RADIO
Welcome to Wednesday baseball on DraftKings. It's a historic day, as we see the Houston Astros as -510 favorites against the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander is on the mound and he has to be one of the safest plays of the season. With that said, there are plenty of other options to look at and we have to find an affordable SP2.
With as many good pitchers on the mound, the bad ones have found their way as well. We're looking at six teams with implied totals over five and they all have a ton of upside. Let's dive in and find a top play at each position!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/21/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. 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 @VarneyDFS.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Justin Verlander - HOU vs. DET - $12,000
This one is pretty easy. The Astros are -510 favorites, which means the biggest favorites that Vegas has tracked. The Detroit Tigers have been the worst offense in baseball over the last month and it hasn't been too close. Against right-handed pitching, they've sported a team .278 wOBA and strikeout 26% of the time. It doesn't get any worse than this team post Nick Castellanos. Justin Verlander has been one of the most consistent pitchers in all of baseball, posting a sub-.263 wOBA against both lefties and righties. He's striking out 12.09 batters per nine innings and walking just 1.80. This is genuinely one of the safest plays that we've had all year long. If you like safety Justin Verlander will be your SP1 on DraftKings.
Julio Teheran - ATL vs. MIA - $8,000
If only all pitchers could be -510 favorites at home against the worst offense in baseball. Make sure you play Justin Verlander tonight. For our SP2, we may want to save a few dollars so we can at least play a couple big bats. Julio Teheran will face off with the Marlins, and it's a match-up we've seen plenty of times throughout his career. As a guy who dominates righties, this is a great lineup for him to take advantage of. He strikes out eight batters per nine and has strong command. Teheran is affordable on DraftKings and a great SP2 in both cash games and tournaments.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - Pedro Severino - BAL vs. KC (Montgomery) - $3,400
Pedro Severino does one thing well at the plate and that's hit lefties. He's sporting a .350 wOBA against lefties on the season and has hit seven home runs in just 106 at-bats. He'll be in the heart of the order tonight, facing off with a below average southpaw in Mike Montgomery. He's moving from spacious Kauffman Stadium to Camden Yards, where the ball flies. If you're paying up for Verlander like you should be, Severino is a great option at catcher. He's just $3.4k and has plenty of home run upside.
1B - Anthony Rizzo - CHC vs. SF (Rodriguez) - $4,600
Anthony Rizzo was our recommended first base play last night and he came through with two home runs and three hits. He's one of the best hitters in baseball against righties, sporting a .408 wOBA and has hit 20 home runs through 300 games. He'll now face off with Dereck Rodriguez, who's given up a .351 wOBA to lefties on the road. The Cubs are in full win-now mode and Rizzo is swinging a hot bat. He's expensive, but the top first base option and I doubt he gets over 20% owned in any format.
2B - Ozzie Albies - ATL vs. MIA (Smith) - $4,500
If you’re a daily reader, you know one of my favorite match-ups in baseball is when Ozzie Albies gets to face a lefty. He’s one of the leagues deadliest against southpaws, sporting a .459 wOBA with nine home runs in just 60 at-bats. It really doesn’t get any better. Caleb Smith is a solid young pitcher, but he’s given up some runs recently and has struggled with righties (.331 wOBA). This Braves team is a tough one to face from the left side and they just saw Smith less than two weeks ago. Albies and the Braves are in play.
3B - Renato Nunez - BAL vs. KC (Montgomery) - $4,300
We’re back to picking on Mike Montgomery with these Orioles bats. Renato Nunez is a bit cheaper than the elite third baseman and is in just as good of a spot as any. Montgomery has given up a .331 wOBA to opposing righties and has struggled with the long ball. Nunez on the other hand, is a platoon hitter against lefties with a .342 wOBA and 11 homers in just 75 games. Camden Yards helps Nunez a ton with upside and he shouldn’t be highly owned with so many options at the position.
SS - Xander Bogaerts - BOS vs. PHI (Smyly) - $5,100
Xander Bogaerts will cost you an arm and leg, but it's because he's been one of the more consistent hitters in the league this season. He's held onto a .360 wOBA vs lefties, while hitting eight homers in just over 100 at-bats. He now gets to face off with Drew Smyly, who is having the worst season of his career. He's given up 15 home runs though just 64 innings of work, leading to a .362 wOBA against. The Red Sox are going to smack Smyly around and Xander Bogaerts will be a big part of it. He may be pricey, but there is value elsewhere and this offense should be relatively low-owned.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
J.D. Martinez - BOS vs. PHI (Smyly) - $5,100
J.D. Martinez has been nothing short of insane this season against lefties. He's putting up an other worldly .525 wOBA while hitting 14 home runs in 114 at-bats. He's flying under the radar this season, but you don't want to miss on him vs a lefty. Drew Smyly can strikeout a few hitters, but he's having an absolutely dreadful season. The Red Sox are projected to put up over six runs and J.D. Martinez is a guy I'll be forcing into lineups. There are a ton of options on the high-end in the outfield, and there isn't many wrong ways to go.
Justin Upton - LAA @ TEX (Minor) - $4,100
Just Upton vs a lefty is a tale as old as time. He’s always been a lefty killer, dating back to 2015 when he sported a .426 wOBA vs left-handers. He’s actually been terrible this season, but it’s all the .192 BABIP. That number will inevitably rise and his wOBA will with it. Mike Minor is far from a bad pitcher, but he has hole run issues and struggles vs righties far more. Upton is a great way to get a 5% owned OF option with multi-HR upside.
