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Happy Sunday gang! Hope you all have had a great weekend so far. We're coming into the dog days of August, where divisions begin to have a clear winner and teams come out of nowhere to make a playoff push. We have a nice 10-game slate this afternoon, so let's jump right into it and see how we can optimize our DraftKings MLB DFS for this beautiful Sunday. We do have two potential delay or postponement situations today, one in St. Louis and one in Chicago, so keep an eye on that!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/8/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Zack Wheeler - PHI vs NYM ($10,400)
I feel like every other week when I'm writing this article, Zack Wheeler is starting. Wheeler has been nothing short of dominant this year, as he brings in a 2.95 xFIP into this one. He will face his former team, the Mets, who have scored just five runs in two games in Philadelphia, and four of them being in the 9th inning of each game. I expect the Cy Young candidate to take care of business today.
Luis Gil - NYY @ SEA ($6,500)
We dig in the value bin for our SP2 today, and we decide on Lucas Gil. Gil was fantastic in his start on Tuesday, going six shutout innings. We hope he can repeat his performance in this one today against Seattle.
Other Options: Lance McCullers Jr. ($10,000), Tyler Mahle ($9,800)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Salvador Perez - C, KC @ STL ($5,000)
Salvador Perez has been one of the best catchers in baseball all season, and he's done a lot of damage against left-handed pitching. He's got a whopping 54.3% hard-contact rate against southpaws to pair with a .767 wOBA + ISO. He has a plus matchup today against Jon Lester, and he's an underrated home run call for me.
Darin Ruf - 1B, SF @ MIL ($3,300)
Ruf is consistently too cheap whenever the Giants face a lefty. He's got a 55.9% hard-contact rate against them this season, and while Brett Anderson has been solid of late, the Giants should have no problem hitting him around a bit today.
Wilmer Flores - 2B, SF @ MIL ($3,900)
Another guy I will be looking to use in my Giants stack today, Flores doesn't see as great of success, with just a 42.2% hard-contact rate. That's still really good though, and considering he'll likely be in the cleanup spot in this one, we hope he can provide some production and get us there.
Austin Riley - 3B, ATL vs WAS ($5,100)
Austin Riley has really stepped up for Atlanta after Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with a season-ending injury. Riley has been fantastic, especially against lefties, with a 50% hard-contact rate. He gets a plus matchup today against Patrick Corbin, a familiar foe.
Dansby Swanson - SS, ATL vs WAS ($4,600)
We look to attack Mr. Corbin today, as we grab Austin Riley's partner on the left side of the Braves infield with Dansby Swanson. Swanson comes into this one with a 42% hard-contact rate against southpaws. He's also got a .567 wOBA + ISO against lefties this season, and hoping he can knock in guys like Ozzie Albies and Jorge Soler, or perhaps set the table for guys like Riley and Adam Duvall.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Nick Castellanos - OF, CIN vs PIT ($4,900)
Perhaps there is no hotter team in baseball right now than the Cincinnati Reds. They have been scoring on all cylinders in this series against the Pirates, and I expect today to be no different against Bryse Wilson. The NL Batting Title front-runner has a 52.2% hard-contact rate against right-handers this season, paired with a .689 wOBA + ISO. If they weren't so expensive I'd stack the Reds, but I'll take Casty as a one-off.
Giancarlo Stanton - OF, NYY vs SEA ($4,200)
Stanton has had a tough month and a half, and his price is surely reflecting that. He's still in a favorable matchup, however, against Yusei Kikuchi who has had some regression in giving up fly balls over the last month or so. Giancarlo surprisingly only has a 42% hard-contact rate against southpaws, but for his upside, at his price I have no problem playing him.
Austin Slater - OF, SF @ MIL ($3,000)
We finish off the Giants stack with whom will likely be their leadoff hitter in this one. Slater's got a 44.3% hard-contact rate against lefties this season, and a .568 wOBA + ISO to boot. He's always a cheap option whenever he's facing a southpaw, and I'll be rocking with him today. Tread with caution, though, as relievers come in for Milwaukee there is potential that he'll be pinch-hit for, but I'm willing to take that risk.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Bryse Wilson
- San Francisco Giants vs. Brett Anderson
- Atlanta Braves vs. Patrick Corbin
- Kansas City Royals vs. Jon Lester
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