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MLB DFS play for FanDuel, DraftKings (8/05/24). Use Doug's Daily Fantasy Baseball GPP Tournament Picks to win big on FanDuel and DraftKings tonight.
Happy Monday! Tonight’s slate is an eight-gamer that looks to be a lot of fun. This slate is devoid of a Coors game, nor will we find the Yankees, Braves, or Orioles on the slate to force our hands into eating chalk. The Dodgers and Phillies are on this slate, but they are playing each other in what should be a pitcher’s duel between Aaron Nola and Tyler Glasnow.
That opens the door for teams like Houston, San Francisco, Arizona, and Boston to take the lead on this slate. There isn’t a lot of strong pitching to be had, outside of that Dodgers and Phillies game, leaving contrarian stacks like Oakland and Minnesota in plus matchups to help differentiate our lineups from the people attacking Patrick Corbin with the Giants.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/05/2024 and the slate locking at 6:40 p.m. EDT on DraftKings and FanDuel. 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. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Aaron Nola (PHI/RHP) at Los Angeles Dodgers ($8.8K DK, $9.8K FD)
It’s not often that a pitcher will look like a play against the Dodgers, but that’s exactly what we have tonight with Nola. He is tied for the top-rated pitcher in my pitching model tonight. He got there not only because of how well he’s pitched over the last two months but also because the Dodgers current roster isn’t putting up big numbers against right-handed pitching this year.
Without Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, this lineup has holes that can be exploited by good pitching. Yes, they still have the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith, but that duo, combined with Jason Heyward, have combined for three hits and ten strikeouts in 32 at-bats against Nola over their careers. So not only does LA not have two of their best bats, but the ones who are left struggle in tonight’s matchup.
Nola has faced the Dodgers once already this year and was dominant; striking out nine batters while only allowing one earned run in six innings of work. He is priced well enough to be used in cash lineups on DraftKings, while he’s probably more of a tournament-only option on FanDuel with Tyler Glasnow priced only $700 more.
David Festa (MIN/RHP) at Chicago Cubs ($6.1K DK, $6.7K FD)
Festa only has four starts this season, but he’s already posted three games with six or more strikeouts; posting the fourth-highest strikeout rate of any pitcher on tonight’s slate. Overall he has averaged nearly five innings and five strikeouts per start this year, which is a fairly strong stat line for someone at his price point. He’s allowed at least one home run in each of his four starts, but his high strikeout total can make up for mistakes like that. He has only allowed a combined three earned runs over his last two starts, scoring at least 16 DraftKings points in both.
Tonight he faces a Cubs whose projected starting lineup has a 23.3% strikeout rate and struggles to get on base against right-handed pitching. He is an excellent option as your second starting pitcher in both cash and tournament lineups on DraftKings, while he’s a contrarian tournament option on FanDuel who will allow you to spend up on big bats.
David Festa with another solid start in his fourth @MLB game💥
5 IP / 3 H / 2 R / 1 BB / 6 K
The NJ native has had back-to-back appearances allowing two or fewer runs while striking out 6+ batters 📈@Twins | #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/zmGx89UOl2
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) July 31, 2024
Also Consider: Hunter Brown, Tyler Glasnow, Logan Webb, JP Sears
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Bobby Witt Jr. - SS, KC vs James Paxton ($6.5K DK, $4.5K FD)
Who is hotter than Bobby Witt Jr. right now? He has a .400 batting average over his last 10 games, which seems incredible, but then you look at what he’s done at home this year and it’s even more mind-blowing. In 222 at-bats, he has a .405 batting average and a .716 slugging percentage. He’s been a monster against left-handed pitching, posting a .224 ISO, a .579 slugging percentage, and a .355 batting average (all of which are tops on the Royals).
James Paxton hasn’t been good lately, allowing three or more earned runs in four of his last five starts, making him ripe for the picking. Witt is a great cash game option if you can afford him, and he should be the first name you click for any Royals stack.
