FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for August 3

Jul 31, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Hanser Alberto (2) leaps out of the way of Kansas City Royals second baseman Raul Mondesi (27) during the third inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for August 3

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy baseball column focused on providing analysis and insights into the top FanDuel MLB lineups. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

FanSided and Fantasy CPR have you covered – For additional FanDuel MLB analysis, take a look at Matt Rogers FanDuel Economics column or Mike Marteny who provides Draft Kings MLB Picks analysis giving you the most in-depth DFS coverage for tonight’s baseball slate.

Follow us on Twitter @FantasyCPR and on Facebook!

Wednesday’s action kicks off at 2:20PM EST with 3 afternoon games and another 12 games on the Main FanDuel MLB slate which starts at 7:00PM EST to choose our lineups from!

I will continue to track winning Tournament lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Time Period	Score	Pitcher Salary	Pitcher %	Hitter %	Hitter $/Player	Value
Season	255.5	$ 8,646	25%	75%	$ 3,294	7.30
5 Day	244.3	$ 9,000	26%	74%	$ 3,250	6.98
Prev Day	291.1	$ 9,000	26%	74%	$ 3,250	8.32

Now on to the picks…For more DFS Strategy insights, check out my latest article to help take your game to the next level! I highly recommend gamers track their game performance across the various types of games they play – GPP’s, Cash, Multipliers etc – as this simple exercise will help teach you more about profitable roster construction than you can imagine.

Next: Who is the top pitching option on Wednesday's Slate?

July 29, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello (22) reacts after the 6-2 victory against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

After a loaded Tuesday night pitching slate, we return to a more typical night on Wednesday with 3 starters priced over $10k but without a clear-cut ace to turn to and tons of offense to target, the question will be whether or not its worth it to pay up for the high-priced arms.

Rick Porcello ($9,100) at Seattle: After digging through the pitching options, I am willing to pass on the three options over $10k as the match-ups and the increased price points lead me towards saving salary and dropping down at SP.

Porcello is my top option Wednesday as his performance over the last month makes him one of the steadiest options of any hurler going to the hill. Over the last month, Porcello is averaging 40.2 points per game, a solid 4.4x value at this price point and has put up at least 40 points in 6 of his last 8 outings.

Porcello gets a road start with the Mariners, who he faced back on June 18th and went 6 innings, while racking up 6 k’s and picking up a win in a 42 point FanDuel MLB outing.

With a few top spots we want to spend on in our lineups, Porcello delivers some solid salary cap savings while still providing a relatively safe floor and relative upside to compete with the elite arms on the slate.

Next: Top Hitting Options on Wednesday

May 4, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) and second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) celebrate a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Jason Kipnis ($3,900) & Francisco Lindor ($3,700) against RHP Tyler Duffey: It seems like night after night I find myself targeting the Indians middle infielders as their ability to contribute across multiple categories while remaining under $4k makes them a great mini-stack on any given night.

Wednesday night, the Indians get to tee off against Tyler Duffey who in his last two starts, has lasted 3.2 innings, surrendering 17 hits and 11 ER. With such a favorable match-up, locking in two of the biggest offensive threats on the Indians makes for a great foundation to build your roster off of.

Jay Bruce ($3,800) & Michael Conforto ($2,300) against RHP Chad Green: The Mets head across town to Yankee stadium and will get the benefit of the short porch as they take on Chad Green and the Yankees. Green is making the start in place of Ivan Nova, who was traded to Pittsburgh at the deadline, and has struggled against LHB this season surrendering 5 home runs in only 11 IP.

Jay Bruce becomes an immediate impact back for the Mets after being traded from the Reds and with the ballpark boost in Yankee Stadium could do some serious damage for the Mets in his second game with the team.

Michael Conforto has really come back from his demotion with an entirely different look at the plate, reminding us why he was so productive last season and at the start of this year. He is hitting the ball with authority to the opposite field which is one of the things that made him so successful initially, and keep in mind this is a player who earlier int he year was regularly priced over $4k on FanDuel.

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup

Jul 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) spits water in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Below you will find my initial lineup for Wednesday’s Main FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.

Pitcher:

More from FanSided

Catcher: Gary Sanchez ($2,000) The Yankees are expected to call up Sanchez on Wednesday and assuming he is in the lineup makes for a high upside play in his potential debut

First Base: A.J. Reed ($2,000) The Astros called Reed back up to the majors on Tuesday and inserted him back at first base. One of the top prospects in the game struggled earlier this season but was raking in AAA and is as high upside of a bat as you can get at the minimum price

Second Base: Jason Kipnis ($3,800)

Third Base: Justin Turner ($4,200) Turner mashes LHP and with a lefty on the hill, in Colorado, this is a fantastic spot to use the savings from C/1B to target a player with massive upside

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor ($3,700)

Outfield: Jay Bruce ($3,800)

Outfield: Michael Conforto ($2,300)

Outfield: Carlos Gonzalez ($4,000) I absolutely want to have some exposure to the Rockies as they face a RHP making his debut in Coors and CarGo is the top bat with the platoon advantage

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Best of luck tonight gamer’s! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups!