DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/20/21 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 Walker Buehler FD 11600 DK 10500 Opponent - NYM (Carlos Carrasco) Park - NYM FD - 38.42 DK - 21.05 It is a tight race for the National League Cy Young in 2021 and Walker Buehler is right in the thick of it. He has been good all season but has been horse in the second half averaging 6.7 innings per start and has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in all six starts(1.34 ERA). He has also been providing much more upside in the second half with a 30.4% K rate(25% first half). He now faces a Mets team that has struggled to score runs in August with just a 78 wRC+. There is a sizeable price gap but Buehler is still my top pitcher on this slate. Chris Sale FD 10700 DK 9700 Opponent - TEX (Dane Dunning) Park - TEX FD - 44.09 DK - 24.95 To say his return to baseball after missing almost two years was a success would be a huge understatement. He not only made it through five innings on just 89 pitches, but he also struck out eight Orioles while walking none with the only damage being two solo home runs. With that said, his DK price is just $100 more on Friday and he gets a much better matchup against the Rangers who rank 30th and 29th in wOBA(.283) and wRC+(78) against left-handed pitching and dead last in runs scored since the break. Sale is in play in all formats. Catcher/First Base Paul Goldschmidt FD 3600 DK 4700 Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - PIT FD - 12.55 DK - 9.44 The Cards offense has been a disappointment overall but has been heating up lately and now get one of the best matchups on the board. The offense coming around can be directly correlated to Goldshmidt's success as he comes in with hits in eight straight including six multi-hit efforts and is now hitting .322 with a .379 wOBA since the All-Star break. In an elite matchup vs. a struggling Mitch Keller(6.86 ERA/5.12 xFIP) at these very affordable prices, Goldy is my top play at first tonight. Luke Voit FD 2900 DK 3400 Opponent - MIN (Charlie Barnes) Park - MIN FD - 14.91 DK - 11.14 Anthony Rizzo FD 3500 DK 3600 Opponent - MIN (Charlie Barnes) Park - MIN FD - 14.42 DK - 10.8 For...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 8/19/21 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 Brandon Woodruff FD 10700 DK 9200 Opponent - STL (Jon Lester) Park - STL FD - 41.69 DK - 23.9 Woodruff was removed early in his last start but it was reported to not have been injury-related so we will move forward as such. That is great news as he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season trailing only Walker Buehler and teammate Corbin Burnes in ERA(2.18). The Brewers pitching has seemingly brought the Cardinals' hot streak to a halt and they have struck out 18 times(26%) in the first two games of this series and now face Woodruff and his 30% K rate. Fire up Woodruff in all formats tonight. Also Consider: Luis Castillo(CIN) while not the most consistent, has tallied 7+ strikeouts in five of his last six games and faces a Marlins team that has struck out 27% of the time over the last two weeks. I also love the price on Jameson Taillon(NYY) who has been rock solid for the Yankees with a 1.68 ERA over his last eight starts while going 4-0 Catcher/First Base Anthony Rizzo FD 3500 DK 3700 Opponent - MIN (John Gant) Park - MIN FD - 16.17 DK - 12.11 Rizzo returned from the COVID list on Wednesday and picked up a hit with two RBI giving him hits in seven of 10 games with three home runs since joining the Yankees at the deadline. He and the Yankees now get a matchup vs. the Cardinals bullpen but what really stands out here is the sub $4K price tag on DraftKings. That easily makes him the top play at first base on this small slate. Also Consider: Max Muncy(LAD) who provides huge upside and should be lower owned at his price on this smaller slate  Second Base Kolten Wong FD 3300 DK 4200 Opponent - STL (Jon Lester) Park - STL FD - 9.32 DK - 7.18 The Brewers are going to be popular on this small slate in a plus matchup vs. a very inconsistent Jon Lester(5.32 ERA/5.08 xFIP). This sends me directly to one of my favorite two-man stacks for cash games. Let's start with Wong who has been consistent lately with hits in six of his last seven games and before you shout lefty/lefty, he sits with a .369 wOBA and 130 wRC+ in the split this season. At these prices, he is a...

  DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 8/17/21 - Main slate 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 Corbin Burnes FD 11500 DK 10200 Opponent - STL (Adam Wainwright) Park - STLFD - 46.44 DK - 26.8 Corbin Burnes has been one of the best pitchers in the league this season and has been a serious Cy Young candidate. He is also coming off his best game of the season, which is really saying something when he struck out 15 batters over eight scoreless innings. That puts him at a 36% K% for the season and a ridiculous 8.2:1 K:BB ratio. These are simply some of the best numbers you will ever see from a starting pitcher. He faces off against the Cardinals on Tuesday, which isn’t the best matchup, but he is just so far and away the best arm that he is easily the top option on the slate. Alek Manoah FD 9900 DK 8600 Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSHFD - 35.79 DK - 19.69 Manoah is an interesting case this season. On the one hand, he isn’t as good as the 2.59 xFIP would suggest with the ERA sitting almost 1.5 runs higher at 3.91. But on the other hand, this is a guy who is striking out almost 11 batters per nine. The K% is only 26% so he doesn’t just miss bats, but has K upside for sure. I like the matchup against Washington who is working with a much weaker team after the trade deadline. Catcher/First Base Max Muncy FD 3600 DK 5400 Opponent - PIT (Wil Crowe) Park - PITFD - 15.77 DK - 11.62 Things might get a bit tricky today with wanting to pay up for Burnes at pitcher, but with some expensive bats in good spots as well. The Dodgers are one such team, facing off against the righty Will Crowe on this slate. Muncy is one of the best bats in the league, sporting a .964 OPS on the season, striking out only 18% of the time, taking a ton of walks, and racking up 26 home runs. From a cash game perspective, this is nearly the perfect profile, only lacking speed but that would just be gilding the lily. He is a better deal on FanDuel for sure where it might not be a total stretch to fit him in. Yuli Gurriel FD 3100 DK 5100 Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - KCFD - 14.51 DK - 11.13...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/16/21 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 Gerrit Cole FD - P 11400 DK - SP 10900 Opponent - LAA (José Suarez) Park - NYY FD - 42.61 DK - 23.81 Cole hasn't pitched in two weeks and his last start was a bit of a disaster(7 ER to @TB) but he is easily the best pitcher on this slate that lacks a whole lot of depth. There has been no announcement of a pitch count at the time of writing this so I am going to assume there won't be one which puts him easily at the top of the projections. Even with multiple hiccups along the way, Cole comes into his 22nd start of the season with a 3.11 ERA, 2.87 xFIP, and 34% K rate. He now gets a plus matchup against the Angels who have been producing runs 28% below league average over the past 14 days. Fire up Cole in all formats. Wade Miley FD - P 8800 DK - SP 8200 Opponent - CHC (Justin Steele) Park - CIN FD - 35.59 DK - 19.21 If you are not planning on paying up for Cole and Gausmna together tonight, Wade Miley is a solid SP2 option on DraftKings in the mid-tier. While the strikeout upside is limited(18.5% K rate), Miley has been terrific for the Reds in 2021 as he enters tonight's start with a 3.00 ERA and has only allowed more than three earned runs in a start four times. What stands out the most is the matchup vs. the depleted Cubs lineup that has a 79 wRC+ and 32% K rate since the trade deadline. Catcher/First Base Yuli Gurriel FD 3100 DK 5000 Opponent - KC (Carlos Hernández) Park - KC FD - 13.6 DK - 10.43 Gurriel is back after missing two weeks with a neck strain and while he hasn't recorded a hit in two games, he has walked twice and only struck out once. As a whole, the veteran is having a career year hitting .321 with a .386 OBP and a huge contributor in that #1 offense on Houston. The matchup is average as Carlos Hernandez has been good, not great(3.33 ERA/4.34 xFIP) since joining the rotation so I will have much more exposure to Gurriel on FanDuel with the lower pricing(relative to salary cap). Jesús Aguilar FD 3000 DK 3300 Opponent - ATL (Touki Toussaint) Park - ATL FD - 9.39 DK - 7.06...