MLB DFS Slate Preview: Monday, August 28th
Erik Wardenburg previews the Monday, August 28th slate, breaking down his favorite MLB DFS picks, the top stacks, and some optimizer values at DraftKings & FanDuel. Sign up for MLB Premium to build DFS lineups like a pro!
Big time 12-game main slate today with overall good weather, and the Braves open a series in Coors Field and are already breaking projections with their run total of around 7.5. The next highest team total is around 5.5, so expect almost every cash game lineup to have at least 2-3 ATL bats in them even at their inflated prices.
Gausman and Snell headline the stud SP options, but there’s plenty of solid cheaper guys in play like Rodriguez, Gray, Maeda, Woo, and Miller. Zac Gallen gets a tough matchup with the Dodgers but is always an excellent GPP play, and Kyle Harrison gets to pitch at home for his second career start, and should get to pitch deeper than the 65 pitches he saw last game as he continues to get stretched out.
So much more to get to so let’s check out today’s news, notes, and MLB DFS picks!
Let’s check out today’s news, notes, and some MLB DFS picks!
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel & DraftKings
This daily article highlights some of RG’s most helpful MLB DFS tools, including our industry-leading MLB DFS projections and MLB DFS optimizer, with some picks and analysis along the way. I will focus on the main slate of the day, but you can still find plenty of other tools, content, and analysis on RG for other slates.
MLB DFS Weather Check
Before we look at the projected lineups and MLB DFS picks for the day, it’s crucial to understand how the weather will impact the slate. Then we can better understand if we want to target certain games with ideal hitting conditions, for example, and possibly avoid games at risk of delay or postponement. Two tools to use are the MLB Weather Report and MLB WeatherEdge, which are both managed by RG’s Chief Meteorologist, Kevin Roth. You should also be following Roth on Twitter for his important weather news and updates.
- ATL/COL is the only game with a real chance of a delay, as there’s a few scattered showers around the area. If one ends up over the ballpark, we could see a late start or delay, but they should get the game in fine regardless. Temps in the low 70s to high 60s.
- CHW/BAL should be able to play through a light shower or two, but there’s still a slight chance a brief late start or delay occurs if a heavier bath happens to come through. Temps in the high 70s.
- HOU/BOS will be in the high 60s. TEX/NYM in the low 70s. CLE/MIN in the high to mid 70s. SDP/STL in the high to mid 70s. MIL/CHC in the low 70s. PIT/KCR in the high to mid 70s. CIN/SFG in the mid 60s. ARI/LAD in the mid 80s to high 70s.
- Dome games today are OAK/SEA and WSH/TOR.
MLB Projected Lineups – Analysis & Top Stacks
There are ways to get edges in MLB DFS, such as stacking a lineup or targeting guys higher in the order (since they are more likely to see an extra at-bat). We should always look for value bats that arise each slate. They allow us to fit those extra one or two players into our lineup who are likelier to hit home runs and get us those ceiling games we need to win tournaments.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at MLB Starting Lineups to see what the likely batting orders are for this slate, which teams I’m looking to stack, and any other interesting notes. Going forward, the projected lineups will usually be pretty consistent daily, with the main changes being based on the opposing pitcher being a righty or lefty. Also, certain players are more likely than others to get a day off if playing a day game after a night game.
- Ozzie Albies is back just in time for some Coors Field action, and Grissom has been sent down. Look for Albies to get his 2-hole spot back right away with Harris moving back down the order.
- Bo Bichette has been dealing with a quad injury and had to leave early yesterday. Matt Chapman also exited early as he injured the same finger again that kept him out a few games last week, and will require an IL stint. Bichette is out of the lineup today with Clement at SS, while Springer has moved to leadoff with Schneider at cleanup.
- Pablo Reyes is going on the IL and Wilyer Abreu is going on the paternity list. Urias should get most of the 2B time now while Duvall should handle CF. Ceddanne Rafaela is being called up and can help at CF, SS, and 3B.
- Tyler O’Neill was late scratched last game with knee soreness but is back in the lineup today. Will Brennan and Michael Taylor were both able to pinch-hit last game, so we may see at least one of them back in their respective starting lineups today.
- Cronenworth went on the IL with a broken wrist over the weekend, so Cooper should get most of the 1B playing time. This also opens more DH starts for guys like Gamel, Carpenter, and Batten.
- Kind of a no-brainer that the Braves are the top stack with their ridiculous 7+ team total currently. If you’re doing a bunch of GPP teams, this is a great spot to go overweight on much lower-owned stacks like BAL, TOR, BOS, TEX, SDP, and SEA who all have solid run totals as well.
Make sure to follow the RG MLB Twitter feed for confirmed lineups, as well as our DFS Alerts page for important news and analysis.
