FanDuel MLB Daily Fantasy Picks 8/9/19
Contents
MLB DFS is full on in the dog days of summer. Cash games you want to find consistent high floor pitchers, and the same goes for hitters. Tournaments you want to find lower owned bats and pitchers that carry huge upside. This article will point you in the direction of both.
Pitchers
Walker Buehler ($11.400) – Walker Buehler continues to dominate, and has everything to be a top ace moving forward. He is home against the Diamondbacks, who have been surprisingly good this season. When Buehler is at home, he has been lights out. Hitters have a .221 wOBA against him and a 34% strikeout rate. His walk rte is also 1.6% at Dodger Stadium. Buehler has been good against both sides of the plate, holding lefties to a .250 woBA and right-handers a.278 wOBA. Allowing 19 ER in 67 innings at home is very solid. In his last three starts he has 15, 6, and 11 strikeouts. Against Arizona this season, his strikeout totals are 9, 11, and 0. That zero was his first start of the season allowing five earned.
Cash Hitters
Justin Upton ($3,300) – Justin Upton isn’t going to stand out looking at last year and this year’s numbers. For one he has barely played this season, but overall he is a solid right-handed bat against left-handed pitching. The Angels are in a good spot tonight, as Brian Johnson is allowing a .524 wOBA and .283 ISO to right-handers this season. Dating back to last season, Johnson has allowed a .378 wOBA and .202 ISO. Upton is on the cheaper side tonight, and certainly is playable for me in cash games despite the 2019 numbers.
Matt Carpenter ($3,000) – Matt Carpenter is back and on the cheaper side. The Cardinals get a good matchup against Chris Archer, who at this point is what he is. He has a 4.91 xFIP and is allowing over a .200 ISO to both sides of the plate. Carpenter has been battling injuries, and struggled at the beginning of the year. However, hard-contact is up over 45% and no signs of him hammering the ball into the ground. At $3,000 he is a solid bargain at the hot corner, and fits in well with Buehler.
Delino DeShields ($2,400) – If you are looking for a dirt cheap leadoff bat, Delino DeShields is your guy. He has a .336 wOBA and .194 ISO off southpaws this season, and Gio Gonzalez isn’t scaring anyone. He has allowed a .346 wOBA and .192 ISO to right-handed hitters on the year. Texas doesn’t have a high implied total, but they are a sneaky tournament stack as well with Santana, Andrus, and Pence added in. DeShields is mainly a guy who can help you afford some other bats without sacrificing much.
Tournament Hitters
Hunter Renfroe ($3,000) – Kyle Freeland has been dreadful this season, sporting a 5.32 xFIP and allowing a .408 wOBA to right-handed hitters. RHH also have a .311 ISO off of him, and just a 15.6% strikeout rate. Petco Park is a downgrade for hitters, but it also suppresses ownership. Hunter Renfroe is a big power bat, with a .469 ISO and .418 wOBA off left-handed pitching this season. Renfroe’s strikeout rate has also dropped below 20%. Freeland is allowing a 43% hard-contact rate to right-handers and his fastball is being crushed for a .267 ISO.
Brandon Dixon (3,000) – Brandon Dixon has a .239 ISO off right-handers this season, but a 29% strikeout rate. He will take on Brad Keller who has a 4.88 xFIP and 17% strikeout rate. He throws a slider quite a bit, but has below a 30% whiff rate on it. Dixon has a .380 wOBA and .322 ISO off sliders, but doesn’t have great contact rates. This game is interesting, and Edwin Jackson on the other side puts the Royals on the radar for everyone. However, on the contrarian side the Tigers make more sense.
