RADIO
The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on August 27th, 2018. Adam Meyer's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We only have seven games on the docket for Monday night, and we’re still waiting on Vegas odds for three of them: NYM/CHC, COL/LAA, and ARI/SF. So, while we wait, we only have two games with an over/under of at least nine total runs.
As far as pitchers are concerned, only one team is concidered a heavy favorite (-200 odds, or greater) on Monday night. The Yankees are around -220 with Masahiro Tanaka on the hill. However, I’m cutting back on pitchers in order to spend big on bats on Monday.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/27/18. 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 @CharlieSideHstl.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Jon Gray, COL (@ LAA) - $8,700
Gray has been stellar, as of late. He’s allowed two earned runs, or less, in five of the past seven performances and has struck out at least five batters in nine of the past 10 appearances. As far as the rest of the expensive pitchers are concerned, I believe Gray has the safer floor and comes with the lower price tag. Gerrit Cole is in a matchup where the division lead could be at stake. Noah Syndergaard is also facing a playoff team in the Cubs. Patrick Corbin is too expensive for me and Masahiro Tanaka has a 4.27 ERA at home.
Sam Gaviglio, TOR (@ BAL) - $7,000
I already mentioned Gaviglio in my two-start streaming pitcher piece on RotoBaller, but I’ll reiterate my stance here, for those who may have missed it. Gaviglio has allowed two earned runs, or less, in two of the last three games and has struck out at least seven batters in three of the past four appearances. Gaviglio faced the Orioles in his last outing, too: 7 IP, 2 ER, and 7 K. Baltimore is 28th in runs scored (497 runs in 130 games) and eighth in team strikeouts (1,141). They’re also 28th in team wOBA (.299) against right-handed pitchers this season. You can’t beat the matchup, or the price tag, for a starting pitcher on DK.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - Jonathan Lucroy, OAK (@ HOU) - $2,800
Hot bat? Check. Lucroy is 9-for-20 (.450) with one double and one home run in the past week. Solid BvP? Yup. Lucroy is 11-for-27 (.407) with two extra-base hits against Cole in his career. Affordable? Absolutely. When you can add a player under $3,000 and feel comfortable about it, you take it.
1B - Kendrys Morales, TOR (@ BAL) - $5,000
The hitting/home run streak continues for Morales. He’s tallied a 10-game hitting streak and, most importantly, Morales has homered in seven straight games. In the past week, he’s 11-for-23 (.478) with seven home runs and 12 RBI. Since 2017, he’s produced a .207 ISO against right-handed pitchers and his Blue Jays currently lead the slate with an implied run total of 5.2 runs on Monday night.
2B - Lourdes Gurriel Jr., TOR (@ BAL) - $4,300
After missing nearly one month of action, Gurriel has returned to the lineup for Toronto. He’s only notch one hit in his last 10 at-bats, but he still owns a .194 ISO against right-handed pitchers. As for his opposing pitcher, David Hess has a 6.14 ERA at home at has allowed at least three earned runs in two of the past four performances.
3B - Miguel Andujar, NYY (vs. CWS) - $4,300
In the past week, Andujar is 10-for-27 (.370) and has notched multi-hit performances in four straight contests. He also owns a .229 ISO against left-handed pitchers, which is fifth-most on the Yankees. Andujar also has positive home/road splits working in his favor on Monday. He’s batting .320 at Yankee Stadium and .285 on the road.
SS - Trevor Story, COL (@ LAA) - $4,600
I know, we typically look for Story when a lefty in on the hill. However, DK also prepares for that when they’re prepping their updated salaries. Story is no slouch against righties. He owns a .198 ISO against right-handed pitchers since 2017 (sixth-best on Colorado). The Rockies are facing the best pitcher to exploit on Monday night. Odrisamer Despaigne is second the slate with a 5.36 SIERA since 2017. He’s also allowed eight earned runs during his eight innings of work with the Angels.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
George Springer, HOU (vs. OAK) - $4,600
Springer missed nearly a week of action and pinch hit on Sunday, but A.J. Hinch suggested that Springer would be back in the starting lineup on Monday. That’s good news for us, because Springer has a .231 ISO against southpaws (third-best on Houston). Brett Anderson has produced back-to-back solid outings, but he still has a 4.06 ERA on the road (17 earned runs in 37.2 innings of work).
Juan Soto, WSH (@ PHI) - $4,400
Zach Eflin is on the hill for the Phillies and he’s struggled mightily in recent history. He’s allowed at least three earned runs in six of the past seven outings for Philadelphia. Left-handed hitters are batting .293 against Eflin this season, too (.222 AVG for right-handed hitters). Soto is 7-for-24 (.292) with one double and two walks in the past week.
Randal Grichuk, TOR (@ BAL) - $4,200
By not spending our DK salary on the top pitchers, we’re able to spend at least $4K on seven of our eight bats. Grichuk is part of our mini-stack of Blue Jays. The opposing pitcher, Hess, has the highest SIERA (5.43) amongst the starting pitchers on the docket for Monday night. Grichuk is 5-for-14 (.357) with one double and one home run in the past week. He’s also second on the team with a .248 ISO against righties.
