Spotlight Pitchers: MLB DFS Picks for DraftKings + FanDuel

The following FREE MLB DFS picks for fantasy baseball lineups are based on Awesemo’s MLB Projections for today’s MLB DFS fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings. For more free DraftKings MLB picks and analysis for DFS baseball lineups, check out the Awesemo.com YouTube Channel for today’s MLB Strategy Show, Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock Shows. Picks in green are for cash or GPP-style contests.

Top MLB DFS Value Plays

Max Scherzer – Nationals at Mets – FanDuel $10,700, DraftKings $10,800

This is a very interesting slate at starting pitcher. We have an ace to pay up for in Scherzer and then four or five other options that are just as viable at their price. We’ll start with Scherzer, who’s making his first start since he tweaked his hamstring and went just an inning in the same matchup a week ago. He’s supposedly good to go and will not be on a pitch count. Scherzer was excellent in his last full appearance, striking out 10 Blue Jays over 7.1 innings. Assuming Scherzer is fully healthy (the Nationals say so), it’s safe to project around 100 pitches here against one of the weaker lineups in baseball.

The Nats smacked the Mets around 16-4 yesterday and will now throw Scherzer at them. That doesn’t seem fair, but it’s the nature of the baseball beast, and I love picking on the Mets here. They actually have been decent in terms of wOBA in 2020, but that’s all moot when you see a .312 team wOBA pushing it. They’ve struck out 23% of the time and are coming off of a season that put them 27th against right-handed pitching. Scherzer posted a 12.69 K/9 in 2019, so you can chalk up 8-10 strikeouts before we get rolling. If you can afford him, Scherzer is easily the top dog on this slate, and I wouldn’t go elsewhere in cash games.

Awesemo FanDuel Grade: A, C

Awesemo DraftKings Grade: A, B

Mike Minor – Rangers vs. Mariners – FanDuel $7,500, DraftKings $9,900

DraftKings hit the nail on its head at $9,900, but FanDuel didn’t bite for the dream matchup and stuck to their guns at $7,500. He’s in turn a GPP-only play on DraftKings and arguably the best all-around value on FanDuel. Minor hasn’t been incredible to start the season, but the matchups haven’t been great either, and this one certainly is. The Mariners rank 26th against left-handed pitching to this point, posting a .279 team wOBA and a 23.7% strikeout rate. They’ve also been held to just a .132 ISO, so not much is happening when they are able to make contact.

Minor hasn’t been hit too hard to start this year, but he was solid in ’19 with a 3.59 ERA and.64 K/9. He held both righties and lefties to a sub-.301 wOBA and was often allowed to go well over 100 pitches. The upside is there for Minor if he can just put the ball in the strike zone early in the count. He’s been wild with his fastball in his first three starts, and it’s caused long counts and grooved pitches to get back on top. The Mariners will give Minor every chance to bounce back here, and I love his chances, as do the Awesemo projections. He’s the top value pitcher on FanDuel, and I can get behind him in any format at that price.

Awesemo FanDuel Grade: B, A

Awesemo DraftKings Grade: B, D

Marco Gonzales – Mariners at Rangers – FanDuel $8,200, DraftKings $9,700

I’m personally a huge fan of Gonzales tonight, as I love the matchup against the Rangers. He faced them plenty in 2019 with mixed results, but the upside was certainly shown with a couple of seven-plus-inning performances backed up by a bunch of strikeouts. Gonzales looked like a completely different pitcher in his last two starts, keeping the ball low in the zone and striking out over a batter per innings. The home runs have remained an issue, but that’s hard to stay away from through three starts when he has faced the Angels twice and the Astros once.

The Rangers can hit lefties (20th), but they strike out the second-most in baseball at 26.9% of the time, and the order relies on just two or three bats to do the majority of damage against southpaws. If Gonzales is able to get his slider and changeup rolling, this could be a huge strikeout matchup, and the Rangers won’t do too much damage in his five to six innings of work. With such a high strikeout rate and a low price on FanDuel, we can afford a solo home run or three. He is an elite GPP play on both sites and a solid SP2 in cash on DraftKings.

Awesemo FanDuel Grade: B, D

Awesemo DraftKings Grade: B, D

Zack Wheeler – Phillies vs. Orioles – FanDuel $9,000, DraftKings $9,900

Wheeler is going to be relatively popular in cash games and rightfully so. The 30-year-old veteran is coming off a very solid 2019 with a 4.06 xFIP and 8.98 K/9 through nearly 200 innings of work. He’s been exactly what we expected through two starts, beating up on the Marlins and doing so-so against the Yanks. He now draws the Orioles, who are concretely overperforming through the first month of the season. They ranked 29th against righties in 2019 and struck out nearly 25% of the time.

While Wheeler doesn’t come off as a guy with a ton of upside, this is one of those matchups where it just might come out. If he can keep the Orioles scoreless and go six or seven innings, that’s a guaranteed 50-plus fantasy points on FanDuel. The price is friendly, and while the ownership will likely be around 20%, I don’t mind getting over the field. Wheeler has been solid through two starts, and everything points to him dominating the Orioles here.

Awesemo FanDuel Grade: B, C

Awesemo DraftKings Grade: B, D

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