FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups: Thursday August 23 Main

Welcome back to the FanDuel MLB Daily Lineups column. This is the Thursday, August 23rd Main Slate edition. We’re a fantasy baseball column focused on helping you build a DFS MLB optimal lineup for each slate.

Aside from staying focused on FanDuel NFL, FanDuel MLB, and FanDuel NHL stats in order to project results for Daily Fantasy Sports plays, and write about them, I also have a ‘day job.’ Unfortunately, my day job has been incredibly busy this August, significantly reducing the number of articles I’m able to produce each day.

However, at least for the time being, it appears I may have some time over the next few weeks to get back to writing daily articles. That’s exciting, because this is the time of year when baseball outcomes begin to shift, as teams either race to a playoff finish, or begin test-driving prospects. Also, hockey season is right around the corner, and you’ll see a lot of NHL content from me this fall.

But today, we’re only focused on FanDuel MLB. I looked at both the Early Only and Main slates for Thursday, last night. The Early Only was tempting because of the tremendous pitching. However, from an offensive perspective, it was sort of a boring slate to play. The Main slate appears to be more fun, with cheaper top pitching picks and some fun offensive stacks to target.

Before we get there, a reminder to never take a DFS MLB optimal lineup as ‘bible’ for your personal lineup each day. Use the suggestions as guidance. Also, make sure you follow final lineup thoughts throughout the day on our twitter account @FantasyCPR or me @mattymcmatt17 look for late breaking lineup news.

Weather Note: There is a slight chance of showers in the Minnesota area which could impact the end of the Twins and Athletics game, but the probability is currently very low. Across the entire FanDuel MLB Main slate, it appears the weather will be fantastic tonight. In fact, we’re getting a glimpse of fall across much of the U.S. right now.

With weather-related considerations addressed, let’s get to the top pitching options…

FanDuel MLB: Top Pitcher Main Slate

At first glance, the starting pitchers in tonight’s FanDuel MLB Main slate do not seem imposing. Cole Hamels ($9,200) is the priciest pitcher and well below $10K, and only three starting pitchers are priced between $9,200 and $8,000. So value is a common theme in this slate.

So given the salaries, one of the thoughts you might have about these pitchers is…’meh.’ But, if you look at the metrics for these guys over the last 30 days, they’re actually quite impressive. Four of the eight, or half, starters tonight have an xFIP below 4.00 in the last 30 days. And seven of eight starters have an xFIP below 4.60. That’s a decent bunch!

But with so many solid arms, who do you pick? Well, the K-rate doesn’t really help either with five of the eight starters landing above 23% over the last month. Still, when you consider both xFIP and K-rate, we have now narrowed our picks down to Hamels, Trevor Cahill ($8,000), Anthony DeSclafani ($7,000), and Tyler Glasnow ($6,300).

Of that four, Glasnow and Cahill have the two highest K-rates, Tyler with 30.9% and Trevor with 25.9%, over the last 30 days. So, who are they pitching against? Well, Glasnow appears to have a great match up against the Royals.

But, if you look at the team hitting metrics since the beginning of August, the Twins are actually the best match up against right-handed pitchers. With a 24.2% K-rate against RHP’s this month, Cahill has the juiciest strikeout match up, while maintaining the second highest strikeout rate among the starters.

So while Glasnow is tempting, especially considering his salary, he’s not in the best spot. Our favorite pitcher pick tonight is Cahill, for FanDuel MLB, with a high K-rate this month, solid chances for a win, facing a team struggling against RHP’s in August.

FanDuel MLB: Top Hitting Stacks Main Slate

The FanDuel MLB Main slate was exciting when looking at the pitching options. But when that was done, for the season reason, the offensive picks become difficult to navigate.

The Cubs and Reds could generate a good amount of offense with some hot bats in both lineups. But we hate the pitching match ups they have. Cahill is our top pitching, and we also like Glasnow, so that takes the Twins and Royals out of the equation. That narrows our options down to the Rays, Marlins, Braves, or Athletics.

Looking at home runs per nine innings over the last month is almost an irrelevant stat. Glasnow is giving up only around 1.25 per nine, which is the highest of all starting pitchers, on the mound tonight, in the last 30 days. Yikes, OK we’re ignoring that factor for now.

With many of these pitchers doing well over the last month, we’ll focus on the highest xFIP, providing a summary of the best offensive options. Kohl Stewart has a very high 7.71 ERA in the last month, even though he’s not giving up home runs. That likely means the A’s are in for a big night tonight.

The A’s have some power and pricier picks, but they also have tons of value, leaving plenty of cash on the table to still spend big. So, who’s the second worst xFIP on the board tonight? That would be Marlins hurler Elieser Hernandez, who happens to be facing the Braves offense tonight.

We may not be able to pay up for Freddie Freeman, unless we avoid the pricier A’s picks like Khris Davis ($4,300), but we are absolutely plugging Ronald Acuna Jr. ($4,400) into our lineup against the Marlins, who recently intentionally threw at Acuna to start the game. The Braves also have plenty of value, allowing us to get sluggers from both teams.

FanDuel MLB: Summary and Example Lineup

With Trevor Cahill plugged into our lineup as the top pitcher, and the Braves and Oakland A’s the top offensive stacking options, we obviously have to find another team to pluck from today. One of the lineups we also like tonight is the Rays against Danny Duffy and the Royals.

This is a dicey play with lefty Danny Duffy on the mound for the Royals tonight, but Joey Wendle ($2,800) has been red-hot lately, and Wendle has been a consistent successful play for our FanDuel MLB lineups this season. So we’ll plug him into the utility spot, and figure out who we want from the Braves and A’s lineup, once they post.

With that summary in mind, here’s a look at a sample lineup for the Main FanDuel MLB slate on Thursday, August 23rd 2018:

FanDuel MLB Main Sample Lineup: 

P               Trevor Cahill ($8,000)

C/1B        Matt Olson ($3,700)

2B             Ozzie Albies ($3,400)

3B             Johan Camargo ($3,200)

SS             Dansby Swanson ($2,700)

OF             Stephen Piscotty ($2,500)

OF             Khris Davis ($4,300)

OF             Ronald Acuna Jr. ($4,400)

UTIL          Joey Wendle ($2,800)

Remaining Salary: $0

Note: This is a recommended lineup after discussing our top options for today. You should use this as a guide, and provide your own input when building FanDuel MLB lineups.  We are not telling you, or selling you, to use this lineup.

Best of luck in your FanDuel MLB contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all your DFS news and analysis across MLB, NFL, PGA, and NASCAR this summer!