DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/9/19 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!This isn't my favorite slate of the season and we have some tough decisions to make. You're really going to notice that by our pitching selections, with the top-notch options being priced so highly. That's why we're going to aim for a couple of value pitchers to help get in some of the stud bats we have recommended. PitchersJulio Teheran FD - P 9000 DK - SP 8800 Opponent - MIA (Caleb Smith) Park - MIAFD - 31.08 DK - 16.24It's tough to recommend a pitcher who's xFIP is two runs higher than his ERA but the simple fact is, Teheran is getting it done. Any guy with a 3.46 ERA and 1.30 WHIP is in consideration, particularly in a matchup like this. The Marlins currently rank bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, xwOBA, SLG and xSLG. That's really no surprise when you consider that this is the toughest park to hit in. That's why we're looking at a total of 8, with Miami projected for fewer than four runs. All of those Miami stats are evident in Teheran's first three starts against them, as he's pitched 18 scoreless innings while striking out 15 batters. Kyle Freeland FD - P 6300 DK - SP 4800 Opponent - SD (Cal Quantrill) Park - SDFD - 27.33 DK - 13.7This is a total punt play and it's going to be tough to click that little green plus next to Freeland's name. The simple fact is, this dude has been terrible this season. That's why he's earned this price tag but there's reason to believe he can provide value here. We're talking about a guy who had a breakout 2018 campaign, in which he pitched to a 2.89 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He's shown some flashes of that recently, allowing two runs or fewer in two of his last three starts. What makes him intriguing here is this matchup, with the Padres ranking 27th in K rate, 23rd in runs scored and 24th in OPS. The move from Coors Field to Petco Park is the biggest bonus though, with Freeland's road ERA (4.91) nearly half of his home ERA this season (9.50). Catcher/First Base Paul Goldschmidt FD 3500 DK 4000 Opponent - PIT (Chris Archer) Park - PITFD - 12.46 DK - 9.38 This most definitely isn't the version of Paul Goldschmidt the Cardinals thought they were getting in the Arizona trade, but that doesn't mean we need to avoid the...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 8/8/19 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! Pitchers Matthew Boyd FD - P 10400 DK - SP 11200 Opponent - KC (Undecided) Park - DET FD - 38.16 DK - 21.3 Despite a smaller slate on Thursday, we have a selection of pitchers at the top. I love the upside with Chris Sale but he is GPP only for me until further notice. Mike Clevinger has flashed the most upside this season with a 36.9% K rate but draws a tough matchup in the Twins so is also GPP only for me. For cash games, I will be looking at two pitchers and it starts with Matt Boyd who has found his form again allowing two or fewer earned runs in three straight starts while striking out eight or more in each(27 total). The price is climbed to a near season-high again but making me more comfortable about it is the matchup against the Royals who have not only struggled against lefties(.287 wOBA, 75 wRC+) but have also been slumping big-time lately as well(.275 wOBA, 67 wRC+). I will have exposure to Boyd in all formats on FanDuel but in GPP only on DraftKings as I like the discount with the next option. Aaron Nola FD - P 10800 DK - SP 10600 Opponent - SF (Madison Bumgarner) Park - SF FD - 35.38 DK - 19.26 Nola is the option I will be looking to on DraftKings tonight at a price $600 cheaper than Boyd. The game also has the lowest total(7.5) on the slate and like Boyd, Nola has really found form lately holding opponents to one or fewer earned runs in seven of his last nine starts(1.91 ERA/3.75 xFIP)  while averaging just shy of seven innings per start. The win will be tough to come by with MadBum on the other side of the game but I give the edge to the Phillies offense as the Giants have fielded a bottom-five offense all season and sit with just an 82 wRC+ over the last two weeks. All things considered, Nola will be a core play for me tonight in all formats. Also Consider: Dallas Keuchel(ATL) as a top SP2 option on DraftKings as a -200 favorite against the Marlins bottom three offense Catcher/First Base Carlos Santana FD - 1B 3700 DK - 1B 4700 Opponent - MIN (Kyle Gibson) Park - MIN FD - 11.29 DK - 8.42 If you can afford him, Freddie Freeman is far and...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 8/7/19 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!   