DFS & Betting Game Previews - August 8th
An automated report of each game on the MLB slate with full projections, recommended bets, and the top DFS plays from each.
DFS Preview
Most Team Fantasy Point Projections
MIA (vs. Luke Weaver): 81.98 Projected Points
HOU (vs. Grayson Rodriguez): 76.64 Projected Points
PHI (vs. Josiah Gray): 72.28 Projected Points
ATL (vs. Mitch Keller): 71.64 Projected Points
LAD (vs. Brandon Pfaadt): 71.38 Projected Points
Least Team Fantasy Point Projections
OAK (vs. Max Scherzer): 50.15 Projected Points
DET (vs. Sonny Gray): 52.05 Projected Points
COL (vs. Wade Miley): 55.98 Projected Points
MIN (vs. Eduardo Rodriguez): 57.44 Projected Points
PIT (vs. Yonny Chirinos): 57.61 Projected Points
Today Max Projection Players
Players with their highest projection of the season coming today
Touki Toussaint: 13.56 Today, 10.98 Previous Max
Wade Miley: 12.93 Today, 12.46 Previous Max
Yordan Alvarez: 11.65 Today, 11.0 Previous Max
Jazz Chisholm: 11.4 Today, 9.74 Previous Max
Kyle Tucker: 10.99 Today, 10.53 Previous Max
Jake Burger: 10.08 Today, 9.96 Previous Max
Josh Bell: 9.87 Today, 9.69 Previous Max
Luis Arraez: 9.63 Today, 9.23 Previous Max
Bryan De La Cruz: 8.84 Today, 8.82 Previous Max
Jesus Sanchez: 8.21 Today, 7.93 Previous Max
Luis Rengifo: 7.97 Today, 7.93 Previous Max
Now we’ll go through each position and build out a lineup. I have been playing the $1 and $5 Hundo contests, which are 100 person contests with only 10% rake. I love those. I usually play a pretty safe lineup here just using the model’s picks - ownership isn’t all that big of a concern for me in these contests.
Pitchers
Max Scherzer $10,800 vs. OAK
Logan Gilbert $8,700 vs. SD
Framber Valdez $11,000 vs. BAL
Touki Toussaint $5,700 vs. NYY
Jameson Taillon $6,700 vs. NYM
Clarke Schmidt $7,100 vs. CWS
Kutter Crawford $7,600 vs. KC
I don’t see how we can get away from Scherzer here in Oakland, so he’s going in my one lineup immediately.
The second slot is up for grabs. I’m not super hyped to play Gilbert at $8,700, and might just end up down there with Taillon, Schmidt, or Crawford. Crawford is my favorite of the bunch, so I’ll start with the Scherzer + Crawford combo and go from there.
Spoiler alert that Yordan Alvarez is the top play on the board up at 9.74 projected points, so I’m going to immediately slap him in the lineup as well.
Catchers
William Contreras $4,800 vs. Kyle Freeland
Mitch Garver $3,400 vs. JP Sears
Salvador Perez $4,200 vs. Kutter Crawford
Will Smith $5,400 vs. Brandon Pfaadt
Patrick Bailey $3,900 vs. Lucas Giolito
Seems like another Mitch Garver day! He’s been the Rangers DH lately and he hit #5 last night - so I would guess he’ll do that again tonight against another lefty. Slap him in there!
I also like the Contreras play against Freeland, but I would probably build a little Brewers stack around him in another lineup. He has smashed lefties, so you can maybe team him up with Yelich and Adames and go from there in a tourney lineup.
First Base
Freddie Freeman $6,200 vs. Brandon Pfaadt
Shohei Ohtani $6,700 vs. Alex Wood
Salvador Perez $4,200 vs. Kutter Crawford
LaMonte Wade Jr. $4,100 vs. Lucas Giolito
Jon Singleton $2,400 vs. Grayson Rodriguez
This Jon Singleton dude has mashed in the PCL, I wouldn’t expect a ton in the Majors - but even with a moderate base skill projection, he profiles just fine for $2,400.
There’s really no other standout smash play besides Freeman, and I already have Scherzer and Yordan as expensive guys, so maybe Singleton will find his way into this lineup. I’m going to slide him in there for now.
Second Base
Michael Massey $2,600 vs. Kutter Crawford
Jose Altuve $5,500 vs. Grayson Rodriguez
Mookie Betts $6,400 vs. Brandon Pfaadt
Marcus Semien $5,600 vs. JP Sears
Brendan Rodgers $2,500 vs. Wade Miley
Not too interesting in any of these prices either. Sears isn’t really a guy I try to stack against too much, Altuve’s price is a little bit prohibitive. So let’s look at Michael Massey.
The model is really liking the Royals away from home, especially in Fenway. Massey for the year
.219/.272/.359, 9 HR, 8.9% Brl%, 23.8% K%, 6.1% BB%, .325 xwOBA
That’s an above-average xwOBA and Brl%, and the K% isn’t bad. I think it’s a perfectly fine play even though it’s weird to play hitters against one of your pitchers, but let’s roll with it - I like the savings.
Third Base
Jose Ramirez $5,500 vs. Yusei Kikuchi
Maikel Garcia $3,700 vs. Kutter Crawford
Rafael Devers $5,200 vs. Brady Singer
Alex Bregman $4,900 vs. Grayson Rodriguez
Max Muncy $5,100 vs. Brandon Pfaadt
J-Ram scored three points in an otherwise great lineup I provided last night, so I hate him right now. He was also suspended, so it’s possible that he drops the appeal or whatever and just starts serving that. He’s also been pretty MEH as a righty in the last two years, so I’ll pass o that.
vs. RHP: 819 PA, .926 OPS, .349 xwOBA
vs. LHP: 315 PA, .672 OPS, .288 xwOBA
Maikel Garcia doesn’t homer (83.3 PA/HR, 4.5% Brl%), so that reduces the upside a ton - which makes me not want to add him as a second Royal against a pitcher I’m playing. That might lead me to Devers or Muncy, who are both against pitchers that can serve up the long ball. Let’s go with Muncy for now.
Shortstop
Bobby Witt Jr. $5,400 vs. Kutter Crawford
Corey Seager $6,200 vs. JP Sears
Francisco Lindor $4,800 vs. Jameson Taillon
Willy Adames $4,700 vs. Kyle Freeland
Anthony Volpe $3,000 vs. Touki Toussaint
The Royals are all over this. This is, I think, mostly because their prices are established by them playing half the time in Kauffman Stadium, and projecting them in Fenway leads to way better scores than in Kauffman, but the prices don’t move - so that naturally leads to them standing out. I certainly think Witt Jr. is a great play here, but again - I don’t want to load up on Royals when I like Crawford!
Volpe feels like a decent punt-ish option because of how many hitters Toussaint walks, but he’ll probably hit 8th tonight. I like Lindor and Adames here, so I want one of them - but not sure we’ll be able to make it happen so let’s look at the outfield before deciding.
Outfield
Yordan Alvarez $5,800 vs. Grayson Rodriguez
Aaron Judge $6,500 vs. Touki Toussaint
Ronald Acuna Jr. $6,600 vs. Mitch Keller
Kyle Tucker $5,600 vs. Grayson Rodriguez
Mark Canha $2,400 vs. Kyle Freeland
Mookie Betts $6,400 vs. Mookie Betts
MJ Melendez $3,000 vs. Kutter Crawford
Ian Happ $3,400 vs. Carlos Carrasco
Edward Olivares $2,500 vs. Kutter Crawford
Drew Waters $2,600 vs. Kutter Crawford
Shohei Ohtani $6,700 vs. Alex Wood
Masataka Yoshida $4,700 vs. Brady Singer
Rafael Ortega $2,000 vs. Jameson Taillon
Tyrone Taylor $2,900 vs. Kyle Freeland
Mike Tauchman $3,500 vs. Carlos Carrasco
Yordan is already in the lineup, so with SS and two OF spots left we have $4,100 to spend. I need to pay down for someone, so let’s just take the first cheap option there in Mark Canha. He’s been pretty bad this year with a .694 OPS, but it’s at .724 against lefties - and the Brewers are in a pretty good spot here, so I’m fine with the play.
That brings us to $9,900 left for two spots. I have two Astros already, so what we can do is go Kyle Tucker here and then go with Luis Rengifo at shortstop.
