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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/31/21. Brian Entrekin's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have a 14-game main slate on tap tonight, and it's a good one. There are some elite pitching options up top with a few cheaper options to target. There are bats for days. Some cheap stacks with the usual pricey stacks, making for some enjoyable builds. Playing the roster percentages can be big. There will also be some different lineup moves throughout the days, like we saw on Monday. Some pitching changes we aren't sure of yet. All the fun things we get to experience this time of the year. For a full slate rundown to get your lineups ready, listen into MLB DFS Quick Hits.
The slate starts with which pitchers to build around. Walker Buehler is the ace to target and should be quite popular, but Lance McCullers and Brandon Woodruff are looking for some aces up top. Buehler will be quite popular, and pairing him with Lucas Giolito will be a common build tonight, especially in cash games. In addition, there are some interesting tournament pivots with Charlie Morton and Blake Snell if you want to make things interesting. Bats, on the other hand, there are plenty of bats. The expensive stacks like the White Sox, with some Phillies, can work great. On the flip side, there are plenty of value bats to use from the Twins, Tigers, Rangers, and a few others. With 14 games, there will be plenty of ways to build, and tonight is no exception. It should be a fun one, and these picks will get your lineups started but know there are many options at each position, so listen to Quick Hits.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/31/2021. 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, contact me on Twitter @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Walker Buehler - P, LAD vs. ATL ($10,500)
It feels dirty writing about Buehler as it is obvious he is the top play, but I am going to anyways. Buehler has made 26 starts this season and pitched six or more innings in all, but one starts while allowing three earned runs or less in all but two starts. He enters tonight's game with a 2.02 ERA and 3.49 xFIP to go with a 20.7% K-BB. In August alone, he has made five starts, throwing 33.1 innings, and has allowed only five earned runs while striking out 39. He has allowed a total of two home runs all month. He has 20 or more DK points in nine of 10 starts and brings such stability to a lineup it is crazy. He faces a Braves team striking out 22.5% in August with a .251 average against RHP. The Braves offense is good, but give me all the Buehler tonight in cash, and I'll eat the chalk in tournaments.
Blake Snell - P, SD at AZ ($7,700)
This is not an easy one for me to write, but Snell is definitely in play tonight. Something appears to have clicked of late, and he has looked great. Over the last four games, Snell has thrown at least five innings in each started, going seven in two starts, and has allowed three runs or less in each start while striking out six or more in each start. Snell has struck out nine or more in three of the four starts. The strikeouts are alive and well for Snell, and that is what we love to target for our DK pitchers. He takes on a DBacks team he has faced twice recently, throwing a total of 12 innings, allowing two runs, and striking out 19. Snell never makes me comfortable, but he is definitely in play, especially at his cheap price tag tonight against the DBacks.
Other Options: Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU at SEA) $10,100, Brandon Woodruff (MIL at SF) $9,400, Charlie Morton (ATL at LAD) $8,900, Lucas Giolito (CWS vs. PIT) $8,800, Tarik Skubal (DET vs. OAK) $7,400, Edward Cabrera (MIA at NYM) $6,400
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Austin Hedges - C, CLE at Mike Minor ($2,300)
There are some solid pay-up spots at catcher and the usual value, and one is definitely Hedges tonight. With Wilson Ramos ending his season with a torn ACL, Hedges should slot into regular playing time, which should bode well for our value. Hedges enters tonight's game hitting safely in six of his last nine games for a .267 average. He has five extra-base hits and even a stolen base over that stretch. Hedges is only striking out 14.7% of the time with a .300 ISO and a .900 OPS. Hedges is swinging a solid bat and brings a solid value to all lineups tonight. If stacking Cleveland, then Hedges brings a bit of a contrarian piece as well.
Ryan Mountcastle - 1B, BAL at Hyun Jin Ryu ($3,900)
At times, Mountcastle can be quite streaky, but he has been a hitting machine over the last month. Since July 28, 21 games, he is hitting .367 with 14 extra-base hits, including nine home runs. He has homered in back-to-back games and gets another nice matchup versus Ryu tonight. On the season, Mountcastle is hitting .292 versus LHP with a .555 SLG and .888 OPS. Again, he is mashing LHP and faces Ryu, who has allowed 18 runs over his last four starts, including four home runs. The Orioles could be quite a contrarian play tonight, with Mountcastle being very much in play tonight.
