DraftKings Main MLB Picks August 15: Look out for Zack Wheeler

ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 29: The tarp covers Busch Stadium’s field after the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds was cancelled due to rain on April 29, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks August 15: Look out for Zack Wheeler

We have the Rangers and Arizona with the day off and four afternoon games, so we are left with ten games to fill up the main DraftKings tournament. The pitching options are actually better during the day with those four games than what we have here. That’s not to say that all is lost here when it comes to pitching, but this is going to take some doing to find something that we are completely happy with.

More from DFS

Rain is likely in St. Louis, but it looks like it will only cause a delay at the beginning of the game. They should be able to play uninterrupted after the initial delay. Other than that, there isn’t even any wind to worry about, so enjoy this after the St. Louis shower!

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!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. We have plenty of writers on here who give you relevant information no matter which site you play on!

For you first time players, if you would like a free shot at a million dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! You will receive a free entry into the Fantasy Football Millionaire contest on opening weekend!

HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 10: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park on August 10, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Gerrit Cole ($12,200): Cole is the highest priced pitcher out there, and he may just be worth it. We all know that the Rockies aren’t the same team on the road, but they did beat Verlander last night. That’s not to say that Verlander didn’t still put up big numbers – he did – but the extra four points for the win would have helped. Cole has held the Rockies to a .207 average in 92 at bats with three homers, eight runs, and a nice 17 strikeouts. There is good potential here, but I think you can get pretty close to Cole’s output at a fraction of the price. However, Cole has very little risk attached to him whereas the others have quite a bit in some cases.

Zack Wheeler ($10,800): Wheeler has been outstanding lately, racking up 92.1 DraftKings points over his last three starts. Wheeler has also not allowed more than two runs in a game since the All Star Break. The Orioles mostly beat up on the bullpen last night. They could barely touch tomato can Jason Vargas, so Wheeler is in position to dominate again. It’s a small sample size, but the Orioles are just 4-20 with no runs and five strikeouts against Wheeler so far. It’s not going to get any better tonight.

Middle Tier:

Kevin Gausman ($8,700): Gausman looked really good in his first home start for the Braves last week. Gausman also put up 17.4 DraftKings points on the Marlins earlier this year while with Baltimore. His career numbers against the Fish aren’t that great, but it’s hard to ignore what Gausman did against the loaded Brewers offense last week. If he can pitch like that again, he is in for another 30+ DraftKings point night.

Tyler Anderson ($8,400): Wow, Anderson looks underpriced. He put up 18.9 DraftKings points against the Astros at Coors last month. It should be much easier at sea level! Anderson dominated the Astros at Coors his last time out, so we can forgive that little hiccup at Miller Park. The Astros hit lefties well when healthy, but they are clearly not that right now. Correa hasn’t got going yet, and this lineup has huge holes without Altuve and Springer in it. Expect another strong start from Anderson.

Shane Bieber ($8,300): Cleveland’s pitching has dominated this series. Maybe Bieber can get in on the action as well. He has racked up 50 DraftKings over his last two games, so he is riding a hot streak anyway. Bieber is worth a look against the struggling Reds, but this is a hitter’s park. There is plenty of risk here because things could go horribly wrong.

Hyun-Jin Ryu ($7,500): Ryu has not started a game since May 2nd, but he was dominant in the early going. He looked good in his rehab starts, and Ryu gets the added advantage of facing an ice cold Giants offense. There is risk in making his first start off the DL, but even if Ryu only goes five innings, he could flirt with 20 DraftKings points. There is quite a bit of potential at a reasonable price here.

Bargain Pitchers:

Marco Estrada ($7,100): Estrada has mostly been a dumpster fire this year, but you know what? This is a pretty good spot for him. Of course, it was supposed to be for Borucki last night as well. The Royals still don’t score a lot of runs, and we have seen Estrada run across a quality start here and there. This is one of those instances where it could happen. The Royals are only hitting .229 against Estrada in 35 at bats, but they do have five runs.

Felix Pena ($6,600): Pena has a fantastic 1.84 ERA in three road starts. He holds the platoon advantage over nearly the whole Padres lineup, and has enormous strikeout potential against this free swinging team. There is a chance for another blowup, but the struggling Padres speak for themselves. A quality start should be the floor for Pena here. There is a lot of potential for such a low price.

Dylan Bundy ($6,500): Got your Pepto on hand? Bundy has held the Mets to just two hits in 33 at bats (.061) with no runs and 11 strikeouts. Even Andrew Cashner put up a quality start and a win against the Mess…..er……Mets last night. There is reason to believe that Bundy can be equally or more effective tonight despite his recent hiccups. Bundy pitched seven shutout innings against the Mets earlier this year. Bundy is way too cheap tonight. Enjoy it!

Robbie Erlin ($4,900): Erlin is priced as the second worst pitcher on the slate, which seems out of whack considering his 2.37 home ERA in 38 innings and his 3.36 ERA overall. Erlin has decent strikeout totals, and decent numbers across the board. I can guarantee that Erlin wont be the second worst scoring pitcher tonight, so that alone makes him worth a look. Trout is still out, but the Angels went bonkers last night. They may again, but I doubt it. I see a quality start for Erlin here.

CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 14: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians hits a home run in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 14, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cleveland defeated Cincinnati 8-1. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Indians vs. Robert Stephenson:

Stephenson gave up three runs in four innings to the Mets in his 2018 debut. This is not going to end well for him. Jose Ramirez is destroying the Reds. If you want to cash, you have to play him again. Francisco Lindor, Yonder Alonso, and Michael Brantley look very good as well. Jason Kipnis is hitting right now too. I can’t see a reason not to deploy a full Cleveland stack. Everyone in is play, but I think you have to build around Ramirez.

