Daily Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Picks For August 7

With all of the teams in the big tournaments tonight, it is important to find all of the information you can to give you a leg up on the competition. These picks are made to maximize value at DraftKings. It is important to note the major differences between DraftKings and FanDuel. They are very different animals.

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The biggest difference is pitching. DK gives you twice the value for strikeouts and innings pitched, but also docks you for hits allowed and docks you twice as much for earned runs. You want to find a high strikeout pitcher who doesn’t allow a lot of base runners.

For the hitters, you want to chase homers in DK since they don’t count outs against you. The major difference is that caught stealing will cost you two points. Chasing cheap steals like Billy Hamilton or Dee Gordon are good strategies at FanDuel. Not so much at DraftKings.

One other key difference is that you can select more than four players from one team. This can be huge for light days, and for days when you know an opposing pitcher is just going to get hammered. Is there anything like that tonight? Let’s find out!

Next: Who Are The Best Two Pitchers For Your Team?

Jul 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) in the dugout against the Washington Nationals before the game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

You know, they could raise Clayton Kershaw‘s salary to $20,000 and he still might be worth it. He is at $15,000 right now – nearly 1/3 of your total team salary – but he might be worth it. Kershaw has 192 strikeouts in only 148 innings pitched. He is averaging 1.3 strikeouts per inning! That is an average of 12 per nine innings. Nobody has that ratio outside of the occasional closer. Oh, and the Pirates are career .229 hitters off of Kershaw in 109 at bats with just two solo homers off of him. That’s it. You almost can’t afford not to take Kershaw tonight!

For the undercards, James Shields, Cole Hamels, Gerrit Cole, Jon Lester, Jacob deGrom, Lance Lynn, and Jose Fernandez are all averaging more than a strikeout per inning. You can remove Cole for the simple fact that he is squaring off against Kershaw. Take someone else from this list that might be able to corral a win.

Shields and Lynn both have WHIP’s that are unbecoming of an ace at 1.3 and 1.25 respectively. In a format that docks pitchers for baserunners allowed, it might be best to avoid those two as well.

Once again, I am adding Sonny Gray to the mix because of his stellar 2.12 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. You can also add Dallas Keuchel and his 2.35 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.

Speaking of great WHIP and ERA, deGrom has a 2.09 ERA and 0.89 WHIP and 135 strikeouts in 133.1 innings pitched. And he is taking on the Rays, who have had trouble hitting the ball lately. He won’t outscore Kershaw, but if you elect to go with two really good ones instead of Kershaw and a flier, deGrom should be your ace.

If you are thinking of going cheap with a pitcher and pairing him with Kershaw, Andrew Heaney is an intriguing option. He has a great 1.97 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. His strikeouts are a little down, and he is facing Baltimore, but he is at home against Kevin Gausman. He will also have a solid shot at the win.

Don’t look now, but Robbie Ray has a 3.01 ERA. The bad news? He is playing the Reds, but he should have a decent shot at the win against the inconsistent Raisel Iglesias.

Hisashi Iwakuma is struggling with a 4.47 ERA in his 56 innings so far this year. For that reason, Cole Hamels is a strong pick. Oh, and Seattle has been confounded at the plate lately.

My Picks: deGrom and Heaney

Next: Who Are The Best Infield Options?

Aug 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) runs away from an ice cooler bath by second baseman Rougned Odor and starting pitcher Martin Perez (33) after the game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Infielders:

Mark Teixeira has five home runs in his last seven games. R.A Dickey has held him in check for the most part, but Tex does have a home run off of him in 19 at bats.

Joey Votto is on fire lately. He is hitting .462 since the All Star Break with three home runs and seven driven in. I like his chances against Robbie Ray tonight.

Adrian Beltre has three homers in 30 at bats off of Hisashi Iwakuma. He is also hitting .367 with three walks. Draft Beltre and watch the points roll in!

Chris Davis is on an absolute tear right now. He is hitting .309 with nine homers and 26 – that’s right- 26 RBI since the break. I might even play him against the left-handed Heaney tonight, that’s how hot he has been.

Lucas Duda also has nine home runs since the Break, but he is taking on the tough Jake Odorizzi.

Ben Zobrist is 7 for 27 with three homers and seven RBI in seven games as a Royal. He will make his Kansas City debut tonight, so you know he will be amped up for this one!

Asdrubal Cabrera is 16 for 32 since the All Star Break with 11 runs scored, two homers, and six RBI.

Carlos Sanchez is hitting .339 since the break with three homers, nine RBI, and nine runs scored. He could be a great cheap option tonight.

Carlos Correa has six home runs, 11 RBI, and three steals, all while batting .375, since the All Star Break. He may have some issues against Sonny Gray tonight though.

Josh Donaldson and Matt Carpenter are also hot since the break. Donaldson could be worth the money against Eovaldi. Carpenter could get you great value for his price.

My Picks: Ben Paulsen, Sanchez, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Beltre

Next: Let's Check The Outfield

Aug 1, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Nelson Cruz (23) hits a home run in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Is anyone on the planet hotter than Nelson Cruz right now? Since the All Star Break, Cruz is hitting .448 with nine homers, but only 13 RBI. Wait, Carlos Gonzalez is close. He is hitting .404 with nine homers and 20 RBI in that span. The aforementioned Chris Davis is also on this short list.

Yoenis Cespedes is 3 for 9 with a homer off of Odorizzi in his career. He is also 7 for 22 with four runs scored and five RBI since joining the Mets.

For those of you looking to go cheap, Michael Taylor has four homers, four steals, and 13 RBI since the break, all while hitting .304

Melky Cabrera is helping to lead the charge for the red hot White Sox. He is hitting .417 with three homers, 18 RBI, and 13 runs scored since the Break. He is also 65 for 22 with a homer and three RBI off of Edinson Volquez.

Aaron Hicks has really turned it on since being recalled to the majors. He is 30 for 98 since his recall on July 3rd with four home runs, 16 RBI, and three steals.

Rusney Castillo won big at the trade deadline with Shane Victorino being dealt. He has responded with a .385 average, a homer, five runs scored, four RBI, and two steals. And he is still really cheap!

Jason Castro has ten RBI this week! The three homers and .286 average just make the decision easier.

Buster Posey is blistering hot right now. He is hitting .423 with two homers and eight RBI in August.

Kyle Schwarber has homered three times in his last four starts for those of you playing in the all day tournaments.

My Picks: Wellington Castillo, Cruz, Cespedes, and CarGo.

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