MLB DRAFT DFS Picks (DRAFT.com): Sunday, August 5th

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Welcome to today’s edition of MLB DRAFT DFS Picks from FantasyCPR. The DRAFT app can be downloaded to your mobile device through your app store, or you can access their desktop site here.

I play quite a bit on DRAFT, and have always been a big fan of the snake draft format. On DRAFT, you roster one starting pitcher, two infielders, and two outfielders. They offer head-to-head, 3-man, 6-man and 10-man drafts that start upon filling. Also, they have a tournament format, where one contest will span a few days. The further you advance, the more you win. I play mostly the six-man contests for cash games, which payout to the top two spots.

If you are finding this article for the first time, my goal here will be to give you my strategy for drafting today on DRAFT, followed by my top 30 overall rankings. Strategy of course changes day by day, depending on what type of slate we are working with. I always start with my pitcher, as everything else revolves around that. After having completed my rankings, here is how I am attacking this slate.

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Slate Overview:

Well I don’t normally get to write much on weekends. That being said, I don’t even really play much DFS on weekends, however, I am going to get some drafts in tonight. Having the extra time between household projects and digging into the slate a little bit, it looks like a good day to play, and stack up some hot bats in good spots. Truth is, I got a lot done today, and I deserve to enjoy busting out some content. Anyways let’s take a quick a look at the slate.

First of all, the weather looks like it will cooperate all across the nation tomorrow, so we have no significant threats to worry about on that end. In today’s article, I will focus on the main full 15-game slate starting at 1:10 ET. We have what I would call a fair amount of viable pitchers in action, with just one stud in a plus spot in Phillies ace Aaron Nola. Other than him, we have some strikeout upside in Jon Gray and Walker Buehler, and we also have one of my favorite spots to target. Danny Duffy seems to always pitch well in Minnesota, and will certainly be on my radar at the end of my drafts.

On the hitter side of things, we have a couple of stacks to target, and plenty of one-off’s in great spots. The first stack that sticks out is in Cleveland, where the Tribe will take on Deck McGuire and the Angels. In a small sample size, McGuire appears to be an extreme reverse splits pitcher. This could bode well for right-handed power bat Edwin Encarnacion. He also is just bad in general on the road, posting a 9.22 ERA in 13.1 innings of work. Other than Encarnacion, I like targeting the usual suspects in Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez at the first wraparound if available, and Michael Brantley can also be had at the end of your drafts.

Another three man stack I am targeting will be in Washington, where the Nats will face Reds righty Luis Castillo. Bryce Harper is finding his groove since the break, and I like pairing with him the always dangerous Trea Turner, who will likely be available until the third round or so. Juan Soto, the five-tool rookie who also sports a dangerous bat, could also be a nice completion to the stack.

One last stack I will mention before we get to the pitching targets is the Diamondbacks power righties. AJ Pollack and Paul Goldschmidt make for possibly my favorite pair on the slate, as they will face Giants veteran left-hander Derek Holland. Goldy is just 2-for-6 in his career off of Holland, but he will grade out as the top hitter on the slate for me, and he also has the highest projection. Truthfully, if you grab a pitcher early and still end up with Goldschmidt and Pollack, Eduardo Escobar is also in a prime spot. He should bat second, and has two doubles and a home run in his career versus Holland.

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks – Top Pitching Targets

For my targets, instead of giving you some basic strategy, I will opt to point out the guys I am actually targeting and drafting. I think this will be more helpful in terms of understanding why I have certain players ranked where they are. Similar to the rankings, followed by each target will be their overall ranking of 30 in parenthesis.

Aaron Nola – Philadelphia Phillies – (3)

A top pitcher by far on the slate, facing the Marlins as a heavy favorite, Nola comes in as the top pitcher of the day by a fair margin. Miami has been striking out a bit more as team as of late, and Nola is coming off of a eight-inning, six strikeout masterpiece against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He was stuck with a no decision in that one, and his record remains at 12-5, while his ERA was lowered a bit to 2.35. He struck out five Marlins in six innings on July 14th, but I think he gets a few more K’s today and a W at home. I think we are going to see more than a couple of pitchers get double-digit DP today, and Nola should be one of them.

Jon Gray – Colorado Rockies – (14)

Gray gets to pitch on the road again, and he is always a top target of mine when he gets out of Coors Field. He has been pretty much dominant since his recall up to the big club. Maybe sorting out his issues in the minors was just what Gray needed? Regardless, he has been hot, averaging just over seven innings and 14 DP per game in his last three starts. Today he will be in Milwaukee, facing the strikeout prone Brewers, and will be looking to cool their hot bats and their new additions. The consistency over the last three starts has been impressive nonetheless, and I don’t mind rolling with Gray in the third round.

