Daily Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Picks For August 11

ByMike Marteny|

May 12, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; A detailed view of a baseball glove and bat before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

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. You also start two pitchers instead of just one. In smaller tournaments, that can be a challenge!

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.

You can also play for as little at $.25 at DraftKings and win up to $50 from that entry. They really do have something for everyone!

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?

Aug 5, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) throws the ball in the first inning of a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

There are five pitchers over $10,000 in tonight’s matchups. Are any of them worth paying for?

Madison Bumgarner, Carlos Carrasco, Carlos Martinez, Carlos Rodon, Joe Ross, and Luis Severino are the only pitchers that are averaging a strikeout per inning or more. That is an important benchmark in the DraftKings format.

I will also consider Zack Greinke because of his stellar 1.71 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Whatever he loses off of strikeouts compared to the others, he more than makes up for it in those two categories. Same goes for Matt Harvey. He is close to a strikeout per inning, and owns a 2.76 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Scott Kazmir‘s strikeout potential is much lower (114 K in 130 innings), but his 2.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and dominance in Houston cannot be ignored.

That makes nine of the 30 pitchers who would appear to be your best bets tonight. We obviously need to whittle that down. Let’s start with Joe Ross. Ross has a nice 2.80 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts in 45 innings. The bad part is that he is taking on Greinke and the Dodgers. His $8,800 price tag is a little too high for me here.

Carlos Carrasco’s ERA is a bit high for me at 3.76, and I don’t trust him against the Yankees. I wouldn’t spend more than $10k on him unless he was playing a better opponent tonight.

Kazmir and Bumgarner face off against each other in what promises to be a pitcher’s duel. I am electing to go with someone that I feel confident to get the win, although Bumgarner’s potential for strikeouts may be greater than anyone else tonight against the free-swinging Astros. His $11,100 price tag is steep, but he could get you around 15 points just in strikeouts!

That leaves us five suitable choices. Two of those are rookies. Severino looks like a great bargain against a middle of the road Cleveland offense, but he could have to battle for the win. The Yankees likely will watch his pitch count closely. If the game stays close, there is a good chance he won’t be around to get the win. However, you can afford some elite offense if you play Severino at $5,500.

Rodon has been up and down in his rookie campaign. The Sox are playing very well right now, but I don’t trust Rodon not to get lit up by the Angels. Now we are down to four.

Carlos Martinez wasn’t as dominant as he has been in his last start, so he may be starting to wear down. I am going to play it safer today.

My Picks: Harvey and Severino.

Next: Who Are The Best Infield Options?

Aug 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (19) rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam during the tenth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-3 in extra innings. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Rizzo is hitting .385 against the Brewers with 5 homers and 13 RBI in only 39 at bats this season. Add to that the fact that he has been one of the hottest hitters over the last couple of weeks, hitting .367 with five home runs, and he should be a great option. His $5,400 price tag will turn some away though.

Kendrys Morales has eight RBI in his past six games, and has only had one hitless game since July 30th. He is also 5 for 15 in his career off of Anibal Sanchez.

Chris Davis has five homers in his last eight games. He is still on fire, and he is strong enough to hit it out of Safeco Field. That is, if he can get a hold of one of Taijuan Walker‘s mistakes.

Yangervis Solarte is still cheap at $3,400, and you can use him at three different positions. He is also hitting .367 with two homers, eight RBI, and eight runs scored in the last two weeks. Given the fact that Michael Lorenzen has been knocked around pretty good in recent starts, Solarte could be a strong play at a weak position.

Don’t look now, but Brandon Phillips has a hit in 12 of his last 13 games, and has hit .317 with three homers, eight RBI, six steals, and seven runs scored in that span. He also gets rookie Colin Rea in his major league debut.

Robinson Cano is 12 for 29 (.414) with three walks, two homers, and eight RBI off of Chris Tillman. Add to that the fact that he has been on fire since the All Star break, and Cano is absolutely worth his $4,000 price tag.

Asdrubal Cabrera‘s hit streak is over, but he is still hitting .465 over his last 15 games with 12 runs scored.

Ian Kinsler is 5 for 9 off of Yordano Ventura in his career, and is hitting .297 against the Royals this season.

Josh Donaldson has hit in seven straight games, and 13 of his last 14. He is also leading the majors with eight home runs during that span with a .352 average and 17 RBI. You almost can’t afford to not play him against the struggling Kendall Graveman.

Matt Carpenter has four home runs, eight RBI, and seven runs scored in the last week. That’s right. week.

For those of you looking for a repeat of Ian Desmond‘s two homer night on Monday, don’t. He is 0 for 13 lifetime against Zack Greinke.

Brian Dozier is 5 for 7 with a homer and four RBI off of Yovani Gallardo in his career. Trevor Plouffe has also hit Gallardo well. He is 3 for 7 with two homers and three RBI.

My Picks: Jose Abreu, Cano, Donaldson, Jose Iglesias

Next: The Best Of The Rest

Aug 9, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) rounds the bases on a two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Wellington Castillo continues his hot hitting in the desert. He has seven homers and a .351 average in his last ten games.

Kyle Schwarber has adjusted to the major leagues just fine, thank you. He is hitting .289 with three homers, ten RBI, 13 runs scored, and even a steal in his last 13 games. You can bet the Cubs are going to get creative to keep him in the lineup with Miguel Montero back. We are just happy that he still qualifies as a catcher.

Jonathan Lucroy has five RBI in four at bats in his career against Dan Haren.

Nelson Cruz and Carlos Gonzalez each have nine home runs in their last 15 games. Gonzalez has five in his last four games, and has driven in a staggering 11 runs in that span. Do we dare start him against Harvey? He did smack two home runs against Max Scherzer on Saturday…..

Mike Trout has eight home runs in just 91 at bats against left handed pitching this season. Those of you thinking about starting Rodon have been warned.

Adonis Garcia isn’t hitting for much of an average, but he does have four home runs in the last two weeks, and he is very cheap at just $2,000.

Andrew McCutchen has three walks, a double, a homer, and two RBI off of Carlos Martinez. He is also heating up with a .372 average, four homers, 14 RBI, 12 runs scored, and a steal in the last two weeks. He is a strong bet, and a little bit cheaper than the upper tier at $4,900.

My Picks: Trout, McCutchen, Grady Sizemore, Lucroy

Good luck tonight, and check out Dave Fuqua’s FanDuel picks if you play that too!

Next: Need Help Drafting For Your 2QB League? You've Come To The Right Place!

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