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/13/21 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! The Yankees and White Sox get a night off after an amazing display in the "Field of Dreams" game last night which gives us a 14-game slate tonight. Let's take a look at a few of my top plays at each position for DraftKings and FanDuel. Pitchers Robbie Ray FD - P 10700 DK - SP 9200 Opponent - SEA (Chris Flexen) Park - SEA FD - 37.17 DK - 19.73 I have a thing for road pitchers tonight and it starts with Robbie Ray who has been a bulldog for the Jays this season. He has provided tremendous safety going six or more innings eight of his last nine starts while posting a 2.10 ERA and 28% K rate. Adding to the PTS/$ floor is the fact he is at the low end of pricing we have seen home at recently and he also gets a boost in upside against a Mariners team that strikes out a ton(26.5%) against lefties. All things considered, Ray is my favorite pitcher on this slate. Blake Snell FD - P 9000 DK - SP 8400 Opponent - ARI (Madison Bumgarner) Park - ARI FD - 31.05 DK - 16.68 The decision at SP2 was a tough one as there are multiple viable options in this mid-range of pricing. For me, Snell gets the slight edge over Morton in cash games and it comes down to matchup as he faces a D-Backs team that has the 6th lowest wOBA, 5th lowest wRC+, and 2nd highest K rate(27%) since the trade deadline. There have definitely been some hiccups along the way this season but Snell is also starting to become more consistent and has held opponents to one of fewer earned runs in three of his last four starts. In this matchup, he is my favorite SP2 on this slate and at just $9K on FanDuel makes for a nice target to help load up on bats. Catcher/First Base Freddie Freeman FD 3600 DK 4800 Opponent - WSH (Josiah Gray) Park - WSH FD - 11.79 DK - 8.82 First base is a bit of a disaster tonight unless you acquire a loan to pay up for Vladdy or Olson. I get that Freddie Freeman has struggled in the short term but he is still an elite hitter(reigning NL MVP) and comes in with a .288/.388/.491 slash line. What stands out here and the reason he...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 8/12/21 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! Happy Field of Dreams day everyone! It has been a long time in the making but they built it and the Yankees and White Sox have arrived to play. The game is not on the main slate but you can bet I will have some action on this one in some form another. Let's dig in and look at some top DFS plays covering the entire day of baseball on Thursday. Pitchers Chris Bassitt FD - P 9900 DK - SP 10000 Opponent - CLE (Eli Morgan) Park - CLE FD - 36.13 DK - 19.83 Brandon Woodruff FD - P 11000 DK - SP 10200 Opponent - CHC (Kyle Hendricks) Park - CHC FD - 36.75 DK - 21.05 On the early slate, we get two aces on the mound, and on DraftKings I think we can consider pairing them together at just over $20K combined. Let's start with Bassitt who has been dominant in his last two starts going seven innings in both holding the Rangers and Angels to a combined one earned run with 15 strikeouts and just one walk. He gets the tougher matchup of the two but I list him first as I prefer him on FanDuel with the $1,100 discount. For Woodruff, he is a part of the best rotations in baseball and leads them with an elite 2.23 ERA and he is not only a safe play but has a ton of upside with a 30% K rate. The system has him as the top option tonight on both sites and it's hard to argue as he faces a Cubs depleted Cubs team that is striking out 28% of the time over the last two weeks. José Berríos FD - P 8500 DK - SP 8800 Opponent - LAA (Shohei Ohtani) Park - LAA FD - 35.27 DK - 19.25 I couldn't be more excited about this game as a Jays fans but also an Ohtani fan. Both pitchers are on my player pool in this smaller three-game slate but Berrios gets the edge in the much better matchup. He faces an Angels offense that has lost three of their last four(going into Wednesday night) and have tallied just a 73 wRC+ over the last two weeks with a 25% K rate. For Berrios, he has been terrific since coming over to Toronto at the deadline holding the Royals and Red Sox to a...