DFS MLB Lineups for August 25, 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 Chris Sale can get lit up, and Paul Goldschmidt 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!
8/25/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Big 5 Championship: $555 buy-in, $444k guaranteed
DraftKings Little 5 Championship: $5 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Medium 5 Championship: $55 buy-in, $275k guaranteed
FanDuel Sinker Squeeze: $9 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $44 buy-in, $120k guaranteed
FanDuel Demonster: $777 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for August 25, 2017
Kenta Maeda vs MIL ($10.3k DraftKings, $8.7k FanDuel)
Maeda has been a strong starter in the second half, posting a 2.70 ERA in his first six starts back and he’s been a better pitcher at home. The Brewers could have a tough day against him considering they have had many, many of them in the second half. Their .307 wOBA after the All-Star break is the lowest among NL teams.
Zack Greinke vs SFG ($12.6k DraftKings, $9.6k FanDuel)
At home, Greinke is flat out dominant. In 14 starts at Chase Field this season, he is 11-1 with a 2.34 ERA while striking out 112 batters in 92.1 innings. This year, the Giants have been the worst hitting team in the big leagues against right-handed pitching. Their wOBA against righties is .298 and to boot, they no longer have one of their best hitters, Eduardo Nunez.
Robert Stephenson vs PIT ($5.8k DraftKings, $5.6k FanDuel)
Over the course of the season, the Pirates have not been a very good hitting team. That’s evident by their .308 wOBA against right-handed pitchers on the year. That also makes them an easy target here. In three outings this month, Stephenson has allowed just two runs in 12.2 innings.
Other pitchers to consider: Adam Conley, Michael Wacha, Rick Porcello, J.A. Happ
Best DFS MLB Hitters for August 25, 2017
Whit Merrifield vs CLE ($4.6k DraftKings, $3.6k FanDuel)
Merrifield has quietly been one of the top hitters in the big leagues against left-handed pitching (.385 wOBA against them). This makes him a good choice whenever there is a lefty on the mound as there is today. The pitcher he faces, Ryan Merritt, has a 4.79 FIP in 19 Triple-A outings this season. The Royals have been much better of late and Merrifield is one of the better parts of that surge.
DJ LeMahieu @ ATL ($4.0k DraftKings, $3.1k FanDuel)
The right-handed bat has been a key piece of one of the best lineups in baseball this season. He has a .354 wOBA in the second half and he is up against a guy that has really come off the rails. Julio Teheran is sporting a 5.02 ERA in 25 starts this season and has been bad far more than he’s been good.
Andrew Benintendi vs BAL ($5.0k DraftKings, $4.1k FanDuel)
Benintendi has been red hot this month, owning a .446 wOBA in August. Further, he’s a much better hitter against right-handed pitching (.357 wOBA against righties vs .267 wOBA against lefties). Tonight, he’s facing a vulnerable righty in Jeremy Hellickson, who has a 5.00 ERA in 24 starts this season, which should allow Benintendi to keep swinging well.
Other hitters to consider: Curtis Granderson, Jed Lowrie, Danny Valencia, Byron Buxton, Kolten Wong, Paul DeJong, Edwin Encarnacion
8/25/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Cardinals vs Jake Odorizzi
Odorizzi has battled injuries this season, so that might be part of the reason why he has struggled so much to date. The Rays right-hander has a 6.03 ERA in his last 12 starts and has given up 8 bombs in his last 6 starts. Deploy the top to middle of the lineup with confidence.
Diamondbacks vs Ty Blach
The Diamondbacks are one of the top hitting teams in baseball at home. That is evident by their .351 wOBA when playing at Chase Field. Tonight, they draw Giants starter Ty Blach, who has let up 12 runs in 11.2 innings over his last two starts. All the guys you’d want in your stack are expensive tonight, so you’ll have to save at pitcher if you want to use the D’Backs.
Indians vs Jason Vargas
The Indians have been one of the better hitting teams in the big leagues against left-handed pitchers, posting a .325 wOBA this season. If that is any indication, they should be able to take advantage of a weakening lefty like Vargas. Although he was dominant earlier in the year, he owns a 6.62 ERA in seven post-All-Star break starts, giving up 7 homers over that span.
Other Stacks to consider:
Royals vs Ryan Merritt
Red Sox vs Jeremy Hellickson
Marlins vs Travis Wood
