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We have a nice five-game nightcap for our Thursday full of baseball. The Dodgers/Guardians tilt was already left off of this one, so we shouldn't have anything to worry about other than some rain that could infiltrate Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Now that is out of the way, let's turn the focus to the evening. This article contains my picks for the five-game main slate on Thursday, August 24, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 7:05 PM ET.
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.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Pablo Lopez, MIN vs. TEX ($10,600 DK, $10,900 FD)
Lopez had a rough June, but that is a distant memory with how dominant he has been in August. He hasn't just been good...he has been almost historically great. Lopez is 4-0 with a 0.38 ERA in August with 27 strikeouts in 25 innings. Lopes hasn't allowed a run in his last 20 innings of work and has allowed just three extra-base hits in the entire month.
I don't like throwing guys at Texas, but I'm not sure Lopez is mortal anymore. Besides, Texas is in the middle of the pack against right-handed pitchers in August and are striking out at a 27.6% clip.
Andrew Heaney, TEX at MIN ($7,700 DK, $8,200 FD)
Heaney is a guy that I usually look to throw some righty bats at. I will likely have a Twin or two just in case but looking at his career against Minnesota...maybe not.
Heaney has not allowed a homer to a current Twins player in 88 plate appearances and is striking them out at a 33% clip. These numbers are from before the Twins swung at anything that looked white this season. We could see an even higher strikeout rate tonight. The Statast shows that the Twins are making tons of soft contact on Heaney and hitting a lot of fly balls. Soft fly balls and strikeouts could spell a great night for Heaney at a discount price.
Others to consider: Justin Steele ($9,800 DK, $10,400 FD) at PIT
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Ryan O'Hearn - 1B/OF, BAL vs. TOR ($3,100 DK, $2,700 FD)
A righty is on the mound tonight for the Jays, so expect O'Hearn in the cleanup slot. O'Hearn has slowed down a bit in August, but not enough to be concerned about. Besides, his 7-for-22 (.318) mark against Jose Berrios with two doubles and two homers is nice enough to chase at this price. I have expensive taste when it comes to outfielders tonight, so I'll save a bit with a cheap O'Hearn batting cleanup.
Zack Gelof - 2B, OAK at CWS ($5,700 DK, $4,200 FD)
Gelof struggled to find his footing in the majors after his callup on July 14. He hit just .218 in July, but he has heated up with the weather in August. Gelof is hitting a robust .351 in 20 August games with six homers, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored, and three steals. The options in the middle infield are a little thin tonight, so I'll take some of my savings and spend on a red-hot Gelof.
Ke'Bryan Hayes - 3B, PIT vs. CHC ($4,500 DK, $3,000 FD)
Hayes picked up where he left off in June. Hayes hit a robust .337 in 21 June games before missing most of July with a back injury. He has come back with a .288 average in August with four of his nine homers this month and 14 RBI in 17 games. The Pirates haven't hit Justin Steele well, but Hayes is the exception. He has two hits in four tries against Steele with a double and a homer.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Cody Bellinger - OF, CHC at PIT ($6,400 DK, $4,200 FD)
Bellinger hasn't homered since Saturday (slacker), but he is still driving in runs. Four in four games this week to be exact. That marks 21 RBI in 20 August games to go with his five homers and nine multi-hit games. The chances of him hitting a home run against Andre Jackson are pretty high.
Tommy Pham - OF, ARI vs. CIN ($3,900 DK, $2,900 FD)
Pham extended his hitting streak to 13 games last night. He has five doubles, a triple, three homers, and 14 RBI in those 13 games. I have no idea how he is still this cheap, but I'm going to keep running him. Getting guaranteed points at any slot in your lineup is very nice.
Daulton Varsho - OF, TOR at BAL ($3,300 DK, $2,600 FD)
While it is true that the new dimensions at Camden Yards are suppressing power, it's mostly from right-handed hitters. Remember Ken Griffey Jr. hitting the warehouse there during the 1993 All-Star game? The dimensions are the same as they were then to right field. Varsho isn't Griffey, but he isn't priced like him either. Actually...on a hot day you might mistake Varsho for Griffey of late. Varsho is hitting .303 with three doubles, a triple, three homers, 10 RBI, seven runs scored, and a pair of steals in the last 10 games.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Chicago Cubs vs. Andre Jackson
Jackson has a solid 3.46 ERA in four appearances since his trade from the Dodgers in June. The problem is that Jackson has only gone a combined eight innings in two starts. That means open season on a Pittsburgh bullpen that ranks 20th in bullpen ERA (4.15). Have fun, Cubbies!
Favorite pieces: Bellinger, Ian Happ, Mike Tauchman, Jeimer Candelario, Chris Morel
Also consider: Chicago White Sox vs. Ken Waldichuk
The Sox are heavy on right-handed hitters and Waldo has been pretty bad on the road. He has a 7.29 ERA in 54 1/3 innings away from the pitcher-friendly Coliseum. Waldichuk's final tally likely won't be that bad since the Sox strike out a lot, but some of these righties should get him.
Favorite pieces: Luis Robert Jr., Elvis Andrus, Eloy Jimenez, Trayce Thompson, Yoan Moncada
Sneaky Stack: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kyle Gibson
As the weather gets hotter, Gibson gets worse. Gibson is still striking out more batters than usual, but he has a ghastly 6.02 ERA over his last 10 starts. He has allowed 13 runs in just 10 1/3 innings in his last two starts against the powerhouse offenses of Oakland and Seattle. What do you think the Jays are going to do to him?
Favorite pieces: Varsho, Brandon Belt, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Matt Chapman
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