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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on August 12, 2022. Thunder Dan's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
It's another jammed-packed Friday full of MLB action with 13 games on the main slate and I'm ready to help you win some money playing MLB DFS.
But baseball isn't just something I enjoy writing about or gambling on, it's a part of my childhood and a game that I watched and played for many years. Today, I'm heading to a minor league game with my mom to celebrate her birthday and it's been a little while since she's been to the ballpark. So I am excited about that, and I know she is too. Happy Birthday, mom!
As always, this article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Friday's main slate locks at 7:05 EST on 8/12/2022. The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options, and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack! You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. Now that we got all of that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
If you like data, here are some projections for today's starting pitchers. Green is good for the pitcher, while red is bad!
(click to enlarge)
Carlos Rodon vs. PIT ($10,600 DK, $10,800 FD)
If I spend up for one pitcher tonight, it's Rodon. While Mad Max has been arguably better, he has a much tougher draw against the Phillies. Rodon gets a Pirates team that strikes out a ton against LHP and has very little pop from the right side of the plate. He's a big home favorite with major strikeout upside, it's a no-brainer for me to prioritize him as my SP1 in cash games.
Tyler Mahle @ LAA ($8,500 DK, $9,000 FD)
Mahle is always a bit volatile, but he's had fewer blowups this year and a move out of Cincinnati was definitely a good thing as that park never seemed to treat him very well. He's been pretty effective for Minnesota since coming over in a deadline trade but has faced some tough lineups, too. This is the best spot he's had in a while as the Angels have been one of the best teams to pick on in baseball with pitchers. There are a bunch of strikeouts in this lineup and really only Ohtani as far left-handed bats that Mahle has to work around.
Luis Garcia vs. OAK ($9,800 DK, $8,700 FD)
Garcia's price on DK is steep, but he's a nice pivot off Mahle on FD where at 8700 you might even entertain playing him in some cash formats for the savings over Rodon. Like Carlos, he's a huge home favorite with a nice match-up against a weak-hitting Oakland team that he has handled before. And other than Seth Brown's big swing, there simply aren't other lefties for Garcia to worry about here. I'd fire him up in all formats with confidence and I already bet him to pick up a win at -125 on DK.
Also consider - Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery, Austin Voth
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Christian Walker - 1B, ARI vs. Antonio Senzatela ($4,100 DK, $3,800 FD)
I'm dropping some BvP into some of these write-ups today, but I hope you don't think I am recommending players based solely on those numbers. Walker has a significant number of plate appearances (25) against Senzatela and some pretty impressive results with a .520 average, two home runs, and a 1.440 OPS. Everything lines up nicely for Walker and the Snakes here, as they are facing a high-contact pitcher in a park that allows more extra-base hits (not just HR) than any other. Senzy used to have sharp splits with lefties hitting him harder, but right-handers have been smacking him around this year, too. He's a groundball guy, so on any given day, he can troll. But I have to like Arizona here based on their current form and the match-up.
J.D. Davis - 3B, SFG vs. Bryse Wilson ($2,200 DK, $2,500 FD)
Davis has been reborn in the Bay area! The Mets sent him packing for Darin Ruf at the deadline and Davis has responded by hitting three HR since arriving. He's dirt cheap and provides some nice value at a position that is kind of bare today - third base. Wilson is one of the worst starters in Pittsburgh's rotation and Davis should have plenty of opportunities to make good on his low price here.
Trea Turner - SS, LAD vs. Daniel Lynch ($5,500 DK, $4,200 FD)
Turner has been so darn good against lefties this season. He and Betts at the top of the lineup have to be the toughest draw for any lefty (sorry Daniel Lynch) in the first inning as both hit for power, average and have awesome speed. I like paying up at middle infield spots to be contrarian on bigger slates and even in cash games, it can make sense to lock in some raw points at a weak position and punt at positions like first base, third base, and outfield.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Juan Soto - OF, SDP vs. Cory Abbott ($5,900 DK, $4,000 FD)
Soto has been kind of overpriced most of the year, but it feels like he could be about to go nuts on his new team, and in this now really loaded Padres' lineup. We saw San Diego put up a crooked number just the other day and I think they could do something similar tonight against a young, inexperienced starter and a really bad Washington bullpen. I don't play narratives, but Soto is coming back to Washington for the first time since the trade and I'm sure he wants to show out, too.
Kyle Tucker - OF, HOU vs. Adam Oller ($4,400 DK, $3,500 FD)
Consider that Yordan Alvarez is 1400 dollars more to roster (not that you shouldn't play him by any means). I view Tucker with a similar ceiling and I want exposure to this Houston offense against Oller, a guy who hasn't really shown much so far in his limited big league experience. Tucker saw him once earlier this season and went 2-2 off him with a HR. I don't play guys based on BvP (especially with such a small sample size), but I still think it's worth mentioning. Tucker is a stud, Oller is a dud, and I love the price here.
Alex Verdugo - OF, BOS vs. Domingo German ($2,900 DK, $3,000 FD)
How about some value in the outfield? Verdugo has been hitting cleanup for Boston since their roster shake-up and has been productive there. The Yankees have to roll out Domingo German for another start here and Vegas expects a lot of offense in this one as it has a 9.5 total. I'm a big fan of his skill set and at this price, I'm not worried about a HR if I can get a couple of hits, maybe a few runs or RBI from him.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Here are my top stacks for tonight (in the order in which I like them)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (6.3 implied run total) vs. Antonio Senzatela (4.57 xFIP)
- San Diego Padres (5.6 implied run total) vs. Cory Abbott (7.54 xFIP)
- Houston Astros (5.7 implied run total) vs. Adam Oller (7.11 xFIP)
- L.A. Dodgers (5.6 implied run total) vs. Daniel Lynch (4.92 xFIP)
The Snakes are in Coors, which makes them pretty obvious but their BvP against Senzatela is too good to ignore in my opinion. Of the other three, I think I like the Padres the most as Abbott has a massive barrel rate allowed (small sample size warning, of course) and the Washington bullpen we know is a disaster.
I hope I gave you a head start on your research today and I wish you the best of luck! If you ever have questions about DFS or fantasy baseball, my DMs are always open and I appreciate you taking the time to read my picks today.
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