Danny Duffy – Kansas City Royals – (29)

My last pitching target today, will be my fall back option if I just decide there are bats I need early. I don’t normally target Duffy, but something can be said about when he faces the Twins. Even more can be said when he faces the Twins in Minnesota at Target Field. On July 9th in Minnesota, Duffy scattered just six hits over six innings, allowing zero earned runs and striking out nine. He followed that up with a start in KC, where he picked up a win in seven innings, but struck out just four. Duffy has the Twins number as I have covered, and he could be a fine last pick today.

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks  – Today’s Hitting Targets:

IF – Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – (1)

My favorite hitter is back up at the top of my ranks. Goldy homered on Friday, and followed that up with a 2-for-3 performance yesterday. When he gets hot, he is among the best in baseball, and when he faces left-handed pitching, he is always a top target. After a slow start to the season, Goldschmidt has built his average up to a respectable .277, and has pounded out 24 homers. An argument can be made for Harper as the top pick, or even Nola, but if I get 1.1 today I am going Goldschmidt.

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IF – Rougned Odor – Texas Rangers – (16)

Odor struggled most of last season, and really has been pretty bad for the most part of this season as well. However, he has found his groove as of late, and the Rangers have been destroying the baseball on this home stand. Odor has pummeled Baltimore pitching over the last three days, and he gets one more crack tomorrow. He has homered in three straight, bringing his season total to 13, and averaged 27.33 DP a game in those three. Surprisingly the Rangers stud bats are still slipping in the drafts, and if Odor is still there in the late second round he has to be considered.

OF – AJ Pollack – Arizona Diamondbacks – (10)

If you get Goldschmidt, Pollack should also become a target for you. Again, the Diamondbacks are facing Holland and the Giants at home, and have one of the better match-up’s on the slate, on paper anyways. Pollack isn’t exactly on fire as of late, but since returning from injury, he has again become a threat in the middle of this lineup. His batting average sits at a cool .286, and he has knocked out 15 home runs, while stealing 10 bags. Pollack can be a huge source of points if he is getting on base and stealing bases. I think Chase Field becomes a launching pad for these Diamondback bats tomorrow, with Pollack and Goldy doing the most damage.

OF – Andrew Benintendi – Boston Red Sox – (22)

Benintendi has a pretty low projection, making him a fabulous one-off target in the later rounds. The Red Sox will be finishing up their series with the Yankees, and looking for the sweep. Masahiro Tanaka will be on the hill for the Yankees, and he has not fared too well against these Red Sox bats. Four players in action have hit at least two home runs in their careers off of Tanaka, with slugger JD Martinez leading the way with three. Overall, Benintendi is 5-for-18 with a double and two home runs off of Tanaka. Of course Martinez and Mookie Betts are the main targets here, but do not forget about Benintendi today as well.

MLB DRAFT DFS Picks –  Today’s Rankings:

My rankings are pretty easy to follow. I have ranked the top 30 overall. We will go six deep at pitcher, and twelve deep at IF and OF. Rankings are broken down into positions, and following each players name will be their overall ranking in parenthesis.

Pitchers:

1. Aaron Nola – Philadelphia Phillies – (3)

2. Gerrit Cole – Houston Astros – (8)

3. Jon Gray – Colorado Rockies – (14)

4. Walker Buehler – Los Angeles Dodgers – (21)

5. Danny Duffy – Kansas City Royals – (29)

6. Julio Teheran – Atlanta Braves – (30)

Infielders:

1. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks – (1)

2. Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Indians – (4)

3. Francisco Lindor – Cleveland Indians – (5)

4. JD Martinez – Boston Red Sox – (7)

5. Giancarlo Stanton – New York Yankees – (9)

6. Javier Baez – Chicago Cubs – (11)

7. Matt Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals – (12)

8. Rougned Odor – Texas Rangers – (16)

9. Trea Turner – Washington Nationals – (18)

10. Freddie Freeman – Atlanta Braves – (23)

11. Khris Davis – Oakland Athletics – (24)

12. Eduardo Escobar – Arizona Diamondbacks – (25)

Outfielders:

1. Bryce Harper – Washington Nationals – (2)

2. Mookie Betts – Boston Red Sox – (6)

3. AJ Pollack – Arizona Diamondbacks – (10)

4. Rhys Hoskins – Philadelphia Phillies – (13)

5. Mike Trout (Q) – Los Angeles Angels – (15)

6. Joey Gallo – Texas Rangers – (17)

7. Shin-Soo Choo – Texas Rangers – (19)

8. Aaron Hicks – New York Yankees – (20)

9. Andrew Benintendi – Boston Red Sox – (22)

10. Ronald Acuna – Atlanta Braves – (26)

11. Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians – (27)

12. Juan Soto – Washington Nationals – (28)

That is all for today’s MLB DRAFT DFS picks on FantasyCPR. If you have any questions regarding any of my rankings, reach out to me on Twitter at @JuanBondDFS. You can also leave a question right here in the comments, and I will do my best to respond. Good luck tonight and happy drafting on DRAFT!