MLB DFS Picks & Underdog Player Props: Sunday (8/23)

Today’s MLB DFS slate starts with the day’s earliest games at 1:35 p.m. ET, so start setting those lineups early.

DraftKings has eight games on its main slate today. FanDuel’s main slate includes two more games: Cleveland at Colorado and San Francisco at Boston. If you are playing on FanDuel, you could certainly consider some offensive players in those games.

Today’s MLB DFS slate starts with the day’s earliest games at 1:35 p.m. ET, so start setting those lineups early.

Sunday’s Top MLB DFS Picks & Player Props

Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings (8/23)

PLAYER	DraftKings Salary	FanDuel Salary
Cristopher Sanchez	$11,800	$11,000
Carlos Rodon	$9,100	$9,200
Cal Quantrill	$7,100	$8,000

When you have a 57% groundball rate, there are a few games where the balls will sneak through and lead to too many hits. That’s why Cristopher Sanchez is running a higher-than-expected WHIP at 1.22. That still comes with a 27.8% strikeout rate, which shows the high floor and massive ceiling that Sanchez offers. He has scored over 33 points on FanDuel in his last seven starts.
Carlos Rodon returned from the injured list (IL) last week. He lasted only four innings with a single earned run allowed and four strikeouts. Considering he lasted 66 pitches in that first start, he should be able to get to 80 or more against the Blue Jays today.
Cal Quantrill was quietly effective as a reliever earlier in the season, but he has been equally effective as a starting pitcher recently. Four of his previous five appearances have been as a traditional starting pitcher. In those five games, he has gone 2-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 2.43 FIP. That comes with just under a strikeout per inning, with 22 total in 24 innings. Quantrill’s matchup today is against an Angels team that has the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball.

Suggested Lineup Stacks

Washington Nationals Projected Lineup (8/23)

POS	PLAYER	DraftKings Salary	FanDuel Salary
SS/2B	CJ Abrams	$6,200	$3,800
1B	Abimelec Ortiz	$2,900	$2,900
3B	Brady House	$3,200	$2,800
OF	Daylen Lile	$4,100	$3,000
OF	Dylan Crews	$4,400	$2,900
2B/3B	Jorbit Vivas	$2,300	$2,400
C	Keibert Ruiz	$3,700	$2,800
2B/SS	Nasim Nunez	$3,300	$2,700
OF	Jacob Young	$2,700	$2,800

Janson Junk is taking on the Washington Nationals today. He has a 4.37 ERA, which is fully supported by his 4.22 expected ERA and 4.22 FIP. Junk’s 16% strikeout rate shows that there is going to be a lot of balls put into play. The Nationals continue to lead the league in runs scored.
Without James Wood in the lineup, you have to start your Nationals stack with CJ Abrams. He’s been better against right-handed pitchers all season (.950 OPS) compared to lefties (.745 OPS). Abrams has had some success against Junk in his career, going 4-for-8 against him with a pair of doubles.
Make sure that Keibert Ruiz is in the lineup today, as backup Harry Ford has been getting a bit more playing time. If Ruiz is playing, you can roster him at catcher. He hit his only home run of the month a couple of days ago, but has been generally performing well in August with an .883 OPS this month.
In his short time in the Majors, Abimelec Ortiz has shown us two things clearly. One is that he will hit home runs. He has five of them in his first 19 games, which makes sense given his 50% hard-hit rate and 92.7 average exit velocity. The other thing we know is that his production will come exclusively against right-handed pitching. He’s 0-for-5 against left-handed pitchers so far with four strikeouts.

