We head into Thursday night with a very strange five-game slate on tap. The slate starts at 4:05 pmEST and is spread out throughout the day/evening. There are some really east spots to target as well as some nice pivots to differentiate your lineups. Listening to MLB DFS Quick Hits will also help get you pointed in the right direction.
When looking at the slate there are a few main targets. Most will look to Yu Darvish and Anthony DeSclafani on the mound while targeting the Phillies and Reds on the offensive side of things. This article will outline some of the obvious plays and some sneakier ways to go about attacking today's 5 game slate.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/13/2020. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Anthony DeSclafani - P, CIN vs PIT ($8,200)
There was a lot of fantasy hype surrounding DeSclafani entering the 2020 season and so far he has not disappointed. He has thrown 11 innings in his first two starts and has yet to allow a run. He also has only allowed five hits, one walk while striking out eight. He will be taking on the Pirates today, a team that has struggled tremendously vs right-handed pitchers. This season the Pirates are hitting .180 with a .100 ISO and a 23.9% K rate. DeSclafani should be popular today and will be very hard to avoid putting in all of your lineups.
Corbin Burnes - P, MIL at CHC ($6,200)
The Brewers are scheduled to use Brett Anderson to start today's game vs the Cubs and then give way to Corbin Burnes. Anderson has not made it through the fourth inning in his previous two starts and that should allow Burnes to throw four or more innings. Burnes has thrown 75 or more pitches in two of his three appearances and has scored at least 11 or more DK points in each outing, including 23 his last time out. His strikeout upside is a major reason for the fantasy goodness as he has struck out five or more in all three outings while allowing no more than two runs in any outing. The Cubs are striking out 25.6% of the time vs RHP this season and Burnes could be a nice punt if you are looking to be different today.
Other Options: Yu Darvish (CHC vs MIL) $10,400
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Chance Sisco - C, CAL at Jake Arrieta ($3,700)
I had Sisco circled for this article before he went off on Wednesday. Just means his ownership will be higher. Sisco is coming off a two-hit night, including a home run where he scored 21 DK points. He is now hitting .368 on the season with four extra-base hits and continues to be overlooked as a piece of Orioles stacks. He usually starts vs RHP, but if he doesn't Pedro Severino becomes an interesting play as he is $4,300 and will go unowned.
Other Options: J.T. Realmuto (PHI vs BAL) $5,300, Willson Contreras (CHC vs MIL) $4,400
Joey Votto - 1B, CIN vs Trevor Williams ($4,400)
Votto started off the year smoking hot and has cooled down a bit. Votto's numbers are quite telling as he is only hitting .220 but has a .182 BABIP, basically, the BABIP gods have been quite unkind to Joey. He also had a .200 ISO and a .361 OBP so he is still being productive without racking up all the hits. He did have a nice two-hit game on Tuesday and could use a nice matchup vs Trevor Williams to keep things going. Votto has had some nice success vs Williams, going 10 for 25 with three doubles.
Other Options: Renato Nunez (BAL at PHI) $4,300, Colin Moran (PIT at CIN) $3,600, Mike Brosseau (TB at BOS) $3,400
Kevin Newman - 2B/SS, PIT at Anthony Desclafani ($4,300)
With DeSlcafani being very popular today, playing some Pirates can make things super contrarian for your lineups. Newman comes into today's game riding a four-game hitting streak and has also hit safely in seven of his eight games. He is hitting .375 over that stretch with three extra-base hits and has scored five or DK points in six of his last eight games. Newman as a part of a Pirates stack or a one-off could be sneaky nice.
Other Options: Hanser Alberto (BAL at PHI) $4,000
Jean Segura - 3B, PHI at Tom Eshelman ($4,000)
It took a few games, but Segura has finally got things going for all the fantasy fans. He has hit safely in four of his last six games while also scoring at least seven DK points in five of those games. Segura has also hit home runs in two of his last three games. He will be facing Eshelman tonight who allowed RHH to hit .359 with a .457 wOBA and allowing 3.4 HR/9 last season. Do not forget Segura when you are stacking the popular Phillies.
Other Options: Manny Machado (SD at LAD) $4,200, Rio Ruiz (BAL at PHI) $3,400, Yandy Diaz (TB at BOS) $3,100
Fernando Tatis Jr. - SS, SD vs Julio Urias ($5,400)
I could write up Tatis every game. He has been an absolute beast this season with eight home runs, five stolen bases while hitting over .300. Tonight he has a matchup vs the talented Julio Urias and that should make Tatis and the Padres quite low owned. Last year Tatis hit .419 with a .306 ISO and could be a sneaky nice target for GPPs today.
Other Options: Xander Bogaerts (BOS vs TB) $4,500, Jose Iglesias (BAL at PHI) $3,200
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI vs Tom Eshelman ($5,400)
Harper may be one of the highest owned players today and rightfully so. Harper is coming off a two-hit night where he also stole a base. He has scored at least 15 DK points in each of the last three games. Harper is rolling, hitting safely in eight of his last 10 games with three home runs, and scoring 10 or more DK points in six games. He is a great play versus Eshelman and the Orioles pen regardless of ownership. Differentiate elsewhere as Harper is locked into lineups tonight.
Anthony Santander - OF, BAL at Jake Arrieta ($3,900)
I absolutely love the Orioles tonight. I know, I am always in love with them. Well, it's because they are too darn cheap. Nunez and Alberto are coming targets, but the O's have a couple of outfielders to stack with as well. Anthony Santander usually hits fifth for the O's and is riding a six-game hitting streak into today's action. Over that stretch, he has racked up six extra-base hits as well as scoring at least 12 DK points in five straight games. When stacking up the O's also don't forget Dwight Smith Jr. who is also en Fuego.
Jesse Winker - OF, CIN vs Trevor Williams ($3,500)
Winker is finally receiving regular playing time and is a great salary saver today. Winker has homered in three straight games and is now hitting .333 on the season. So far Winker has his best hard-hit rate at 43.3% and has a really strong .495 xwOBAcon. He'll face off vs Williams who allowed lefties to hit .335 with a .393 wOBA last season. Winker is a great salary saver and piece of a Reds stack.
Other Options: Nick Castellanos (CIN vs PIT) $4,800, Tommy Pham (SD at LAD) $3,900, Jay Bruce (PHI vs BAL) $3,800, Dwight Smith Jr. (BAL at CIN) $3,700, Hunter Renfroe (TB at BOS) $3,400, Nick Senzel (CIN vs PIT) $3,200, Shogo Akiyama (CIN vs PIT) $3,000
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Philadelphia Phillies vs Baltimore Orioles (Tom Eshelman, RHP)
- Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates (Trevor Williams, RHP)
- Sneaky Stack - Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies (Jake Arrieta, RHP)