DFS MLB Lineups for August 29, 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!
8/29/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Mega 8’s: $888 buy-in, $400k guaranteed
DraftKings Fastball: $33 buy-in, $350k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $777 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $55 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $9 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for August 29, 2017
Ervin Santana vs. CWS ($10.2k DraftKings, $9.0k FanDuel)
With Chris Sale going through his patented late-season breakdown and Rich Hill due for a potential letdown after his no-hitter was broken up in extra innings last week, Santana has a chance to emerge as the top SP option on a full slate. He’s facing a very familiar foe in the White Sox, a team that’s 3-0 against with a 2.33 ERA and .163 BAA over 4 meetings this season, most recently spinning 8 innings of one-run ball against the Northsiders. The White Sox rank 26th in collective batting average (.247) and 28th in wOBA (.306) against RHP this year and that lineup has become even weaker with promising rookie Nicky Delmonico on the DL and the White Sox are also starting a weak RHP in James Shields.
Matt Moore @ SD ($8.1k DraftKings, $8.5k FanDuel)
Moore was pounded on the road throughout most of the season, but has recently surprised with excellent outings at the Dodgers and Nationals while posting a .239 BAA and 8.62 K/9 ratio during August. He’s facing a Padres offense that ranks dead last in batting average (.284) and wOBA (.284) with the third-highest K-Rate (25.6%) against LHP this year and Moore struck out 7 Padres to meet value in a home start against San Diego last month. He’s certainly a high-risk option, but also comes with a potential reward now that the Giants offense is coming alive to a degree. And we all know PetCo keeps balls in the yard.
Trevor Bauer @ NYY ($7.9k DraftKings, $8.5k FanDuel)
The Indians and Red Sox got into a surprising slugfest last Thursday and Bauer managed to pitch slightly better than Chris Sale to earn the win and come away with another great DFS line. He draws another tall task tonight in pitching at Yankee Stadium, but Bauer held the Bronx Bombers to a lone run over 7.2 IP in a previous meeting this month and he’s been very effective in his last 2 road outings in tough spots at Fenway Park and KC’s Kaufmann Stadium. With a 2.45 ERA and 10.91 K/9 ratio this month, he simply has too much upside to ignore at a modest price tag on DK and is a high risk/high reward GPP play.
Other pitchers to consider: Chris Sale, Rich Hill, Dylan Bundy, Zack Godley, Mike Fiers, Sal Romano
Best DFS MLB Hitters for August 29, 2017
Rhys Hoskins vs. ATL ($4.6 DraftKings, $4.5k FanDuel)
Can a knuckleball slow down the hottest young hitter in baseball? Hopkins has been a one-man wrecking crew with 11 HRs over 19 MLB appearances and R.A. Dickey is giving up a 16.9% HR/FB ratio with a 5.10 FIP in RvR matchups this season. Hoskins matches up well against the knuckler because he plants his front foot very early and can therefore time up a floating pitch more easily while following it from Dickey’s hand through the barrel of the bat.
Howie Kendrick vs. MIA ($4.8k DraftKings, $3.1k FanDuel)
He doesn’t play every day, but when he does, Kendrick usually inserts a spark into a struggling Nats offense. The veteran RHB is hitting .360 with 5 HRs and a 1.022 OPS this month and he’s surprisingly emerged as a dual threat with 8 stolen bases this year. He’s also found himself in the leadoff spot several times, helping us insert him into a Nats stack should we look to go that direction.
Austin Jackson @ NYY ($3.9k DraftKings, $3.1k FanDuel)
Jackson’s been getting steady playing time with several Indians on the DL right now and he’s making the most of his opportunities with a .326 batting average and 126 wRC+ since the ASB. He’s hitting .340 off LHP this year and faces a vulnerable southpaw in Jaime Garcia, who is posting a 1.47 WHIP with a 4.74 FIP against RHB this year. Garcia’s been tagged for 19 ER over his last 6 outings and 4 HRs over his last 3, so he’s certainly a candidate to target with a stack this evening.
Other hitters to consider: Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Brian Dozier, Joe Panik, Rafael Devers, Freddy Galvis, Alex Avila, Eduardo Nunez, Matt Carpenter, Matt Joyce
8/29/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Red Sox vs Brett Anderson
Boston’s dangerous lineup is certainly capable of hanging a few crooked numbers at a hitter-friendly park in Toronto’s Rogers Centre, and certainly capable of tagging veteran southpaw Brett Anderson. The journeyman LHP posted a rough 8.18 ERA over 6 starts with the Cubs and has allowed lefties to go 9-for-19 with 5 doubles over that limited sample size. That puts Rafael Devers squarely in play as a value third baseman with a .407 average in LvL matchups, while Eduardo Nunez remains a strong play after snapping his slump with a HR last night. Chris Young could draw a start in LF as a platoon specialist, Xander Bogaerts remains relatively cheap at SS and Christian Vazquez might be the most appealing value in this stack at the minimum price on FanDuel.
Cubs vs Chad Kuhl
The Cubs are leading the Majors with an impressive .291 batting average and .372 wOBA over the last 14 days and face a very vulnerable RHP tonight in Kuhl. The Pirates SP is allowing lefties to hit .310 with a .395 wOBA 43.7% Hard Contact Rate on the road this year and was pummeled for 8 ER by the Cubs back in April before lasting just 3 innings in a recent outing at Wrigley Field. Anthony Rizzo is a prime candidate to lead this stack while Alex Avila is another dangerous lefty to consider. Jon Jay platoons at times when the Cubs face a weak RHP and you can also find value with Javier Baez on DK.
Other Stacks to consider:
Twins vs. James Shields
Nationals vs. Vance Worley
Indians vs. Jaime Garcia
