DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (8/15/23): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

August 15, 2023

The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on August 15, 2023. Casey Wilson's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.

We're back at it on a Tuesday after writing the DFS article yesterday. We have a slate with plenty of offense and awful pitching options. I usually don't start my lineups with the offense, but tonight I will do so. I like only two options on the board tonight on the bump, and neither one is a slam dunk. Punting an arm and hoping for 15-18 points out of someone under $6,000 may be our best option on tonight's slate.

I will cover the thirteen-game slate starting at 7:05 pm in this article. We have another slate with the Braves and Coors Field, so automatically, we will have ownership spread out between the other 23 teams playing tonight. I will talk about an offense later that will get no ownership that could help us pay up for some safety on the mound tonight. This is a tricky little slate because of the pitching options, but let's get to it.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/15/2023 and the slate locking at 7:05 pm ET. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential. Now that we got all that out of the way, it's onto the picks! Follow me on Twitter @CaseyW22 for more free betting and DFS advice.

DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

I have decided to post my charts throughout the article that I have been using for DFS. I want to quickly explain the color coding and bolding so you can understand better. That is an elite play if you see bold capital letters and green. Bold letters with green are a great play. Bold letters with yellow is a good play. Bold letters with white are to be used to round out lineups. Letters that are not bold are to be used in MME only for player pools or to round out stacks in a single entry.

Zack Wheeler, PHI at. TOR ($11,600 DK, $10,800 FD)

I want to start here and briefly add to what I spoke about in today's article's opening section. Pitching is awful on today's slate. A true testament to that is I am writing up Zack Wheeler against the Toronto Blue Jays at almost $12,000 as our SP1. Wheeler, since the all-star break, has started to turn it on. Over that span, he has a 3.12 SIERA, 28.3%K%, 11.4% SwStr%, 2.0 BB%, and a .216 BAA. He has produced a quality start in all five outings in the second half of the season.

His opponent, the Toronto Blue Jays, is one we are not accustomed to picking on, but with Bo Bichette out of the lineup, this team is average at best on the season. Since the break, they own a 22.2% K% against right-hand pitching with a 99 wRC+, .312 wOBA, and a .387 SLG. The intriguing thing here is Wheeler's splits. On the season, he has a 32.8% K% against right-hand hitters and a 42.3% K% against the split his last 30 days. The Blue Jays should send at least six right-handed bats to the plate tonight, which will increase Wheeler's ceiling drastically. I don't love it, but he's the best option on the board tonight.

Also consider: Yusei Kikuchi, Nick Pivetta, Emerson Hancock, Sean Manaea

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Christian Walker - 1B, ARZ vs. Ty Blach ($5,400 DK, $4,000 FD)

Christian Walker is facing a lefty in Coors Field. Yikes. Since the break, Walker has a 235 wRC+, .526 wOBA, and a .500 SLG against left-hand pitching. Usually, I wouldn't say I like picking on Blach, as he has been surprisingly solid for the Rockies this season, but the matchup for Walker is elite tonight. I don't know if I would one-off him because of how chalky Coors typically is. I am not in love with the full stack, but Walker and Lewis make a good mini-stack for the Diamondbacks tonight.

Kike Hernandez - 2B/SS/3B/OF, LAD vs. Adrian Houser ($3,400 DK, $2,400 FD)

First, I want to start by saying that I believe Freddie Freeman is the best play on the Dodgers tonight, and traditionally, Houser gets hit harder by lefties. I did want to take the time to add how good Kike has been since the break against right-hand pitching. He has a 191 wRC+, .453 wOBA, and a .655 SLG over that span. Freeman has a 200 wRC+, a .467 wOBA, and a .681 SLG over the same period. Kike is $2800 cheaper on DraftKings and $2000 cheaper on FanDuel. The Dodgers are growing on me tonight.

Jake Rogers - C, DET vs. Bailey Ober ($3,100 DK, $2,500 FD)

Oh, how gross this is. What I'm about to say is why I love DFS and, honestly, why I have been successful in making money over the past couple of years. You cannot be afraid sometimes to make ugly lineups. I love the Tigers tonight against Bailey Ober. Over the last couple of starts, Ober has been getting hit very hard, especially against right-hand pitching. He has allowed a .419 wOBA, .333 ISO, and a 56.4% hard hit against the split. Since the break, Rogers has a 119 wRC+, .341 wOBA, and a .472 SLG against right-hand pitching. The Tigers will be under five percent owned tonight, and I will eat them up.

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Michael Harris II - OF, ATL vs. Luis Severino ($4,100 DK, $3,200 FD)

Michael Harris was promoted to the two-hole last night, with Ozzie Albies nursing an injury. Hitting between Acuna, Riley, and Olson will immediately increase his value, and the price went down from last night. His production since the All-Star break has been elite. Harris has owned a 138 wRC+, a .380 wOBA, and a .478 SLG. Severino has been susceptible to left-handed bats all season. He has been hit to a .484 wOBA, .328 ISO, and a 60.7% hard hit. I love the Braves tonight but none more than Michael Harris II.

Luis Robert Jr. - OF, CWS vs. Kyle Hendricks ($5,300 DK, $3,900 FD)

Robert Jr. has missed the White Sox's last three games with a pinky sprain, so check his status before lock. If he's in the lineup, he is one of my favorite plays on the entire slate and, more than likely, my dinger Tuesday bet on FanDuel today. Hendricks has allowed a .375 wOBA, .233 ISO, and a 46.2% hard hit against right-hand batters in the last 30 days. Robert Jr., in the second half of the season, has a 151 wRC+, .389 wOBA, and a .617 SLG. He also has hit the ball in the air at a 50.0% clip, negating Hendricks's massive ground ball rate. He has six home runs and seven doubles against right-hand pitching in that span.

Lars Nootbaar - OF, STL vs. Spenser Watkins ($4,500 DK, $3,200 FD)

Spenser Watkins returns to the big leagues making his first appearance since his time with the O's. In Triple-A this season, Watkins has over an 8.00 ERA and has given up 43 earned runs in 46 innings pitched. Since the break, Nootbarr has a 183 wRC+, .438 wOBA, and .616 SLG for the Cardinals against right-hand pitching. He will also hit leadoff for the Cardinals tonight since they are facing a righty.

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Atlanta Braves vs. Luis Severino

Favorite Plays: Michael Harris II, Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Nicky Lopez, Ronald Acuna Jr., Vaughn Grissom

2. Detriot Tigers vs. Bailey Ober

Favorite Plays: Jake Rogers, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter

3. LA Dodgers vs. Adrian Houser

Favorite Plays: Freddie Freeman, Kike Hernandez, James Outman, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez

4. St. Louis Cardinals vs. Spenser Watkins

Favorite Plays: Lars Nootbaar, Andrew Knizner, Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson