DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 31, 2017
*Chris Durell*
DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 31, 2017
Welcome for another Thursday in daily fantasy baseball. Today we will be turning our attention to the six-game main slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET tonight. Let’s take a look at some of the top pitchers and some stacking options.
Starting Pitchers
Kyle Hendricks
Opponent – vs. ATL
Park – Wrigley Field
Vegas Favorite (CHC -210)
Vegas Total (7.5)
Hendricks is the clear chalky cash game play on the main slate tonight. They are huge favorites with no other team even close and on top of that, Hendricks has been incredibly consistent. He does lack the upside of other options(7.88 K/9) but has held opponents to three or fewer earned runs in seven straight starts and two or less in 11 of his 18 starts for the season. Then there is the matchup vs. the Braves who rank in the bottom third of the league when looking at wOBA (.313), wRC+ (89), and Isolated Power(.149). There is a case to be made to fade him in GPP’s for ownership purposes but he is a near lock in cash games, especially on FanDuel in the mid $8K range.
Gio Gonzalez
Opponent – @ MIL
Park – Miller Park (Hitters Park)
Vegas Favorite (WSH +101)
Vegas Total (8.5)
Gio should be lower owned in tournaments as he is more expensive than Hendricks and is currently a slight underdog. While his strikeout upside(8.1 K/9) is very similar to Hendricks overall, he gets a huge boost tonight facing a Brewers team that not only has struck out 27% of the time over the last 14 days but also strikes out 26% of the time vs. left-handed pitching. Gio has also been very good at limiting hard contact(28.3%) this season and has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six straight starts.
Top Stacks
There are plenty of ways to go when stacking in tournaments tonight but I start with the Blue Jays. I lead with them as I think they are outside the top 3 in ownership which can give you edge on a small slate. They have been very inconsistent this season and has lost four straight and six of their last seven games but are more than capable of putting up double digit runs with the wealth of power at the top of the lineup. They get a great matchup vs. Jeremy Hellickson who has been a roller coaster ride himself this season with a 4.88 ERA, 5.34 xFIP, and 14.4% HR/FB rate. Speaking of home runs, he has given up seven over his last three starts. My top targets for the Blue Jays are Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Steve Pearce, and Justin Smoak.
My favorite stack of the night, if we aren’t worrying about the chalk, is the Chicago Cubs. They have been in beast mode all second half with a .357 wOBA(tied for 1st), 118 wRC+(2nd), .205 ISO(2nd), and 270 runs scored(1st). On top of that, they are a Top 5 team against left-handed pitching with a .344 wOBA and 110 wRC+ and face Sean Newcomb who has some K upside(9.2 K/9) but walks way too many(5.33 BB/9) and gives up home runs(14% HR/FB) which will spell trouble vs. the Cubs. My top targets are Anthony Rizo, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, and Javier Baez.