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Jesse Borek highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 8/13/20, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
The small slate is back in action with just four games comprising Thursday’s “main” pool of players to choose from. If you’re reading this, you’re likely of the ilk that shorter slates make FanDuel and their one pitcher option more appealing than usual.
With aces and hitter’s parks packing the action, stacks and contrarian plays will be aplenty. Both the Rays/Red Sox and Orioles/Phillies have spent the past few days bludgeoning the ball around the yard and now both contests enter Thursday projected for 9.5 runs. Let’s get to the rundown of names to focus upon in order to make sense of this four-game slate.
In this article, I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 8/13/2020. Be sure to check out all the MLB player news including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like DraftKings, and other sports too.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Tyler Glasnow - TB @ BOS ($8,800)
With the Red Sox offense caught in a persistent malaise, Glasnow and his high-strikeout arm will garner the attention of owners, particularly in cash games. Having K’d 19 batters in 11 ⅓ frames through his first three starts, Glasnow’s 37.3% rate ranks among the game’s elite. His curveball has proven particularly difficult to hit, having amassed an opponents .059 xBA with a 44.4% Whiff rate. Factor in that Tampa Bay has a considerable advantage with Glasnow matched up against left-hander Kyle Hart who is making his Major League debut, and the possibility of notching a win also gives the flame-throwing right-hander a higher ceiling.
Anthony DeSclafani - CIN vs. PIT ($7,100)
Through his first 11 innings of the season, DeSclafani has not been scored upon. That alone should merit him consideration -- factor in his deflated price tag and that he is facing a Pirates offense that lacks punch (.601 OPS, the second-lowest mark in the Majors) and he becomes arguably the top arm on the slate. After averaging 2.6 BB/9 last year, DeSclafani has all but eliminated the free pass from his arsenal early on in 2020; his 2.6 BB% has been tremendous, leading to a .150 wOBA, which ranks him inside the top five percent of pitchers in the league. With Yu Darvish and Glasnow available, DeSclafani figures to have a lower ownership than usual.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Joey Votto - 1B, CIN vs. PIT ($3,200)
The catcher/first base slot is wide open Thursday, with compelling cases to be made for many of the high-priced options. Votto is worth a look due to his 10-for-25 career stylings against Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams. Having walked six times in his last five games, Votto presents an excellent floor for cash game owners. Additionally, all three home runs and eight RBI that he has collected on the season have come at Great American Ball Park.
Mike Brosseau - 2B, TAM @ BOS ($2,600)
Brosseau has tagged left-handed pitching thus far in 2020, having smashed three home runs in his first 12 at-bats. While he has moved up and down the Rays’ order thus far, with Hart starting, manager Kevin Cash is likely to try and maximize Brosseau’s exposure to the lefty. With his price tag extremely reasonable, he can be utilized as a part of a Rays stack or as a one-off.
Colin Moran - 3B, PIT @ CIN ($3,200)
Both of Moran’s hits in his career off of DeSclafani have left the yard, and with Thursday’s contest taking place at Great American Ball Park, the gaudy Statcast metrics that Pittsburgh’s third baseman has compiled this season become additionally attractive. Having roped the ball to the tune of a .636 xSLG and .561 xwOBAcon, Moran is a high-upside selection irrespective of the opposition.
Javier Baez - SS, CHC vs. MIL ($3,600)
It’s still early enough in 2020 to be wary of small sample sizes, but in a small slate, there’s reason to buy into the edge that they can create. In the case of Baez, he is torching left-handed pitching to the tune of a 194 tOPS+ this season and Brewers southpaw Brett Anderson hasn’t exactly made it a habit of missing bats to open the year with a miniscule 11.8 K% rate. Opposing batters have jumped all over the first pitch against Anderson, hacking 64.7% of the time, a feat that Baez has made a habit out of.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI vs. BAL ($4,300)
Harper enters play with three consecutive two-hit games with his OPS sitting at a gaudy 1.149 through 13 contests. Citizens Bank Park has been kind to the slugger, reviving his MVP candidacy, while facing right-hander Thomas Eshelman presents an exploitable matchup. Yielding a whopping .338 xBA and .556 xSLG, Eshelman will have to face Harper a likely minimum of two times, making the Phillies’ slugger worthy of a roster spot irrespective of his climbing price tag.
Anthony Santander - OF, BAL @ PHI ($3,400)
In the midst of a six-game RBI streak, Santander has scored at least 15 FD points in five of his last six outings. A staple at the top of the Orioles’ order, a matchup with Jake Arrieta -- who is getting an enormous 93.6% contact rate on pitches in the strike zone -- should bode well for continuing to pepper the ball when putting it in play.
Jesse Winker - OF, CIN vs. PIT ($2,500)
If Winker’s current hot streak had an internal temperature, it would register near molten lava. Having homered in three consecutive contests, Winker gets to continue smashing at the hitter’s haven that is Great American Ball Park with a favorable matchup against Williams, whom he is 4-for-6 against in his career. With Winker’s price tag not having budged in the midst of his 11 hits in his last six games, he is going to have massive exposure that will also help owners pad lineups elsewhere.
