Main DraftKings Picks August 26: Can Lamet Continue His Great August?

BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 22: Khris Davis #2 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates after hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 22, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks For August 26

We have nine games in the main DraftKings tournament, which means that we have some big named pitchers out there. Are they worth paying for, or do we have bargains lurking somewhere? Let’s check out some stats!

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The money line last night down to 115.1 last night. I just missed out at 114.6. Thanks Wacha!

The winning lineup was also down a bit to 218.45. He used Jacob deGrom and won a huge gamble with Miguel Gonzalez to go with his Phillies stack and Giancarlo Stanton.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

For you first time players, if you would like a bonus of 25% of your first deposit, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 20: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at AT&T Park on August 20, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

If you are going to pay top dollar for a pitcher, you want a sure thing. Madison Bumgarner is a bit of a contradiction tonight. The current Arizona team is hitting only .234 against him, but they have eight homers and 23 runs in only 192 at bats. The 53 strikeouts are nice, but those past stats still look like a risk. Now, Bumgarner has a 6-2 record with a 2.88 ERA in 16 starts at Chase Field. How’s that for a hitter’s park? Which set of stats do you trust?

I like Brad Peacock and the immense strikeout potential, but for the price, you can do better. The Angels have scored 12 runs in only 67 at bats against Peacock. I would rather go with Kyle Hendricks, who has held the Phillies to a .172 average in 29 at bats with just two runs. He is also a solid bet for a win against Ben Lively.

Dinelson Lamet has a 2.83 ERA in August after an ERA over 6 in both June and July. He is rolling right now, and racking up some strikeouts along the way. The matchup in Miami is a really good one, but I am worried about high ownership. Hendricks is a solid pivot, but I still think Lamet has the better game. I just don’t know how much better.

Middle Tier:

After seeing what Miguel Gonzalez did to the Tigers last night, I am all over Carlos Rodon. He has a nice 3.02 ERA in five home starts, and has struck out 68 batters in 60.1 innings pitched. The strikeout potential is there, as is his potential to dominate the Tigers.

Blake Snell has cut the walks since his return to the majors, and gets a Cardinals team that is not scoring a lot or runs who is running out a pitcher that is giving up a lot of runs. We haven’t seen a lot of consistency from Snell this year, but that’s the chance you take to get exposure to low ownership.

Zach Davies has a stellar 2.33 ERA in 13 road starts this year, and Dodger Stadium is a pitcher’s park. But……it’s the Dodgers. Can we really start anyone but the elite against them? Due to the past stats of Davies and the fact that he is facing Ross Stripling, we may never have a better chance.

Kyle Freeland actually has a worse ERA on the road this year, but he holds the platoon advantage over the lefties that make SunTrust Park feel smaller than it actually is. The Braves have been in a funk lately, and Freeland can exploit that. Of course, he is a rookie, so there is plenty of risk.

Bargain Pitchers:

I’m not a big fan of much of the lower tier here. Mike Clevinger provides the most potential against a Royals team that doesn’t hit anyone hard. He has a rough 5.45 ERA in seven home starts this year, and that is where he is tonight.

If you want a real dart throw, Buck Farmer is back in the majors. He turned in his only good major league start this year on the road, but Guaranteed Rate Field is a hitter’s park, and the White Sox offense gets a rep for being worse than they actually are. What it comes down to is: just how much do you trust a pitcher fresh from the minors?

PHOENIX, AZ – AUGUST 25: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a three run home run off of Ty Blach #50 of the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Chase Field on August 25, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Ben Lively has been solid so far, but Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are worth playing here due to the power potential at Citizen’s Bank Park.

Paul Goldschmidt is 17-52(.327) with nine walks, four doubles, a triple, two homers, four runs scored, and eight RBI in his career against Madison Bumgarner. You wont see Goldschmidt’s price this low very often because he is so consistent. Enjoy it because he has good stats against MadBum.

I’m not a huge believer in Buck Farmer. I would rather place a few strategic White Sox against him, starting with Jose Abreu and Nicky Delmonico.

Tyler Skaggs has been solid this year, but he has a 5.91 ERA at home. That’s a bad place to be against the Astros. Many of their hitters have the platoon advantage against Skaggs, starting with Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel. I like Bregman a little more, but neither of them are a bad choice for their price points.

Middle Tier:

Buster Posey is always a solid bet at the price point he is at. He is expensive at catcher, but relative to first base, he isn’t so bad. Taijuan Walker has solid stats against the Giants, but not solid enough to keep me off of their best hitters.

Rhys Hoskins is getting to the point that I have to think twice about using him at this price. Kyle Hendricks doesn’t give up a lot of long balls, but we know that Hoskins’ power is legit. Still, I feel more confident in other batters against weaker pitchers.

