Sunday, Aug. 29, brings an 11-game main slate with plenty of pitchers for targeting and rostering. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Sunday, Aug. 29
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Tampa Bay Rays at RHP Spenser Watkins — 6.0 implied runs
Though five August starts, Spenser Watkins lasted just 21.2 innings and posted a 10.80 ERA, a 1.87 WHIP and four home runs allowed. It is going to be warm and muggy with temperatures in the mid-80s and humidity in the mid-60s, which bodes well for balls leaving Camden Yards.
For the Rays batters, Brandon Lowe ($26), Nelson Cruz ($23), Austin Meadows ($19) and Randy Arozarena ($24) all have appropriate salaries. This should keep their popularity in the low single digits despite the phenomenal matchup. The discounted and likely popular stack on Yahoo will be the Red Sox against Eli Morgan, with J.D. Martinez ($11), Rafael Devers ($15) and Xander Bogaerts ($16) all coming with a 15 to 20% discount.
Mid-Afternoon Slate
Milwaukee Brewers at RHP Griffin Jax — 5.6 implied runs
With this game taking place in an American League park, the Brewers will be able to employ a designated hitter against rookie Griffin Jax. It looks like Jax profiles better as a multi-inning reliever or opener, but he is getting a chance to stick in the Twins rotation. In four August starts he has been knocked around for a 6.14 ERA buoyed by seven home runs. On the season he has coughed up 14 homers in 48.2 frames for a disastrous 2.59 per nine innings.
Jax has allowed ISOs over .265 to batters from both sides of the plate, which means there are several appealing options from the Brewers. Willy Adames does well in same-handed matchups, with a .201 ISO over his last 512 plate appearances. Rowdy Tellez should be in Sunday’s lineup, and while he will be near the bottom of the order, he has a .208 ISO in 320 lefty/righty matchups over the last two seasons.
Kolten Wong likely will be in his customary leadoff spot, which will all but assure him of five plate appearances. Depending on their salary, slot in the batting order and positional need, Christian Yelich, Avisail Garcia, Luis Urias, Lorenzo Cain and Jace Peterson all warrant consideration.
Late Slate
Seattle Mariners vs. RHP Brady Singer — 4.6 implied runs
Brady Singer has allowed only eight home runs in 103 innings. However, he lacks a dominant pitch and anything resembling strikeout stuff, which has led to a 5.07 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. It tends to be all or nothing with Singer, who has allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of 22 starts. However, with a mediocre 10.2% swinging strike rate, he is pitching from behind nearly half the time. There are only four teams in the late-slate player pool, and the Mariners are an interesting option.
Kyle Seager has been dealing with a sore back, but he has been outstanding this season. He tied his career best with his 30th home run on Thursday and continues to be an under-the-radar option. Mitch Haniger is by far the best all-around hitter for Seattle, and he is a core play in all formats on Sunday.
Deadline acquisition Abraham Toro has been floating between second and fifth in the batting order, and he has multiple base knocks in three of his last four games. J.P. Crawford does a decent job of getting on base, and he is a key part of stacks due to his run-scoring ability. Ty France is quietly becoming a solid option against righties, and Luis Torrens has been hitting the ball hard but getting unlucky with a .400 expected wOBA against righties.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Tyler Mahle at Miami Marlins — 3.6 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $48 | FanDuel $9,600 | DraftKings $9,800
Across his last 10 starts, Tyler Mahle has been excellent with a 3.62 ERA despite allowing nine home runs. In this stretch he has 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings while allowing three or fewer runs in seven appearances. Miami is in the top 10 for strikeouts against right-handed pitchers, in the bottom 10 for run creation and last in extra base hits. Marlins Park is quite an upgrade over the Great American Ballpark, which is another reason to consider Mahle as the ace of the day.
Secondary MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Dylan Cease vs. Chicago Cubs — 3.2 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $46 | FanDuel $9,300 | DraftKings $10,000
Through smoke and mirrors the Cubs have scored 30 runs in their last three games. On Saturday they chased Cy Young candidate Lance Lynn with three home runs and seven total runs in five innings. This offensive mirage should fade away soon enough, and Dylan Cease is nicely positioned to take advantage of an otherwise nondescript Chicago lineup. Over his five August outings, Cease struck out 12.1 per nine inning — including 10 against the Cubs three weeks ago — and recorded a 3.10 ERA across 29 innings.
Wild Card MLB DFS Picks Target: LHP Ranger Suarez vs. Arizona Diamondbacks — 3.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $33 | FanDuel $6,800 | DraftKings $6,000
Ranger Suarez looks to be best suited as a second pitcher on DraftKings for his tremendous discount. He is reasonable on Yahoo and in play as a dart throw on FanDuel, with basically no traction on the popularity meter. Suarez has thrown 99, 86 and 82 pitches in his last three starts, so on a per-pitch basis he is a great deal across the board. The downside is that he is not known for his strikeouts and tends to walk too many hitters. Arizona has quietly been a top-five team against lefties and in the top 10 from a power perspective. It is going to be warm and humid, and that Citizens Bank Park plays small to begin with. That keeps Suarez firmly in the wild card category but still in play as a secondary option for those building more than a handful of lineups.
Final Thoughts for the Sunday, Aug. 29 MLB DFS Picks Slate
Sunday has a frontloaded schedule with 11 games on the main slate and only two on the late slate. There do not seem to be any serious precipitation concerns, and most stadiums in the Midwest and East Coast are looking at hot and humid weather, which helps fly balls.