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Kevin Luchansky highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 8/10/18, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
We've got a big 14-game slate on deck for this evening and it looks pretty interesting as there is just one five-digit priced pitcher and a handful of others from that "good/great but not elite" tier. The Nationals and Cubs are the matinee and the other 28 teams will be playing under the lights in the FanDuel Main contests.
Let's take a look at a few Vegas lines before we dive into the player selections. As of Friday morning, the teams with the highest implied run totals - ideal targets for stacks - are as follows Yankees (5.4), Dodgers (5.3), Rockies (5.3), Red Sox (5.3), Diamondbacks (5.1) and the Indians at 5.0. On the moneyline, it starts with the Yankees again at -209, followed by Astros (-198), Red Sox (-190), Indians (-143) and the Cardinals at -142.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 8/10/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @kpLuch.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Gerrit Cole - SP, vs SEA ($10,500)
It was really nice of the Mariners to get all of those home runs out of their system last night so we could roster Gerrit Cole tonight with elevated confidence. He grades out as my top cash game pitcher tonight, coming in with positive starts in four of his last five and his opponent this evening having an implied run total of just 3.1 runs - the lowest of any team in the 14 game Main slate. Cole and the Astros are also the second highest moneyline favorites (-198) and his recent batted ball data helps make the case for him as well. Over his last two starts, he's allowed a hard hit rate of just 17% to go with strong season-long numbers in WHIP at 1.07 and K/9 at 11.8.
Shane Bieber - SP, at CWS ($7,800)
As we have a handful of pitchers in this mid-range that are in decent spots - but no sure things - I think it's a fine time to take a risk on a pitcher in this tier with high upside that also allows you to pay up for elite hitters. Bieber is in a good spot to blow the doors of his price implied value if he can handle the run prevention aspect of his game. He enters tonight having beaten value in two straight and three of his last four games. He's racked up 7 strikeouts his last two times on the hill and his K/9 on the season is pretty good at 9.5. The strikeout upside is present today as well, facing a White Sox team whose projected lineup has a 25.7% K rate against right-handed pitching this season.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Yadier Molina - C, at KCR ($3,300)
Molina has had some impressive batted ball data for a week or so now without much to show for it - until last night when he launched a home run and put up 25+ FanDuel points. He's pretty cheap today, too, considering the matchup and good lineup context. For the season, he's produced a .326 wOBA and a .170 ISO mark against right-handed pitching.
Max Muncy - 1B, at COL ($3,700)
First base is an absolutely loaded position tonight and I think there are a number of directions you could go that will lead you to profitability. In tournaments, I have a lot of interest in Muncy as he gets an enormous park upgrade moving to Coors and he's also been knocking the leather off the ball - 68% hard hit rate in the past week. Jon Gray is no easy matchup, but Muncy also boasts really strong splits against right-handed pitching this season, highlighted by a .391 wOBA and a .319 ISO.
Gleyber Torres - 2B, vs TEX ($3,900)
I love this spot for Gleyber this evening. He and his teammates are at home in the extremely home run friendly Yankee Stadium and they'll face a pitcher in Mike Minor that has allowed 1.59 HR/9 to right-handed hitters this season. Torres has essentially already reached elite status in the wOBA split department as he's knocked around southpaws with a .401 mark, along with a really strong .274 ISO.
Miguel Sano - 3B, at DET ($2,600)
Many of the elite third baseman will cost you an arm and a leg today, but Sano stands out at the hot corner as a guy who could put up big numbers tonight and save you 2k in salary in the process. He has been tearing the cover off the ball in the past two weeks, posting a 59% hard hit rate in that stretch along with 218 foot average batted ball distance. His splits aren't where they once were in years past, but he's crept them up to respetable marks in wOBA (.311) and in ISO (.198).
Jose Peraza - SS, vs ARI ($2,500)
Speaking of salary savings, Peraza isn't a guy with as high an upside as Sano, but he does have a safer floor and a good matchup as well. He provides nice value out of the leadoff spot (especially at this price) and he's a stolen base threat, too. For the season, he's posted a .309 wOBA split and he'll be facing a pitcher in Clay Buccholz that has allowed over a 40% hard hit rate in his last two starts.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Giancarlo Stanton - OF, vs TEX ($4,900)
Stanton did some serious damage last night and I think he's in great position to do it again tonight. As I mentioned, Minor struggles with the long ball to right-handed hitters, and Stanton is one of the best in the game at crushing southpaws. For the season, he's posted a .530 wOBA and a .425 ISO, which are other-worldly elite figures.
David Peralta - OF, at CIN ($3,800)
Peralta and his Arizona teammates get a nice park upgrade tonight and a date with Anthony DeSclafani. DeSclafani has struggled tremendously with lefties this season, allowing a .410 wOBA and a .643 slugging percentage. That, mixed with Peralta's strong splits against right-handed pitching (.383 wOBA, .230 ISO) is a good recipe for success this evening.
