FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks, Advice & Sleepers for 8/20

We live in a golden age of fantasy baseball.  Pitching is at its best in nearly 100 years which means hitting is at a premium.  This also means that hitting and scoring has become more unique which has in turn translated to more defensive measures such as shifts.  Most people I talk to about analytics dictating the pace of the game disagree with me that it makes the game more pure and entertaining.  As fun as games are for me to watch these days, I’ve been completely bewildered by daily fantasy.  It seems now more than ever pitchers have been going six or seven innings while striking out close to double digits, yet giving up four or five runs.  It’s kind of insane, yet unwholesomely attractive in a non-sexual way.  Now that I’ve made this article weird, let’s continue with baseball.

As always, remember to check your players to make sure they are in their MLB starting lineups before lineups lock, and make sure you are doing your own research too with our very own BvP Tool for optimal performance! The most successful daily leaguers are grinders who are constantly tweaking their lineups as the day goes on and fantasy news gets released. Good luck today, RotoBallers!

Editors Note: we are having a second-half promotion for our DFS Expert Picks Newsletter. Purchase one month of our in-house daily league lineup picks, and get the rest of the season for free! Sign-up and get the edge to perform at a higher level on sites like FanDuel!

Weather the Storm

The Pirates-Braves game is as close to a sure thing as being delayed or suspended as statistically possible.  That means as of publishing time, it’s close to 100% precipitation around game time.  The divisional game in St. Louis may also see some delay, but it’s not probable.  In terms of atmospheric conditions, hitters may see some help in Philadelphia and Colorado.  Then again, atmospheric condition hitter help in Colorado is nothing new.

DFS Pitchers to Avoid for 8/20

• Add Nick Martinez to the list of Rangers that have struggled this year.
• R.A. Dickey should provide around 11 fantasy points.  That just won’t cut it.
• At some point the Nationals have to lose.  Typically when good teams do end a long winning streak to a sub-par team, it’s a high scoring affair.  This does not bode well for Trevor Cahill, win or lose.  As for Tanner Roark, he’s not a bad choice, but- again- at some point the Nationals have to lose.
• The Yankees somehow continue to defy baseball logic.  Do you trust a soft tossing Scott Feldman against New York?
• When pitching at home, Clay Buchholz has been nothing short of spectacular……ly terrible at home (.322 BAA, 1.70 WHIP, 7.00 ERA).
• The heavy hitters for the Baltimore Orioles are actually better against RHPs.  Sorry Hector Noesi, but you may be target numero uno for today.
• If you’re looking for a guy that won’t last long and not give you strikeout numbers, then look no further than Ricky Nolasco.
• Danny Duffy has been an absolute beast this season and it’s hard to measure his true value to the hungry Royals.  Unfortunately, the Rockies can devastate lefties at home.  It’s safe to stay away from Duff-Man today.

The Main Course – DFS Lineup Picks for 8/20

Starting Pitcher DFS Lineup Picks

Cole Hamels, PHI ($9,700):  Cole the Hammer hasn’t been as effective as he was in late July, but he’s still dealing.  The Mariners own a second-worst .286 wOBA against LHPs and are last in the league in weighted run creation.  The Hammer is my top pitcher pick of the day.

Roberto Hernandez, LAD ($6,100):  If you’ve got the church bells, go with Hernandez.  The Padres have been notoriously bad against RHPs and Hernandez is a surprisingly good pitcher.  He’s a solid pick, but I’m worried about the Padres completely surprising good offense post-ASB.

Michael Pineda, NYY ($5,400):  Choosing Pineda could be a phenomenal move, mainly because it allows so much room to fill the rest of the lineup with high budget guys.  The great part about selecting Pineda is that he has been nearly untouchable at Yankee Stadium with a 7.5 K/9 rate, 0.92 WHIP and 0.75 ERA.  He may go deep into the game with strong strikeout numbers or he may get injured after two pitches.  You decide.

Catcher DFS Lineup Picks

Wilson Ramos, WAS ($3,000):  Ram-Bo has missed a lot of time this year which is the reason why his numbers are so low.  Daily fantasy players should know that he has high production after having a day off on a consistent basis.  He was off yesterday.

John Jaso, OAK ($2,600):  He’s been in a bit of a slump so that’s one way to take it.  He’s due to break out of said slump so that’s another way to take it.  Either way, Jaso is still a .350 wOBA hitter against RHPs in a ton of at bats while nailing 26.2% of batted balls into line drives.  Trust the line drive rate.

First Base DFS Lineup Picks

Adam LaRoche, WAS ($4,000):  He’s on fire in the month of August, he’s facing a hittable RHP, and he has a sweet red beard.  In all honesty the red beard isn’t sweet and is more reason to vote against him, but the first two pieces of evidence are impossible to ignore.

Garrett Jones, MIA ($2,500):  The first base position has been rather top heavy lately.  Jones is a solid option if you need the position on the cheap end.  He’s facing a hittable Martinez at home and interestingly enough, Jones has a .335 wOBA against RHPs.  That’s not terribly high, but he’s a great value.

Second Base DFS Lineup Picks

Scooter Gennett, MIL ($3,500):  Everyone’s favorite lefty-on-RHP matchup at second base.

Gordon Beckham, CWS ($2,200):  Beckham is another value pick if you already have a stacked lineup.  He’s struggled of late, but he’s still among the best second base hitters in the league against LHPs.

Third Base DFS Lineup Picks

Nolan Arenado, COL ($3,600):  Picture Royals LHP Duffy as Michael Scott in a basketball game against Roy (Arenado) during prime business shipping hours of Dunder-Mifflin.  Roy owned Michael.

Pablo Sandoval, SFG ($3,100):  Don’t expect this panda to just sit on his a@$ and eat bamboo.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a strong possibility San Francisco’s Panda does do that, it’s just that he also will probably go deep- again- and drive in a few against Edwin Jackson.

Shortstop DFS Lineup Picks

JJ Hardy, BAL ($3,300):  Hardy is the star of the Baltimore stack against a hittable Noesi in hitter friendly Cellular Field.  Picking Baltimore hitters today is almost like betting on black in roulette, except with a much better payout.

Zach Walters, CLE ($2,200):  Make sure he’s in the starting lineup.  Obviously.  Having seen Walters play in person, this dude has raw power.  It’s also kind of weird that FanDuel has yet to update his position to third base, but that’s not our problem today.  He faces a righty that is completely exploitable by left handed batters.

Outfielder DFS Lineup Picks

Michael Brantley, CLE ($4,000):  Expensive? Yes.  Will he hit Nolasco?  Yes.  He’s first against RHPs in weighted run creation and first in that stat usually leads to solid games all around.

Adam Jones, BAL ($3,800):  I have never been more sure about anything in my life other than Adam “BD” Jones killing it today.  What does the “BD” stand for?  Well, you’ll have to tune in at the end of the regular season to find out.  As for today, not only has BD been due to go deep but he’s also hit up Noesi in his career.

Drew Stubbs, COL ($3,600):  He’s scored 26 FanDuel points in his last three games and he’s facing a lefty today.  Stubbs owns a 1.034 OPS against lefties.  In this instance, one plus one does equal three.

Christian Yelich, MIA ($3,500):  Dude hasn’t seen a negative point game in 10 days which usually translates into current success.  Yelich won’t give you power numbers, but the odds are in his favor to get on base and score- a lot.

Michael Cuddyer, COL ($3,200):  His budget value is pretty low considering he just came off a cycle and is facing a LHP.  In Coors Field no less.

Denard Span, WAS ($3,100):  In all seriousness, Span deserves consideration for NL MVP.  The Nats have been nearly unstoppable since the calendar hit July and Span has been a big reason why.  Expect him to get on base more than twice and score just as many times.  He may even swipe a bag against the young Cahill.

Scott van Slyke, LAD ($2,400):  Obviously more of a late game start (he may not be in the lineup), van Slyke is still a top choice against RHPs.  Add in that he’s already homered- and then some- off Eric Stults and it’s just icing on the cake.  Now, if only Don Mattingly knows this.