That leaves us with a lineup like this:
SP1 Scherzer
SP2 Crawford
C Garver
1B Singleton
2B Massey
3B Muncy
SS Rengifo
OF Alvarez
OF Tucker
OF Canha
And now on to the game-by-game previews, the pay wall, and the recommended bets! I’ll tweet out any top plays that pop up that I’m considering subbing into the lineup.
Game by Game Previews
WSH @ PHI
Projected Game Score:
PHI 5.16 - WSH 3.96
PHI 56.5% To Win
Vegas O/U: 9.0
Projected Total: 9.12
2023 Pitcher Stats
Ranger Suarez: 15 GS, 1381 Pitches, 20.8 K%, 8.2 BB%, 10.2 SwStr%, 44.0 Strike%, 37.2 Ball%, 53.3 GB%, 8 Brl%
Josiah Gray: 22 GS, 2110 Pitches, 19.8 K%, 10.6 BB%, 12.2 SwStr%, 44.5 Strike%, 38.3 Ball%, 41.2 GB%, 7 Brl%
Pitcher Projections
Ranger Suarez (PHI): 83 Pitches 5.17 IP, 5.2 H, 2.2 ER, 4.2 K, 1.4 BB, 12.81 FPts
Josiah Gray (WSH): 92 Pitches 5.71 IP, 5.4 H, 3.0 ER, 5.1 K, 2.5 BB, 12.78 FPts
K Prop Lines - DraftKings
Ranger Suarez - Prop Not Found
Josiah Gray - Prop Not Found
WSH Hitter Projections
1. C.J. Abrams: 4.54 PA, 1.08 H, 1.65 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.21 SB, 8.06 FPts
2. Lane Thomas: 4.46 PA, 1.09 H, 1.83 TB, 0.16 HR, 0.11 SB, 8.26 FPts
3. Joey Meneses: 4.35 PA, 1.12 H, 1.79 TB, 0.14 HR, 0.01 SB, 7.56 FPts
4. Dominic Smith: 4.28 PA, 0.99 H, 1.35 TB, 0.05 HR, 0.02 SB, 6.43 FPts
5. Keibert Ruiz: 4.16 PA, 1.07 H, 1.62 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.03 SB, 7.1 FPts
6. Jake Alu: 4.06 PA, 0.93 H, 1.37 TB, 0.09 HR, 0.09 SB, 6.46 FPts
7. Ildemaro Vargas: 3.94 PA, 0.96 H, 1.41 TB, 0.08 HR, 0.04 SB, 6.03 FPts
8. Blake Rutherford: 3.81 PA, 0.88 H, 1.39 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.04 SB, 6.08 FPts
9. Alex Call: 3.51 PA, 0.69 H, 1.06 TB, 0.07 HR, 0.08 SB, 5.89 FPts
PHI Hitter Projections
1. Kyle Schwarber: 4.56 PA, 0.86 H, 1.93 TB, 0.29 HR, 0.04 SB, 10.05 FPts
2. Alec Bohm: 4.45 PA, 1.06 H, 1.62 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.03 SB, 7.35 FPts
3. Bryce Harper: 4.31 PA, 1.05 H, 1.87 TB, 0.18 HR, 0.12 SB, 9.9 FPts
4. Nick Castellanos: 4.23 PA, 1.01 H, 1.74 TB, 0.16 HR, 0.05 SB, 7.93 FPts
5. Bryson Stott: 4.14 PA, 1.02 H, 1.54 TB, 0.1 HR, 0.13 SB, 7.74 FPts
6. J.T. Realmuto: 4.0 PA, 0.95 H, 1.73 TB, 0.17 HR, 0.14 SB, 8.37 FPts
7. Trea Turner: 3.89 PA, 0.91 H, 1.47 TB, 0.12 HR, 0.19 SB, 7.63 FPts
8. Jake Cave: 3.51 PA, 0.72 H, 1.28 TB, 0.12 HR, 0.05 SB, 6.07 FPts
9. Johan Rojas: 3.55 PA, 0.85 H, 1.44 TB, 0.13 HR, 0.15 SB, 7.24 FPts
