DraftKings Main MLB Picks August 16: Is Teheran safe at home?

PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 23: The tarp sits on the field during a rain delay in the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park on June 23, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks August 16: Is Teheran safe at home?

We have seven games in the main DraftKings tournament with the Mets and Phillies second game being left out of the festivities. Unfortunately, this means that Aaron Nola is off the board, so we have no pitchers priced in five figures. That could be a good thing or a bad thing. It keeps us from paying up for pitching, but everyone is in the same boat tonight. We really have to identify the right spot here.

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Rain is all over tonight. The most serious threat is in Pittsburgh, where they could have issues getting this one in. It’s also an intra-division game, so I imagine they wont go too crazy trying to play this. Rain wont affect the start in KC or St Louis, but an in game delay could happen in St. Louis, and a lengthy delay could be on tap in Kansas City. Starters are somewhat risky because the rain should hit in the middle innings. There is a slight chance of a delayed start in Atlanta, but the game will play without incident afterwards. At least there isn’t any wind to worry about!

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!

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PHOENIX, AZ – AUGUST 04: Clay Buchholz #32 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch in the first inning of the MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on August 4, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Clay Buchholz ($9,500): Buchholz is priced like an ace because the Padres offense could make him look like an ace. They are hitting a modest .244 against Buchholz, but they only have five runs in 45 at bats with no homers and 12 strikeouts. This Padres offense is all or nothing, but mostly nothing lately. Buchholz has a stellar 2.18 ERA in seven road starts this season, and Petco Park is about as pitching friendly as you can get. Buchholz put up 19.4 DraftKings points on the Padres back on July 29th in San Diego. Is that enough to pay this price? On this slate it might be.

Tanner Roark ($9,100): Roark has a strong 3.36 ERA in 12 road starts, so if you are going to use him, anywhere outside of the Beltway looks pretty safe. Roark has averaged 28.3 DraftKings points per game over his last four starts even though two of those were at home. He seems to be busting out of his early slump, but there is risk here. The Cardinals as hitting .311 in 61 at bats against Roark with 14 runs. 14! And he is the second highest priced pitcher on the slate! Roark could come through, but there is quite a bit of risk here.

Middle Tier:

Jon Gray ($8,700): Gray had a little hiccup against the Dodgers last week, but that is the difference: it was a little hiccup at Coors, not a full-blown implosion like happened so many times earlier this year. Gray has held the Braves to a .184 average in 49 at bats with just two runs and 16 strikeouts. Now that the Braves may be missing Acuna as well, you are taking a big chunk out of this offense. There is a lot of potential for Gray here, and the blowup potential isn’t nearly what it was earlier this year. We can play this with a little more confidence.

Julio Teheran ($8,200): Teheran is pitching pretty well right now, and he has dominated the Rockies in his career. The Rockies are hitting just .181 against Teheran in 138 at bats with only one homer and three runs with 39 strikeouts. That includes the stats from Coors Field! We all know that the Rockies are much less dangerous away from home. Teheran actually has a better home ERA this year after a rocky start there. There is a lot of hidden potential here since most will ride Gray instead. This could turn out to be a pitcher’s duel in Atlanta.

Bargain Pitchers:

Jacob Nix ($7,800): Nix was strong against the Phillies in his major league debut on Friday. The Arizona team coming to town is pretty similar to the Phillies, and Nix has the added advantage of pitching in his friendly home park. There is always a risk when using a young pitcher, but enough things are in Nix’s favor to take a shot in GPP formats.

Francisco Liriano ($5,800): Liriano is dirt cheap against his former team, who really doesn’t have that many ways to attack lefties anymore with Escobar and Dozier out of the picture. The current Twins are hitting a decent .255 against Liriano in 51 at bats, but they only have one homer, six runs, and 12 strikeouts. Liriano isn’t going to put up numbers like he did with the Twins, but a quality start with a handful of strikeouts for this price will certainly help your lineup.

ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 06: Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers celebrates a run with Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers against the Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 6, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Jon Lester:

If this game plays, Lester is in trouble, The Pirates are hitting .263 with seven homers and 31 runs in 213 at bats with only 44 strikeouts. Due to the large postponement risk, I wont be building any of this into my lineup just yet. If this game looks like it’s going at least long enough to become official, I am big on Cervelli. He is 10-36(.278) with two homers and a staggering ten RBI off of Lester already. Elias Diaz, Mercer, Josh Bell, Hechavarria, and Josh Harrison have all homered off of Lester, so take your pick of the Pittsburgh righties. There isn’t a bad one in the lot.

Washington Nationals vs. Luke Weaver:

The Cardinals are throwing Weaver back out there despite the 4.66 ERA. This is a team that can really punish him. Weaver’s ERA is nearly a run higher at home. Soto and Bryce Harper are the best options, but Turner and Rendon are not far behind. Matt Wieters is a decent cheaper option behind the plate. If you choose to go away from that, Matt Adams or Adam Eaton are good ways to finish this off as well.

Texas Rangers vs. Odrisamer Despaigne:

Despaigne has a 4.76 ERA in 331 major league innings. Predictably, lefties hit Despaigne harder than righties. That’s bad news for the Angels because the Rangers have a lot of big lefty bats. Joey Gallo‘s legendary power leads this stack, as does the consistency of Choo. Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar are both hitting lately. You can finish this stack off with Adrian Beltre because Despaigne hasn’t been all that good against righties either.

Detroit Tigers vs. Ervin Santana:

Santana may get back on track at some point, but he is nowhere near that now. This has been a lost season for the veteran. He has been so bad that I’m even advocating a Tigers stack here. The Tigers haven’t been that good of an offense, but Castellanos and and Niko Goodrum are worth a look here. Victor Martinez has slugged four homers off of Santana in his career. Jose Iglesias and Jeimer Candelario are worth a look as well.

Kansas City Royals vs. Sam Gaviglio:

Gaviglio’s splits look like the reverse of a Rockies pitcher. He has been brilliant at home, but Gaviglio has a 8.10 ERA in eight road starts. The Royals are suddenly scoring in this series. Salvador Perez homered twice last night. O’Hearn, Lucas Duda, Whit Merrifield, and Jorge Bonifacio are all in play as well. Alcides Escobar is worth a look on the cheap, but I think I prefer to chase the upside of Mondesi.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Glenn Sparkman:

With the dumpster fire that both starting pitchers are in this one, I doubt either lasts until the rains come anyway. Sparkman had a 4.58 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in ten starts at AAA Omaha. The majors aren’t going to be any better. Even without Donaldson, the Blue Jays have some good hitters. Teoscar Hernandez, Devon Travis, Justin Smoak, and Kendrys Morales are at the top of my list. Aledmys Diaz and whoever starts at catcher look good as well. Granderson hit a grand slam last night, so he’s worth a look as well.

ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 25: Shohei Ohtani #17 hits a two run home run scoring Kole Calhoun #56 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium on July 25, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Ivan Nova has pitched well at home and well against the Cubs this year, so a stack doesn’t seem like a great idea. However, both Javy Baez and Ian Happ have homered twice off of Nova. They are both worth a look here, as are Scwarber and Addison Russell, who have homered off of Nova as well.

David Peralta and Goldschmidt are worth using against Jacob Nix. The Diamondbacks are better offensively on the road, but I don’t want a ton of exposure here. Again, there are many better places to stack, and Nix could put up another strong outing. I do like the Idea of Peralta and/or Goldy as the late night hammer though.

I can’t really say that I like the Angels enough for a stack, even against Ariel Jurado. However, Shohei Ohtani and Kole Calhoun are going to be in a lot of my lineups. Jurado has been pounded by lefties. Justin Upton and his hot streak are worth a look as well.

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Middle Tier:

Nick Markakis has all three RBI for the Braves against Jon Gray. Freeman is just 2-9 with a run scored, so I’m not paying the premium.

Charlie Blackmon has the only homer against Julio Teheran for the Rockies, and he has two of the three RBI. If I play any Rockie, it will be Blackmon.

Bargain Shoppers:

Marcell Ozuna is 10-3(.286) with a homer and seven RBI off of Tanner Roark already. He is the only Cardinal that I am really crazy about, but Matt Carpenter is worth a look in any situation right now.

The only Twins that I would really consider here are Joe Mauer and Logan Forsythe, and I’m not crazy about either of them. Sano’s power is enticing, but he is much more likely to come up empty. Mitch Garver is probably the most consistent righty on the team if you want to give him a whirl.

Eric Hosmer is the only Padre that I’m really interested in here, but you could throw Renfroe or Wil Myers out there for power potential in a GPP if you want. However, they are many better pitchers to attack tonight.

Next. MLB Game by Game breakdown August 16. dark

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