Carlos Santana is on fire right now, hitting .400 with two homers and five RBI in the last ten games. He is in a great spot against Jason Hammel. I think I would rather use Santana for his price than Edwin for his. Edwin does have four homers against Hammel lifetime though.

Lucas Duda has absolutely abused Mike Leake in his career. Duda is 7-9(.778) with three walks, two doubles, two homers, four runs scored, and six RBI in his career against Leake already. I’m thinking about stacking Rays against Leake, and it starts with Duda.

Bargain Shoppers:

In looking for a catcher, I want someone with a platoon advantage over a weaker pitcher. That puts both Tiger catchers in play, and Stephen Vogt against Ross Stripling.

Matt Davidson is back, and so is his power. If you want bargain plays at first base, there are several in the Tigers-White Sox game alone.

The power hasn’t come back to Pabol Sandoval yet, but he has a .324 average in his last ten games with three RBI. His price is still a bargain, and he is showing signs of breaking out any time now.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 24: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a two run single in the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 24, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

If Jose Altuve is in the lineup for the Astros, I want him in mine as well. Altuve is hitting an absurd .418 on the road with 12 homers and 39 RBI with 13 steals in 232 at bats. He hits everywhere, but especially on the road. If he doesn’t end up playing, Marwin Gonzalez is a strong play anyway.

Ian Happ has hit four homers in the last ten games. He is a decent power play against the Phillies, but I’m not keen on that high of a price for him.

Corey Seager is hitting .356 with seven RBI over the last ten games. He has no homers and only one double, but are you really going to complain if he is performing like this?

Middle Tier:

The Cardinals haven’t really hit lefties well as a whole, but Paul DeJong has the platoon advantage over Blake Snell. Snell has been better lately, but DeJong has done nothing but hit since he got here. I would rather play him for $600 less than Happ.

Jonathan Villar has heated up lately, hitting .364 with a homer and three steals over the last ten games. Ross Stripling has had a good run for the Dodgers out of the bullpen this year. Can it translate to starting?

If you are going all-in on Tigers against lefty Carlos Rodon, you need leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler. I do believe in Rodon though, so I wont be one of the ones using him.

Odrisamer Despaigne has been pretty good in relief for the Marlins, but Yangervis Solarte can hit pretty good pretty hard. His price is understandably up today, but not to the point that I wouldn’t use him. Besides, I want at least a little exposure to Despaigne. Carlos Asuaje is a solid play hitting up in the San Diego lineup as well.

Bargain Shoppers:

Danny Espniosa is super cheap, and he has clubbed three homers against Mike Leake in his career. The 5-22 mark doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but you are playing him for power and nothing else. If Brad Miller plays, he could be worth a flier too. He has to hit at some point, right?

Tim Anderson is really cheap right now because he has been slumping lately. Can he break out against Buck Farmer? For $2,700, it may be worth finding out.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 18: Jay Bruce #32 of the Cleveland Indians hits a 2-run home run during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on August 18, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Giancarlo Stanton is expensive. Too expensive considering how well Lamet has pitched lately and the fact that he doesn’t give up many long balls. I would rather save $200 and use Mike Trout against Brad Peacock or save even more and go with Kevin Kiermaier against Mike Leake. Leake will be a popular spot to pick on tonight.

Curtis Granderson is 4-11 with a double, a solo homer, and three runs scored in his career against Zach Davies. The Grandy Man has slugged six homers as a Dodger already. He isn’t doing much for average, but we don’t care on DraftKings as long as he is hitting long balls.

Jay Bruce is only 6-23(.261) with four walks, three doubles, a homer, three runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Jason Hammel. Even the struggling Bradley Zimmer may be worth a shot. He is 2-4 with a homer and two RBI against Hammel already.

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Middle Tier:

Brandon Moss is a power play. His only hit in two at bats against Mike Clevinger is a three run homer. I’m not sure that Clevinger is worth picking on though.

Matt Kemp is hitting .289 with two homers and five RBI in his last ten games. He is really cheap against Rockies rookie Kyle Freeland. Too cheap.

If you are going with Giants against Taijuan Walker, don’t sleep on Denard Span or Jarrett Parker. Pence has the better numbers, but Span and Parker are doing better lately.

Bargain Shoppers:

Hunter Pence is 4-9 with a triple, a homer, two runs scored, and three RBI in his career against Taijuan Walker.

Jon Jay is leading off against righties with a potent lineup waiting to drive him in. How is he $3,200, again? Right…….it’s that .154 average over the last ten games.

All Nick Williams does is hit, and we have the advantage of getting to play him at a low price. He has rarely been above $4,000, but $3,100 looks too low, even against a solid pitcher like Kyle Hendricks.

Next: Early Slate DraftKings MLB Picks

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have plenty of NFL stuff to get you ready for football!