Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks for Friday, August 23rd
Long-time grinder, stlcardinals84, is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Cards has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks.
Happy Friday, Grinders! I am subbing for Cheese today to give him a well-deserved long weekend, so you are stuck with me for this big slate. We have a whopping 14 games on the main slate this evening, so I am going to get right to work.
We have absolutely zero weather concerns today, so it should be all systems go for the massive slate. Let’s see what this Friday has in store for MLB DFS picks!
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Friday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on FanDuel & DraftKings
TOP TIER PITCHING
Chris Sale vs. Nationals
Luis Castillo vs. Giants
Carlos Rodon vs. Rockies
There looks to be a clearly defined trio of three at the top. Let’s start with a look at their 2024 data:
Sale – 2.62 ERA, 2.46 xFIP, 34% K, 6% BB
Castillo – 3.51 ERA, 3.76 xFIP, 24% K, 7% BB
Rodon – 4.34 ERA, 4.28 xFIP, 26% K, 8% BB
No matter how you slice it, Chris Sale has to be the SP1. The Braves are in the thick of the playoff chase at this point, and they are going to need every inning they can get out of their ace down the stretch. Sale has obviously elite metrics with his 2.62 ERA, 2.46 xFIP, and 33.6% strikeout rate for the season, and he gets to face a mediocre Washington lineup this evening. He struck out 10 the first time he faced this offense in 2024, and I like him a lot more than the other high-end pitchers on this slate. If it’s a choice between spending up for a stack or for Sale, I will choose Sale as my lineup starting point. I understand that Washington isn’t the highest strikeout offense in general, but Sale’s stuff is good enough to rack up strikeouts against any team.
Sale also stands out more because the other top-end options have very clear flaws. Luis Castillo is not in the same stratosphere for strikeouts, and Carlos Rodon is frankly only even a choice in this tier because he is facing the Rockies at home. I really don’t love spending this kind of salary on both FD and DK for a presumably somewhat popular Rodon. I’ll take my chances elsewhere.
I am ranking this top tier as Sale > Castillo > Rodon pretty comfortably, and I don’t mind some Sale/Castillo combination builds on DK in lineups where you are really saving with your bats. Optimally, though, it makes sense to pair Sale with a cheaper option. I would only do the double-spend-up play in spots where I am building 25+ lineups.
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