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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on Aug. 26th, 2019. Daniel E. Dobish's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Monday's schedule in Major League Baseball has a total of eight games, with seven contests starting after 7:05 p.m. ET or after. Be sure to double-check the weather and the lineups before finalizing your roster.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/26/19. 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, contact me on Twitter @danieledobish.
Today's Weather
The only MLB venue which will be affected by Mother Nature will be Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals will deal with warm and humid conditions with winds blowing from 12-15 mph from left to right. Three of the other six venues on the DFS card will be played with a retractable roof.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Gio Gonzalez - P, MIL vs. STL ($8,200)
Gonzalez is the play at home against the first-place Cardinals. While St. Louis has won 13 of the past 16 outings, RHP Adam Wainwright has been shaky on the road. In fact, the Cards are 0-7 in Wainwright's past seven road starts against teams with a winning record, and he is 3-6 with a 6.64 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 61 innings away from home. On the flip side, the Brewers are 14-5 across Gonzalez's past 19 outings and 9-1 in his past 10 starts at home.
Jason Vargas - P, PHI vs. PIT ($7,900)
The Pirates limp into play with just 11 victories over the past 41 outings, and they're 4-10 in their previous 14 Game 1s of a new series. In addition, they have won just nine of the past 34 on the road and six of the past 26 on the road against teams with a winning overall record. That makes Vargas a sharp play in this one for DFS players. Plus, the Bucs are just 8-20 in the past 28 vs. LHP, and 16-40 in the past 56 on the road against southpaws.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Tom Murphy - C, SEA vs. NYY ($5,100)
On a light MLB slate, Murphy is a stud receiver. Over the past seven days Murphy has three homers and six RBI across just 12 at-bats. Double-check the lineups, as Omar Narvaez ($4,400) could be behind the dish instead. Narvaez is worth a roll of the dice if Murphy is out.
Austin Nola - 1B/2B, SEA vs. NYY ($4,500)
Nola and the Mariners will be facing LHP J.A. Happ of the Yankees in the series opener. Nola is 17-for-49 (.347) with three doubles, a triple and five home runs with 10 RBI against left-handed pitching with a 1.184 OPS.
Ketel Marte - 2B/OF, ARI at SF ($5,200)
Marte is a favorite in DFS when he is running hot, not only for his offensive production, but the fact you can use him at the keystone and in the outfield. Giants RHP Dereck Rodriguez is the listed starter, and Marte will look to push his hitting streak to nine games against Pudge's son. He is 14-for-34 (.412) with three homers, eight RBI and seven runs scored during the eight-game run.
Mike Moustakas - 3B/2B, MIL vs. STL ($5,000)
As mentioned, Waino struggles on the road for the Cards, so you'll want to include some Brewers hitters in your lineup. Moose is a strong play, as he is slashing .263/.335/.529 with 60 extra-base hits (28 doubles, one triple, 31 homers).
Paul DeJong - SS, STL at MIL ($4,400)
It isn't usually recommended to start a position player against one of your pitchers, but on a light night it is OK. Plus, most of the other shortstops available are either dinged up and questionable to play or on the 10-day injured list. DeJong is hitting .256 with seven doubles, two homers and eight RBI in 86 at-bats vs. LHP. That's not great, but at a mid-level price the pop is fairly cheap.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Aristides Aquino - OF, CIN at MIA ($4,600)
Aquino remains a relative value as opposed to a lot of the other outfielders on the board, especially if you look at fantasy points per game vs. price. The rookie carries a five-game hitting streak into play, going 7-for-19 (.368) with a homer and four RBI. Overall he has a .329 average, 12 homers and 26 RBI with a 1.221 OPS across 79 at-bats over 23 games. Keep riding Aquino until he cools off considerably or his price tag rises.
Mark Canha - OF/1B, OAK at KC ($4,800)
Canha has hit safely in nine straight games, going 16-for-36 (.444) with five bombs, 11 steaks and seven runs scored. He'll look to push his hitting streak to double digits against Royals RHP Brad Keller. Canha is a nice value, and he has some positional flexibility, too.
