RADIO
It’s been a fun week of baseball so far and now we’re getting down to the wire. What’s interesting about this Saturday slate is that we have games spread all throughout the day. That’s while I’ll offer plays throughout the day to cater to whatever slate you prefer. With that in mind, we’re going to focus on mainly value plays...
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 8/17/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. 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 @Bartilottajoel
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Jon Lester, CHC at PIT ($7,300)
I’m not going to lie, I kind of hate using Lester. With that said, there’s way too much in his favor here for me to fade him. The most important factor is this matchup, as the Pirates are easily the worst team in the league against left-handers. In fact, Pittsburgh currently ranks 27th in runs scored against southpaws and dead-last in both OBP and OPS against them. It’s not like Lester’s been all bad this season either, scoring at least 27 FanDuel points in 17 of his 23 starts. He’s had success against this team so far this season too, allowing just three runs across 8.2 innings while striking out 10 batters.
Ryan Yarbrough, TB vs. DET ($8,000)
This might be the safest play on the board. Let’s start with Yarbrough, as he’s simply been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season. That’s evident by his 3.46 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, as that WHIP actually ranks as the second-best mark in the Majors (if he qualified). That ability to keep batters off the bases is huge against a terrible lineup like the Tigers. Not only does Detroit rank 28th in K rate and 29th in OBP, they also find themselves dead-last in runs scored, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA. That’s why Yarbrough and the Rays enter this matchup as a –300 favorite.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Daniel Murphy – 1B, COL vs. MIA ($3,200)
This price is insulting to a guy like Murphy and it’s a wonder why FanDuel is keeping it so low. How often do you see a talented hitter like this hitting in Coors Field priced this cheaply? That doesn't even take into consideration that Murphy is rolling right now, hitting .310 over his last 71 games. He also has a .337 AVG and a .874 OPS at home and all of this makes this price tag truly hard to understand. We also love the matchup against Hector Noesi and we’ll go over that in our shortstop write-up.
Scooter Gennett – 2B, SF at ARI ($2,500)
This is a total punt play but we’re going to need to find some cheap options to get in all of these Rockies. Gennett is just that, as he has too much potential to be priced this cheaply. Let’s start with the matchup, as he gets to face Merrill Kelly, who’s got a 6.29 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over his last 10 starts. That’s scary against a lefty masher like Gennett, as he’s got a .306 AVG, .522 SLG and .875 OPS against right-handers since 2017.
Kris Bryant – 3B, CHC at PIT ($4,100)
Anytime Bryant faces a left-hander, he’s always one of the first players in my lineup. The reason for that is because Bryant has a .360 AVG, .440 OBP, .718 SLG, and 1.158 OPS against southpaws since the beginning of last season. Those are some bonkers statistics and we definitely can’t fade him against a guy like Steven Brault. The Pirates lefty is currently pitching to a 5.25 xFIP and 1.51 WHIP so far this season.
Trevor Story – SS, COL vs. MIA ($4,500)
We have a lineup projected here for over seven runs, so it’s imperative to get as many Rockies as possible into your lineup. The main reason why is because they face Hector Noesi, as he’s pitching to an 8.18 ERA and 1.36 WHIP this season. That’s really no surprise when you see his 5.38 ERA and 1.46 WHIP for his career, as he’s going to have a hard time holding it together in Coors Field. Story should be a major part of that damage, as his .389 OBP, .677 SLG and 1.067 OPS at home this season are simply amazing numbers. Not to mention, Story has six doubles, five homers and two steals over his last 12 games.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Tommy Pham, TB vs. DET ($3,800)
Once I saw who the Rays were facing, I knew I had to get at least one Tampa bat in there. Pham happens to be their best hitter, as his .268 AVG, 17 homers and 13 steals show the sort of versatility he provides. That’s huge against a gas can like Drew VerHagen, with the Detroit righty pitching to an 8.03 ERA and 2.03 WHIP this season. Those disastrous numbers put all of the Rays bats in play, so don’t overlook guys like Ji-Man Choi, Jesus Aguilar and Austin Meadows.
Joc Pederson, LAD at ATL ($2,900)
We have to consider some of these Dodgers lefties against Mike Foltynewicz. The reason for that is because they get to hit in a hitter’s haven like SunTrust Park against a pitcher with a 6.24 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. That means we have to consider LA’s leadoff hitter, as Pederson always hits atop the lineup against right-handers. That’s really no surprise with JP hitting all 24 of his homers off of righties en route to a .341 OBP, .519 SLG, and .860 OPS.
Josh VanMeter, CIN vs. STL ($2,600)
I usually only do two outfielders but this is a bonus play. Why the heck is this guy so cheap? Over his last 25 games, VanMeter is hitting .324 while providing a .385 OBP, .577 SLG and .962 OPS. That makes this price tag truly shocking, with JVM posting a .375 OBP, .500 SLG and .875 OPS against right-handers for the year. That’s really shouldn’t disillusion anyone when you see that he hit .348 at Triple-A this season en route to a 1.098 OPS.
