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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/11/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers! As is usually the case, we've got a split schedule with day games and night games. Fortunately for us, we get a bigger piece of the pie for the evening side with 11 games to pick and choose from as we fill our DFS lineups. Six of those contests start on the East Coast between 7:05 and 7:20 pm, and that will allow us to peruse a majority of the schedule for any unexpected value plays. Finally, the night wraps up with a duel between traded pitchers as Spencer Howard, and the Rangers visit Tyler Anderson and the Mariners at 10:10 pm.
The pitching prices are... interesting, to say the least. First, Corbin Burnes tops the mound of arms at $10,300, with Kevin Gausman close behind at $9,900. Then, we move into a different tier with Adam Wainwright, Marcus Stroman, and Alek Manoah between $9,100 - $9,400. I understand Manoah's appeal because of the strikeout upside, but Wainwright and Stroman are big fades for me even against some struggling offenses in Pittsburgh and Washington. As you'll read below, I prefer the next tier of starting pitchers a lot more to this second tier on Wednesday.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/11/2021. 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.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Corbin Burnes - P, MIL at CHC ($10,300)
Tonight's matchup between Corbin Burnes and the Chicago Cubs feels like a match made in heaven. Burnes' 35 percent strikeout is the fifth-highest in the league and second among players, not on the Injured List. Meanwhile, since June 1, the Chicago Cubs strike out 28 percent of the time against righties on the mound. Burnes is the most expensive pitcher on the slate for a reason. The Cy Young contender scored at least 20 DraftKings points in six of his last seven games and averaged 23.3 fantasy points per game over the same stretch. Plus, as a cherry on top, the Cubs are mustering a lowly 71 weighted Runs Created plus metric versus right-handed hurlers over the last two months and don't seem to be a threat to do significant damage to Burnes on Wednesday.
Frankie Montas - P, OAK at CLE ($8,700)
Upon first glance at the slate, the $8,700 it costs to acquire Montas feels like a mistake compared to some of the pitchers priced above him. However, we will take full advantage of this surprise and roster Montas as a strong SP2 or back-end SP1 for the 11-game slate. Montas is in the middle of a phenomenal run of pitching and will look to keep it rolling against a Cleveland team that is league average against right-handers. Over his last five starts, the Oakland pitcher is sporting a 2.56 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 36.3 percent strikeout rate. He's pitched into the sixth inning in all five outings, and it's allowed him to produce 45 strikeouts in just 31 2/3 innings of work.
Other options: Kevin Gausman vs. ARI ($9,900), Wade Miley at ATL ($7,900), Tyler Anderson vs. TEX ($7,600)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
J.T. Realmuto - C, PHI vs. David Price ($4,400)
Realmuto has recently been up in the $5,000 range, so it's great to grab him at $4,400 for tonight's slate. He's one of the hottest hitters in August and has the righty on lefty advantage versus David Price. This month, the three-time All-Star slashes .414/.452/.724 and leads all qualified catchers with a .488 weighted On-Base Average. In addition, Realmuto is 37 percent better than league average versus left-handers compared to 11 percent better versus right-handers. He's a great hitter overall, but his recent form and matchup altogether push him to the top spot at the catcher position.
Josh Bell - 1B, WAS at Marcus Stroman ($3,700)
As you continue to read, I've got a lot of love for some NL East stacks. Bell kicks off the Nationals portion of today's picks, as the switch-hitting first baseman is off to an excellent start to the second half of the season. Since the All-Star Break, Bell is slashing .263/.322/.563 with a double, a triple, seven home runs, 12 runs, and 18 RBI. His 128 wRC+ shows he's been far above a league-average player since the break, but his price tag for today's slate makes him a great value target. Yes, the Nationals are without a few of the names we recognized at the beginning of the year, but Bell and Juan Soto have enough firepower to ensure this team isn't an easy target every night for DFS players.
Jean Segura - 2B, PHI vs. David Price ($3,800)
Another hot-hitting Philly makes his way into today's picks, and his price point doesn't come anywhere close to breaking the bank. $3,800 for Jean Segura's recent form as a two-hole hitter is a DFS dream. Philadelphia is scoring 5.9 runs per game over their last 10 and could be in for a big night against David Price and his 1.37 WHIP. As for Segura, he's rocking a 1.182 OPS in August, along with four doubles, two home runs, seven runs, seven RBI, and three walks to four strikeouts. I am fully ready for the Phillies stack to backfire, but their recent form and discounted pieces make it hard to ignore.
Carter Kieboom - 3B, WAS at Marcus Stroman ($2,000)
Kieboom seems to be finally finding his footing at the major league level. While it may be an overreaction with a dash of hope, I am willing to get him in my lineups, especially at his minimum price tag. He's hitting .261 since he was recalled to the majors on July 24, but he's taken it up a notch since the calendar turned to August. This month, the prospect is slashing .310/.394/.552 with a double, two home runs, four runs, and six RBI. Kieboom is getting that production from the sixth spot in the lineup. While I would love to see him move up the order, the $2,000 salary makes him a solid value play on a slate with many heavy-hitting and expensive bats.
Dansby Swanson - SS, ATL vs. Wade Miley ($4,600)
He's been helped by a couple of massive games, but it's tough to ignore the kind of performances Dansby Swanson is outputting. Since the All-Star break, Swanson is fourth among qualified shortstops with a .372 wOBA and .531 slugging percentage. The former top prospect has collected a hit in 17 of his last 19 games and produced seven doubles, four home runs, 15 runs, 17 RBI, and two stolen bases in the same stretch. While Wade Miley is in consideration as a starting pitcher, he shouldn't be avoided entirely in DFS, and Swanson's .232 ISO versus southpaws could come into play on Wednesday.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Jesse Winker - OF, CIN at Touki Toussaint ($5,800)
Winker is the high-priced target in my outfield against a home-run prone Touki Toussaint. It was a little scary for the Winker fans as he fell into a bit of a slump with a .241 batting average in July, but it's turned around in August. In his previous 10 games, the left-handed slugger owns a 1.212 OPS after producing five doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, and seven runs. Truist Park is well equipped for its lefty star (Freddie Freeman), and after sitting on the bench last night, Winker should be ready to unleash some hard-hit balls around the diamond during the midweek contest.
Randy Arozarena - OF, TB at Nathan Eovaldi ($4,500)
Arozarena came off the COVID list last night in Boston and promptly went 2-for-4 with a run, a double, and a walk. It was great to see him continue his hot bat since the All-Star break, and his $4,500 cost is a perfect sweet spot to get him in our lineups again. Since the break, the Rays outfielder is slashing .362/.413/.739 with 13 extra-base hits (six home runs), 15 runs, and 11 RBI. More recently, he's scoring 12 FPPG over his last 10 contests and has seven multi-hit performances in his previous nine games.
Rafael Ortega - OF, CHC vs. Corbin Burnes ($3,100)
I still believe Corbin Burnes will dominate this Chicago lineup, but Ortega deserves mention as a contrarian pick. He's getting a chance in Chicago after their trade deadline demolition and is returning significant profits. In his last 10 outings, Ortega is slashing .447/.488/.789 with eight runs, eight RBI, five extra-base hits, and four stolen bases. He's batting leadoff almost every day and is a steal at $3,100 as a worthwhile contrarian play against the inevitably popular Burnes.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Merrill Kelly, RHP)
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angels Dodgers (David Price, LHP)
- Sneaky Stack: Washington Nationals at New York Mets (Marcus Stroman, RHP)
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