Today brings another opportunity to keep raising your bankroll by playing MLB DFS.
We’re going to focus on the evening slates on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The DraftKings main slate begins at 7:10 p.m. ET and includes eight games. FanDuel’s Main slate begins a bit earlier at 6:40 p.m. and includes an extra game.
There will be no recommendations from the Miami Marlins-Cincinnati Reds contest for consistency.
Today brings another opportunity to keep raising your bankroll by playing MLB DFS.
We’re going to focus on the evening slates on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The DraftKings main slate begins at 7:10 p.m. ET and includes eight games. FanDuel’s Main slate begins a bit earlier at 6:40 p.m. and includes an extra game.
There will be no recommendations from the Miami Marlins-Cincinnati Reds contest for consistency.
Saturday’s Top MLB DFS Picks & Player Props
Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings (8/15)
- Jesus Luzardo is the high-priced pitcher I gravitate towards. While Jacob Misiorowski has a higher upside on this slate, that’s far from a knock on Luzardo. He’s scored at least 39 points in nine of his last 11 starts on FanDuel, and at least 24.8 points on DraftKings.
- Preferably, we’d be using J.T. Ginn in a road start, but pitching at home hasn’t been a problem according to his splits. Surprisingly, he has a 3.31 ERA at home and a 3.49 ERA on the road. Ginn is in the midst of three straight quality starts, with a 1.96 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 18 innings.
- Jared Jones is one of the cheapest options on this slate, and for good reason. He’s coming off a start in which he posted a negative point total on both sites. However, don’t forget that we are barely a month removed from him posting back-to-back starts with at least eight strikeouts and only one earned run allowed in 11 innings. That upside is still there for a minimal cost.
Suggested Lineup Stacks
San Diego Padres Projected Lineup (8/15)
| POS |
PLAYER |
DraftKings Salary |
FanDuel Salary |
| OF/2B |
Fernando Tatis Jr. |
$5,600 |
$3,400 |
| 2B/1B |
Jake Cronenworth |
$3,000 |
$2,600 |
| 3B |
Manny Machado |
$4,800 |
$3,000 |
| 1B |
Ty France |
$3,900 |
$2,900 |
| OF |
Jackson Merrill |
$4,400 |
$3,200 |
| C |
Luis Campusano |
$3,400 |
$2,700 |
| OF/1B |
Gavin Sheets |
$2,900 |
$2,600 |
| SS |
Xander Bogaerts |
$3,300 |
$2,800 |
| OF/2B/3B/SS |
Luis Rengifo |
$3,700 |
$2,500 |
- Joey Cantillo is being called on to start today’s game against the Padres. Cantillo looked like he was breaking out around the end of June with back-to-back nine-strikeout efforts. While his strikeouts have generally remained steady, he has struggled recently with run prevention. He has a 5.79 ERA over his past five starts and has a matchup today against the league’s hottest offense. No team has a higher wRC+ or wOBA in the past 30 days than the Padres.
- While he is still one of the 10 most expensive hitters on this slate, it still feels like we are getting a bit of a discount on Fernando Tatis Jr. His struggle to hit home runs seems behind him, with eight in the second half of the season and five in the past week’s worth of games. Since the All-Star break, his OPS is 1.o18.
- Jackson Merrill is another Padres stud hitter who has been on a tear for a while. After a slow start to the season, Merrill is batting .313 since the start of July, with a .928 OPS. That’s over a 39-game sample. He’s had hits in all but two games in August.
- There are so many affordable options in the Padres’ lineup performing right now. Luis Rengifo, Luis Campusano and Ty France all have OPS marks above .850 over the past 30 days. Campusano’s price on DraftKings and Rengifo’s price on FanDuel are especially enticing.
Arizona Diamondbacks Projected Lineup (8/15)
| POS |
PLAYER |
DraftKings Salary |
FanDuel Salary |
| SS |
Geraldo Perdomo |
$4,400 |
$3,000 |
| OF |
Corbin Carroll |
$5,800 |
$3,600 |
| C |
Gabriel Moreno |
$4,600 |
$3,000 |
| 2B |
Ketel Marte |
$5,300 |
$3,300 |
| OF |
Lars Nootbaar |
$3,400 |
$2,700 |
| 3B |
Nolan Arenado |
$4,100 |
$2,900 |
| OF |
Max Kepler |
$3,500 |
$2,400 |
| 1B/2B/OF |
Tim Tawa |
$3,200 |
$2,600 |
| OF |
Ryan Waldschmidt |
$3,100 |
$2,700 |
- Grant Holmes has a career-best ERA of 3.47. That’s despite his FIP, xFIP and xERA all being career-worst marks, with each being at least a run higher. Holmes is getting by with an 83.7% strand rate. Eventually, that will normalize. It could even be in this start against a Diamondbacks offense that’s top five in the last month in wOBA.
- Corbin Carroll‘s batting average leaves something to be desired, but he’s the most impactful hitter in the Diamondbacks’ lineup. Even though he’s only batting .223 over the past month, he’s still posted 21 runs, five home runs, 12 RBI and six stolen bases. Those are all ways to accumulate fantasy points.
- Nolan Arenado is having a bit of a throwback season. His 18 home runs and 58 RBI are poised to be his best marks since 2023. Six of his home runs have already come in the second half, in which he has an .810 OPS.
- If you’re looking for cheap exposure to the Diamondbacks’ lineup, check out Tim Tawa. Tawa’s average exit velocity of 90.4 miles per hour (MPH) points to some power potential. He’s only hit seven home runs in his 180 at-bats, but three of those home runs came in the past two weeks. One of those home runs came yesterday.
Core Studs
- Bryan Reynolds has a matchup today against Sonny Gray. Gray can be a very different pitcher from start to start, but Reynolds has seemed to figure him out. He’s gone 7-for-30 against Gray in his career with five extra-base hits, including three home runs.
- Bobby Witt Jr. is always in play for DFS with his ability to find different ways to provide value. He has had a successful track record against opposing pitcher Reid Detmers throughout his career — 3-for-11 with all three hits going for extra bases, including a pair of home runs.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers are starting left-hander Justin Wrobleski today. He’s struggled recently with a 9.88 ERA in his last three starts, including nine home runs allowed. Jackson Chourio is better against left-handed pitching, with a .914 OPS against left-handed pitching. He’s also hit four home runs in the past two weeks.
Value Plays/Punts
- Steven Kwan is more of a floor than a ceiling play. Since the start of July, he’s batting .385 with a .476 on-base percentage (OBP). Even though he’s not known for his power, Kwan still has eight extra-base hits in that span for a .959 OPS.
- After starting the season in a strict platoon, Dominic Canzone has been allowed to be an everyday player for the Mariners. He’s delivered with a solid .822 OPS for the season, but is still reasonably priced. His matchup today is against Hayden Wesneski.
- Andrew Vaughn recently added a new third-base eligibility on DraftKings. What hasn’t changed is his crushing of left-handed pitchers like Justin Wrobleski this season. He has a 1.107 OPS against lefties, which is the second-best of any batter with at least 70 at-bats.
Saturday’s Top 3 Underdog Player Props
Troy Melton has gone over 17.5 outs in seven of his last nine starts, including his last three starts. His matchup today is against the White Sox, whom he has already faced twice this season.
Melton had 21 outs in the first game and 18 outs in the second. That’s not surprising, as the White Sox are aggressive at the plate, only seeing 3.85 pitches per plate appearance.
Toronto is currently the third-toughest team to strike out (19.5% strikeout rate). Still, this number feels shockingly low. Cam Schlittler has already faced them twice this season and struck out seven in both games. He has cleared 5.5 strikeouts in his last seven starts and in 10 of his last 11.
J.T. Ginn has recorded 18 outs in both of his starts since returning from a blister issue. If we go back to before the blister issue, he was consistently going beyond 16.5 outs, something he has done in nine of his last 12 starts.
Ginn did make a start against the Rangers in May this season, where he lasted exactly 16 outs.
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