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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/25/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Wednesday, Rotoballers! The middle of the week grants us 10 games on the featured DraftKings slate, and it's going to be a doozy. Eight of the 10 contests begin between 7:05 pm and 7:10 pm Eastern. The Reds and Brewers throw out their first pitch an hour later than the East Coast, and then the Dodgers and Padres start another must-watch matchup at 10:10 pm Eastern.
Fortunately, there are several tempting arms to fill our two pitching spots. I could see myself grabbing anyone from the most Brandon Woodruff ($10,200), the most expensive pitcher, all the way down to Josiah Gray at $7,900. My best under-the-radar- pick would have to be Lucas Giolito. At times, the Toronto Blue Jays are a terrifying lineup, but Giolito has scored 22.5 points in five of his last eight starts. He should be on fewer rosters than the other aces on the board, and he's a sneaky tournament play.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/25/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Luis Castillo - P, CIN at MIL ($9,300)
One lousy start should not ruin what has been an incredible stretch for Luis Castillo. Since the calendar flipped to June, Castillo is providing a 2.73 ERA. Since the All-Star break, Castillo is striking out 27.5 percent of the batters he's facing while going at least six innings in six of his seven starts. Furthermore, the right-handed hurler averages 24.9 fantasy points per game in those six starts, and one of those outings came against this same Brewers unit. He pitched against the Brewers in back-to-back starts around the All-Star break and combined for 11 1/3 innings with 14 strikeouts. Of course, the walks will always be a concern with Castillo, but he's been a great DFS asset for over two months and has the opportunity to have a strong August finish against a tougher-than-most Milwaukee team.
Josiah Gray - P, MIA vs. WAS ($7,900)
Josiah Gray is one of the players Washington acquired in their swap with the Dodgers for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Through four starts with the Nationals, he's passing the MLB test with flying colors, at least on the surface. Gray is sporting a 2.86 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 24.4 percent strikeout rate for the 2019 World Champions, but his 4.88 xFIP suggests there could be a regression in his future if he doesn't improve. However, lady luck may not come for him on Wednesday against a weak Miami lineup. Over the last two months, the Marlins are striking out 24.6 percent of the time versus righties and only producing a 92 wRC+. Grabbing Gray at $7,900 enables managers to capture any of the top-tier arms remaining on the slate and provides flexibility for their hitting lineup.
Other options: Walker Buehler at SD ($9,700), Shohei Ohtani at BAL ($8,700), Lucas Giolito at TOR ($8,300)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
J.T. Realmuto - C, PHI vs. Ryan Yarbrough ($5,200)
I'm not enamored by any of the backstop options on today's slate. So I may be looking at a pay-up situation and relying on the steady bat of J.T. Realmuto. While the ISO and the slugging have dipped for one of the best catchers in the game, he's still covering the position most days and giving us a steady stream of fantasy points. And over his last three games, he's smacked a double and a home run to show us he can still drive the ball. Since the All-Star break, Ryan Yarbrough has been abysmal with a 6.75 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 1.99 HR/nine innings rate. I think Realmuto's recent uptick in power will coincidence neatly with Yarbrough's poor run of form and result in a big day for the Phillies catcher.
Max Muncy - 1B/3B, LAD at Yu Darvish ($5,500)
Max Muncy has one of the more unusual stat lines I can remember seeing. Over the last two weeks, the Dodgers star infielder is batting .203 with a .138 BABIP, but he's been cranking the ball for extra-base hits like no other. His .638 slugging percentage is the sixth-highest among first basemen since Aug. 10, but he's the only one of those six with a weight On-Base Average below .443. This is primarily a long way of explaining Muncy as my home-run hunting pick of the night, but he's an expensive bat to fit in the roster. However, with the values available in the outfield, his upside is worth the risk, even at $5,500.
Josh Rojas - 2B/OF, ARI at Mitch Keller ($4,500)
Arizona's utility man, Josh Rojas, broke out of a mini-slump last night with two hits and two doubles. However, preceding the mini-slump was an eight-game hit streak with five multi-hit efforts, four doubles, a triple, a home run, five runs, and seven RBI. With a right on the mound for the Pirates, Rojas will continue his role as the leadoff hitter for the Diamondbacks, and that lineup spot is something we never want to gloss over in DFS.
Jose Ramirez - 3B, CLE at TEX ($5,700)
Jose Ramirez is putting together quite a phenomenal stretch of baseball. The Cleveland star is having a great 2021 campaign despite losing some of his running mates in the offseason. Over the last 10 games, the three-time All-Star is sporting a 1.163 OPS thanks to his five doubles, one triple, four home runs, and five walks. Ramirez has also tacked on eight runs, 11 RBI, and three stolen bases during these 10 games and contributes everywhere in fantasy baseball. There may not be a bat I'm more confident in to return at least 20 fantasy points than Ramirez. Why? Because he's done it five times in his last nine games and could be facing a depleted Rangers bullpen for nine innings tonight.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. - 2B/SS, MIA vs. Josiah Gray ($4,400)
Yes, I recommended Josiah Gray as a start versus the fish, so it's strange to recommend Jazz Chisholm. However, I believe both can prosper tonight, and it's never a bad idea to have a player of Chisholm's skillset on your roster. The 23-year old has come alive recently and is running around the basepaths like a madman. Over his last nine contests, Jazz is slashing .290/.353/.613 with eight runs, seven RBI, four stolen bases, and three home runs. He can accumulate fantasy points in so many ways, and he doesn't have to necessarily do a ton of terrible damage to Josiah Gray to have success for our DFS lineups.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Brandon Nimmo - OF, NYM vs. Johnny Cueto ($4,100)
While the Mets are floundering in the second half of the season, Nimmo does his best to keep the lineup afloat. The lefty outfielder has registered a hit in eight of his last nine games while adding six runs, a double, and a home run. In fact, over the previous three games, Nimmo is 6-for-12 and averaging 14.7 fantasy points per game. The Mets may be a mess, but their outfielder is not. Nimmo is a surefire mid-tier outfielder against a pitcher making his first start off the IL since Aug. 8.
Brandon Marsh - OF, LAA vs. Dean Kremer ($2,700)
There is value to be had on DraftKings in the outfield tonight. These next two recommendations let you freely grab however many studs you want in the infield. Brandon Marsh is first on the list after a recent power surge. Since Aug. 10, his .377 wOBA and .489 slugging percentage rank him inside the top-20 outfielders in the league. In addition, he's slashing .395/.439/.553 over his last 10 games while adding four runs, two doubles, two triples, six RBI, and a stolen base. The only downside to Marsh is his anchoring inside the bottom half of the Angels lineup, but at $2,700 we can live with that and ride his one-man show production.
Tyler Naquin - OF, CIN at Brandon Woodruff ($2,700)
The Tyler Naquin show is back in theaters and coming to a city near you soon! After an early-season onslaught with some Reds on the sideline, Naquin has been dormant during the summer. But now, he's back and maybe better than ever before. Over his last 10 games, the left-handed outfielder is slashing .457/.525/.943 with 10 runs, eight extra-base hits (four home runs), and six RBI. Plus, when you factor in his almost minimum price tag, it opens up so many options for the rest of your lineup it'll be hard to ignore everything Naquin can bring to your DFS roster on Wednesday.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Arizona Diamondbacks at Pittsburgh Pirates (Mitch Keller, RHP)
- Los Angeles Angels at Baltimore Orioles (Dean Kramer, RHP)
- Sneaky stack: Tampa Bay Rays at Philadelphia Phillies (Zack Wheeler, RHP)
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