DFS MLB Lineups for August 4, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com
For this daily fantasy baseball season, each day there’s a good slate of DFS MLB games, we’ll be writing up a group of pitchers and hitters that we’re considering for our cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll also provide a list of stacks to consider, MLB start times, starting pitchers, and game run totals to give you a good idea of where the fantasy goodness might come from on a given night. As with any DFS sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than they are in real life due to matchup, price, park factor, etc. This is important when constructing a roster. And if you’re looking for new ways to play DFS, be sure and give BOOM Fantasy and DRAFT a try!
A quick reminder while playing DFS MLB, don’t forget baseball is a game of variance. You can make a really solid lineup and still fall short of the cash line. Even Clayton Kershaw can get lit up, and Mike Trout can still go 0 for 4. Baseball is funny like that. Trust the process and know that if you’re playing quality lineups, you’ll be a winner in the long term.
Another thing to remember outside of making sure your player is in the lineup, is to always check the weather. Always. Make this something that is part of your basic routine. Baseball games can get postponed! Your players receive no points from postponed games!
8/4/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Full Count: $55 buy-in, $350k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Papa Squeeze: $9 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $77 buy-in, $200k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $777 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for August 4, 2017
James Paxton vs KCR ($12.2k DraftKings, $10.1k FanDuel)
Over the course of the season, Paxton has been one of the top pitchers in the American League. He owns a 2.37 FIP with 10.5 whiffs per nine innings. Over the month of July, he allowed just six runs over 39.2 innings. In contrast, the Royals own a .307 wOBA against left-handed pitching which ranks 22nd in the big leagues. The price is high, but Paxton has 30+ point upside.
Brad Peacock vs TOR ($10.3k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)
No matter what he does–starting games or relieving them–Peacock has excelled this season. In his last eight outings (including seven starts), he is 6-0 with a 2.18 ERA and has struck out 53 batters in 41.1 innings. He faces a Blue Jays offense that has struggled throughout the year. Their .313 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season ranks 22nd in the big leagues. Peacock and the Astros are big -162 favorites.
Yu Darvish @ NYM ($11.0k DraftKings, $9.3k FanDuel)
This will be Darvish’s first start as a Dodger, and he is in good position to make it a great one. He owns a 2.49 ERA in 10 road starts this year and in that span, he has struck out 68 batters over 65 innings. The team he faces, the Mets, have not hit well at home, posting a mere .308 wOBA at Citi Field and Darvish now gets the benefit of facing pitchers instead of designated hitters. He does square off against Jacob deGrom in this one, so a win bonus is far from a lock.
Other pitchers to consider: Madison Bumgarner, Eduardo Rodriguez, Justin Verlander, Ivan Nova
Best DFS MLB Hitters for August 4, 2017
Shin-Soo Choo @ MIN ($4.6k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
Since the All-Star break, Choo has been one of the more dependable hitters in the big leagues. Through 19 games after the All-Star break, he owns a .360 wOBA and he is facing Bartolo Colon, who owns a 7.90 ERA in 16 starts this season. This could be Choo’s opportunity to shine facing a washed up Bart that hasn’t struck out more than 4 batters in a game since late May.
Kaleb Cowart vs OAK ($2.0k DraftKings, $2.9k FanDuel)
Cowart recently got called back up and he has been one of the more consistent hitters in baseball over the last two weeks, but his price does not reflect his production (likely due to his spot in the order). In nine games this season, the switch-hitter owns a .579 wOBA against right-handed pitching, so he should be able to feast on an average one. He faces Jharel Cotton, who owns a 5.49 ERA in 15 starts this season.
Eduardo Nunez vs CHI ($5.0k DraftKings, $3.9k FanDuel)
From July 22 to August 1, Nunez collected 20 hits in 38 at-bats, making him one of the hottest batters in baseball. Playing his home games at hitter-friendly Fenway Park now, Nunez could do some damage against Carlos Rodon, who owns a 5.44 FIP in six starts this season.
Other hitters to consider: Joey Gallo, Adrian Beltre, Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick, Andrelton Simmons, Mookie Betts, Lucas Duda, José Pírela, James McCann
8/4/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Rangers @ Bartolo Colon
Colon is the oldest pitcher in the big leagues. He is also one of the worst. In 16 starts this season, Colon owns a 7.70 ERA and has struck out just 5.5 batters per nine innings. Maybe the Rangers can do some damage against him. After all, their .325 wOBA against righties this year ranks ninth in the big leagues and .204 ISO against them is the second best in the bigs. Colon has also surrendered 10 homers in his last 10 starts.
Astros vs Cesar Valdez
Valdez has only pitched in the big leagues in two MLB seasons (2010 and 2017), and neither of them have been fruitful. He owns a 7.29 ERA in five career MLB starts and in his 19 career MLB outings, opposing batters are hitting .323 off of him. Of course, the Astros are the best hitting team in baseball which is proved by their .364 wOBA and .215 ISO against righties.
Angels vs Jharel Cotton
In his sophomore year, Cotton has really struggled. In 15 starts, he owns a 5.49 ERA, but his success has only come during the day. With Mike Trout back and health, the Angels have been an above-average team offensively in the second half; they own a .327 wOBA after the All-Star break which ranks 12th in the big leagues.
Other Stacks to consider:
Mariners vs Jason Hammel
Red Sox vs Carlos Rodon
