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With football season quickly approaching, a lot of would-be amateur MLB DFS players are starting to fall off the wagon. From an opposing viewpoint, those year-long fantasy baseball players who have fallen out of contention in their leagues might be picking up DFS now. So maybe this paragraph isn’t really serving a purpose or proving a point. But hey, the more you know.
Thursday, August 6th contains 10 MLB games with five considered “early” and five considered “late.” I’ll try to hit on both slates throughout this article so that I can be of service to those playing one or both of the slates. The pitching could certainly be better, especially during the night games, so landing the guy who throws seven innings and gets a win becomes all the more important on Thursday. Let’s get to it.
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Offenses to Target for FanDuel DFS
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. David Buchanan)
It’s so obvious that is should almost go unmentioned, but the Dodgers against a right-handed pitcher are too good to pass up, especially when that RHP is David Buchanan. The Phillies’ starter carries a 6.44 ERA into a matchup against a Dodgers team that can erupt at any moment. Although the obvious wOBA lefties like Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier are always solid choices, I might take a shot with guys like resurging Yasiel Puig, one-time Phillie Jimmy Rollins, and righty-masher Justin Turner. Regardless of who you take, you can’t go wrong with anyone in this lineup.
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. Danny Duffy, LHP)
Are these stacks too obvious for you? Too bad. You’re likely not going to spend up at the pitcher position in the late slate, so that leaves plenty of money for the new big four in Toronto. Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion would make for one sweet stack. I’m not sure if that’s doable, but any combination of those guys against a hittable righty like Kyle Gibson in Toronto seems like money well spent to me.
Honorable Mentions: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros
DFS Starting Pitchers to Target for FanDuel
Zack Greinke (SP, LOS) - $12,600
The name of the game for the early slate will be trying to find unique hitters to use with Greinke in order to shoot up the tournament rungs. He’s really the only pitcher that makes sense. Michael Wacha against the Reds could end in a positive result, but that park and those hitters carry a lot of risk. Taking a chance on Yordano Ventura could pay off as well, but again it seems too risky when there’s a sure thing in Greinke against the Phillies staring you in the face.
Take your pick on the late slate
It’s a real toss-up at pitcher for the late games. I like the upside that Eduardo Rodriguez and Mark Buehrle bring. Both lefties have strikeout potential and have shown glimpses of ace-like stuff in the past. Both could also be blown out of the water, and I wouldn’t be surprised. I think I’ll find myself targeting the Braves and Marlins game for pitching on Thursday. It should be a low-scoring affair, as both offenses lack pop and consistency. Matt Wisler edges out Jose Urena for me simply because he has higher strikeout upside. Using one of those two guys should give you plenty of salary relief. Use that to roster some Blue Jay bats.
DFS Infielders to Target for FanDuel
Salvador Perez (C, KAN) - $2,200
The Royals’ catcher has been about as inconsistent as they come this year, but he definitely has upside at this price point. You’ll need some bargain plays in the early slate if you’re rostering Greinke, and Perez and his 104 wRC+ could pay big dividends on Thursday.
Adrian Gonzalez (1B, LOS) - $3,300
Gonzalez didn’t have a bad game on Wednesday, but he was relatively quiet compared to expectations. He gets another chance to face a bad righty on Thursday, and his price couldn’t be better. I don’t know where his power stroke went, but hopefully he finds it against Buchanan.
Brian Dozier (2B, MIN) - $3,500
Dozier has cooled off big time lately, but he always has the potential to go yard on any given night. I don’t usually put too much stock in BvP, but Mark Buehrle is a unique enough pitcher to warrant historical data. Dozier is 3-7 lifetime against the lefty with two doubles.
Matt Carpenter (3B, STL) - $3,200
Carpenter’s price is climbing, but it’s still below his value during his recent hot stretch. He has four homers in the past week, and Michael Lorenzen is a great candidate to add to that count in Cincy.
Marcus Semien (SS, OAK) - $2,500
The young A’s shortstop showed a lot of promise in spring training earlier in the year, but he hasn’t really put it all together yet at the big league level. Don’t look now, however, because Semien has been hitting more consistently and showing some power at the bottom of the order. He could be great value at this price on Thursday.
DFS Outfielders to Target for FanDuel
Carlos Gomez (OF, HOU) - $3,600
You should have plenty of money to spend on hitters for the late slate, and Gomez could provide great value on Thursday. He hasn’t wasted any time rewarding Houston for trading for him, as he has eight hits and a homer already in August. Young pitcher Aaron Brooks could be in for a rude awakening after his brilliant debut on Saturday.
Chris Young (OF, NYY) - $3,200
Young has really started to shine as an everyday outfielder for the Yanks, especially against lefties. He gets Rodriguez on Thursday, and although I think the lefty is in for a good start, Young’s .473 wOBA against lefties is too good to pass up at this price.
Joc Pederson (OF, LOS) - $2,600
It’s tough to tell if Pederson will be a unique pick on Thursday or not. He’s been so bad lately that I assume his ownership will be low, but his price is so low that he just might get an uptick. I guess we’ll see. Either way, I like him as a solid boom or bust pick to save some money among other Dodgers hitters.
Good luck with your FanDuel and DFS lineups RotoBallers!
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