Wednesday brings a full day of baseball action with varying early slates between the sites and a small four-game main slate. In this article, I will be looking at my core play from the early slate and providing an option to consider for the main slate. Let's get started. Pitchers Gerrit Cole FD - P 11800 DK - SP 11900 Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - HOU FD - 49.11 DK - 27.76 We have two elite pitchers taking the bump on the early slate but with Clevinger likely having to deal with rain in the forecast, the decision is fairly easy at the top. Going back all the way to the end of May, Cole has been out of this world holding opponents to two or fewer earned runs in 12 of 13 starts while striking out 116(35.4%) and walking just 22(6.7%). While the Rockies have somewhat heated up lately(116 wRC+ last seven days), they have the biggest gap in terms of home/road splits(.284 wOBA, 71 wRC+ on the road) and Cole is an elite ace that has shut down top offenses all season. He is my top pitcher in all formats. *Update-a rainout last night takes Clevinger off this slate as last night's matchup between Plesac and Jurado will carry over* Dustin May FD - P 5800 DK - SP 7500 Opponent - STL (Jack Flaherty) Park - LAD FD - 27.41 DK - 13.83 It was a very positive debut for Dustin May last Friday and while he allowed three earned runs, they came in the fifth inning at the end of his outing. It was also positive seeing him get a bit of a leash as he ended up throwing 97 pitches and despite just three strikeouts he generated over a 50% groundball rate. Today, he arguably gets an even better matchup against a slumping Cardinals team that entered Tuesday night losers of six of their last eight games and have posted a disastrous 60 wRC+ and 27.7% K rate over the last seven days(89 wRC+, 24% K rate last 14 days). May is my top SP2 on DraftKings and also makes an excellent punt play for GPP formats on FanDuel allowing you to load up on whatever stack you wish. Main Slate Consideration: James Paxton(NYY) who is underpriced considering the slate size and elite matchup against the Orioles Catcher/First Base Ji-Man Choi FD - 1B 3300 DK -...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 8/6/19 Baseball might be entering the dog days of August, but that doesn't mean we take a day off from the DFS grind. There's plenty to like about Tuesday evening's main slate of games. 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!We have a ton of weather on this full 15-game slate and it's going to be key to check in on that before submitting lineups. Seven of the 15 games actually have rain forecasted and that'll make for yet another interesting slate. With that in mind, let's use three pitchers that we feel won't have any weather issues...PitchersZack Greinke FD - P 9700 DK - SP 9800 Opponent - COL (German Marquez) Park - HOUFD - 35.66 DK - 19.15The Astros made the biggest splash at the deadline by acquiring Greinke and it's time for the fun to begin. This dude has been nails all season long, as is evidenced by his 2.90 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. That looks even more impressive when you consider his 135 Ks and it's scary to think that he gets to pitch for one of the best clubs in baseball. We always love to use pitchers against the Rockies on the road too, with Colorado sitting 23rd in K rate, 30th in road OBP and 29th in road OPS. Zack Wheeler FD - P 10700 DK - SP 10600 Opponent - MIA (Jordan Yamamoto) Park - NYMFD - 39.36 DK - 20.8It's always wise to use pitchers against the Marlins, particularly someone as talented as Wheeler. We're talking about a pitcher with a 3.50 xFIP and 26 percent K rate facing the worst lineup in baseball. In fact, Miami currently ranks bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, xwOBA, SLG and xSLG. That's really scary in a place like Citi Field, which ranks as one of the best pitching park in baseball. That's why Wheeler enters this matchup as a -200 favorite with Miami projected for only 3.5 runs. We also like Dinselson Lamet and his 29 percent K rate facing a Mariners team who ranks 28th in strikeouts per game. Catcher/First BaseJoey Votto FD - 1B 3200 DK - 1B 4100 Opponent - LAA (Jose Suarez) Park - CINFD - 13.46 DK - 10.08Votto has really found his bat over the last two months and these sites just continue to disrespect him with these prices. Over his last 58 games, Votto is hitting .300 while accruing a .373 OBP and .835 OPS. The power is still lacking but it's...