New York Yankees vs. Ryne Stanek/Ryan Yarbrough:

Yarbrough has been getting thumped lately. A trip to New York is not going to help his cause. Stanton , Andujar, and Aaron Hicks look like elite plays. Gleyber Torres and Didi Gregorius are worth a look as well. The Rays may decide to go another way with the righty power in this lineup, but to me, it doesn’t really matter. This is a powerful lineup even with Judge and Sanchez out. However, if Yarbrough is passed over, I am not nearly as excited about the prospect of stacking this.

Atlanta Braves vs. Jose Urena:

Urena has pretty good numbers, but the Braves have blistered him not just this year, but over his entire career so far. Atlanta is hitting .283 with six homers and 25 runs in just 127 at bats against Urena while striking out just 20 times. Freddie Freeman is 8-20 with two homers, seven runs, and five RBI already with a whopping .500 ISO. Tyler Flowers, Kurt Suzuki, Ender Inciarte, and Dansby Swanson have all homered off of Urena as well. I am definitely making room for the scorching hot Ronald Acuna. Markakis, Camargo, and Albies are in play too.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Burch Smith:

Smith has been nothing short of a disaster so far for the Royals. Think an A.L. version of Jason Vargas. Toronto is an all or nothing offense, so that same fate awaits this stack. It is either going to be very good or very bad. Granderson, Teoscar Hernandez, and Aledmys Diaz are my picks to start this off with Justin Smoak and Devin Travis finishing it. Mix and match. Every Blue Jay is in play today.

SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 13: Travis Jankowski #16 of the San Diego Padres hits a two-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at PETCO Park on July 13, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

J.D. Martinez is the only Red Sox player to homer off of Vince Velasquez so far, but only three others have faced him. Velasquez is a pretty solid pitcher, so I’m not going to sink too much capital into the Red Sox offense, but I would at least consider Mookie and Moreland here as well.

Alex Bregman did smack a two run homer off of Tyler Anderson at Coors last month. He is the only Astro that I would really target here though.

It’s hard to pay this kind of money for Travis Jankowski, but he has five steals in the last three games. If he gets on base, look out. There is a great chance he does so against Pena, so if I go after Pena at all, it will be with Jankowski.

Justin Upton is definitely worth the price again tonight, but aside from that, I don’t see any other Angel that I really want to go with tonight besides maybe Andrelton Simmons. This isn’t as great of a spot as last night. Erlin is a solid pitcher, so don’t go too crazy with Angels.

Austin Gomber has pitched well so far, but he hasn’t had to deal with an offense like this. Juan Soto hits lefties almost as well as righties, and Bryce Harper continues to hit. It’s weird to attack a lefty with two lefty bats, but these two are likely worth it. If you want to take the more conventional approach, Turner and Rendon are the way to go.

More from FanSided

Middle Tier:

Wait a minute…..Eovaldi was roughed up by the Orioles and is still $9,200? No thanks! He may have a good game against the Phillies. Eovaldi pitched well against them when he was with the Marlins. I certainly wont pay that much to find out. This is another game to deploy Odubel Herrera or Nick Williams in and hope Eovaldi gets torched on the road again.

I have no idea how the Dodgers are this cheap. Sure, Derek Holland‘s numbers are decent, and the Dodgers didn’t score many runs last night. You can either go all out with a Dodgers stack, or not invest everything in another said stack that would demolish your lineup again. I’m going with Kike against the lefty, and maybe Brian Dozier, but that’s about it. Yes, I’ve been burned to much by failed Dodger stacks.

Nolan Arenado is only $4,400, and he has homered twice off of Gerrit Cole so far in 14 at bats. Charlie Blackmon is 4-12 against Cole, and is also $4,400. There is some decent potential here, but I wouldn’t go beyond these two for Rockies bats tonight.

I can’t see any one spot that looks like the place to go after Ryu. Buster Posey is likely the best bet, but I just don’t trust anyone in this offense right now. This is not that short of a slate. That money can be better spent elsewhere.

Bargain Shoppers:

I kinda like Lucas Duda if you are looking for cheap exposure to Marco Estrada. O’Hearn is a decent possibility as well. Alcides Escobar is a good way to save money as well.

I’m not quite sure what to do with Jeremy Hellickson. It’s hard to call it regression when Hellickson’s numbers aren’t that great to begin with. At any rate, I don’t trust him against the Cardinals. Molina, Ozuna, and Gyorko have all homered off of Hellickson, but only Gyorko is above the Mendoza line and just barely. Carpenter is probably my favorite play, but man, that price is steep. I think I would rather attack Hellickson with the cheaper plays and pay for Indians.

Luis Cessa has been okay against the Rays, I guess. Kiermaier and Carlos Gomez have both homered off of him. If you feel like spending the money, Mallex Smith could be worth a look too.

In the for what it’s worth category, Starlin Castro is 10-30 with three RBI against Kevin Gausman.

I’m not crazy about any Reds right now, but Tucker Barnhart is very reasonably priced and bats second. I don’t want to invest heavily in this struggling lineup, but Barnhart and Billy Hamilton are worth a look because of their price points.

dark. Next. MLB Game by Game breakdown August 15

We promised some big news in June for Fantasy CPR, right? Well here it is! We are now looking for PAID writers to join our team to write about fantasy sports. Seasonal or DFS, any sport you want – get your voice heard and get paid for talking fantasy sports. Apply today HERE!