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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on August 21st, 2018. Tom Vecchio's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have a monster 15-game slate to break down today, and there are some great options across the board. There are a few high-priced pitchers on the slate you should be looking to pay up for, along with plenty of bats you want to jam into your lineups.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/21/18. 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 @DFS_Tom.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Jose Berrios – P, MIN @ CWS (DK - $10,900)
Berrios is one of the more expensive pitchers on today’s slate, but he comes in with a very favorable matchup, so he’s worth spending up for. Tonight, he faces off against the Chicago White Sox, who come in with a 25.8% strikeout rate vs right0handed pitchers this season, which is dead last in the league. Berrios has faced the White Sox three times this season, with a total of 22 innings pitched, 23 strikeouts and has only allowed six earned runs.
Masahiro Tanaka – P, NYY @ MIA (DK - $10,200)
Tanaka is up against the Marlins tonight, who come in with a team wOBA sitting at .294 and a team ISO of .123, both of which are bottom five in the league. Tanaka has six or more strikeouts in three of his last four starts while allowing two or fewer earned runs in those same three games. Solid price and a great cash game option on the slate.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Alex Avila – C, ARI vs LAA (DK - $3,300)
Love the savings on Avila today, especially for the fact he is up against a weak pitcher who struggles with lefties. That pitcher is Felix Pena, who is giving up a .364 wOBA and 1.23 HR/9 to lefties this season.
Justin Smoak – 1B, TOR vs BAL (DK - $4,000)
Smoak is facing off against Dylan Bundy tonight, who is giving up a .385 wOBA to lefties this season, along with 1.75 HR/9. Really like the power upside for Smoak with his massive .246 ISO vs right-handed pitchers this season. Price is good on him and up against a struggling pitcher.
DJ LeMahieu – 2B, COL vs SD (DK - $5,100)
Any time there is a game Coors Field you want some exposure to the players there and LeMahieu is a great option to do so. He comes in with a .376 wOBA and a .183 ISO vs left-handed pitchers this season and will have a strong platoon advantage vs Erlin. The Rockies clearly make a great stack tonight but are very expensive.
Tommy La Stella – 3B, CHC @ DET (DK - $2,700)
La Stella is a cheap option from the Cubs offense, who are in a great spot for a big night. The Cubs are up against Jordan Zimmerman, who is giving up a .349 wOBA and a 1.99 HR/9 to lefties this season. La Stella comes in with a .321 wOBA vs righties this season, along with a super low 11% strikeout rate.
Asdrubal Cabrera – SS, PHI @ WAS (DK - $3,800)
Cabrera is up against Tanner Roark, who is giving up a 39% fly ball rate and 1.11 HR/9 to lefties this season. This lines up nicely for Cabrera since he has a .358 wOBA and a .239 ISO vs right-handed pitchers this season. He also comes in with a 43% hard contact rate vs RHP, so certainly showing the power upside.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Jose Pirela – OF, SD @ COL (DK - $4,000)
Pirela gets a massive positive park shift going to Coors Field tonight, but makes more of a GPP option. He has a .319 wOBA and a .136 ISO vs left-handed pitchers this season, which aren't stellar numbers, but the park shift should help him tonight. Use him in a stack rather than a one-off.
Christian Yelich – OF, MIL vs CIN (DK - $5,200)
Love Yelich and the Brewers as a stack tonight, since they are up against Sal Romano, who is giving up a .387 wOBA, a 1.64 HR/9, a 35% hard contact rate and a 42% hard contact rate to lefties this season. Yelich has a .371 wOBA and a .200 ISO vs right-handed pitchers this season, which line up perfectly with how bad Romano is this season.
