DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/27/21 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 Interesting slate tonight in that we have two top pitchers, both in plus matchups followed by a sea of pitchers who are either struggling, not consistent, have ugly matchups. I don't think we can pay up for both top pitchers on DraftKings tonight but I am going to make a case for both anyway. Gerrit Cole FD 11200 DK 10500 Opponent - OAK (James Kaprielian) Park - OAK FD - 38.33 DK - 21.4 After Getting popped by Tampa in July, Cole has bounced back in a big way giving up just seven hits and one earned run over his last two starts(11.2 IP) while striking out 15 and walking just two. While the matchup doesn't jump off the page, he does get the A's at a good time as they went to Thursday night's game losers of four straight and eight of their last 10 while scoring just 2.7 runs per game. It is close but coming slightly cheaper than McClanahan on DraftKings, Cole is my top pitcher but by the smallest of margins. Shane McClanahan FD 10500 DK 10700 Opponent - BAL (Matt Harvey) Park - BAL FD - 35.49 DK - 19.33 While it may seem crazy that McClanahan is the most expensive pitcher on DraftKings and more than Cole there is an argument for it. First of all, he is having a tremendous rookie season with a 3.63 ERA and even better 3.20 xFIP while also adding a 28.5% K rate. He also gets a terrific matchup against an Orioles team he has faced three times in the second half, holding them to 14 hits and five earned runs across 17 innings while striking out 7+ in each start. I will have exposure in all formats. Catcher/First Base Yuli Gurriel FD 3400 DK 5000 Opponent - TEX (Glenn Otto) Park - TEX FD - 12.79 DK - 9.81 I have always found it very interesting being a baseball writer and getting the same teams/players daily but having different player pools. A lot of that has to do with matchups for sure but this season pricing has dictated so much of my player pool. A great example is Paul Goldschmidt being $4800 on DK last night and now in a similar matchup is $6K tonight. If you have the money, there are a ton of options to pay up for here but for me, I am going...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 8/26/21 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 Chris Sale FD 10700 DK 10200 Opponent - MIN (John Gant) Park - MIN FD - 37.88 DK - 21.39 It feels like Chris Sale's return is going a bit under the radar which seems crazy considering he has put up 21+ DK/36+ FD points in each of his first two starts back after missing nearly two years. Even more impressive is that he has put up those numbers while being limited to 89 and 71 pitches, getting through five innings in both starts and picking up the win. The price continues to rise but so should the pitch count and the Red Sox are huge -300 favorites giving him excellent win equity once again. Sale is my top pitcher in all formats on Thursday. Alex Wood FD 8200 DK 8700 Opponent - NYM (Carlos Carrasco) Park - NYM FD - 31.23 DK - 16.85 This is a situation where the price and performance are going in the opposite direction leading to a buy-low situation. After nearly hitting $10K on DraftKings two weeks ago, his price starting falling after a couple of bad performances. The good news is that he has bounced back nicely posting 21+ DK/36+ FD points in two straight starts and now faces a Mets team that has dropped 10 of 12 while scoring just 3.2 runs per game and striking out 27% of the time. I will have exposure in all formats. Miles Mikolas FD 7500 DK 7100 Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - PIT FD - 30.03 DK - 15.38 If you are looking to load up on bats, we get another buy-low with Mile Mikolas is only one start removed from missing nearly three months with a forearm injury. While limited to 84 pitches in his return, he looked good allowing just two hits with two runs(both unearned) while striking out five. He will be facing the same Pirates team in a plus matchup as they rank 2nd to last in both wOBA and wRC+ since the All-Star Break. With a pitch count that is likely to rise plus the low price, Mikolas is my favorite PTS/$ SP2 on this slate. Catcher/First Base Paul Goldschmidt FD 3800 DK 4800 Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - PIT FD - 11.76 DK - 8.85 Targeting bad pitchers is the name of the game and that puts the Cardinals right near the top of the...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 8/23/21 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 Lance Lynn FD - P 10100 DK - SP 9900 Opponent - TOR (Alek Manoah) Park - TOR FD - 33.99 DK - 19.25 Let me preface by saying I don't like anything about this slate in terms of pitching. With that said, there is really no other place to start than lance Lynn who is the odds-on favorite to win the American League CY Young award and while he faces a stacked Jays offense, he at least gives us a consistent floor with the strikeouts to counter those starts he gives up two to four earned runs. He is also facing the Jays at a good time as they have dropped seven of their last nine games scoring three or less six times. By default, Lynn is my top pitcher on this slate. Zack Greinke FD - P 9200 DK - SP 8900 Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - HOU FD - 32.21 DK - 16.85 Greinke has the best shot at a win and quality start(FanDuel) tonight as the Astros are the biggest favorites(-228) on the slate and he averages just shy of six innings pitcher per start. The issue here is that he is coming off a start where he struck out no batters across six innings and faces a hot Royals team that has won six of their last seven and have struck out a league-low 17% of the time over the last two weeks. Considering the lack of options and win equity here, Greinke is my top SP2 tonight. Catcher/First Base Yuli Gurriel FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 5100 Opponent - KC (Daniel Lynch) Park - HOU FD - 14.2 DK - 10.89 It took some time since returning from injury but Gurriel appears to be heating up and is fully on my radar Monday night. He enters the night with hits in three straight and four of his last five games and has crushed lefties to the tune of a .395 wOBA and 158 wRC+ on the season. He is my top play at first base in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is still in the low $3K range. Ty France FD - 1B 3300 DK - 1B 3700 Opponent - OAK (Paul Blackburn) Park - OAK FD - 9.49 DK - 7.24 If you want to go the value route on DraftKings, France is a player who seems...

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 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...