Nice little Thursday we have lined up here - with just two of the eleven games scheduled taking place during the day, we've got a nine game main slate on our hands. I say that with excitement, because although we don't have the plethora of options a Tuesday or Wednesday gives us, nine games at night is more than the usual six or seven we have to work with on a getaway day. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for FanDuel on 8/18/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from high-priced to low-priced options and identify options who will out-perform their expectations, including sleepers and value plays on FanDuel.

The most attractive games from a projected run total standpoint in Vegas are the following: Red Sox at Tigers (9.5), Nationals at Braves (9), Dodgers at Phillies (9), and Twins at Royals (9). All-in-all, a little underwhelming on that front. As for positive park factors for hitters, those with the best setup are the following: the left-handed batters of the Astros and Orioles, the right-handed batters of the Marlins and Reds, and the left-handed batters of the White Sox and Indians.

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DFS Lineup Stacks to Target for FanDuel

Washington Nationals against Rob Whalen 

This game features the second highest over/under (9) of the night and the Nationals are pretty heavily favored (-140) - especially for a team that isn't exactly marching out a front-end starter. Rob Whalen essentially projects to be a Quad-A starter. He doesn't have great stuff, throws for a very low strike percentage and has a real hard time keeping the ball in the yard.

His major league statistics are a small sample size, but he has been hammered by batters from both sides of the plate and has allowed a 2.25 HR/9 rate thus far in 2016. The Nationals offense seems to be clicking right now, especially thanks to the likes of Trea Turner, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper. I like either Daniel Murphy or Anthony Rendon as the fourth piece of this stack puzzle.

Also Consider: Baltimore Orioles versus Joe Musgrove (GPP)

 

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider for FanDuel

Jose Fernandez (SP, MIA) - $11,100

When you still own the highest K/9 rate on a day where MadBum is pitching as well, that's really saying something. By all accounts, Fernandez has been brilliant and pretty consistent this season, and I expect the trend to continue tonight. The price is a fairly steep one, but I can't think of any downsides outside of the fact that pitching in Cincinnati is a downgrade from the park in Miami.

There are a lot of reasons to like Jose though, starting with his 12.74 K/9 and his low 0.72 HR/9 allowed. On top of that, Fernandez sports a ridiculously low 13% hard hit rate over his past two starts and his strikeout projection gets a boost, as the Reds have struck out in nearly 28% of their at-bats versus right-handed pitchers this season.

Also Consider: Archie Bradley (SP, ARI) - $6,300 (GPP only)

 

DFS Infielders to Consider for FanDuel

Catcher (C) - Drew Butera (C, KCR) - $2,300

Cheap backstop with power upside? You can check both boxes with Butera, who has a nice matchup tonight against Tyler Duffey. For the season, Butera owns a solid .343 wOBA split and an impressive .209 ISO split.

First Base (1B) - Freddie Freeman (1B, ATL) - $3,600

Freddie has been absolutely smoking the ball of late - he owns a 62% hard hit rate in the past 15 days - and he has a nice little matchup ahead of him as well. He hits right in the meat of the Braves order and his splits against right-handed pitching are very impressive - .392 wOBA and a .252 ISO.

Second Base (2B) - Ryan Schimpf (2B, SDP) - $3,000

Unless you're rolling with Bradley in tournament formats (I'll definitely have a few shares myself), you've got to make sure Schimpf is on your roster. He's been destroying right-handed pitching lately and his splits - .394 wOBA and a .353 ISO - are most impressive. He's also a real bargain at this price point when you consider the upside.

Shortstop (SS) - Trea Turner (SS, WAS) - $3,700

Turner's price finally dipped back under 4K and tonight is the perfect opportunity to add him to your roster without breaking the bank. He'll be a key piece in my main stack and he's a great option in cash or tournament formats. He and his .374 wOBA and .226 ISO split should have little trouble picking on poor Rob Whalen.

Third Base (3B) - Jake Lamb (3B, ARI) - $3,200

Like Schimpf, Lamb is another guy who is a great bargain with a good matchup and, most importantly, has a high wOBA and high ISO split. He's swinging a warm bat right now as well, having eclipsed 12 FanDuel points in each of his last two games.

 

DFS Outfielders to Consider for FanDuel

Christian Yelich (OF, MIA) - $3,500

Yelich against a right-handed pitcher in a hitter's ballpark is essentially a no-brainer. The young outfielder has been smoking righties, as showcased by his season-long .407 wOBA and .206 ISO splits. He also owns a 46% hard-hit rate over the past 15 days and hits in the top third of the Marlins order.

Bryce Harper (OF, WAS) - $4,000

With so much value on the board today, it's easy to pay up for a hitter like Harper. That decision is made even easier when you consider the pitching opponent is Rob Whalen and the fact that Harper has incredible splits and has been smoking the ball recently.

Brandon Guyer (OF, CLE) - $2,500

When you're in search of a cheaper option with power upside, always look to Guyer when the team is facing a southpaw. The Indians move him up in the order, and for good reason. On the season, he owns a monstrous .458 wOBA split and a very strong .264 ISO split.

Also Consider: Mike Trout (OF, LAA) - $4,200

 

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