RADIO
Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! This is John Brubaker dropping some of my favorite plays for today's slate. Thursdays are typically weird slates, but we have a decent eight-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. While we've been short on pitching on Thursday slates, we have no such issue tonight. There are a plethora of aces at our disposal, the more difficult find will be the value arm(s).
We don't have any slate differences today, which is awesome. It's tough for me to express all of my favorite plays in this article, and when some players are on FanDuel but not DraftKings and vice-versa, it makes it even more difficult. Nevertheless, with all of the games being on the same slate, let's giddy up and have some fun tonight.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel at 7:05 pm on 8/4/2022. 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. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. Now that we got all of that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Justin Verlander, HOU at CLE ($10,400 DK, $11,200 FD)
To start off tonight's slate we'll be taking a peek at Justin Verlander. Cleveland has been hitting the ball relatively well of late, but that doesn't dissuade me from looking at JV here. While there are a handful of quality "ace" arms on the slate, none have a particularly elite matchup. Justin Verlander comes out as the top dog in that aspect, grading out to a 43.5 rating (best on the slate) and a projected 3.29 xFIP. Since Cleveland doesn't strike out much, Verlander only projects to a 19.17% strikeout rate. However, we know he has a lot of strikeout upside, so I'm willing to take that risk.
DraftKings Projection: 21.3
FanDuel Projection: 34.27
Noah Syndergaard, PHI vs WSH ($7,600 DK, $7,700 FD)
After signing a one-year, $21 million contract with the Angels this offseason, Thor heads over to the City of Brotherly Love in hopes of taking the Phillies back to the playoffs. It's apparent that Syndergaard isn't the starter he once was, and even that version of Syndergaard was a touch overrated for me. Nevertheless, he's in Philly now and grades out to a 37.48 rating tonight. While he's not among my top three pitching plays on the slate, he's certainly the best value play you'll get on either website.
DraftKings Projection: 14.54
FanDuel Projection: 29.22
Also consider: Alek Manoah, Kyle Wright
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Matt Olson - 1B, ATL vs. Carlos Carrasco ($5,100 DK, $4,100 FD)
As far as hitters go, I'll lead off with Matt Olson. It seems like I'm always including Braves in these articles, and it's clear that it's been for a good reason. Olson grades out to a 46.69 rating (best among infielders), with a projected 44.57% hard contact rate and a .801 wOBA + ISO against Carrasco's pitch types. In nine plate appearances against Carrasco, Olson is 5-8, with two doubles, two homers, and a walk. Let's hope he continues to see Carrasco well tonight.
DraftKings Projection: 12.44
FanDuel Projection: 14.68
Javier Baez - 2B/SS, DET vs. Jeffrey Springs ($4,700 DK, $2,600 FD)
I'll head out to Detroit and take a look at Javy Baez as my second infielder. Outside of inspiring young talent, the Tigers haven't shown much of anything this season, and I was surprised they weren't sellers at the deadline. Baez, Detroit's "big signing" in the offseason, isn't living up to financial expectations hitting just .221 with a .645 OPS. Regardless, while Baez doesn't necessarily grade out extremely well against Springs, his projections prove him to be a reliable play, particularly on FanDuel.
DraftKings Projection: 9.35
FanDuel Projection: 10.39
Darick Hall - 1B, PHI vs. Paolo Espino ($3,000 DK, $2,900 FD)
I don't mean to double up on first basemen here, but considering Olson was my top infielder on the slate, and I can't omit to mention Darick Hall tonight, here we are. Hall grades out well against Nationals starter Paolo Espino, who struggles heavily with left-handed hitters. His projected 42.1% hard contact rate and .559 wOBA + ISO against Espino's pitch types give him a quality 41.36 rating. He's faced Espino just twice in his career, coming out 1-2 with a double. If you're playing a Phillies stack, I believe Hall should be a staple.
DraftKings Projection: 8.64
FanDuel Projection: 10.58
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Yordan Alvarez - OF, HOU vs. Zach Plesac ($5,900 DK, $4,400 FD)
While I had mentioned earlier that Olson is my top infielder on the slate, Yordan Alvarez comes in as my top outfielder and top hitter overall tonight. He grades out to a 54.25 rating due to his projected 46.94% hard contact rate and .939 wOBA + ISO against Zach Plesac's pitch types. Alvarez is just 1-5 against Plesac thus far in his career, but I can most definitely see the tide turning tonight, especially with how he's been hitting lately.
DraftKings Projection: 13.4
FanDuel Projection: 17.62
Alex Verdugo - OF, BOS vs. Kris Bubic ($3,000 DK, $2,500 FD)
While I have a feeling a lot of folks will be looking at the Red Sox as a stack tonight against Royals southpaw Kris Bubic, I feel like a majority of them will overlook the lefty/lefty matchup and fade Alex Verdugo. This could certainly give us an edge, with Verdugo hitting lefties particularly well this year. While his projected hard contact sits at just 33.38%, he does have a .948 wOBA + ISO against Bubic's pitch types, and a 45.03 rating. He'll look to improve on his .333 batting average (1-3) against Bubic.
DraftKings Projection: 9.64
FanDuel Projection: 12.02
Nick Castellanos - OF, PHI vs. Paolo Espino ($3,700 DK, $2,500 FD)
Don't look now, but Nick Castellanos is starting to heat up. While Castellanos has certainly justified his cheap price tags across the majority of the season, he's finally starting to find barrels. He hit the go-ahead and eventual game-winning homer in Atlanta yesterday and will look to carry that momentum against Paolo Espino, who he comes into this one just 1-7 against. He grades out to a 42.37 rating with a 30.66% projected hard contact rate and .937 wOBA + ISO against Espino's pitch types. We're getting a middle-of-the-order guy with silver slugger upside at value pricing in a quality matchup. Don't overthink this one.
DraftKings Projection: 10.46
FanDuel Projection: 13.13
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Paolo Espino
While I mentioned two in the individual player write-ups, I really like just about the entire Phillies lineup tonight, or at least the entire projected lineup. The Phillies (in my humble, non-biased opinion), have begun to turn a corner and are playing really good baseball now. We should see the likes of Brandon Marsh in his debut and Jean Segura in his return from injury tonight. The Nationals are sending an innings eater out there and I believe Philly will put a big crooked number up tonight.
Favorite Plays: Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Darick Hall, Jean Segura, Brandon Marsh
Chicago White Sox vs. Cole Ragans
The second stack I'll be looking at is the White Sox against Cole Ragans in his Major League debut. Ragans, Texas's 21st-ranked prospect, has done well across AA and AAA this season, pitching to a 3.04 ERA on the season. However, it's never a bad idea to attack a pitcher making his debut. Unfortunately,I can't project Ragans or White Sox hitters simply based on lack of any data. However, it is worth noting that the White Sox rank fourth in OPS (.772), fourth in wOBA (.336), and third in wRC+ (120) against left-handed pitching.
Favorite Plays: Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Jose Abreu, Andrew Vaughn
Also Consider: Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves
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