Best Bets
None
DFS Top Plays (DraftKings)
Game not on slate
MIN @ DET
Projected Game Score:
MIN 3.58 - DET 2.96
MIN 54.7% To Win
Vegas O/U: 7.5
Projected Total: 6.54
2023 Pitcher Stats
Sonny Gray: 21 GS, 1974 Pitches, 23.7 K%, 8.5 BB%, 12.4 SwStr%, 45.8 Strike%, 36.4 Ball%, 48.6 GB%, 7 Brl%
Eduardo Rodriguez: 16 GS, 1499 Pitches, 25.5 K%, 5.8 BB%, 11.8 SwStr%, 49.0 Strike%, 33.9 Ball%, 42.8 GB%, 6 Brl%
Pitcher Projections
Sonny Gray (MIN): 85 Pitches 5.38 IP, 4.5 H, 2.1 ER, 6.1 K, 1.8 BB, 16.97 FPts
Eduardo Rodriguez (DET): 93 Pitches 5.72 IP, 5.4 H, 2.4 ER, 5.7 K, 1.5 BB, 15.94 FPts
K Prop Lines - DraftKings
Sonny Gray - 5.5 strikeouts
Eduardo Rodriguez - 5.5 strikeouts
MIN Hitter Projections
1. Donovan Solano: 4.22 PA, 1.0 H, 1.42 TB, 0.06 HR, 0.01 SB, 6.26 FPts
2. Jorge Polanco: 4.31 PA, 1.02 H, 1.82 TB, 0.19 HR, 0.06 SB, 7.85 FPts
3. Carlos Correa: 4.2 PA, 0.94 H, 1.54 TB, 0.13 HR, 0.0 SB, 6.88 FPts
4. Ryan Jeffers: 4.14 PA, 0.84 H, 1.46 TB, 0.14 HR, 0.02 SB, 6.56 FPts
5. Kyle Farmer: 3.93 PA, 0.99 H, 1.59 TB, 0.13 HR, 0.03 SB, 6.7 FPts
6. Willi Castro: 3.95 PA, 0.93 H, 1.44 TB, 0.09 HR, 0.17 SB, 6.78 FPts
7. Jordan Luplow: 3.87 PA, 0.68 H, 1.16 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.05 SB, 5.75 FPts
8. Christian Vazquez: 3.6 PA, 0.86 H, 1.27 TB, 0.07 HR, 0.04 SB, 5.46 FPts
9. Michael A. Taylor: 3.18 PA, 0.69 H, 1.16 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.07 SB, 5.2 FPts
DET Hitter Projections
1. Akil Baddoo: 4.17 PA, 0.82 H, 1.18 TB, 0.06 HR, 0.17 SB, 6.35 FPts
2. Riley Greene: 4.38 PA, 1.01 H, 1.53 TB, 0.09 HR, 0.06 SB, 6.93 FPts
3. Matt Vierling: 4.25 PA, 0.97 H, 1.42 TB, 0.08 HR, 0.09 SB, 6.56 FPts
4. Spencer Torkelson: 4.22 PA, 0.82 H, 1.36 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.01 SB, 6.03 FPts
5. Kerry Carpenter: 3.93 PA, 0.91 H, 1.54 TB, 0.14 HR, 0.01 SB, 6.3 FPts
6. Miguel Cabrera: 3.9 PA, 0.83 H, 1.16 TB, 0.06 HR, 0.0 SB, 4.84 FPts
7. Zach McKinstry: 3.68 PA, 0.72 H, 1.17 TB, 0.09 HR, 0.07 SB, 5.42 FPts
8. Nick Maton: 3.48 PA, 0.6 H, 0.97 TB, 0.08 HR, 0.03 SB, 4.76 FPts
9. Jake Rogers: 3.4 PA, 0.63 H, 1.13 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.02 SB, 4.86 FPts
Best Bets
Spencer Torkelson DET - Runs Scored Under 0.5 (-135.0) - 0.124 value
Eduardo Rodriguez DET - Outs Under 17.5 (+135.0) - 0.123 value
Sonny Gray MIN - Outs Under 17.5 (-115.0) - 0.111 value
