DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 25: Is Wheeler worth the markup?

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DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 25: Is Wheeler worth the markup?

We only have four games in the early DraftKings tournament today. The Yankees and Orioles get going early, so that one is only available in showdown or the all day mode. I will say that it is tempting to play the all day one just to get a piece of Happ against the Orioles. As for the early slate, we have some decent pitching choices out there, but nothing great. How do we sort through this, and can we really stack Giants??? Stay tuned!

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There is a slight chance of a delay at Wrigley today, but if there is one it will be short lived. However, the roof on Rogers Centre will likely have to be closed.

The wind is blowing out at Wrigley at 12 mph to center, so we definitely have to factor that into our decisions. We have the normal wind in San Francisco, but that wont affect anything more than usual.

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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CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 23: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during a game at Great American Ball Park on July 23, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Zack Wheeler ($10,500): There are a couple of reasons why you may want to use Wheeler. First off, he has a 2.09 ERA over his last ten starts. The problem is that the Nationals have hit him well, even during his streak. Washington put up four runs on him in 7.2 innings, and has picked up seven runs in only 13.2 innings against Wheeler this year. Overall, Washington is hitting .314 off of Wheeler in 105 at bats with 15 runs. No thanks. I’m not paying five figures for that! However, the Nationals got shut out by Jason Vargas last night. That alone is enough reason to play Wheeler.

Nick Pivetta ($9,400): Pivetta’s inconsistency makes me nervous, especially since the Blue Jays did pretty well against Arrieta last night. The current Jays are just 3-16 against Pivetta with four strikeouts, but that’s a very small sample. Pivetta pitched well in a loss to the Jays earlier this year, but another 17.7 DraftKings points likely isn’t enough for this price. DraftKings really made fading the top tier easy this afternoon with the prices on these guys.

Middle Tier:

Luis Castillo ($8,000): At first glance, Castillo’s numbers against the Cubs don’t look all that good. Look closer. I’ll wait. You will likely see what I did. Despite the Cubs hitting .283 against Castillo in 60 at bats, he has only given up a homer and four runs to go with 11 strikeouts. What about the Wrigley factor? Castillo has a 2.70 ERA there in two starts. That’s a lot better than his opposing starter! Castillo dominated an awful Giants team last week. The Cubs should put up more of a fight, but how much more? Castillo has 12 strikeouts in 14.2 innings against the Cubs this year. That gives him enough upside to warrant taking the risk at Wrigley on a short slate.

Tanner Roark ($7,700): A struggling Gio Gonzalez shut down the Mets last night, so I have no qualms about using Roark here. Roark has been much better on the road this year anyway. The Mets are only hitting .226 against Roark in 115 at bats with only three homers and six runs. Roark isn’t much of a strikeout guy, but this slate isn’t packed with them either. The strikeouts come with huge risk. Meanwhile, Roark looks like the safest play of the early set.

Bargain Pitchers:

Andrew Suarez ($6,700): Suarez has posted a respectable 3.79 ERA in ten home starts this year. Most of the Texas power is from the left side, so Suarez should be able to neutralize most of that. There is some risk here because Texas is a good team, but with the lack of good options on the afternoon, I’m okay taking a bit of a chance on Suarez. That park is massive, which gives him the confidence to go after more hitters.

CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 10: Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds hits an RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park on August 10, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Arizona 3-0. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I’m really considering stacking Reds against Jose Quintana. Quintana has a 5.00 ERA at home, most of that when the wind isn’t blowing out. Eugenio Suarez has homered off of him before, and is the smart bet to do it again. Curt Casali and Phillip Ervin look very good as well. Don’t count out Billy Hamilton, whose thievery against the Cubs is stuff of legend.

The Nationals came up empty last night, so they aren’t without risk. Bryce Harper has homered off of Wheeler so far, but it is Ryan Zimmerman that has done the most damage. Zimmerman is 8-20 with two homers and four RBI against Wheeler. Adam Eaton and Trea Turner have hit him well in limited exposure as well.

The Blue Jays have yet to confirm a starter since they said yesterday that Aaron Sanchez will start on Sunday. That makes the most likely candidate Sean Reid-Foley, who has been blasted in two major league starts. If he starts, load up on Phillies. Rhys Hoskins, Cesar Hernandez, Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams and Scott Kingery are my five. Who are yours?

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Middle Tier:

Kyle Schwarber has the homer against Luis Castillo, and he is definitely worth a look again with the wind blowing out. Daniel Murphy has been hot since joining the Cubs, and he Is still reasonably priced. Rizzo is just 1-11 against Castillo, so I’ll avoid him.

I’m not going to load up on Texas hitters, but Profar and Elvis Andrus are still worth a look. So is Robinson Chirinos if he is in the lineup.

Bargain Shoppers:

Jeff McNeil has homered off of Tanner Roark already, but it was in Washington. Todd Frazier is 2-9 with a homer against Roark, but the price looks a little too high for as poor as the whole offense has been. For me, it’s McNeil or nothing considering Rosario is just 1-10 against Roark.

Billy McKinney and Lourdes Gurriel are both hitting well right now. If I go after Pivetta, I’m going to do it with the cheaper hitters. Kendrys Morales is in play too. I also like Devon Travis if he is at or near the top of the order again.

I don’t trust the Giants enough to stack, even against tomato can Martin Perez. However, Evan Longoria is worth a look here. Longoria is 7-15 with two homers and nine RBI off of Perez already. McCutchen is 3-6 with three RBI, and they are both cheap because they are struggling just like everyone else in this offense.

Next. MLB Game by Game breakdown August 25. dark

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