Thursday's slate is chalk full of good pitching, including the elite Chris Sale but also including several other interesting options such as Jake Arrieta, Stephen Strasburg, Dallas Keuchel, and Carlos Martinez. This stands in contrast to several game totals projected for over nine runs, many of which are in the early slate. Thus, the dichotomy between the day and night slate makes the day an interesting one overall. This article will focus heavily on the main slate, with a few picks sprinkled in for the early games as well.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/24/17. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DanMarcus3.

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DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider

Jose Berrios, MIN @ CWS (DK - $8,600, FD - $9,100)

Things have been rocky of late for Berrios, making him a difficult pitcher to trust. Season long trends suggest that Berrios is trustworthy at home and not at all trustworthy when pitching on the road. However, the White Sox are a bad offense and rank as a bottom third offense in both wRC+ and ISO in the past 30 days and are also among the easiest lineups to strike out. Though it isn’t exactly comfortable, Berrios is an alternative to Chris Sale and is a good value on DraftKings especially.

Chris Sale, BOS @ CLE (DK - $13,700, FD - $11,000)

Sale is a slam dunk cash play for obvious reasons, not the least of which is his massive strikeout rate. That is well known at this point, but what may be unexpected is that the Indians’ lineup has not been especially productive of late. For example, they have just a 99 wRC+ and a .323 wOBA over the past 30 days. While those numbers aren’t awful, it doesn’t make a troubling matchup for Sale either, which solidifies him as an easy pitcher to slot into cash games.

DFS Infielders to Consider

Brett Nicholas - C, TEX @ LAA (DK - $2,700, FD - $2,500)

Nicholas hasn’t been an everyday player for the Rangers, but he has managed to have his way with right-handed pitching in an admittedly small sample. Troy Scribner draws the start for the Angels and while his short stint in the majors hasn't gone badly, he as been uninspiring in AAA this season and has an xFIP over six in the major leagues. Nicholas hasn't played everyday, so he may not be in the lineup. However, if he is, he is in a good spot to produce.

C.J. Cron - 1B, LAA vs TEX (DK - $3,600, FD - $3,000)

Staying with the Rangers-Halos matchup, C.J. Cron is once again an everyday player and has quietly been productive. Much of that damage has come against lefties, as he has posted a very solid .589 slugging percentage against them on the season. Given his matchup against Martin Perez, who has posted a 5.22 FIP and 5.21 xFIP against right-handed hitters, Cron is in a good spot on Thursday night at a very nice price.

Brian Dozier - 2B, MIN @ CWS (DK - $5,400, FD - $4,200)

Derek Holland is a gas can everytime he takes the mound, as he has allowed an astounding 2.12 home runs per nine innings on the season. That mark rises to 2.38 when facing right-handed hitters. Those figures paired with Dozier’s 167 wRC+ and .267 ISO against left-handed pitching makes him  a great building-block on Thursday.

Josh Donaldson - 3B, TOR @ TAM (DK - $4,600, FD - $3,900)

When Donaldson is on, there isn’t much reason to delve into matchups. Instead, you can simply rely on his talent. That has been coming through plenty lately, to the tune of a .714 slugging percentage over the past week and an .846 slugging percentage in August.

Jose Peraza - SS, CIN vs CHC (DK - $3,700, FD - $3,600)

Peraza is not a chalky pick by any stretch, but his matchup against Jake Arrieta makes him worth considering. Though teammate Jon Lester receives the most attention for not being able to hold runners, Arrieta is poor in limiting the run game as well. Over the past three seasons, Arrieta has allowed 88 stolen bases, fourth highest among all pitchers, at an 84% success rate. Meanwhile, Peraza has suddenly discovered on base skills as he has a .421 OBP in August. Of course, the more he is on base, the more opportunities he has to steal bases making him an interesting punt play Thursday.

 

DFS Outfielders to Consider

Nomar Mazara - OF, TEX @ LAA (DK - $4,700, FD - $3,600)

Troy Scribner is not a daunting matchup as already discussed, and that is reflected with one of the highest totals on the night. Mazara has been batting in the middle of the lineup and is finally flashing some degree of power, making him a nice cash game play on the main slate.

Scott Schebler - OF, CIN vs. CHC (DK - $3,700, FD - $2,600)

Jake Arrieta isn’t the most vulnerable pitcher on the slate, but he has allowed 1.39 HR/9 to lefties this season. Meanwhile, in just 13 at-bats in August, Schebler has recorded four extra-base hits. In one of the higher game totals of the slate, Schebler is another price saving option to consider.

Nick Williams - OF, PHI vs MIA (DK - $3,400, FD - $3,100)

Rhys Hoskins has made the headlines with his incredible hot streak to start his career and that has overshadowed Nick Williams. However, Williams, too has been very good for both the Phillies and fantasy owners posting a solid 117 wRC+ and .211 ISO. A matchup against Vance Worley is always worth paying attention to, and Williams should fly under the radar in comparison to Hoskins.

 

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