MLB DFS Slate Preview: Tuesday, August 29th
Erik Wardenburg previews the Tuesday, August 29th 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!
Very similar main slate as yesterday, with 12 games on tap, Atlanta popping as the clear top offense in Coors Field, and a good mix of expensive and affordable SPs to target.
Let’s get to today’s news, notes and 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.
- CHW/BAL could see some late-game rain issues, but current forecasts have a low chance of it, and the game should play fine through some light sprinkles. Temps in the low 80s.
- HOU/BOS should also be fine, but double-check the forecast closer to lock, as late game rain may shift closer to the late innings instead of after the game. Temps in the low 70s.
- TEX/NYM could see a light sprinkle, but nothing to cause any issues. Temps in the mid 70s.
- CLE/MIN will be in the mid 70s, with 8mph wind in from left. SDP/STL in the low 80s. MIL/CHC in the high 60s, with 13mph wind in from left. PIT/KCR in the low 80s. ATL/COL in the mid 70s. CIN/SFG in the high 60s. ARI/LAD in the 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.
- Matt Chapman went on the IL yesterday with his finger injury, and Ernie Clement was called up. All of Schneider, Espinal, and Clement can help cover 3B, and there’s a good chance all three are in the lineup today against the lefty Gore. Bo Bichette is also going on the IL with his quad injury, and infielder Mason McCoy will take his spot on the roster.
- Matt McLain went on the IL with an oblique strain, and Fairchild came off the concussion IL. Steer will move up to second in the order, Stephenson will move up to fifth, and Senzel will get a rare start against a righty hitting ninth.
- Brendan Rodgers remains out for COL with his illness, so Castro will again handle 2B.
- Michael Brantley is back for the Astros hitting sixth today.
- The Cardinals are sitting Tommy Edman and going with Palacios at leadoff today.
- The Braves are once again the obvious top stack, as they have another massive 7.5 team total. The Orioles are my favorite stack outside of Coors Field, as they have a 5.75 team total against Scholtens, who has allowed 10 ER and 3 HR’s over his last two starts. BOS, SEA, and SDP round out of my top five stacks of the slate.
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.
- It’s clear we want as many ATL bats in our cash game lineup as possible, and in order to do that, I think going cheap at SP is the play today. Cole Ragans ($6,600) is an absolute gift today, as he’s gone for 46+ FP in four of his last five starts, and his price still remains laughably cheap. Ragans has 44 strikeouts over his last five starts, and has allowed just 1 HR over his last six starts. The upside at this low of a salary is too great to fade for me in cash games, especially since he’ll let you stack ATL pretty easily. If you want to spend up at SP then Kirby ($10,800) would be my pick against Oakland, but I do really like the pitchers in the MIL/CHC game for GPPs with the wind blowing in at Wrigley.
- Teoscar Hernandez ($3,100) continues to rake, as he has 2+ hits in eight of his last ten games, including four HR’s over that span. Hitting cleanup on one of my favorite offenses to target today, he’ll be the first guy I lock in to cash games. Suarez ($2,900) and France ($2,700) are other solid Mariners value options, while Rodriguez ($4,500) is always a top play and a great pivot from much higher-owned ATL bats in GPPs.
I like taking higher than 11.5 FP for Rodriguez 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.)
- BAL and BOS offer a ton of value bats to build around your ATL stacks, as every projected starter (besides Devers) is under $3,500 for both teams. O’Hearn ($2,600) is my favorite super cheap option from BAL, while Henderson ($3,400), Santander ($3,400), and Rutschman ($3,200) are where I’d look next as they all have the platoon advantage on Scholtens. From Boston I’m loving the prices of Yoshida ($3,100), Duvall ($3,000), and Casas ($2,900), while Verdugo ($3,300) is where I’d go if you want a full value stack.
- Acuna ($5,200) is the clear top play of the slate if you can fit him in, followed by Olson ($4,700), Riley ($4,300), and Albies ($3,800). Eddie Rosario ($3,400) is my favorite value bat from ATL, and I’m expecting him to be pretty popular, so Ozuna ($3,700) makes for a solid pivot in GPPs along with Harris ($3,800).
- Some more value bats I like today include Springer ($3,000), Schneider ($2,800), Abrams ($3,100), Julien ($2,800), Lewis ($3,000), Bogaerts ($2,800), Cooper ($2,400), Palacios ($2,400), Burleson ($2,200), Melendez ($2,700), and Velazquez ($2,900).
- Cole Ragans ($6,000) remains my top p/$ pitcher for cash games, and I like pairing him with Kirby ($9,700), who gets a home matchup with the A’s and their pitiful 2.5 team total currently. Cobb ($6,800) and Kremer ($7,700) are also standing out as top value SPs, while Lopez ($10,800), Burnes ($10,600), and Steele ($9,500) are more guys to include in your GPP pool.
- If you don’t go with Olson ($6,900) at 1B then Ryan O’Hearn ($3,300) would be my top choice, as he’s the best way to get cheap exposure to BAL, and you can also use him at OF. Hernandez ($4,300) isn’t as much of a value compared to FD, but I still like him as an affordable way to get SEA exposure.
- Yoshida ($4,700) and Duvall ($4,800) remain a great mini stack from Boston at very affordable prices, and for even cheaper, I’d look to KC and their cheap trio of Melendez ($3,600), Waters ($3,200), and Velazquez ($3,000).
- Garver ($3,800) and Duran ($3,600) are decent values from TEX, while MIN has a nice cheap trio of Julien ($3,500), Lewis ($4,100), and Kepler ($3,700) at the top of the order. Garrett Cooper ($2,800) is also worth mentioning for cheap SDP exposure, along with Palacios ($2,800) and Burleson ($3,300) from STL.
MLB Premium subscribers will have access to all of this data in LineupHQ, so be sure to keep checking there as we start getting the confirmed lineups and projections update. The very best P/$ 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!