MLB DFS Slate Preview: Tuesday, August 22nd
Erik Wardenburg previews the Tuesday, August 22nd 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 12-gamer today with no rain to worry about, and the Braves are once again standing out as the highest upside offense currently with a 6.42 team total hitting in 90+ degree temps.
Syndergaard gets to face his former Dodgers team, who currently have the second highest team total on the board around 5.3 runs. Rodon, Woo, and Houck are all back on the mound after IL stints. Greinke is also on track to come off the IL, and he may end up starting today or possibly eased back in as a bulk option.
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.
- NYM/ATL is our outlier weather game today, as it will be in the 90s at first pitch with 40-60% humidity throughout the game. The Braves are already the top offense this year, so this heat makes them that much better to target today.
- Every other game will be in the 70s, with the west coast games dipping in the 60s towards the end of the night, and LAD/CLE will see the most wind at around 5-10mph blowing in.
- Dome games today are BOS/HOU, MIN/MIL, and TEX/ARI.
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.
- Henry Davis landed on the IL yesterday, so the Pirates’ outfield gets a little less crowded. Palacios should get most of the RF playing time against righties now.
- Carter Kieboom is with the Nationals now as Jeter Downs was sent back down, and either he or Vargas should draw the start at 3B against a lefty.
- The Yankees are promoting top OF prospect Everson Pereira, and he should find in a spot in the lineup most days as he can play all outfield positions. Oswald Peraza was also brought back up and should see plenty of spot starts in the infield.
- Tim Anderson will serve the final game of his 5-game suspension, so it’s the last chance to use Andrus for cheap at leadoff.
- Soderstrom was sent back to the minors with Ryan Noda coming off the IL yesterday, so Langeliers/Perez are the catchers for now while Noda/Bride/Brown will handle 1B.
- JD Martinez and Jarren Duran are going on the IL, with Michael Busch and Wilyer Abreu taking their roster spots.
- ATL is the top stack by a wide margin and I’d expect most cash game lineups to have 3-4 of their hitters in it. The Dodgers are another top stack against Syndergaard, who remains the easiest pitcher to steal bases on. The Pirates are my favorite “sneaky” stack at home against Wainwright, and the Yankees are another stack that is going to breakout any day. At home against Josiah Gray could be the spot, especially with Pereira in the lineup for a new spark.
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.
- Blake Snell ($10,300) will be my cash game SP, as he just has too much upside today at home against a Marlins team with the lowest projected run total currently at 3.23. There are some solid cheaper options if you really want to spend up on more bats, with guys like Rodriguez ($8,200), Miller ($9,000), Verlander ($9,600), Woo ($7,900), and Giolito ($9,100) all very affordable and worth having some exposure to today.
- I’m not sure why Michael Harris ($3,000) won’t budge in price, and as long as he remains around $3k he will be a cash game lock for me. The same goes for Ozuna ($3,000), as he is crushing the ball since his move up to the 5th spot (2 more HR’s yesterday). Rosario ($2,800) also remains a fantastic value bat for more cheap ATL exposure.
- I want some LAD exposure in my main build, and Betts ($4,500) is my priority spend up if you can fit him. Smith ($3,500), Muncy ($3,500), and Martinez ($3,400) are all great cheaper options, while Peralta ($2,600) and Heyward ($2,500) are in play if you need a couple extreme salary savers.
I like taking higher than 1.5 total bases for Betts 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.)
- Nolan Schanuel ($2,000) remains at minimum price and is my favorite p/$ 1B play today, as he’s just too cheap for a leadoff hitter with his upside, especially on a team with a projected run total close to 5 today. Drury ($2,800) and Moustakas ($2,600) are other values from LAA worth considering.
- All of Crawford, Suarez, Raleigh, France, and Hernandez are under $3k and I like using a couple guys in that group in cash games, and if you can fit Rodriguez ($4,500), by all means jam him in. STL/PIT is full of value options as well, with Edman ($2,900), Burleson ($2,300), O’Neill ($2,700), Bae ($2,800), McCutchen ($3,000), and Suwinski ($3,000) being my top targets for the price.
- Grayson Rodriguez ($6,100) dropped $300 since his last start in which he went for over 27 FP. Even against Toronto, I think he is a top cash game target for the price. He’s allowed 2 or less ER in three of his last four starts, allowed just 1 HR in that span, and also hasn’t allowed more than 2 walks in a game since May. Jon Gray ($6,700) is also jumping out as a top value SP, as he’s $2,500 cheaper than FD, and has gone for 16+ FP in three straight, including a 32.55 FP gem two starts ago. Blake Snell ($10,700) remains my top overall SP, and pairing him with Rodriguez is what I’ll likely use in cash games.
- Nolan Schanuel ($2,500) is my favorite value bat on DK today, as it’s rare to find a leadoff hitter with his upside for this cheap. Everson Pereira ($2,000) is also jumping out as a top value bat, and I’ll be all over him if he hits 7th or higher today for the Yankees.
- Burleson ($3,200) and O’Neill ($3,500) are top values from STL, while Bae ($2,700), Suwinski ($3,400), and Palacios ($2,300) are a great value stack from the Pirates.
- Peralta ($2,900) and Heyward ($2,500) are the best way to get cheap LAD exposure, and using both will make it much easier to fit in Betts ($6,400) or Freeman ($6,100). Muncy ($4,700) is a great mid-range LAD bat if you don’t want to spend up or go too cheap.
- Harris ($4,700), Ozuna ($4,500), and Rosario ($4,000) remain the best values from ATL, and from the Mariners, I’m liking the prices of Crawford ($3,900), Suarez ($4,100), France ($3,500), and Hernandez ($3,800).
MLB Premium subscribers will have access to all of this data in LineupHQ, so be sure to keep checking there as we start getting the confirmed lineups and projections update. The very best P/$ 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!