Nick Maton DET - H+R+RBI Under 1.5 (-155.0) - 0.101 value
DFS Top Plays (DraftKings)
Game not on slate
STL @ TB
Projected Game Score:
TB 4.4 - STL 4.15
TB 51.5% To Win
Vegas O/U: 8.5
Projected Total: 8.55
2023 Pitcher Stats
Zach Eflin: 21 GS, 1731 Pitches, 25.3 K%, 3.3 BB%, 11.7 SwStr%, 49.3 Strike%, 31.0 Ball%, 52.6 GB%, 8 Brl%
Miles Mikolas: 24 GS, 2162 Pitches, 16.4 K%, 4.5 BB%, 7.9 SwStr%, 46.3 Strike%, 33.1 Ball%, 38.1 GB%, 8 Brl%
Pitcher Projections
Zach Eflin (TB): 83 Pitches 5.15 IP, 5.2 H, 2.5 ER, 5.2 K, 1.2 BB, 14.07 FPts
Miles Mikolas (STL): 100 Pitches 6.03 IP, 6.4 H, 3.0 ER, 5.2 K, 1.4 BB, 13.66 FPts
K Prop Lines - DraftKings
Zach Eflin - 5.5 strikeouts
Miles Mikolas - 3.5 strikeouts
STL Hitter Projections
1. Lars Nootbaar: 4.24 PA, 0.97 H, 1.72 TB, 0.18 HR, 0.07 SB, 8.21 FPts
2. Paul Goldschmidt: 4.15 PA, 0.96 H, 1.7 TB, 0.17 HR, 0.06 SB, 7.82 FPts
3. Nolan Gorman: 4.06 PA, 0.88 H, 1.78 TB, 0.23 HR, 0.04 SB, 7.8 FPts
4. Nolan Arenado: 3.95 PA, 0.99 H, 1.82 TB, 0.2 HR, 0.03 SB, 7.61 FPts
5. Willson Contreras: 3.88 PA, 0.86 H, 1.55 TB, 0.16 HR, 0.04 SB, 6.91 FPts
6. Tyler O'Neill: 3.81 PA, 0.81 H, 1.5 TB, 0.17 HR, 0.1 SB, 6.89 FPts
7. Jordan Walker: 3.63 PA, 0.86 H, 1.38 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.07 SB, 6.11 FPts
8. Alec Burleson: 3.27 PA, 0.84 H, 1.4 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.01 SB, 5.81 FPts
9. Tommy Edman: 3.32 PA, 0.79 H, 1.18 TB, 0.06 HR, 0.18 SB, 6.12 FPts
TB Hitter Projections
1. Yandy Diaz: 4.29 PA, 1.14 H, 1.76 TB, 0.12 HR, 0.02 SB, 7.99 FPts
2. Wander Franco: 4.25 PA, 1.18 H, 1.88 TB, 0.13 HR, 0.16 SB, 8.9 FPts
3. Brandon Lowe: 4.07 PA, 0.93 H, 1.75 TB, 0.2 HR, 0.04 SB, 7.9 FPts
4. Randy Arozarena: 4.1 PA, 1.01 H, 1.71 TB, 0.15 HR, 0.16 SB, 8.46 FPts
5. Luke Raley: 3.79 PA, 0.9 H, 1.68 TB, 0.18 HR, 0.06 SB, 7.37 FPts
6. Isaac Paredes: 3.79 PA, 0.82 H, 1.39 TB, 0.12 HR, 0.01 SB, 6.28 FPts
7. Josh Lowe: 3.67 PA, 0.92 H, 1.56 TB, 0.13 HR, 0.16 SB, 7.39 FPts
8. Jose Siri: 3.63 PA, 0.78 H, 1.39 TB, 0.14 HR, 0.13 SB, 6.43 FPts
9. Christian Bethancourt: 3.31 PA, 0.79 H, 1.29 TB, 0.1 HR, 0.02 SB, 5.22 FPts
Best Bets
Zach Eflin TB - Outs Under 17.5 (+120.0) - 0.255 value
Miles Mikolas STL - Strikeouts Over 3.5 (-170.0) - 0.133 value
Miles Mikolas STL - Outs Over 16.5 (-110.0) - 0.109 value
DFS Top Plays (DraftKings)
Game not on slate
MIA @ CIN
Projected Game Score:
