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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on August 9th, 2019. Austyn Varney's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Welcome to Friday baseball on DraftKings! I hope you're ready for a fun night, as DK has given us some huge tournaments. The biggest of the night is for the high rollers, with an $888 entry fee bringing $100k to first place. It's also the final stretch for the qualifier, so this will be one of the last slates to get into the main event. For the cheaper blood, DK has rolled out $11 Hidden Ball Trick with $50k to first.
The slate is a fun one, with 14 games and plenty of options to choose from. There are five or six pitchers worth considering in cash games, so we shouldn't see anyone too highly owned. There are another five or six pitchers who are barely holding onto their spots and can be taken advantage of in a huge way. There are already six offenses expected to score five runs and Vegas hasn't dropped the line for most games yet. It's going to be a fun night. Let's dive in!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/9/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @VarneyDFS.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Walker Buehler - LAD vs. ARI - $11,500
Walker Buehler has been pure silly at home this season, sporting a .221 wOBA against while striking out 11.50 batters per nine innings. Over his last five games at home, Buehler has struck out 57 batters while giving up just four earned runs. Dave Roberts has stretched Buehler over 100 pitches regularly, and it's results in two complete games over the last month. Buehler struck out nine Diamondbacks over seven innings just three starts ago. He's easily the most expensive pitcher on the slate, but he's safer than the field and has CGSO upside every time he takes the mound. Buehler is a top five fantasy pitcher and is worth a look on any slate when at home.
Julio Teheran - ATL @ MIA - $8,800
Teheran is not a great pitcher, but he's cheap and the Marlins are right-handed heavy. We all know Teheran struggles against lefties and dominates righties. He's pitched the same way for years and the Braves consistently lean on him for six to seven innings. The Marlins rank dead last against right-handers, sporting a .281 wOBA and striking out 25% of the time. The braves are -160 favorites and the Marlins are projected for under four runs. Teheran is safe and affordable, making him worth it in both formats.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - Tom Murphy - SEA vs. TB (Beeks) - $3,700
You never know who will get the start here, but Tom Murphy should be starting at catcher against lefties. He's sported a .407 wOBA against southpaws while hitting six home runs and four doubles in just 77 at-bats. He's truly a platoon hitter that destroys left-handed pitching. Beeks has given up a 4.69 xFIP to right-handers and has huge home run issues. As long as Tom Murphy is in the lineup, he's a tremendous value play at catcher.
1B - Josh Bell - PIT @ STL (Hudson) - $4,500
Dakota Hudson is a pretty solid pitcher, but he's had a huge amount of trouble with left-handed power. In 53 innings of work, Hudson has given up a .384 wOBA and 11 homers. He's walking 6.08 of them per nine innings, so there's not much hoping when you're doing that. Josh Bell has't been as good as he was in the first half, but he's still held on to .397 wOBA and has hit 27 home runs. He's priced down a bit on DK and makes sense in both cash games and tournaments.
2B - Ozzie Albies - ATL @ MIA (Smith) - $4,400
If you read my picks columns on a daily basis, you know how I feel about Ozzie Albies. He's one of the best hitters in baseball vs lefties and he's on my radar anytime the Braves face off with a southpaw. In 109 at-bats, Albies has sported a .451 wOBA with eight home runs and six doubles. Caleb Smith is a solid young pitcher, but he's not perfect. He's allowed a 4.31 xFIP and 14 home runs to right-handers in under 80 innings of work. Albies also has speed, so the spacious ballpark doesn't always hurt him. He's affordable on DK and shouldn't be over 10% owned.
3B - Evan Longoria - SF vs. PHI (Smyly) - $4,000
I know the Giants are a pitiful offense, but they run into a pitcher that is far worse. Drew Smyly has given up 20 home runs and a .406 wOBA through just 69 innings of work. That's a league-worst 2.60 HR/9. This ballpark may protect Smyly a bit and I suppose there will be people targeting him in tournaments, but I'll stick with the Giants. Longoria is still a solid hitter vs lefties, sporting a .341 wOBA with three dingers in just 90 AB's. There are always a ton of options at 3B, but Longoria is affordable and has plenty of upside.
SS - Fernando Tatits Jr. - SDP vs. COL (Freeland) - $5,600
Tatis Jr. is clearly one of the more special rookies we have ever seen. Aside from the miraculous season he's having, he's homered in three straight with a 87% hard contact rate. He now sees Kyle Freeland, who has been terrible this season. Against righties, Freeland has allowed a .391 wOBA and 19 home runs in 65 innings. It's nearly impossible how bad some of the pitchers on this slate have been. Tatis Jr. is going to once again dominate and it just comes down to where his line drives land. He will cost you an arm and leg, so make you're you are comfortable in other positions first.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Mike Trout - LAA @ BOS (Johnson) - $5,800
It's going to come down to Trout and Tatis Jr. for my top expensive play of the day. It'll be tough to choose between the two in cash games, as there isn't much bad to say about either. The best player in baseball is in Fenway Park and facing a bad lefty. Trout has posted over a .400 wOBA against lefties for five years now and will have fun with the green monster. Brian Johnson is an average at best pitcher and has allowed a .341 wOBA to right-handers. Vegas expects the Angels to put up five plus runs tonight and we can only assume Trout will be a huge part of it.
Kevin Pillar - SF vs. PHI (Smyly) - $3,900
Kevin Pillar is a forgettable hitter on most nights, sitting in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and hitting in the bottom half of a terrible lineup. That all changes when Drew Smyly comes to town. He's been the league's worst lefty in terms of home runs allowed and hasn't shown much promise. He gave up another five runs last game and the Giants have been decent against lefties. Pillar has sported a .331 wOBA against lefties and has plenty of upside for his under $4k price.
