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Kevin Luchansky highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 8/29/18, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
I suppose when have an amazingly deep slate like the one we were blessed with on Tuesday, a slate like this was bound to follow. We've got a nine game Main slate in store for Wednesday night, with a few mound options. They're pretty meh overall, but there are a few serviceable arms and a decent number of options, as none really separate from the pack.
Let's take a look at a few Vegas lines as of Tuesday night. We'll start with the biggest moneyline favorites, which opens up with the Yankees up at the top at -247, followed by the Indians (-180), Cardinals (-168), Dodgers (-157), Braves (-147) and the Brewers at -146. As for implied run totals, the Yankees lead the way their as well with a lofty 6.3, followed by the Dodgers (5.9), Indians (5.6), Brewers (5) and the Phillies at 5.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 8/29/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @kpLuch.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
CC Sabathia - SP, vs CWS ($8,200)
Sabathia has had quite an impressive run over his last four starts and he draws one of the most favorable matchups of the day as he looks to keep the streak going against the White Sox at home in Yankee Stadium. He and the Yankees are the biggest moneyline favorites of the day and Sabathia headlines as my top cash game option on a pretty mediocre at best pitching slate. Sabathia has a really strong allowed batted ball profile over his past two starts as he's limited hard contact to just 20% to go with a 46% groundball rate. The White Sox have one of the lowest implied run totals of the Main slate at 3.9, and their projected lineup owns a 29% K rate against lefties this season and a pretty soft wOBA split at .305. Pretty damn big strikeout upside here, which puts in him GPP play as well.
Sean Newcomb - SP, vs TBR ($8,300)
Sean Newcomb is an interesting tournament option for tonight that I'll invest pretty heavily in. He's well stretched out, throwing more than 105 pitches in three of his last five starts, and he punched out six or more batters in three of those starts as well. At this price, and against a fairly punchless Tampa Bay offense, he has fairly high upside and a chance to give a good return on investment. The Rays projected lineup has gone down via strikeout 25% of the time this year and their wOBA split against southpaws in 2018 is a lowly .272. Newcomb brings a pretty strong 8.9 K/9 to the bump and he's done a great job of keeping the ball in the yard, too (0.7 HR/9).
Also Consider: Dereck Rodriguez - SP, vs ARI ($9,300)
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Wilson Ramos - C, vs WAS ($2,700)
It's hard to find a player priced under $3k that's in a better situation and has more upside than Mr. Ramos does in this spot. He and his Phillies teammates have one of the highest implied run totals as they'll square off with Gio Gonzalez, who has been pretty awful in his latest stretch of of starts. Ramos' power splits scream upside in this spot, as he's punished southpaws to the tune of a .239 ISO this season, and he's also got a hard hit rate north of 50% in the past week.
Edwin Encarnacion - 1B, vs MIN ($3,700)
Edwin gives you great exposure to the Indians lineup at under 4k and he happens to be seeing the ball well in his last six games, posting a hard hit rate over 50% in that span. We haven't seen much from opposing starter Kohl Stewart, but what we've seen hasn't been good and I'm going to side with Vegas here that the Indians get theirs tonight offensively. Encarnarcion boasts a really strong ISO split in righty-righty matchups this season with a .282 mark.
Brian Dozier - 2B, at TEX ($3,300)
In addition to Cleveland exposure, you're going to want to stuff a few Dodger blues in there as well. Dozier is heating up and happens to be a great value here. Lucky for us, this price was set before he homered last night, and he now has over a 40% hard hit rate and he's getting the ball up in the air, too, with a massive 260 foot average batted ball distance in his last 10 games, which plays really well for the late August heat in Arlington. He brings a .382 wOBA split and faces lefty Mike Minor, who has allowed 1.47 HR/9 to righties this season.
Justin Turner - 3B, at TEX ($4,100)
Speaking of Dodgers right-handed bats with pop, I'm playing Turner for many of the same reasons you'll find Dozier in my lineup. Not quite as cheap, but he has stronger splits and a bit higher upside, too. Turner has an elite .455 wOBA and a strong .272 ISO against southpaws in 2018. His batted ball profile shows he's been pretty locked in and giving the ball a ride as well (48% hard hit, 54% fly ball rate in last 12 starts).
Francisco Lindor - SS, vs MIN ($4,200)
Lindor has now scored 15+ FanDuel points in back to back games and he's in a really good spot to keep the double digit point trend going against Kohl Stewart. The switch-hitting Lindor boasts a really high floor with his .378 wOBA split, and he possesses good power upside (.270 ISO) and still manages to swipe a bag every so often as well.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Billy McKinney - OF, at BAL ($3,100)
Since we'll want to pay up at so many infield positions between the talent in Cleveland and Los Angeles uniforms, it's good to find a few values in the outfield. McKinney fits the profile well, as he hits in the leadoff spot for a team projected for a solid 4.5 runs against a very hittable pitcher in Alex Cobb. It's a small sample overall, but McKinney has been great since becoming a regular, posting a wOBA split over .500 in 27 at-bats. He's got a pair of home runs in the past week and he's been collecting extra base hits by the bunches.
Rhys Hoskins - OF, vs WAS ($3,500)
Like his teammate Wilson Ramos, Hoskins is being offered at a relatively low price here and has good upside in the matchup against Gio Gonzalez. His power splits have dipped a little this year, but he still offers a wOBA split north of .350 and he's been doing a solid job of making hard contact and getting the ball in the air (54% fly ball rate last two weeks).
