FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for August 10

Jun 16, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) runs after hitting a double in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for August 10

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.

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Wednesday’s action kicks off at 12:10PM EST with 3 games on the early slate and the remaining 12 games on the main slate which begins at 7:00PM EST.

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	$ 8,618	25%	75%	$ 3,298	7.30
5 Day	255.7	$ 7,850	22%	78%	$ 3,394	7.31
Prev Day	252.3	$ 8,200	23%	77%	$ 3,350	7.21

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?

Jul 30, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ (33) delivers a pitch against Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

J.A. Happ ($9,200) at home versus Tampa Bay: Looking over the pitching options, the match up between Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez immediately catches your eye but with the win up for grabs, looking elsewhere on this slate may be your best option.

Happ is my top choice and checks in with a very reasonable price considering his performance this season. Over the last month, Happ has averaged 47 points per game, 5.1x value at this price point, and he has seen his performance spike the last two weeks while averaging 54 points per game.

Happ is a significant home favorite (-190) which sets him up nicely to be in position for the all important FanDuel win.

Happ has been on a roll lately, allowing 1 run or fewer in 5 of his last 6 games and picking up the win in 9 of his last 10 starts.

With his performance over the last month, I would consider Happ at over $10k so getting him for this price is a no-brainer and allows you to lock in a high upside lineup as well!

Next: Top Hitters

Aug 4, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Texas Rangers outfielder Ian Desmond (20) hits an RBI ground out in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

Rockies and Rangers: With this series now moving to Texas, gamers may overlook this match-up but Vegas continues to project this as the highest scoring game on the slate and we should look to get exposure here.

One of the best aspects of the move away from Coors is that FanDuel reduces the prices which allows us to lock in a bit more savings on the same bats we have been targeting the last few days.

Martin Perez takes the hill for Texas and has struggled against RHB this season, surrendering a .294 average and 12 home runs with a 34% hard hit rate which puts Nolan Arenado ($3,900) squarely in play from the Rockies side. Third base is absolutely loaded on Wednesday so paying up is the best approach and locking in Arenado away from Coors may even be a bit contrarian.

Jorge de la Rosa will pitch for the Rockies and he has struggled against hitters from both sides of the plate with a slightly higher home run rate allowed to RHB which puts Ian Desmond ($3,800) in play as the Rangers top bat.

Blue Jays at home versus LHP Blake Snell: Any time the Jays are at home against a lefty, looking towards the big Blue Jays bats is typically a great DFS approach but attacking Blake Snell with an all out stack may be a dangerous proposition. Snell has been able to limit the damage done by RHB so far this season so while I am ok fading the top power bats, I do love the value that some of the Jays bats provide.

Devon Travis ($3,000) continues to rake, averaging over 14 points per game over the last two weeks and batting lead-off for Toronto puts him in a great spot to continue to crush value. Keep in mind as we have been praising the value Travis brings for a week now, we are starting to see his ownership spike to 20-25% in tournaments which does mean you can strategically fade him!

Next: FanDuel MLB Lineup

Aug 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Fans hold up signs for Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (not pictured) while at bat during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

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

Pitcher:

More from FanSided

Catcher: Stephen Vogt ($2,300) Vogt gets a solid spot against Yovani Gollardo and will continue to bat in the middle of the order

First Base: Anthony Rizzo ($4,600) The Cubs get a game in Wrigley against Ricky Nolasco and Rizzo should end the night as one of the top scorers on the slate

Second Base: Devon Travis ($3,000)

Third Base: Nolan Arenado ($3,900)

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki ($3,100)

Outfield: Ian Desmond ($3,800)

Outfield: Lorenzo Cain ($2,800) Cain wears out LHP and his early season injury has kept his price at a bargain spot considering his spot in the heart of the Royals lineup

Outfield: Preston Tucker ($2,000)

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!