Nick Solak - 2B, TEX vs. Austin Gomber ($2,400)
I wrote up Solak in my values article yesterday, and he continued to hit with a home run. He now has an eight-game hitting streak since returning from the minors. Solak is hitting .364 with a .242 ISO and 1.006 OPS. His plate discipline is outstanding as he is also striking out only 8.4% of the time. His 50% hard-hit rate is helping quite a ton as well and could come into play versus Gomber tonight. Gomber has only made it through five innings once in his last three starts. He has allowed 13 runs over 13.2 innings with 20 hits and five home runs. On the season, he is also allowing RHH to slug .439 with 1.6 HR/9. I will keep rolling my cheap Rangers out, so pairing Solak up with DJ Peters, Nate Lowe, and Adolis Garcia is definitely in play again tonight. At worst, Solak makes a great one-off in tournaments and cash games.
Nicky Lopez- SS, KC vs. Zach Plesac ($3,100)
Talk about cash games; there are not many as consistent as Lopez of late. Lopez has just been a hitting machine of late, hitting safely in 13 of his last 16 games, good for a .403 average. It's crazy just how hot he has been. He won't hit for a ton of power but has scored 11 runs as well as eight stolen bases over the last 16 games. He has put up double-digit DK points in four straight games and has a great matchup tonight to keep that train rolling. He will face Plesac, who has not been good this season. He has allowed at least one home run in 12 straight games. In just the month of August, he made five starts and pitched over six innings only once. He allowed five runs or more in three of five starts. Plesac is a mess making the red-hot Royals bats a target again tonight, with Lopez bringing great value to those Royals' stacks.
Josh Donaldson - 3B, MIN vs. Zach Davies ($3,900)
Talk about streaking; look no further than Donaldson. He has hit safely in six of his last seven games, with multiple hits in five games. Donaldson has seven extra-base hits, including four home runs as well. His .600 ISO and 1.573 OPS are insane. Donaldson's plated discipline has also been great as he is striking out 13.3% of the time while also walking 13.3% of the time. When he puts the ball in play, it is with authority as he has a 38.1% barrel rate with a 66.7% hard-hit rate. Donaldson is absolutely locked in and faces Davies tonight, who has allowed 23 runs over his five August starts (22.2 IP) with 11 HOME RUNS!!!! Stack up your cheap Twins tonight. Donaldson, Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, and Byron Buxton make a cheap and awesome stack tonight.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Franmil Reyes - OF, CLE at Mike Minor ($5,400)
UNLEASH THE FRANIMAL!!!!!! If there were ever a night for some Franimal action, it would be tonight. He comes into tonight's game hitting safely in seven of his last 10 games, good for a .324 average. Over those 10 games, he has hit four home runs, with a 412 ISO and 1.202 OPS. Reyes is also walking an impressive 20% of the time. He will face Minor tonight, allowing RHH to hit .253 with a .467 SLG and 1.7 HR/9 this season. Cleveland is very much in play tonight, and Franmil is a great play. With all the pay-up options in the outfield, I have Franmil circled as one of my favorites above $5K. I expect at least one home run from the FRANIMAL tonight.
Luis Robert- OF, CWS vs. Bryse Wilson ($4,200)
Since Robert was activated on August 9 from the IL, he has been hitting. Thru the 16 games, he has hits in 14 of them to go with a .382 average. Robert has 10 extra-base hits as well, including five home runs. In addition, his .294 ISO and 1.101 OPS have been outstanding. Robert's plate discipline can't be ignored either, as he is striking out only 17.8% of the time, which is very good for Robert. Robert and the White Sox will face Wilson tonight, who has pitched decently since joining the Pirates but still has some serious holes in his game. The Sox should be a popular stack tonight, and for a good reason. Make sure you play Robert in those stacks and even as a cash game play as he is far too cheap for his consistent production.
Ian Happ - OF, CHC at John Gant ($4,500)
Apparently, it just took the trade deadline for Happ to wake up and start producing again. He has hit safely in 13 of his last 16 games, good for a .327 average. He has also flexed his muscle with 10 extra-base hits, five home runs, a .364 ISO, and 1.074 OPS. He is barreling the ball 16.7% of the time to go with a 41.7% hard-hit rate. Happ is locked in and gets a great matchup versus Gant tonight. In Gant's last two starts, he has pitched a total of 7.1 innings while allowing eight runs. Our human pitching machine is back and action and makes the Cubs an intriguing option tonight. Heck, it makes the Cubs and Twins quite the game stack tonight. Do not sleep on either team when building your lineups.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Chicago White Sox (Bryse Wilson, RHP)
- Minnesota Twins (Zach Davies, RHP)
- Chicago Cubs (John Gant, RHP)
- Cleveland Indians (Mike Minor, LHP)
- Sneaky Stack- Texas Rangers (Austin Gomber, LHP)
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