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/5/19 Monday's baseball main slate brings us a few borderline aces taking the mound for the main slate, but also the Red Sox and Indians with very high opening run lines. That's going to possibly make for some tougher decisions about lineup building. Let's take a look at some of the top plays for FanDuel and DraftKings Monday baseball action. 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! Pitchers Lucas Giolito FD - P 9800 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - DET (Undecided) Park - DETFD - 38.43 DK - 19.97 With deGrom going in the early game of the Mets/Marlins doubleheader we need to turn our attention to a couple of other big money pitchers going for the evening slate. Much to most people’s surprise, Giolito has been able to maintain the rather unbelievable strikeout gains that surfaced this season. Like we’ve said before this year, the biggest change came from ditching the sinker he threw 20% of the time last season and is now strictly a fastball, changeup, slider dude. It’s worked. With no early line on this game, it’s safe to assume Giolito will be a favorite against a Detroit team ranked second-to-last against righties this season and firmly in the tank for the rest of the year. The FanDuel price feels like something of a joke all things considered with the DraftKings price a little of a tougher decision. Charlie Morton FD - P 10100 DK - SP 10700 Opponent - TOR (Jacob Waguespack) Park - TBFD - 37.73 DK - 21.12 Morton and Giolito are close on this slate in terms of projections with the former striking out 11 batters per nine on the season and in a decent matchup against the Blue Jays. Toronto’s gone full youth movement in the short term which usually would represent a great opportunity but they do have a little pop at the top of the lineup with Bichette/Biggio/VladJr. But Morton is a massive -230 favorite with an 8 over/under. Catcher/First Base Eric Thames FD - 1B 2500 DK - 1B 4000 Opponent - PIT (Dario Agrazal) Park - PITFD - 9.25 DK - 6.94 The Brewers will switch their lineup around quite a bit so it’s never obvious ahead of time exactly where guys will land, but Thames should at least be in the top 6 for this matchup against the Pirates and that’s fine enough against Dario Agrazal. The latter has some terrible peripherals through his first 37 major league...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 8/4/19Now’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!After wild trade deadline and a crazy week, we're finally to Sunday! Now that this wild week is over, it's time to get back into the everyday grind. What's fascinating about this slate is that we have a ton of great pitching options and an abundance of dangerous bats. That means finding value will be key and we'll do our best to stray you towards some of those plays.  PitchersJustin Verlander FD - P 12000 DK - SP 12000 Opponent - SEA (Matt Wisler) Park - HOUFD - 41.49 DK - 23.96It's going to be tough to fade Velrnader on this slate. This dude is straight nails anytime he takes the mound and you have to love him in a matchup like this. Let's start with the Mariners, as they currently rank bottom-10 in OPS, xSLG, wOBA and xwOBA since the opening month. That's particularly scary considering they own the third-worst K rate in the league. That's a nightmare against a guy like Verlander, who's currently pitching to a 2.73 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 34 percent K rate this season in what's become a Hall-of-Fame career. Not to mention, Verlander is projected to be a -300 favorite in this game. He's a great play in any format.Shane Bieber FD - P 11200 DK - SP 10900 Opponent - LAA (Jaime Barria) Park - CLEFD - 38.45 DK - 21.01Bieber has been one of the best pitchers in the AL and it's not a crazy statement to say he's the best Indians pitcher at this point. Many people would have said he's the fourth-best pitcher in this rotation at the beginning of the year and that's a testament to just how good this guy has been. We're talking about a pitcher with a 3.40 ERA and 1.01 WHIP while generating a 31 percent K rate. His last nine starts have been even more absurd, with Bieber posting a 2.57 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in that span while striking out 78 batters across 63 innings. That's why he'll enter this game as a -200 favorite. It's one of the feel good stories of the year, and a great reminder of why we're often projecting future ERA with xFIP instead of ERA itself - as Bieber had one of the widest splits acrooss these two categories last year.We also love Patrick Corbin hosting his former team as a -190 favorite. Catcher/First BaseDaniel Murphy FD - 1B 3500 DK - 1B 4800 Opponent - SF...