Baltimore Orioles Projected Lineup (8/23)

POS	PLAYER	DraftKings Salary	FanDuel Salary
2B/SS	Jackson Holliday	$4,000	$2,700
1B	Pete Alonso	$5,900	$3,700
SS	Gunnar Henderson	$5,200	$3,100
OF	Tyler O’Neill	$2,900	$2,800
C	Samuel Basallo	$4,100	$2,900
OF	Dylan Beavers	$2,800	$2,600
3B/1B	Coby Mayo	$3,100	$2,800
OF	Colton Cowser	$2,400	$2,500
OF	Leody Taveras	$3,000	$2,700

The Rays are starting Nick Martinez in this game. His ERA is 3.05, but the regression may have started in his most recent start. He gave up six earned runs in only 3.2 innings. His underlying metrics suggest more regression is likely, as his expected ERA is 4.50.
How can you not start your Orioles’ stack with Pete Alonso? Changing teams and leagues hasn’t slowed him down a bit. He recently crossed 30 home runs for the seventh full season in a row. Seven of those home runs have come in August, in which he has a 1.139 OPS. Only Pete Crow-Armstrong has a higher slugging rate over the past 30 days.
The trade of Adley Rutschman indicated Samuel Basallo would receive the everyday catcher role in Baltimore. That hasn’t really happened as he continues to rotate between catcher, first base and designated hitter. For DFS purposes, we want him for his .843 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. He hit a pinch-hit home run yesterday.
Even though he is a switch-hitter, Leody Taveras is much more effective from the left side against right-handed pitchers. He has 24 of his 26 extra-base hits against right-handed pitchers. That’s led to over 70 more total bases against right-handed pitching.

Core Studs

POS	PLAYER	DraftKings Salary	FanDuel Salary
1B/OF	Jac Caglianone	$5,500	$3,200
SS	Francisco Lindor	$4,500	$3,200
OF	Kyle Schwarber	$6,500	$4,000

Jac Caglianone has the makings of a streaky hitter, but we are in the middle of a strong streak right now. He already has more hits and RBI in August than he had in any other month, with a 1.121 OPS.
For the second day in a row, we’re going with Francisco Lindor. It didn’t work yesterday as he went 0-for-5. Still, at his price point on DraftKings, it’s hard not to recommend him. Some players with higher salaries include Eduardo Valencia and Luis Arraez. There is just no way you can’t recommend him at $4,500.
If you can find the money, Kyle Schwarber‘s upside is always as high as anyone’s with his ability to go on home run streaks. He hit a home run yesterday, which was his fifth in August. Schwarber’s matchup today is against right-handed pitcher Kyle Leahy.

Value Plays/Punts

POS	PLAYER	DraftKings Salary	FanDuel Salary
1B	Spencer Torkelson	$3,800	$2,900
OF	Heriberto Hernandez	$3,700	$2,800
C	Alejandro Kirk	$3,100	$2,700

Daniel Lynch is in the process of transitioning back into the rotation. He is making a start today against the Tigers. Spencer Torkelson is 4-for-18 against Lynch in his career, but two of those hits have gone for home runs.
Heriberto Hernandez has a matchup today against left-handed pitcher Jackson Kent. Kent is a relative newbie who has an ERA over 9.00 in his first seven professional innings. Hernandez mashes left-handed pitching to the tune of an .876 OPS.
Alejandro Kirk has picked up five extra-base hits, including three home runs in just the past week. He has a difficult matchup today against Carlos Rodon.

Sunday’s Top 3 Underdog Player Props

Kyle Leahy (SP, RP – STL): 3.5 Strikeouts — Higher

It’s a little surprising to see Kyle Leahy‘s strikeout prop set so low. Earlier this season, he struggled to generate strikeouts, but that has changed recently.

Leahy has exceeded 3.5 strikeouts in five out of six starts since the All-Star break. His lowest strikeout total in three August starts is six.

Pete Alonso (1B, DH – BAL): 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs — Higher

Pete Alonso can succeed in this matchup against Nick Martinez. He has cleared 1.5 combined hits + runs + RBIs in 13 of his past 14 games, including his last four games.

Nolan McLean (SP – NYM): 17.5 Pitching Outs — Higher

While it’s typically not by a lot, Nolan McLean also typically gets over 17.5 pitching outs in his starts. He has had 18+ outs in 10 of his last 11 starts, including his last two. McLean’s matchup today is against the Chicago White Sox.