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Casey Wilson's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Friday, 8/21/26. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
We have a Friday night slate that is filled with a ton of great matchups. This may be one of my favorite slates of the year, with plenty of spots we can attack. I will have a ton of lineups tonight to take advantage of this great slate.
If you have not had a chance to check out my model, I will refer to it throughout this article. To get a better sense of where I am, not only on today's slate but on every slate, please give it a look. My plays are solely based on numbers, and this model is the brain behind the operation. I have also created a hitter model that is not public, but I will reference it in this article.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/21/2026, with the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, 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 always essential.
Top MLB DFS Pitcher for DraftKings, FanDuel
MacKenzie Gore, SP - TEX ($8.0K DK/$9.1K FD)
MacKenzie Gore looks incredible tonight in this matchup with the Angels. This may be the best he has looked in my model all season long. He is projected for a 26.3% K% and 6.04 strikeouts in this matchup, while the Angels have one of the lowest implied run totals on the slate tonight at 3.5.
This Angels team has struggled mightily with southpaws, especially as of late. They have 24.5% K%, .603 OPS, and a 68 wRC+ against LHP over the last 30 days. Gore is in awesome form with a 3.42 xFIP, 28.0% K%, and a 16.8% SwStr% over his last two starts. Gore has a massive ceiling tonight, and I am all in.
Top MLB DFS Stack for DraftKings, FanDuel
Cleveland Guardians (Model-Projected IRT of 6.2 runs) vs. Tanner Gordon
The Guardians will head to Coors Field to square off against the Rockies and Tanner Gordon. Their 6.2 implied run total is the top of my model tonight. This is the perfect example of the Coors effect, as they are middle of the road in my handiness model. I still love this spot for the Guards to explode.
Tanner Gordon is far from the Rockies' worst pitcher, but he has still allowed a ton of baserunners and hard contact this season. In this park, that is a bad recipe for success. This season, Gordon has a 1.44 WHIP, 1.89 HR/9, 48.7% FB%, and a 44.3% Hard Hit%. The Guardians lefties are where I want to start my stacks tonight.
Favorite Targets: Nathaniel Lowe, Chase DeLauter, Angel Genao, Steven Kwan, Angel Martinez
Top MLB DFS Hitter for DraftKings, FanDuel
Miguel Vargas, 1B (FD Only)/3B/OF (FD Only) - CHW ($5.3K DK/$3.7K FD)
Miguel Vargas is what we call a lefty masher, and he stands out in a big way tonight. He has a .452 wOBA, a .438 ISO, and a 1.116 OPS against LHP over his last 21 ABs. Manaea has allowed a .342 wOBA, a .279 ISO, and a .867 OPS during that span to RHH. Vargas is going to leave the yard tonight; book it.
