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Baseball starts another week of games with 11 of them on Monday. Unfortunately, only seven of those 11 make the main slate on FanDuel. That has us missing out the Toronto Blue Jays feasting on the Baltimore Orioles and Jesse Winker continuing to tear the cover off the ball against the St. Louis Cardinals.
This article will focus on the players available in the main slate. There are still plenty of great options (especially at pitcher), and it will be an exciting day to differentiate your lineups.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 8/31/2020. Be sure also to check out all the MLB player news including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like DraftKings, and other sports too.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Shane Bieber - CLE @ KC ($12,000)
Bieber comes in as the top pitcher on a stacked slate, but it will cost quite the pretty penny on Monday. $12,000 is a lot to dedicate to one player, but there may not be a more sure thing on the slate. The 25-year-old has been dominating in 2020 with a 1.35 ERA, and 0.81 WHIP backed up by a 1.57 xFIP. Bieber is striking out 42.9 percent of the batters he faces and gets to take on a struggling Kansas City offense. The Royals rank inside the bottom six in baseball with a .311 weighted on-base average versus right-handed pitchers. Bieber struck out 14 Royals in his first start of the season, and that's definitely in play again tonight.
Max Fried - ATL @ BOS ($8,600)
If you don't want to tie yourself down to such a hefty price tag in the pitching department, take a look at Max Fried. Atlanta's defacto ace has been lights out this season. He is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and has 38 strikeouts in 40 innings. Fried doesn't offer the same upside as Bieber in the strikeout department, but he gets to pitch against a Red Sox offense that also has a .311 wOBA versus right-handed hurlers. Boston is also throwing Colten Brewer on the mound, and it elevates Fried's chances of grabbing a vital win for your FanDuel lineup.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Yasmani Grandal, C - CWS @ MIN ($2,900)
I was genuinely surprised to see Grandal priced this low after his recent form. In his last nine games, the catcher has hit all four home runs with five RBI and seems to be heating up at the plate after a slow start with his new club. He faces south Rich Hill today and will look to take advantage of the favorable matchup. Grandal is a switch hitter and is 4-for-15 with a home run, five RBI, and a .848 OPS versus left-handed pitching as a right-handed batter this season.
Jake Cronenworth - 2B, SDP @ COL ($3,300)
The days of Jake Cronenworth being a cheat code in daily fantasy may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean he won't be in lineups for a matchup at Coors Field. Cronenworth and the Padres face take on German Marquez in the Mile High City, and daily players should expect some offensive fireworks in the series finale. The second baseman is 4-for-11 in this series with a home run, four runs, and five RBI. He owns a 1.077 OPS versus right-handed pitching in 2020, and that should only increase to begin the week.
Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B - WAS @ PHI ($2,800)
Another surprisingly lower-priced option for Monday's games is Asdrubal Cabrera. The two-time All-Star is enjoying a great month of August and will look to cap it off with another productive outing versus Philadelphia Phillies rookie, Spencer Howard. Cabrera is slashing .263/.367/.461 for the month with four home runs and 11 RBI in 21 games. He's projected to bat third, and this should be a high scoring game with both starters priced within the bottom three on FanDuel's main slate.
Trea Turner - SS, WAS @ BOS ($3,900)
Shortstop is such a loaded position across baseball, that it's tough to go wrong with any selection, but we will continue to ride Trea Turner's hot bat to begin the week. In his weekend series versus the Boston Red Sox, Turner went 11-for-15 with three runs, three RBI, and four doubles. The shortstop is averaging 18.9 fantasy points per game over his last 10 contests and should continue his torrid stretch versus the Phillies on Monday.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper, OF - PHI vs. WAS ($4,300)
Harper has stepped it up in his second year with the Phillies. The 27-year-old is slashing .290/.429/.581 this season with 23 runs, seven home runs, 21 RBI, and four stolen bases in 28 games. He's been in a bit of a funk over the last seven days, but he's too good to let that continue for much longer. The Nationals have Erick Fedde on the mound to begin the series tonight, and his 3.57 ERA and 6.18 xERA suggests that there is some significant regression in his future. Expect Harper to move that along with a slump-breaking performance tonight.
Trent Grisham, OF - SDP @ COL ($3,700)
A mini-Padres stack to start the week includes Trent Grisham during his breakout season. The second-year outfielder has 24 runs, eight home runs, 17 RBI, and four stolen bases this year and has been smashing the ball this year. In 51 games for the Brewers last season, Grisham had six barrels and 36 hard-hit balls, but in 35 games with the Padres in 2020, he is up to 13 barrels and 35 hard-hit balls.
Andrew McCutchen, OF - PHI vs. WAS ($3,100)
The Nationals-Phillies game could be a massive game for daily fantasy, so let's continue to go after it with Andrew McCutchen. He's reached base in 14-straight games but has been more impressive recently with four multi-hit performances in his last five. He's the 22nd-most expensive outfielder on the slate, but his 18.1 fantasy points per game leads the position over the previous five games, and his 15.4 FPPG in his last 10 contests ranks him third. McCutchen's low price and recent form make him a big part of my lineups for today's games.
