292), wRC+(81), and strikeout rate(25.7%) on the season. For Bauer, it has been a huge bounce-back after he struggled at the end of the season(6.45 ERA) after being traded to the Reds. He has been dominant in 2020 allowing just eight hits over his first four starts with just two earned runs(.68 ERA) and while he is due for some regression(obviously) the xFIP is also sitting at an elite 2.60 on the season. On top of that, he has provided an insane amount of K upside(43.6%, 13.2% swinging-strike rate). All things considered, he is a great option in all formats. Casey Mize FD - P 6800 DK - SP 6200 Opponent - CHC (Alec Mills) Park - DET FD - 27.08 DK - 12.83 The 2018 first overall pick looked very good in his major league debut last Wednesday despite giving up three earned runs, two of which forced his exit in the fifth inning. He was rolling up to that point striking out seven and walking none and still ended up hitting 2x value on DraftKings. The good news tonight is that his price went down on DraftKings and he faces the other Chicago team who has been just league-average in almost all offensive categories and sit with the league's 2nd-worst strikeout rate(27.4%). With a price sitting below $7K on DraftKings, he is my favorite Sp2 in all formats and an excellent GPP option on FanDuel allowing you to load up on bats. Catcher/First Base Yuli Gurriel...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 8/23/20 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! It's hard to believe but we're approaching the halfway point in this truncated season. That seems absolutely crazy and it makes every game as critical as ever. That's why we're going to go with two high-end pitchers here and try to get value bats around them. With that in mind, let's kick things off with one of my favorite pitchers in baseball. Pitchers Yu Darvish FD - P 10200 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - CHW (Dylan Cease) Park - CHC FD - 36.51 DK - 20.04 Watching Darvish pitch is a special experience, throwing variations of pitches that many Major Leaguers couldn't dream of doing. That has hitters looking confused every time they step into the box against him and why he's been one of the best pitchers since last year's All-Star break. In fact, Yu has a 1.90 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in five starts this season, after generating a 2.76 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over his final 13 starts last year. That doesn't even take into consideration his elite 12.5 K/9 rate in that span too. What we like about this matchup is that Chicago is full of righties and currently rank 23rd in K rate. That's why he enters this matchup as a -185 favorite. Carlos Carrasco FD - P 9300 DK - SP 10500 Opponent - DET (Tarik Skubal) Park - CLE FD - 39.04 DK - 21.37 It's amazing that this guy overcame leukemia and returned to being one of the best pitchers in baseball. Between 2014 and 2018, Carrasco had a 3.27 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 30 percent K rate. That obviously makes him one of the best pitchers in the game, generating a 3.71 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 11.7 K/9 rate so far this season. That's not the guy we saw between 2014-18 but facing the Cubs, Twins and Reds surely played a factor in those subpar averages. Getting to face Detroit is a good way to get him back to normal, with the Motor City Kitties ranked dead-last in K rate this season and near the bottom in nearly every offensive statistic. That has Cookie and the Indians entering this matchup as a -240 favorite. Catcher/First Base Miguel Sanó FD - 1B 2900 DK - 1B 4800 Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - KC FD - 10.83 DK - 8 Sano has found himself in these articles as much as anyone and it's more...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 8/22/20 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! It's becoming evident just how many studs pitchers are injured right now. It feels like we're picking between a bunch of questionable guys every day and that's where we are again here. With that in mind, let's kick things off with a former top prospect who's shown flashes this season. Pitchers Justus Sheffield FD - P 7500 DK - RP 6500 Opponent - TEX (Jordan Lyles) Park - SEA FD - 33.62 DK - 17.02 Sheffield was a top prospect in the Yankees system a few years back and he's showing why with his early-season form. After allowing four runs in each of his first two starts, Sheffield has now gone at least six innings in back-to-back games while allowing just one total run and striking out 11 batters. That's the guy that we saw in the minors, generating a 2.89 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 25 percent K rate between 2016 and 2018. What we really like is this matchup though, with Texas ranked 27th in runs scored and 28th in both BA and OPS. They are even worse against lefties, and playing in Seattle's great pitcher's park certainly sweetens the deal. All this makes Sheffield one of the best cheap options out there. Josh Lindblom FD - P 7100 DK - RP 6600 Opponent - PIT (Derek Holland) Park - PIT FD - 28.07 DK - 14.6 Anytime I write an article, I'm going to look for whoever's pitching against the Pirates first. This offense is easily the worst in baseball right now, owning a .210 AVG, .269 OBP and .595 OPS. Those are downright laughable numbers and it's very likely that you could replace them with a Korean lineup and they'd post better averages. I say that because Linblom was the MVP in the KBO last season, generating a 2.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 25 percent K rate. He's yet to duplicate that at this level but facing the White Sox, Twins and Cubs in his last three starts will do that to anyone. Just bank on the price and matchup in your pitcher two slot on DraftKings. Zac Gallen is expensive but he's definitely in play against a poor San Fran offense the way he's throwing the ball right now. I also like Dustin May against the Rockies, who just got tortured by Walker Buehler last night. Catcher/First Base Rhys Hoskins FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 4200 Opponent -...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/21/20 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! The pitching options on this slate are a bit tough, so, we're going to go with two values and get some stud bats in our hitting section. Whenever you have trouble picking a pitcher, this is always the best route to go in terms of lineup building. With that in mind, let's start off with Adrian Houser! Pitchers Adrian Houser FD - P 7400 DK - RP 8400 Opponent - PIT (Chad Kuhl) Park - PIT FD - 33.47 DK - 17.23 Starting pitchers against the Pirates is always a profitable proposition. This offense is truly one of the worst in baseball, particularly with Josh Bell struggling so badly. In fact, this club is hitting a measly .211 this season, en route to a .332 SLG and .603 OPS. Some of the worst slap hitters in the Majors have better averages than those and it makes them hard to avoid. It's not like Houser is some bum either, with the right-hander generating a 3.27 ERA and 1.18 WHIP this season. He showed in the opener that he can dominate this lineup too, allowing just one hit across five one-run innings. Not to mention, Milwaukee is a -165 favorite and Pitt is projected for just 3.8 runs. Robbie Ray FD - P 7000 DK - SP 7300 Opponent - SF (Logan Webb) Park - SF FD - 33.32 DK - 18.01 Recommending someone with an 8.59 ERA and 1.91 WHIP is certainly risky but Ray's last start might be a sign that he's starting to turn things around. The left-hander threw five hitless innings against a stout San Diego offense, despite walking six batters. It's his strikeout stuff that makes him really intriguing though, generating a 29 percent K rate for his career. That's fantasy gold and we certainly like that he faces a lineup that ranked near the bottom of nearly every offensive category last season. In 13.1 innings against the Giants last season, Ray had 20 Ks and we can't overlook the fact that he gets to throw in a pitcher's haven like ORACLE Park. If you want to pay up, Aaron Nola has been rolling and gets to face a Braves offense without Ronald Acuna. Catcher/First Base José Abreu FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 4100 Opponent - CHC (Jon Lester) Park - CHC FD - 10.88 DK - 8.27 Abreu has to be one of the most overlooked assets in...