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DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (8/15/18): MLB DFS Lineups

Boy, do we have an interesting 10 game slate under the lights this evening. Pitching looks like it could be tough sledding, as there aren't many reliable arms, but stacking offenses should be a fun exercise with a lot of potentially lucrative directions to go in. There is a four game Early Only slate, but I'm going to concentrate this post on where the majority of the money and action is.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/15/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.

You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @kpLuch.

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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers

Zack Wheeler - SP, at BAL ($10,800)

After a rough start out of the gate, Zach Wheeler has been a strong pitcher this season and particularly great of late. It's reflected in the price, certainly, but I don't think it's risen to a point where he can't hit value comfortably and potentially exceed it thanks to his strikeout prowess. His SIERA now sits below 4.0 and he's posted a good 11.2% SwStrike rate to go with a 23.8% strikeout rate. In the second half of the season, he's been even stronger as that K% rises above 27% and he's allowed an opponent wOBA of just .190. He gets a negative park shift today, but the upside is high as this Orioles lineup strikes out at a high clip and they don't feature many left-handed bats. Between he and Gerrit Cole, Cole may have the slightly safer points floor (though he has been disapoointing by relative standards his last two starts) but I don't think Wheeler is too far behind that safe floor, and I like his ceiling more tomorrow. He has a bigger price discrepancy on DraftKings as well, so I like the discount he provides from Cole. He's my top GPP option and a solid cash one, too.

Robbie Erlin - SP, vs SDP ($4,900)

Let me preface this section by saying I don't have the utmost confidence in the vast majority of the pitchers starting tonight. With that in mind, it may be a night more suited for tournament play than cash games. But, as everything is relative in DFS, I will say I like Erlin has an SP2 tonight compared to the field, and that he's been pretty good this season. The price here is incredible, and the kid has posted a 3.22 SIERA (third lowest on the slate) and owns a 21.5% K rate this season. He takes on an Angels team that could be without Mike Trout as he tends to a personal matter, and their wOBA clip against lefties isn't very impressive anyway (.274). Erlin has done a good job this season at inducing soft contact and his strikeout rate (8.0 K/9) is respectable as well.

DraftKings DFS Infielders

Evan Gattis - C, vs COL ($3,900)

Catchers with home run upside are pretty scarce tonight. Gattis doesn't draw the easiest of matchups, but it isn't one to shy away from as Tyler Anderson has actually allowed more home runs per 9 on the road (1.40) than he has at home in Coors. Gattis of course brings big ISO power to the dish against southpaws with his .222 mark and his has an average exit velocity on balls hit of 93 mph over the past two weeks.

Ryan Zimmermann - 1B, at STL ($4,900)

Righties haven't had huge success against Austin Gomber in the small sample he's thrown in the majors (in regard to wOBA, ISO, etc) but he has allowed a 40% hard hit and a 40% fly ball rate to righties in that stretch. I like Zimmermann's chances tonight, especially as we've seen a lot of extra-base hits from him in the past week. He comes into tonight's action with a 52% hard hit rate in his last 10 games and a .453 wOBA and .300 ISO against southpaws in the 2018 season.

Jason Kipnis - 2B, at CIN ($4,200)

I like that Kipnis can give us middle-of-the-order exposure to one of the hottest offenses in baseball (implied run total of 5.5) going up against a rookie pitcher and a taxed bullpen. Kipnis has collected five hits over the past three nights and has a 42% hard hit rate over the past two weeks. He splits are just okay on the seaosn (.308 wOBA, .159 ISO) but those are brought down a bit by a terrible April and May start.

Justin Turner - 3B, vs SFG ($4,200)

It looks like Derek Holland's nice little (see also: surprising) run of positive starts has ended. He's allowed a 47% hard hit rate over his last two starts and the Dodgers have an implied run total of 4.7 tonight in Los Angeles. I think Turner is too cheap here, considering his prowess against southpaws and the lineup context. For the season, he's posted fantastic splits - .435 wOBA and a .231 ISO.

Manny Machado - SS, vs SFG ($4,200)

I like the idea of a Dodgers mini-stack here with Turner and Machado in back-to-back slots. They both bring high floors and power upside, having shown the ability to tee off on southpaws. Machado owns a .235 ISO split and has a 52% fly ball rate in the past 10 games. He's also relatively cheap considering the matchup and lineup context.

DraftKings DFS Outfielders

Curtis Granderson - OF, at KCR ($4,000)

In his 60+ innings of work this season, opposing starting pitcher Burch Smith has been lit up by left-handed batters to the tune of a .401 wOBA and a .595 slugging percentage. As such, that makes Granderson out of the leadoff spot an awesome value at this price, with definite power upside. For the season, he's rocking a .200 ISO split and enters the game with a 50% hard hit rate over the past week.

Ronald Acuna - OF, vs MIA ($5,700)

This kid is something, huh? He's on an unreal heater right now and I'm not going to quit him - especially in tournaments - until he cools off. Besides, the price isn't even that steep, as we're lucky his price was set before he went off for two more home runs last night. Anyway, the matchup is a good one and he's over a .400 wOBA and close to a .300 ISO split. The hard hit rate in the past two weeks sits at 55% as well.

 

MLB DFS News and Injury Alerts

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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jakobi Meyers

Unsure About Potential Extension
Matthew Stafford

Off Injury Report Ahead of Week 1
Will Smith

Exits With Hand Contusion
Jackson Chourio

in Lineup Wednesday Despite Hamstring Cramps
Sepp Straka

Gets Captain's Pick to Join Team Europe
Christian Yelich

Dealing With Soreness in Lower Back
PGA

Victor Hovland to Make Third Ryder Cup Appearance for Team Europe
J.J. Spaun

Set to Represent Team USA for First Time at Bethpage
Russell Henley

Makes First Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Harris English

Named to Ryder Cup Team for Second Time
Kyle Finnegan

Dealing With Groin Issue
Shohei Ohtani

Will Pitch "Sometime This Weekend"
Jackson Chourio

Absent on Wednesday With Hamstring Cramp
Roman Anthony

Officially Goes on Injured List
Jauan Jennings

Limited on Wednesday, Expected to Play in Week 1
Malik Nabers

Not on Initial Injury Report
Roman Anthony

"High Probability" Roman Anthony Lands on Injured List
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage
Jason Adam

to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Roman Anthony

Will Undergo MRI on Wednesday
Santi Aldama

Bags Double-Double in Losing Effort
Guerschon Yabusele

Erupts for 36 Points Against Poland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia Into Next Round at EuroBasket
San Antonio Spurs

Stanley Umude Signs Training Camp Deal With Spurs
Reece Beekman

Joins Magic for Training Camp
Justin Minaya

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Magic
Travis Hunter

Jaguars List Travis Hunter as Starting Wide Receiver, Backup Cornerback
Kyle Tucker

Leaves With Calf Tightness on Tuesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Max Scherzer

Blue Jays Confident Max Scherzer Will Make Saturday Start Despite Back Tightness
Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP