We have a 14-game main slate on tap tonight, and it's a good one. There are some elite pitching options with Corbin Burns, and Jack Flaherty with some great value plays like Madison Bumgarner in play as well. When it comes to bats, we will have plenty. For starters, some great stacks with the Angels, Orioles, and Braves, but there will be a lot more. With a monster slate, there are always solid values that will allow for payup spots with ease. It is a fun 14-game slate with many ways to build; listen in to MLB DFS Quick Hits to get a full slate rundown.
The slate starts with which pitchers to build around. Do you pay up for Burnes or save a little a bit and start with Flaherty? Do you take a chance and see if Dylan Cease continues to roll or go with German Marquez against those wonderful Cubs' bats? So many fun ways to go at pitcher tonight. The same can be said with bats with a game stack in Baltimore between the Angels and Orioles as they likely soar over the 10.5 game total. Our good buddy Andrew Heaney is taking the mound versus the Braves, always a nice spot for some home runs. The Dbacks bats have been hot and get a great matchup versus Brubaker tonight. Tons of ways to go tonight. It's going to be a fun one; hopefully, you will be ready to cash tonight with Quick Hits and these picks.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/24/2021. 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 @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Jack Flaherty - P, STL vs. DET ($9,600)
Flaherty has returned from the IL and has looked outstanding. He has thrown six innings in each start, allowing a total of two runs and striking out 13. He has only allowed 3.6% barrels over the two games with a 35.7% hard-hit rate. His 28.6% K-BB has been great, but his 100% LOB and .154 BABIP will be tough to sustain. Tonight though, he should be able to keep rolling as he takes on the Tigers. The Tigers are striking out 28.2% of the time versus RHP in August with a .207 average, .121 ISO, and 61 wRC+. They have struggled tremendously versus RHP and get a red-hot Flaherty tonight. Lastly, Flaherty upped his pitch count to 92 in his last start, so he should be good to go for 100 or so pitches. Flaherty is my top pitching option tonight, even over Burnes.
Madison Bumgarner - P, AZ at PIT ($7,100)
Bumgarner has been absolutely outstanding of late, and this DK price makes zero sense at all. Over his last five starts, he has thrown at least 6.2 innings in each start while allowing two runs or less in each start and striking out five or more in three starts. Bumgarner has been a quality start machine of late. He is even limiting contact quality by only allowing 5.6% barrels and a 33.3% hard-hit rate. He will take on the Pirates tonight, and on paper, this should be another quality outing for Bumgarner. In August, the Pirates are striking out 24.2% of the time versus LHP with a .235 average and 72 wRC+. This is a great matchup for Bumgarner, making him a great value tonight. In cash games, feel free to pair Flaherty and Bumgarner.
Other Options: Corbin Burnes (MIL vs. CIN) $10,600, Charlie Morton (ATL vs. NYY) $9,000, German Marquez (COL at CHC) $8,200, Eli Morgan (CLE vs. TEX) $7,700
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Daulton Varsho - C/OF, AZ at JT Brubaker ($3,600)
Varsho enters Tuesday night's game scorching hot. He has hit a home run in three straight games while also hitting safely in six of his last eight. Over the last eight games, he is hitting .458 with a .708 ISO thanks to eight extra-base hits. Varsho is walking 13.8% of the time, helping contribute to a 1.703 OPS and 323 wRC+. Varsho is absolutely mashing right now and is in a great matchup once again tonight versus Brubaker. Brubaker has allowed 21 runs in his last three starts (14 innings). In addition, he has allowed seven home runs over those three starts, at least two per start. On the season, he is allowing LHH to hit .262 with a .500 SLG and 2.3 HR/9. The DBacks are very much in play again tonight, and Varsho makes one of the top catching options this evening.
Shohei Ohtani - 1B/OF, LAA at Spenser Watkins ($6,400)
I usually hate this much for a hitter, but Shohei is in an outstanding matchup tonight. Ohtani has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games, but only three home runs as the power has been a bit absent lately. Part of the reason I think this has happened is pitchers are just not pitching to Ohtani as he is walking 16.4% of the time. The move to leadoff hitter has allowed for an outstanding OBP but has limited his power output. Tonight, I do not care as he takes on pitch-to-contact Watkins. Watkins has allowed four or more runs in each of his last five starts (23.2 innings). He has allowed 35 hits while only striking out 12, so lots of balls in play. Watkins is also allowing LHH to hit .266 with a .405 SLG this season. Ohtani is pricey, and that always carries risk, but he also has slate-breaking upside against Watkins and the Orioles bullpen.
