Just seven games are on tap as we kick off the first full week of August, and it features an ace as well as a bunch of other middling starters. This should translate to an interesting night of tournament play, as you will likely need to differentiate yourself a bit more than usual. Let’s take a look at some top plays for FanDuel.

Weather Situations to Monitor:

• Tigers @ Pirates
• Marlins @ Nationals

For reference throughout the season, be sure to bookmark our overview of MLB Park Factors and how to Use Weather to Your Advantage in MLB DFS. Also, check out our GPP and Cash Games Primers to learn more about different daily fantasy game types specific to MLB.

Win cash playing in FanDuel’s MLB Squeeze

Pitchers
Max Scherzer (WAS) : $11,100 vs. MIA
It sounds like Scherzer is good to go tonight after having to leave his last start early due to neck spasms. The injury is obviously something that causes a bit of concern, but the matchup itself also adds a bit of trickiness tonight. The Marlins rank 12^th on the season in terms on wRC+ against right-handed pitching, and while they have fared better as of late (7^th in wRC+ L30), they do strike out right around league average. With that in mind and provided everything is right in terms of Scherzer’s health, you are talking about one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game (12.36 K/9), so it’s tough to eschew him in cash games this evening.

Trevor Williams (PIT) : $7,000 vs. DET
Don’t close your browser just yet! On a short slate where there is a clear-cut ace in Max Scherzer available, with two other high-end starters in low strikeout matchups, you’re going to need to get a little crazy in tournament play this evening. Williams is not a high strikeout pitcher (6.48 K/9), but he does a good job limiting home runs (0.82 HR/9) while serving as a decent back of the rotation option for the Pirates. The Tigers have scuffled since the All-Star Break against right-handed pitching (23^rd in wRC+), and they have slipped even more over the past two weeks (26^th in wRC+). You have to know the risks of utilizing a pitcher like Williams, as his downside is amplified due to a lack of big strikeout upside. That being said, he has shown the ability to get into the mid to upper-30 FDP range in the past, which is all you can ask for given the price. With the Pirates facing a gas can in Jordan Zimmermann, I think Williams has a decent shot at a win (-155 favorite) this evening.

Pirates Stack vs. Jordan Zimmermann
Andrew McCutchen (OF): $3,900
Starling Marte (OF): $3,300
Josh Bell (1B): $3,300
Gregory Polanco (OF): $2,900

Jordan Zimmermann can be attacked from both sides of the plate, as he’s struggled mightily regardless of the platoon split. In 60.2 IP against right-handed hitters, Zimmermann has allowed a .352 wOBA and 11 home runs, with his hard contact rate at an even 36%. Left-handed hitters have tattooed Zimmermann this season, as he has allowed a .374 wOBA and 12 home runs in 58.2 IP, while his hard contact rate sits at a whopping 40.5%. Polanco has been slow out of the gates since returning from the disabled list, but perhaps a matchup with Zimmermann can get him going. McCutchen has destroyed lefties this season, but despite not holding the platoon advantage, he’s been no slouch against right-handed pitching either.

Cubs Mini Stack vs. Matt Moore
Anthony Rizzo (1B): $4,400
Kris Bryant (3B): $4,000
Willson Contreras (C): $3,500

Bryant (.259 ISO) and Contreras (.268 ISO) are the obvious plays here, as they have crushed left-handed pitching this season, but don’t overlook Rizzo either (.318 ISO). Matt Moore has struggled with right-handed hitters this season, as he’s allowed a .331 wOBA and 12 home runs in 95.1 IP. He hasn’t faced a ton of lefties this season, but the results have been even worse in 27.1 IP (.454 wOBA/six home runs). Despite a poor park shift, don’t overlook the Cubs’ lefty mashers tonight.

Orioles @ Angels Low-Owned Game Stack

Orioles
Jonathan Schoop (2B): $3,900
Manny Machado (3B): $3,600
Seth Smith (OF): $3,200
Tim Beckham (SS): $3,000
Adam Jones (OF): $3,000

Angels

Mike Trout (OF): $4,800
Andrelton Simmons (SS): $3,400
Ben Revere (OF): $3,200
Kole Calhoun (OF): $2,900
Kaleb Cowart (2B): $2,800 (check status)

OK, so I don’t know how low owned either team can go on a night with just seven games, but it’s worth a shot, right? Either way, both teams are scorching hot right now and shouldn’t be low owned. The Angels and Orioles rank first and second respectively in terms of wRC+ against right-handed pitching over the past two weeks, and each offense will be facing below average starters. The Orioles are sending Dylan Bundy to the mound, who has fared much better against right-handed hitters than left-handed hitters this season, although he’s susceptible to power on both sides of the plate. JC Ramirez has displayed some rather wide splits this season, so I’d mainly look to target the Baltimore lefties, but it’s worth noting that Beckham, Machado and Schoop are raking right now.

Hot Hitter
Joey Votto (1B – CIN) : $4,200 vs. SD

Votto is white-hot right now, hitting .436 with a .282 ISO over the last two weeks. He stands to keep his torrid pace up tonight against Jhoulys Chacin, who has allowed a .350 wOBA to lefties this season, which falls right in line with his numbers since 2015 (.345 wOBA).

Batter vs. Pitcher
Christian Yelich (OF – MIA): $3,200 @ WAS (vs. Max Scherzer)

It’s a small sample, but Yelich has found some success against Scherzer in the past, as he’s collected four hits in 12 at-bats including a home run. There’s much debate surrounding the batter versus pitcher phenomenon, and I think it’s prudent to remain agnostic when analyzing the data. The problem most people have that are against it is that they are entirely too dependent on statistics, when you simply cannot do that. There’s also a strong likelihood that they’ve never picked up a bat themselves, and a statistic won’t tell you that certain hitters simply hit certain pitchers well, which is something I whole heartedly believe in and have experienced myself. You also have to be careful in going to the other end of the spectrum, as you just cannot ignore that it’s Max Scherzer either. Truth be told, this is more about game theory tonight, as Max Scherzer will be incredibly high owned this evening. He’s also homer prone, so why not try and leverage that in tournaments with a hitter like Yelich?

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Adam Sutton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Adam, follow him @DraftStars_Adam. You can find more of Adam’s work at DraftStars.net.