MLB DFS Slate Preview: Tuesday, August 8th
Erik Wardenburg previews the Tuesday, August 8th 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 11-game slate that will see the return of Trevor Story for Boston and overall good weather as far as all the games likely being played in full.
Max Scherzer is in a tier of his own for SPs against Oakland, while Framber Valdez is at the top of the next tier as he looks to continue his dominance after a no-hitter. Gilbert, Schmidt, and Miley are some other pitchers currently on my DFS radar, but there are plenty more to get to, so let’s start with today’s news and notes before 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.
- KCR/BOS and NYY/CHW are both yellow/green currently, as isolated showers could cause a late start or delay in each. Roth thinks both games will finish eventually, so I’d consider the bats safe, but there’s a slight chance pitchers see a mid-game delay and are pulled early, but it’s still a small chance based on current radar. Temps in the 70s for both games.
- HOU/BAL has the best hitting conditions today with temps in the low-80s and 10 mph wind out to right. CHC/NYM is similar, with temps in the high-70s and 15 mph wind out to right.
- ATL/PIT will be in the mid-70s with 10 mph wind out to left. TOR/CLE in the mid-70s with a 5-10 mph left to right crosswind. SFG/LAA is in the low-70s and a slight breeze out to left center.
- TEX/OAK is our coolest game, with temps in the low-60s and a 10 mph wind out to right center. Dome games today are SDP/SEA, COL/MIL, and LAD/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.
- The big news of the day is Trevor Story making his 2023 debut for Boston. He’ll hit third today while Justin Turner is still having heel soreness and will be out today and tomorrow.
- Starling Marte landed on the IL again yesterday, and Brett Baty was DFA’d. Arauz and Mendick should get most of the playing time at 3B now, while Stewart, Ortega, and Almonte will all help in the OF.
- Santana and Adames are out of the lineup for MIL, so Canha will handle 1B and hit third while Turang will handle SS.
- The Guardians scooped up Ramon Laureano off waivers, and we could see him get his first start for them against the lefty Kikuchi. David Fry is dealing with a hamstring issue and remains out.
- Chapman and Schneider are getting days off for Toronto, with Espinal and Merrifield handling 3B and 2B.
- Tim Anderson is out of the lineup after being hit by a pitch on his arm yesterday. Andrus will hit leadoff for him.
- The Brewers and Red Sox are my favorite stacks today, as both are at home with team totals currently above 5 runs. Freeland has allowed 3+ ER in six of his last seven starts, including 3 HR’s in his last outing. Singer has been solid over his last three starts, but Boston is a tougher matchup than his last few opponents, and they lead the slate with a 5.74 projected run total currently. LAD, CHC, and ATL are other stacks I’d make sure to have exposure to today.
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.
- Max Scherzer ($10,500) just isn’t expensive enough to consider fading in cash games, especially against Oakland. He’ll obviously be the highest-owned pitcher as well, but I think you put yourself at a big disadvantage not going with him in double-ups or h2hs. If you absolutely want to be different than the field, then Framber Valdez ($10,800) is the pivot. If I were to go super cheap at SP, then Schmidt ($7,200) and Rodriguez ($6,800) would be my top choices.
- Willy Adames ($2,800) dropped $200 from the last game and is now at one of his lowest prices of the season, so he’s the first bat I’m locking into cash games, likely hitting clean-up on one of my favorites offenses to target today. William Contreras ($3,000) also continues to be a fantastic value hitting second with the platoon advantage today. For extreme value, I’m considering both Tyrone Taylor ($2,300) and Mark Canha ($2,400) for a full cheap MIL stack. (Update: Adames is out of the lineup)
- With the highest projected run total today, Boston is full of value bats. Rafael Devers ($3,500) is the most expensive option, and even he is affordable, while all of Duran ($3,200), Yoshida ($3,200), and Casas ($2,800) have the platoon advantage and are a very strong full stack. On the other side of that game, I’d consider Massey ($2,300) and Melendez ($2,700) decent value options.
I like taking higher than 8.5 FP for Devers 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.)
- Guerrero ($3,200) and Springer ($2,900) continue to be huge upside value bats for TOR, and from CLE there is a great value stack trio of Gonzalez ($2,100), Arias ($2,100), and Laureano ($2,000) in play, mostly for GPPs. Bauers ($2,700), Torres ($3,000), and Stanton ($3,000) are the best p/$ options from NY if you want some exposure there. Garver ($2,900) and Duran ($2,800) remain my favorite values from TEX, and I don’t mind Andrus ($2,300) now that he’s hitting leadoff for the White Sox.
- Scherzer ($10,800) remains a cash game lock for me, but SP2 could go a few different ways. Valdez ($11,000) is going to require a good amount of value bats to fit in, so if you want to load up on some pricier hitters I don’t mind going with Schmidt ($7,100), Miley ($7,000), or Rodriguez ($6,900). Toussaint ($5,700) is also in play, coming off b2b games of 16+ FP against a struggling Yankees offense.
- Canha ($2,400) and Taylor ($2,900) are my favorite value bats on DK and the first two guys I’m using in cash games. Triston Casas ($3,800) is my favorite value from Boston, while the more expensive BOS bats are in play if you have the extra salary, but I won’t be forcing them in.
- Mitch Garver ($3,400) is easily my favorite p/$ catcher likely hitting fifth with the platoon advantage, while Grossman ($2,400) and Duran ($3,200) are fine value options to stack with him.
- Bauers ($2,800), Gonzalez ($2,700), Arias ($2,600), Massey ($2,600), Melendez ($3,000), Davis ($2,700), Andrus ($2,400), Palacios ($2,300), and Rivas ($2,200) are some other extreme salary savers to keep on your radar for cash games.
MLB Premium subscribers will have access to all of this data in LineupHQ, so be sure to keep checking there as we start getting the confirmed lineups and projections update. The very best P/$ 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!