MLB DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Optimizer Picks
With a good feel for the projected lineups, weather, and strong stacks to consider, let’s check out the RotoGrinders MLB DFS optimizer, LineupHQ. With this tool, you can create up to 300 MLB DFS lineups in seconds, all of which will adhere to the custom settings you input. For insight into how one of the best MLB DFS players uses LineupHQ, read this article and watch the embedded videos from the GOAT himself, CheeseIsGood.
If we click on the “P/$” column header in the LineupHQ grid, it will rank all of the available players from highest to lowest based on their expected fantasy points per dollar of salary on the specific DFS site you have selected — this is one of the best starting points for finding value on every slate. Let’s do that now and see what stands out on FanDuel and DraftKings.
- Kevin Gausman ($10,900) is my top spend up cash game SP and Bryan Woo ($7,800) is my favorite cheap cash game SP choice, as both are at home facing opponents with projected run totals below 3 currently. Snell ($10,200), Gallen ($10,700), and Rodriguez ($8,700) are my favorite GPP pitchers.
- Juan Soto ($3,300) continues to be way too cheap on FD and is the first bat I’m locking in to cash games. Machado ($3,400) and Bogaerts ($2,800) also remain great value options if you want a mini SD value stack.
I like taking higher than 1.5 total bases for Soto on Underdog, and if you’re a new user, make sure to use RG’s Underdog Fantasy promo code.
(See RotoGrinders projections directly on the Fantasy Pick’em sites with our browser extensions, available to premium users.)
- Vlad Guerrero Jr. ($3,100) and George Springer ($3,000) are also way underpriced, especially with how each have been hitting lately, and both are fantastic cash game p/$ bats. Varsho ($2,500) is another excellent value option, while Merrifield ($2,800) and Belt ($2,800) are fine options to complete a full stack along with Schneider ($2,800).
- Marcell Ozuna ($3,700) is my favorite way to get Braves exposure without blowing all your salary, along with Albies ($3,800). Acuna, Riley, and Olson are all luxury options that are clear top plays if you can fit them. On the COL side, I like the prices of Blackmon ($3,400), Diaz ($3,400), and Rodgers ($3,000).
- In order to fit in more Braves bats, I think Josh Palacios ($2,200) makes a lot of sense in cash games, as he should hit 4th or 5th today with the platoon advantage on Greinke, and he’s averaging over 11.5 FPPG over his last four. Michael Massey ($2,200) is another strong extreme salary saver that will help you fit in more expensive bats.
- Suarez ($2,900), Hernandez ($3,100), and France ($2,700) are a solid value stack for Seattle, and the Cubs have a nice cheap trio with the platoon advantage in Swanson ($3,100), Happ ($3,000), and Suzuki ($2,800). Verdugo ($3,300), Yoshida ($3,100), and Casas ($2,900) is another cheap value stack to consider if you want some BOS exposure.
- In order to fit as many Braves bats as possible, I think the duo of Rodriguez ($7,500) and Woo ($7,900) makes a lot of sense in cash games. If you’d rather have a bit more upside and higher floor at one of your SP spots, then Gausman ($11,200) is the play, but you’ll likely have to sacrifice an ATL bat or two to fit him. Oviedo ($7,300), Curry ($5,700), and Gray ($8,100) are some cheap GPP pitchers to consider in your pool.
- We’ll see if Rowdy Tellez ($2,400) is in the MIL lineup, but if he does start, then I think he’s one of the best p/$ bats for DK cash games. Josh Palacios ($2,400) is in the same boat as a top p/$ play, and using both will really make it easier to jam in more ATL bats. Bae ($3,000), Melendez ($3,400), Waters ($3,100), and Massey ($3,200) are more value bats to consider from the PIT/KCR game, while Suzuki ($3,600) is a solid value OF if you want some cheap Cubs exposure.
- Ozuna ($5,100) remains my favorite p/$ bat from ATL, while Kevin Pillar ($3,500) will likely be a popular value bat, assuming he draws the start against the lefty Gomber. Guerrero ($5,100), Springer ($4,800), and Varsho ($3,400) also remain one of my favorite value trios to pivot off the ATL chalk.
- Hunter Goodman ($2,000) is listed as a catcher on DK, and is easily my favorite p/$ C
MLB Premium subscribers will have access to all of this data in LineupHQ, so be sure to keep checking there as we start getting the confirmed lineups and projections update. The very best P/$ plays tend to be pretty consistent throughout the day for MLB. That being said, projections can always change if someone is hitting higher in the order than initially projected or if a player with a low salary gets a spot start for an injured/resting player.
MLB DFS – RotoGrinders Premium Tools Pre-Lock
If you have any tough last-minute decisions or need some quick MLB DFS picks, our MLB Premium package also contains Consensus Value Rankings, an Expert Survey, and daily LineupHQ Premium tags from our MLB DFS experts.
And for up-to-the-minute news and analysis leading right up to lock, make sure to watch MLB Crunch Time later in the day.
Good luck today!