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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/15/20. Kyle Ringstad's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Only seven games on the DraftKings slate as we sidestep a few of the elite pitching options today, but we're once again graced with the presence of a Coors Field game that you're going to want some exposure to.
I'll be going through some of the best plays at each position on DraftKings with a GPP/tournament lineup build in mind. That's not to say that these players won't work in cash-game lineups, but we're looking to provide high-upside plays for the most part (it's more fun that way, anyway). As a reminder, it is best practice to stack 3-5 hitters from the same team for DFS purposes, so try to envision how the games will play out and build your lineups from there. Utilizing unique lineup combinations (i.e the nine, one, two, and three hitters) is another great way to differentiate.
In this article, I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the DraftKings main slate on 8/15/2020. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on Twitter @kringstad19
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Patrick Corbin - P, WAS vs BAL ($10,500)
Corbin is the highest-priced arm on the slate, but he's well-worth the pay-up in this spot. He'll be taking on the Orioles on Saturday, a team that has surprised with its offense in the early going as they are second in the league in team SLG (.472), fourth in wOBA (.338), and sixth in wRC+ (113). However, though they've also hit well against LHP, they somehow have the seventh-fewest runs scored against southpaw's this season. Corbin holds a 2.50 ERA, 2.75 FIP, and a 27.8% K% over his first three starts. He leads the slate with a 53.1% GB% and has generally looked sharp this season. Bet on Corbin to keep it rolling against the Orioles, who have hit (way) above their heads to this point.
German Marquez - P, COL vs TEX ($8,300)
Marquez is a great option if you're looking to spend down at SP1 and load up on big bats on tonight's slate. He shouldn't be too highly owned due to the Coors Field factor, but as we saw last night with Lance Lynn, pitchers can have success in that ballpark. Marquez went six innings and gave up two earned while tallying nine strikeouts in his lone home start this season against the Giants. The Rangers have a better offense than the Giants, but not by a wide margin. They have the third-worst OPS at .552 and they're hitting just .204 with a league-low six home runs against RHP this season. Marquez has an impressive 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, and his 14.1% SwStr% is second on the slate as he has been able to miss plenty of bats. Fire him up in Coors tonight.
Other options: Cristian Javier (HOU vs SEA) $7,400, Daniel Mengden (OAK vs SF) $7,400
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Yuli Gurriel - 1B, HOU vs SEA ($4,600)
Gurriel had a 2-for-4 night last night that included a walk, a triple, and a homer in an 11-1 beatdown over the Mariners. Expect more of the same tonight with Nick Margevicius on the mound tonight. Gurriel is hitting for a 1.118 OPS with two homers in just 21 at-bats against LHP this season and he's just hitting the cover off the ball in general. He has a .253 ISO, 45.9% hard-hit rate, and a .348 wOBA. He also impressively holds a 10.3% walk rate and a very low 12.6% strikeout rate.
Chris Taylor - 2B/SS, LAD vs LAA ($3,200)
This is ultimately a price-play, as Taylor is still far too cheap. He has been heating up recently with hits in his last four games, including a 3-for-4 night on 8/13 in which he popped two doubles and scored three runs. Taylor only has five starts against LHP this season, but he had success against them in 2019 with a .859 OPS and seven homers across just 162 plate appearances. He holds a 46.7% hard-hit rate and a .364 wOBA, both rates that you'll be hard-pressed to find in hitters at this cheap of a salary. If he's starting, he's a great play. Especially with that juicy dual-position eligibility.
Nolan Arenado - 3B, COL vs TEX ($5,800)
Arenado is on the short-list of choices for high-salaried players on tonight's slate. Prior to Friday's game, the star third baseman racked up three straight games with at least 18 DK points, including a two-homer, 35 DK point barrage against Arizona on 8/12. He has crushed RHP in his career and held a .315/.364/.573 slash line against them in 2019, adding 28 homers and 88 RBI. Kyle Gibson has been brutal this year as he holds a 30% HR/FB rate, 29.2% LD%, and a slate-high 47.9% Hard%. Do what you can to get to some Rockies.
Other options: Asdrubal Cabrera (WAS vs BAL) $4,000, Dylan Moore (SEA vs HOU) $4,100
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Charlie Blackmon - OF, COL vs TEX ($6,100)
Blackmon is another Rockies bat that you'd be wise to get to, if at all possible. He's hitting .447/.482/.645 in 2020, adding three homers, six doubles, 20 RBI, and 18 runs scored. He has a .508 wOBA and he's facing aa pitcher that gives up a lot of hard contact and flyballs. He hasn't faced off with Kyle Gibson in his career yet, but it seems likely that Blackmon will be able to take advantage of this positive spot on Saturday.
George Springer - OF, HOU vs SEA ($4,600)
Springer gets the platoon-advantage against Nick Margevicius, who is making the transition from reliever to starter and holds a 6.57 xFIP and 5.89 SIERA over 3 and 1/3 innings. He hasn't shown much ability to miss bats, holding a 9.8% SwStr% and a 21.4% K%. Springer has had trouble barreling the ball up this year at just 8.2%, but his .194 BABIP is extremely low and indicated that he may be getting a bit unlucky with his batted ball events. He still holds a .200 ISO and has a great opportunity to increase those barrel statistics in this matchup.
Adam Eaton - OF, WAS vs BAL ($3,600)
Eaton is cheap, hitting second in order, and gets the platoon-advantage against lefty Asher Wojciechowski. Woj has a 3.95 ERA through 13 and 2/3 innings, but his 5.00 FIP and 2.0 HR/9 don't back up his relative success in the early goings. Eaton has terrible stats on the year, but that is due to his inability to hit LHP as he holds a .056/.105/.056 slash line against them in 2020. However, things are much rosier against RHP, where he hits .311/.367/.467 with one home run, five RBI, eight runs scored, and a steal in 2020. He has also been turning it on as of late, going for 16, six, and seven DK points in the past three games.
Other options: Yordan Alvarez (HOU vs SEA) $4,300, Victor Robles (WAS vs BAL) $3,100, Trent Grisham (SD vs ARI) $3,600
DraftKings DFS Stacks
Houston and Colorado look to be the top stacks on tonight's slate. The Astros are facing Nick Margevicius, a pitcher with just 3 and 1/3 innings thrown this year who hasn't shown the stuff to hold down this offense. The Rockies get Kyle Gibson, a pitcher with a high 30% HR/FB rate, 1.8 HR/9, and a slate-high 47.9% Hard%.
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