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Daniel Marcus' top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for 8/3/17. Expert MLB DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for FanDuel and DraftKings.
The Thursday slate is more plentiful than usual with 13 games on the slate. With only three day games, the main slate will also have more options than a typical Thursday, making it a more interesting slate to to dive into. Intriguing pitching options will dicatate the main slate with Alex Wood looking to rebound, Sonny Gray making his Yankee debut, and Corey Kluber drawing a tough matchup in the Yankees.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/3/17. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DanMarcus3.
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DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider
Jose Quintana, CHC vs ARZ (DK - $10,100, FD - $8,800)
Quintana has regained his mojo upon becoming a Cub, providing the safe and steady production we’ve come to expect from him. The strikeout upside isn’t necessarily there with Quintana but the Diamondbacks have an 80 wRC+ as a team in road games this season and strike out at a 24.3% clip in the same situation. That means Quintana has both a solid floor with ceiling left over, making him one of the best plays on Thursday’s early or all day slate.
Corey Kluber, CLE vs. NYY (DK - $11,000, FD - $11,100)
Given the way Kluber strikes out batters it almost doesn’t matter how many runs he allows. Even in a “down outing” his last time out against the White Sox, Kluber managed 12 strikeouts and completed 6.1 innings. The Yankees are a tough matchup as they carry in a .344 wOBA and 114 wRC+ against right-handed pitching to this point in the season. DraftKings, always pricing more sensitively to matchup, dropped Kluber’s price which makes filling out a lineup around him easier than usual on Thursday night. Given that discount and his potential for low-ownership, Kluber has to be a cash game mainstay as usual on Thursday.
DFS Infielders to Consider
Cameron Rupp - C, PHI @ LAA (DK - $4,500, FD - $2,600)
Rupp has an absurd 45% hard hit rate since the All-Star Break and that has translated nicely into a 211 wRC+. Of course, that will regress at some point in the second half, however, his hot hand is worth riding for the time being. In contrast, Parker Bridwell will come crashing down as indicated by his xFIP, which is at 4.84 as opposed to his 2.83 ERA. In addition, his 89.9% LOB rate cannot continue.
Joey Votto - 1B, CIN @ PIT (DK - $5,100, FD - $4,000)
Votto is a good play on any given night but there are plenty of things going for him on Thursday night. First, while Chad Kuhl has shown signs of improvement of late, has still has a 5.23 xFIP against left-handed hitters. In addition, PNC Park has the reputation of being a pitchers haven, but plays favorably to left-handed power. Votto is well worth his price tonight.
Brian Dozier - 2B, MIN vs TEX (DK - $4,200, FD - $3,300)
While Brian Dozier isn’t taking off after the All-Star Break like last season, he has improved once again as he is now posting an .830 OPS and .514 SLG% in that span. That shouldn’t be in danger of slowing on Thursday as he Twins take on A.J. Griffin who is both a dreadful pitcher and coming off an injury. While the weather will be cold in Minnesota, the wind will be blowing out to left field at 20 miles per hour. That plays right into Dozier’s pull power and makes him a good play on Thursday.
Mike Moustakas - 3B, KC vs SEA (DK - $4,400, FD - $3,500)
Speaking of miserable pitchers, Yovani Gallardo falls firmly into that category. His surface stats indicate a significant reverse platoon split but his peripherals show he is plenty vulnerable to hitters from both side of the plate. That makes Moustakas, one of five players in the big leagues to have 30 or more home runs this season, a nice play tonight.
Trevor Story - SS, COL vs. NYM (DK - $4,200, FD - $3,500)
Trevor Story has progressively smoothed out his extreme flyball tendencies throughout the season. The peak of that process came in July when Story had a 54.6% hard contact rate and 27% line drive rate. That batted ball profile translated a .263 ISO, which is clearly useful for daily fantasy purposes. Rafael Montero has been plenty hittable so Story’s power is worth paying up for in Coors.
DFS Outfielders to Consider
Kike Hernandez- OF, LAD @ ATL (DK - $4,600, FD - $2,100)
Kike Hernandez always enters the conversation when the Dodgers draw a lefty thanks to a 154 wRC+ and .406 OBA. Unfortunately, DraftKings has caught on and jacked Hernandez’s price way up. On the other hand, FanDuel’s price makes Hernandez an auto-play on Thursday.
Sean Rodriguez - OF, ATL vs. LAD (DK - $2,500, FD - $2,200)
Alex Wood has shown some vulnerability over his past few starts, and as a result Sean Rodriguez is capable of providing some salary relief with upside. Though an incredibly small sample, Rodriguez has posted a 1.074 OPS against lefties this season. Lending more credence to this split is his .934 OPS against lefties from last season. Rodriguez is very cheap on both sites, so he will allow you to jam in elite pitching options with a few elite hitters as well.
Nelson Cruz - OF, SEA @ KC (DK - $4,800, FD - $4,100)
Trevor Cahill has exhibited extreme reverse platoon splits, allowing 1.57 HR/9 to right-handed hitters. Cruz remains one of the best power hitters in the business so there isn’t much need to overthink this one.
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