Jazz Chisholm - 2B/SS, MIA vs. Erick Fedde ($4,500)
Chisholm has returned from the IL and is swinging a hot bat. He is hitting .296 over the last eight games with three home runs and two stolen bases. Chisholm has a .370 ISO with a 1.034 OPS as he hits near the top of the Marlins' order. Tonight he gets a nice matchup versus Fedde that should lead to another solid offensive night. Fedde has allowed 17 runs on 31 hits over his last 24.1 innings pitched, usually four to five innings in each start. Fedde is also allowing LHH to hit .284 with a .447 SLG and 1.3 HR/9 this season. Chisholm is streaking, and riding the hot streak is a priority for me tonight when it comes to a middle infield play.
Amed Rosario- SS, CLE vs. Taylor Hearn ($4,000)
Rosario just continues to rake, yet not many are talking about him. He seems to have hit streak after hit streak and currently is riding a nine-game hitting streak into tonight's action. Rosario is hitting .415 with seven extra-base hits over this current streak. He even has eight runs scored and nine RBI, just filling the stat sheets everywhere. His .293 ISO and 1.149 OPS are outstanding for a player hitting towards the top of the order. Oh, it gets better as Rosario is crushing LHP this season. He is hitting .336 with a .905 OPS and 188 wRC+. Rosario makes for a great cash game and tournament play tonight. Pairing with Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes makes for an awesome 3-man stack.
Austin Riley - OF, ATL vs. Andrew Heaney ($5,100)
The Braves let everyone down last night but have no fear as Andrew Heaney is here. Insert a lot of Braves RHH, but especially Riley. Riley has been a power matching all season and comes into tonight's action hitting safely in seven of eight games. He is hitting .382 with three home runs, a .324 ISO, and 1.138 OPS. He will face Heaney, who has allowed RHH to slug .473 this season with 2.2 HR/9. So load up on the Braves again with Riley, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall, and more.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Ketel Marte - OF, AZ at JT Brubaker ($4,700)
Back to the DBacks, we go and back to an LHH DBack as we know, that's a major target versus Brubaker. Marte has been crushing the ball since returning from the IL, and I do not see that stopping tonight. He has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, good for a .361 average. He has eight extra-base hits to go with a .361 ISO and 1.161 OPS. Marte is hitting everything right now while also walking 9.8% of the time and only striking out 14.6%. On the season, he is hitting .306 with a .429 SLG versus RHP and should be in line for another nice night versus Brubaker and the Pirates' bullpen.
Anthony Santander- OF, BAL vs. Dylan Bundy ($2,800)
Santander was scorching hot but cooled down in the recent week. Well, that was before a two-home run game on Saturday. He is still hitting .303 in August with six home runs, a .303 ISO, and a .939 OPS. He is raking and gets a juicy matchup versus Bundy. On the season, Santander has a .201 ISO versus RHP this season, boding well for tonight's matchup. He will face Bundy tonight, who is allowing LHH to SLG .448 while allowing nearly 2 HR/9. The Orioles are very live in a game that should see a lot of offense. Paring the value of Santander with Cedric Mullins and other Orioles could be a smart move tonight.
Yordan Alvarez - OF, HOU vs. Brady Singer ($5,300)
There are a lot of great pay-up outfield spots tonight, and Alvarez is one of the best. Alvarez has hit safely in seven of his last nine games, good for a .316 average. He has seven extra-base hits, including three home runs with a .342 ISO and a .991 OPS. Alvarez is crushing everything with a 15.6% barrel rate and 53.1% hard-hit rate. He faces Singer tonight, who has pitched well in his last start but has allowed seven runs in his last two starts (10.2 IP), with 16 hits and five walks. He is allowing LHH to hit .287 this season with a .444 SLG and one HR/9. The Astros bats as a whole have been disappointing of late, but not Yordan, who continues to rake.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Atlanta Braves (Andrew Heaney, LHP)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (JT Brubaker, RHP)
- Los Angeles Angels (Spenser Watkins, RHP)
- Baltimore Orioles (Dylan Bundy, RHP)
- Cleveland Indians (Taylor Hearn, LHP)