MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 8/1/2019

With the flurry of the trade deadline now a thing of the past, we’ve hit the stretch run in the majors. We won’t have the busiest of nights Thursday with only six games making up the main slate in DFS. Still, there are some matchups worth exploiting in our quest for the big payout. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our MLB Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Gerrit Cole vs. Cleveland Indians
Stadium – Progressive Field
FanDuel = $11,700
DraftKings = $11,300

Just when it looked like the Astros already had one of the best starting rotations in baseball, they fortified it by acquiring Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks. He’ll form an impressive trio with Cole and Justin Verlander that has to make the Astros the favorites to win the American League. Greinke isn’t an overpowering strikeout pitcher at this point in his career, but Cole certainly is with his 37.3 percent strikeout rate. Even though the Indians have an improved lineup, Cole still stands out as one of the best pitching options for this limited slate.

Asher Wojciechowski vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $8,100
DraftKings = $7,100

It’s hard to find many pitchers on the Orioles to get excited about, but Wojciechowski might actually be one of them. He’s coming off of two impressive starts in which he allowed two runs and recorded 16 strikeouts across 14.1 innings against the Angels and Red Sox. He’ll face a much easier opponent here in the Blue Jays, who are young, strikeout-prone squad. As far as cheaper options go, Wojciechowski is a viable target in tournament play.

CATCHER

Travis d’Arnaud vs. Andrew Cashner, Boston Red Sox
Stadium – Fenway Park
FanDuel = $3,400
DraftKings = $4,900

The first two games of this series between the Rays and Red Sox has resulted in plenty of scoring. d’Arnaud has been right in the thick of it, going 4-for-9 with a home run. He’s provided a tremendous boost to the Rays out of the catcher’s spot, hitting 13 home runs to go along with a .897 OPS. Keep rolling with him in this matchup.

Others to consider: Christian Vazquez

FIRST BASE

Nate Lowe vs. Andrew Cashner, Boston Red Sox
Stadium – Fenway Park
FanDuel = $2,900
DraftKings = $4,300

The Red Sox have plenty of holes in their pitching staff, one of which they tried to fill with Cashner. However, he’s allowed 13 runs (12 earned) across 17.2 innings in his first three starts since coming over from the Orioles. For those looking for a cost-effective option at first base, Lowe has a .347 wOBA against right-handed pitchers.

Others to consider: Freddie Freeman and Trey Mancini

SECOND BASE

Michael Chavis vs. Brendan McKay, Tampa Bay Rays
Stadium – Fenway Park
FanDuel = $2,900
DraftKings = $4,300

Chavis has an unsightly 33 percent strikeout rate, but he’s helped make up for that with 17 home runs over 84 games. He’s been more than just a power hitter of late, logging at least two hits in three of his last five games. It’s hard to get excited about too many of the second base options for the evening, so Chavis is at least worth considering with his power upside and recent run of success.

Others to consider: Jose Altuve and Hanser Alberto

THIRD BASE

Eugenio Suarez vs. Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,900

The Reds were one of the more active teams at the deadline and dealt away two of their more established hitters in Yasiel Puig and Scooter Gennett. While that might negatively impact their lineup, overall, Suarez is still a dangerous bat in the middle of their order. He has a career .377 wOBA against left-handed hitters, so he could give Fried plenty of problems in this matchup.

Others to consider: Alex Bregman and Renato Nunez

SHORTSTOP

Jonathan Villar vs. Trent Thornton, Toronto Blue Jays
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $4,600

Villar is one of the few fantasy-friendly options on the Orioles. He’s once again shown a nice mix of speed and power with 13 home runs and 23 steals. Also, he’s amazingly been able to somehow score 70 runs in one of the most inept lineups in the league. Thorton comes into this game with a 1.54 WHIP, leaving Villar with an excellent opportunity to at least find his way on base a couple of times.

Others to consider: Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa

OUTFIELD

Austin Meadows vs. Andrew Cashner, Boston Red Sox
Stadium – Fenway Park
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $4,900

As we continue to try and attack this matchup against Cashner, Meadows comes into focus in the outfield. He’s heating up again, hitting 22-for-74 (.297) with four home runs, four doubles and three triples over his last 20 games. He also has a .394 wOBA against right-handed pitchers this season, making him a great target despite his increasing price tag.

Ender Inciarte vs. Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $2,600
DraftKings = $3,700

With Austin Riley struggling and Nick Markakis on the IL, Inciarte has worked his way back into a significant role with the Braves after being activated off the IL. He’s not letting the opportunity go to waste, hitting 9-for-20 with two home runs, three doubles and two steals over his last five games. DeSclafani has allowed a .385 wOBA to left-handed hitters, making Inciarte extremely appealing at such a reasonable price.

Phillip Ervin vs. Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $2,600
DraftKings = $4,100

Continuing to target cheaper options brings us to Ervin, who is thrust into a more prominent role now with the Reds dealing away a couple of key bats. He should definitely be in the lineup with a lefty on the mound considering he has a 159 wRC+ against southpaws for his career.

Others to consider: Yordan Alvarez and Jose Martinez

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.