MIA 6.44 - CIN 4.4
MIA 59.5% To Win
Vegas O/U: 10.0
Projected Total: 10.84
2023 Pitcher Stats
Braxton Garrett: 19 GS, 1731 Pitches, 26.3 K%, 4.1 BB%, 13.3 SwStr%, 49.0 Strike%, 32.8 Ball%, 48.6 GB%, 9 Brl%
Luke Weaver: 19 GS, 1629 Pitches, 17.5 K%, 7.8 BB%, 9.7 SwStr%, 44.9 Strike%, 36.4 Ball%, 36.2 GB%, 10 Brl%
Pitcher Projections
Braxton Garrett (MIA): 93 Pitches 5.56 IP, 5.9 H, 2.9 ER, 6.2 K, 1.2 BB, 15.47 FPts
Luke Weaver (CIN): 85 Pitches 5.0 IP, 5.7 H, 3.0 ER, 4.5 K, 1.7 BB, 10.41 FPts
K Prop Lines - DraftKings
Braxton Garrett - 5.5 strikeouts
Luke Weaver - 4.5 strikeouts
MIA Hitter Projections
1. Luis Arraez: 4.75 PA, 1.41 H, 2.05 TB, 0.12 HR, 0.04 SB, 9.63 FPts
2. Jorge Soler: 4.66 PA, 1.02 H, 2.18 TB, 0.31 HR, 0.01 SB, 10.27 FPts
3. Josh Bell: 4.53 PA, 1.07 H, 1.95 TB, 0.22 HR, 0.01 SB, 9.87 FPts
4. Jazz Chisholm: 4.2 PA, 1.07 H, 2.18 TB, 0.3 HR, 0.27 SB, 11.4 FPts
5. Jake Burger: 4.26 PA, 1.07 H, 2.3 TB, 0.3 HR, 0.01 SB, 10.08 FPts
6. Bryan De La Cruz: 4.23 PA, 1.1 H, 1.98 TB, 0.21 HR, 0.04 SB, 8.84 FPts
7. Jesus Sanchez: 3.93 PA, 0.96 H, 1.78 TB, 0.21 HR, 0.03 SB, 8.21 FPts
8. Joey Wendle: 3.84 PA, 0.94 H, 1.42 TB, 0.09 HR, 0.1 SB, 7.02 FPts
9. Nick Fortes: 3.67 PA, 0.84 H, 1.38 TB, 0.12 HR, 0.05 SB, 6.66 FPts
CIN Hitter Projections
1. Elly De La Cruz: 4.51 PA, 1.05 H, 1.75 TB, 0.16 HR, 0.21 SB, 8.56 FPts
2. Nick Senzel: 4.26 PA, 0.98 H, 1.49 TB, 0.1 HR, 0.08 SB, 7.07 FPts
3. Matt McLain: 4.3 PA, 1.05 H, 1.9 TB, 0.19 HR, 0.12 SB, 8.97 FPts
4. Spencer Steer: 4.21 PA, 0.93 H, 1.54 TB, 0.13 HR, 0.04 SB, 7.29 FPts
5. Kevin Newman: 4.02 PA, 1.1 H, 1.65 TB, 0.1 HR, 0.1 SB, 7.55 FPts
6. Christian Encarnacion-Strand: 4.0 PA, 0.96 H, 1.8 TB, 0.21 HR, 0.02 SB, 7.5 FPts
7. TJ Friedl: 3.81 PA, 0.9 H, 1.3 TB, 0.07 HR, 0.13 SB, 6.57 FPts
8. Stuart Fairchild: 3.45 PA, 0.76 H, 1.37 TB, 0.14 HR, 0.08 SB, 6.55 FPts
9. Luke Maile: 3.25 PA, 0.71 H, 1.21 TB, 0.11 HR, 0.01 SB, 5.26 FPts
Best Bets
Jazz Chisholm MIA - H+R+RBI Over 1.5 (-140.0) - 0.135 value
Josh Bell MIA - H+R+RBI Over 1.5 (-145.0) - 0.113 value
DFS Top Plays (DraftKings)
Game not on slate
And now we reach the paywall. Subscribe today to get the rest of this post, the full daily notes, full projections and full bet values every day for dozens and dozens of player props, access to the Tableau dashboards, custom daily-updated Google Sheets, and so much more! Read the about page here for more information.