Ketel Marte - 2B, ARI at Logan Allen ($5.8K DK, $3.9K FD)
Logan Allen, the pitcher tonight for the Cleveland Guardians, has allowed a .547 slugging percentage to right-handed batters this year. That is the second-worst performance against righties of any pitcher on tonight’s slate. Ketel Marte may be the best bat in the National League against left-handed pitching this season.
He has posted a .325 ISO, a .682 slugging percentage, and a .357 batting average against lefties in 2024, making him a strong option in cash games. The Diamondbacks are among a handful of teams worth stacking tonight if you’re fading the Giants, and Marte should be among the first two names you lock into your lineup (along with Lourdes Gurriel Jr.).
Carlos Santana - 1B, MIN at Kyle Hendricks ($3.8K DK, $2.8K FD)
Carlos Santana isn’t going to win you a tournament on his own, but he should provide a solid floor for cash games if you want to save some money, especially on FanDuel. He has hit Kyle Hendricks well, posting a .313 batting average and a .500 SLG in 16 career at-bats. Hendricks has struggled against lefty bats this year, allowing a .547 slugging percentage, representing the third-worst performance on the slate. Minnesota lefties should be in play tonight in general (Matt Wallner, Max Kepler), but Santana is at the top of the list given his strong history against Hendricks.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Yordan Alvarez, OF - HOU at Andrew Heaney ($5.6K DK, $3.8K FD)
I rarely get excited about a lefty-on-lefty matchup, but everything falls into place for Yordan Alvarez tonight. Andrew Heaney is a reverse-splits pitcher, faring worse against left-handed batters than right-handed batters (.437 slugging percentage allowed). Alvarez leads the Astros with a .219 ISO, a .577 slugging percentage, and a .358 batting average against southpaws this year.
On top of that, Alvarez has posted a .524 batting average and .714 slugging percentage in 21 career at-bats against Heaney. Houston is one of my favorite stacks tonight, and Alvarez is a strong anchor for your cash game lineups if you can afford his price.
Michael Conforto, OF - SF at Patrick Corbin ($3.8K DK, $2.9K FD)
Back-to-back recommendations of a left-handed bat facing a left-handed pitcher? Something must be in the water! That, or there’s some bad pitching on this slate. Patrick Corbin continues to be awful, allowing three or more earned runs in 15 of his 22 starts this year, including six of his last seven. He’s faced the Giants once this year and allowed seven earned runs and eleven hits. He’s just so bad!
Meanwhile, Michael Conforto has hit lefties well this year, with a .235 ISO and .529 slugging percentage. In 34 career at-bats against Corbin, Conforto has 12 hits (.353 batting average), a .853 slugging percentage, and five home runs. He’s way too cheap on both major sites, making him a strong cash game option and a mainstay for any Giants tournament stack.
Wilyer Abreu, OF - BOS at Brady Singer ($4.2K DK, $2.9K FD)
$2,900? Wilyer Abreu is seriously only $2,900 on FanDuel? Lock him into your cash lineups immediately! Abreu is on fire, posting a .400 batting average with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBI over his last ten games. He has at least one hit in all but two of those games. He also hammers right-handed pitching, compiling a .260 ISO and a .548 slugging percentage in 245 at-bats. 83% of his 12 home runs this year have come off righties.
Brady Singer has allowed a .492 slugging percentage to left-handed bats this year, and he got blasted for four earned runs in just 2.2 innings the only time he’s faced Boston this year. The Red Sox are a team to stack tonight on both sites in tournaments, and at just $2,900 Abreu is a cash game lock on FanDuel.
Wilyer Abreu smashes his 2nd homer of the day!
He leads all qualified rookies in OPS 👀 pic.twitter.com/iTwZuxvwLo
— MLB (@MLB) August 4, 2024
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stack
1 San Francisco Giants at Patrick Corbin (WSH/LHP)
Favorite Plays: Heliot Ramos, Tyler Fitzgerald, Matt Chapman, Mark Canha, Michael Conforto
2. Houston Astros at Andrew Heaney (TEX/LHP)
Favorite Plays: Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers
