KBO DFS: Spotlight Hitters DraftKings, FanDuel

The split slate last night brought us a lot of KBO DFS fireworks with the four late games all featuring big scores and quality performances. The early game between the Wyverns and Twins caught a home run from Bob Ramos, but was otherwise pitching focused, with each starter only giving up a single run. Min-woo Lee’s performance for the Twins was basically a must-own for GPP winners.

The monster score on the night was the Kia Tigers vs. KT Wiz game. A 13-8 Wiz win had a barrage of home runs on both sides, KBO DFS players who looked to the game stack in this one were rewarded handsomely. Productive games from NC, Doosan, Lotte, and Samsung provided several other options for stacking combinations or quality one-off plays, with home runs coming from several popular players.

KBO DFS Picks: DraftKings + FanDuel Hitters

With new match-ups to start the weekend, game totals coming back down and a few very good starters going, there are fewer great options on the offensive side of the game tonight. The top stack tool is a story of haves and have-nots, with three teams dominating the rankings, but also soaking up all the ownership. We’ll look through some of those lower-exposed stacking options to see if we can find a good angle in on this slate.

The bulk of this analysis comes directly from reviewing Awesemo’s KBO DFS projections and the top stacks tool. Check out the rest of our KBO content, Awesemo’s projections, rankings, and ownership on the site for all your KBO DFS needs.

As usual, I’m going to look game by game, calling out a hitter or two from each team, and giving some top stacking options as we go. Pricing and popularity will be considered, more so as KBO DFS trends begin to emerge over the coming weeks. The numbers included with Suggested Stack are the projected lineup positions I would target for stacking that team, but do not restrict yourself exclusively to those spots. For example, if it says Wyverns 3-6 it means 3,4,5,6 in the projected lineup. If it says 1-2-3-5 it means those guys. If it means a two-man it will say so. I’m also going to start trying to include positions more, hopefully it helps speed up the process of finding guys as you build lineups.

With lock still hours away (5:30am), official lineups have not been released, so be sure to double-check status before you plug players into your lineup.

Kia Tigers @ SK Wyverns – 9.0 run total (4.96/4.24) – Suggested Stack: Tigers 1-5

The Tigers blew up for eight runs last night, but it wasn’t enough to get past the massive 13 runs scored by the Wiz. Tonight the 17-16 Tigers come into Incheon to face the 11-21 Wyverns. Jong-hoon Park, the Wyverns starter has been pitching well through his first six starts, going at least six innings and picking up three quality starts in his last three games. Park has been limiting contact and striking out about a batter per inning through 2020 and doesn’t yield much power.

The Tigers are ranked fourth in the top stack tool on both sites, but their rating is less than half that of the third ranked team. KBO DFS players can find a bit of advantageous ownership with the Tigers bats tonight, and the top half of the lineup looks good in Awesemo’s projections. Ho-ryung Kim ($8/$3,400) is leading off and basically untouched on both sites. Getting him on top of a stack that also includes Preston Tucker ($17/$5,500) and Ji-wan Na ($9/$3,500) is a good approach to this stack. Build in any two bats in the top six of this order to fill out the rest.

The Wyverns are pushed down toward the bottom of tonight’s stack rankings with Tigers ace Drew Gagnon on the mound. This is a challenging spot to try to find any quality, there won’t be many KBO DFS players on the Wyverns tonight, but that’s with good reason. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to get Wyverns in your lineup in order to defuse a bomb and save the world, I suppose you could mash Soo-kwang Noh ($6/$3,000), Eui-yoon Jeong ($7/$2,500), and Jin-gi Jeong ($9/$3,600) together around Romak here.

KT Wiz @ Samsung Lions –11.0 run total (6.90/4.40) – Suggested Stack: Wiz 4-5-6-7-8

The Wiz absolutely exploded last night and tonight they draw a 19-year-old rookie making his KBO debut. This could be a gargantuan score for the Wiz again tonight and they rank as the top stack on both sites. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to be very careful and play South Korean weatherman again tonight with rain in the forecast for this one looking exactly like two nights ago.

Getting to pieces of the Wiz lineup might prove critical for GPP success, but it’s difficult to get different with so much public ownership going their way. In order to differentiate here, I might look to the bottom of the lineup. We’re sacrificing opportunity in the form of potential plate appearances in exchange for some breathing room on exposures. Getting to a bat like projected nine hitter Jeong-dae Bae ($10/$3,000) as part of a wrap-around stack, or building down from the middle of the lineup through eight hitter Sung-woo Jang ($10/$3,800) can help you build more unique constructions with the Wiz. Click the usual suspects in the middle of this lineup to fill things out. The four through six hitters will be in so many lineups tonight, but they look fantastic in the projections.

The Lions will have to deal with Odrisamer Despaigne tonight, and their implied run total is nothing exciting. Keep an eye on the status of Tyler Saladino ($8/$4,200) who was lifted from last night’s contest with back pain. The reports are that there is no serious injury, but Saladino is day-to-day. If he’s in the lineup he’s been wielding a hot stick lately and could be a good low-owned option. The Lions lineup ranks in the bottom third of the stack tool tonight, so they won’t be a primary option for me, but deploying them above their projected ownership won’t be too difficult either. Hak-ju Lee ($7/$3,600) and Chan-do Park ($8/$2,600) fit into this stack nicely.

Lotte Giants @ LG Twins – 8.5 run total (3.90/4.80) – Suggested Stack: Twins 2-6

With two of the top pitchers in the KBO taking the mound for these teams tonight, odds-makers have set a very low game total with Tyler Wilson and the Twins favored to beat Dan Straily’s Giants. There are quality bats on both sides of this one, but Vegas likes the import starters to overcome in what looks like a pitching duel in the making.

The low total and difficult match-up have the Giants locked in the basement of today’s stack rankings. Not many KBO DFS players will be looking to this team for bats tonight, and I agree with the public here. The top four bats in the lineup are the easy out here if you must build with Giants tonight. There’s power to spare in the bats of Jun-woo Jeon ($13/$3,900) and Dae-ho Lee ($10/$3,600), and veterans Chi-hong An ($9/$2,700) and Ah-seop Son ($12/$3,100) fit right in for stacking purposes.

The Twins bats are usually among our favorites here. Tonight, it’s going to be a bit difficult to justify getting to them in much volume. The match-up against Dan Straily is a tough spot and the Twins implied run total is below five here. Bob Ramos hit another home run last night and is always an option for power, but even in a bad spot he’s drawing an ownership share around 35%. This might be a good time to look elsewhere. Third baseman Min-sung Kim ($8/$3,800) and Y.T. Park ($10/$2,100) are strong veteran bats hitting fifth and sixth here. Kim provides some pop and Park is the KBO career hits leader, so they can get on base and score, and no one is playing them. Use these two to help differentiate your full Twins stacks or get very different by using them in a smaller three-man.

Check us out on TWITTER, where we make KBO DFS picks, talk sports, share articles, and have lots of giveaways!

Doosan Bears @ Hanwha Eagles – 10.5 run total (6.75/4.04) – Suggested Stack: Bears pick ‘em

The Bears go from a hardcore match-up with the KBO-leading NC Dinos to what should be a cakewalk by comparison. The 7-26 Hanwha Eagles were swept again to start the week, bringing their impressive losing streak to 17 straight games. With one more loss the Eagles tie the KBO record of 18 straights, which has stood since 1985. I like their chances to break it this weekend with the fearsome Bears in town.

The Bears rank near the top of the stack tool, one of the three high-end teams for KBO DFS picks tonight. This lineup has a lot to offer on most days; when they have an implied run total closing in on seven, they become a must-play. The trick is going to be getting to a unique build with the Bears. Shortstop Jae-ho Kim ($9/$2,600) will be highly owned on DraftKings but is drawing a playable 10% popularity projection on FanDuel. Jae-won Oh ($7/$2,400) is one of the lower owned Bears on DraftKings, and fits in well for differentiation on FanDuel as well. The obvious bats in the heart of the order will be owned all over the place, but they are great options for raw projection and spot. Pricing is such that Jose Miguel Fernandez ($17/$6,300) and Jae-il Oh ($15/$4,000) aren’t the most popular plays, so there is a little room to operate in the middle here.

In a season of change for Hanwha, the Eagles might want to give serious consideration to renaming the team for something less noble than the majestic raptor. The Hanwha Tire Fire has a nice ring to it. There’s no power in this lineup, there’s no hit skills, there’s no speed. What a disaster of a ball club. If you’re the victim of a gypsy curse that compels you to play Eagles, I suppose Jared Hoying ($9/$4,900) and Tae-kyun Kim ($7/$3,200) can always hit home runs in what looks to be a bullpen game for the Bears.

Kiwoom Heroes @ NC Dinos – 11.0 run total (4.23/7.08) – Suggested Stack: Dinos 3-7

No rest for the world beating Dinos, as the powerful Heroes come to town. The Heroes have dropped two straight games, and really have struggled to find their footing so far this season. This lineup is talented though, and on most nights, I might be trying to get here, with the team ranked in the middle of the stack tool and drawing about half what appropriate ownership should be. But with the class of the KBO on the hill for the Dinos in Chang-mo Koo, it’s not as easy as all that.

The Heroes lineup has a few mashers in it, but Koo tore through them two weeks ago, striking out seven while giving up just three hits and a single run. With the potential leverage and the opportunity to get on some of the quality bats, the Heroes might provide a creative option as your second stack with some of the more popular plays. If that’s your move tonight you can start with Byung-ho Park ($13/$4,600) despite a bit of popularity because every else you stack with him is widely ignored. I like Ha-seong Kim ($15/$5,700) up top, catcher Dong-won Park ($10/$4,400), and Jung-hoo Lee ($14/$5,000) all make good options to mix and match in three mans.

Talk about “burying the lede.” Tonight’s biggest implied team total goes to the Dinos, the only team to crack the seven-run mark. KBO DFS players know all about these guys by now. They just don’t stop crushing pitchers and putting runs on the board. With a shaky 21-year-old lefty taking the hill for the Heroes tonight, the Dinos are in prime position to do damage once again. The team ranks last out of the big three tonight and the ownership is about where it should be. The best bats will be popular but pretty mandatory here. Mixing in one or two of Jin-hyuk No ($9/$3,800), Suk-min Park ($10/$4,900), and Myung-gi Lee ($9/$3,000) will help make things work, but you will probably need to land on a low-owned second stack to ensure you’re playing a unique entry with these guys.