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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/2/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Monday, RotoBallers! An insane deadline led us into a fantastic weekend of baseball. As a result, several teams are still figuring out their new rotations, so there's always the chance starting pitchers could be swapped around at the last second for the next few days. Today, seven games on tap beginning at 7:05 pm Eastern with the Phillies-Nationals and Orioles-Yankees matchups. Then the night wraps up in the desert with the Giants visiting the Diamondbacks at 9:40 pm Eastern.
For the first time in a while, we are all out of aces. Our top options on the mound are Tylor Megill, Anthony DeSclafani, and Eric Lauer. Those are the three pitchers above $9,000, and none of them crack the $10,000 barrier. With seven games, it's hard to be too picky, so we will have to accept our starting arms with some warts.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/2/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Anthony DeSclafani - P, SF at ARI ($9,300)
DeSclafani is going to be a trendy option in all formats. The only hope is people see his previous three starts and think he's starting to slip in the second half. However, he's rocking a 2.64 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP since June 1, and he's striking out 25.1 percent of the batters he faces. That'll play on any sized slate. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks strike out 24.6 percent of the time and have only mustered a 76 wRC+ against righties over the last two months. So don't fear the recent performances, and trust in the bigger sample size while reaping the rewards of a plus matchup for DeSclafani.
Michael Wacha - P, TB vs. SEA ($8,400)
Pitcher A: 6 starts, 3.58 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 20.1 FPPG in last four starts
Pitcher B: 7 starts, 6.15 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 1.7 FPPG in last four starts
Pitcher A is Michael Wacha at home, and Pitcher B is Michael Wacha on the road. Fortunately, the righty is pitching in the dome tonight, and he gets the free-swinging Mariners as a cherry on top. Those splits are remarkably different, and it makes me want to buy into what Wacha is twirling in Tampa Bay. He struck out nine Yankees in his last start (five innings pitched), and we should expect that kind of stuff to play exceptionally well against the Mariners and their 26.3 percent strikeout rate.
Other options: Tylor Megill at MIA ($9,600), Josiah Gray vs. PHI ($7,600), Jose Suarez at TEX ($6,300)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Jonah Heim - C, TEX vs. Jose Suarez ($2,700)
Have yourself a weekend, Mr. Heim. Over the three-game series against the Mariners, the Rangers' backstop went 5-for-12 with four runs, four home runs, and six RBI. Overall, he's been a bit of a disaster posting a .692 OPS through 56 games, but it looks like he found something over the weekend. At a lowly $2,700, I'm willing to ride that wave and see what he can do on a limited Monday slate.
Anthony Rizzo - 1B, NYY vs. Jorge Lopez ($4,700)
Rizzo got his Yankee career started spectacularly over the weekend, hammering some Marlins pitching in Florida. In his first three games for the pinstripes, the first baseman went 5-for-9 with five runs, two home runs, and three RBI while averaging 17.6 fantasy points per game. The good news is he did all that damage outside of Yankee Stadium. The better news is he is making his home debut in Yankee Stadium tonight. That short porch will help Rizzo's power numbers quite a bit, and it has a great chance of starting against Jorge Lopez.
Rougned Odor - 2B, NYY at Jorge Lopez ($3,900)
I've stacked against Jorge Lopez with great success this season, so I'm pretty much all in with the Yankees left-handed bats for tonight's slate. Odor played all six games for the Yankees last week and batted fifth once, third twice, and sixth three times. Any spot in the Yankees lineup is valuable despite their results this season. This team is not playing up to its potential, but that could turn around any time. Even despite having one home run in his last 10 games, Odor is still producing eight RBI thanks to collecting a hit in eight of those 10 contests.
Abraham Toro - 2B/3B, SEA at Michael Wacha ($3,200)
I know I recommended Wacha, but it's never wrong to have a backup plan in case your pitching busts. Toro is my backup plan for Wacha. The infielder is on an incredible tear at the moment, and I can't bet against it continuing when his price tag sits at $3,200. Toro has been the fifth name on the lineup card in three of his four Mariners appearances, and it should continue moving forward. Over his last seven games (with Seattle and Houston), Toro is slashing .458/.500/.1.083 with seven runs, seven RBI, and four home runs. While Wacha is better at home than on the road, a 3.58 ERA doesn't make him unhittable.
Javier Baez - SS, NYM at Jesus Luzardo ($5,400)
Player A: .230 BA, .714 OPS, .302 wOBA, 88 wRC+
Player B: .299 BA, .981 OPS, .412 wOBA, 160 wRC+
Here we go again! Player A is Javier Baez versus right-handed pitching, and Player B is Javier Baez versus left-handed pitching. He is so much better against southpaws than righties, and it's not even close. Baez is 60 points better against left-handers than the league-average hitter. Sign me up for all of those stats versus a (and this is putting it lightly) struggling Jesus Luzardo. There's something to be said for many of these hitters seeing Luzardo for the first time, but Baez's swing away nature makes him immensely likely to strike out (32.1 percent K rate versus LHP) or hit a home run (50 percent HR/FB rate).
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Juan Soto - OF, WAS vs. Ranger Suarez ($6,100)
While I'm sure Juan Soto has noticed a few familiar names are missing from the Nationals clubhouse these days, you wouldn't be able to tell it from his numbers. He's been hot for a while, and his .438 weighted On-Base Average since June 1 is third-best in baseball, trailing only some guys called Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. While it's some friendly company to have, the Washington lineup is lacking the firepower for Soto to rack up the season-long counting numbers. However, that's not our problem, and I will gladly roster him in DFS as a potential slate-winning bat.
Joey Gallo - OF, NYY vs. Jorge Lopez ($5,400)
Gallo did not make as big of a splash as Anthony Rizzo with his new team, but it only seems like a matter of time until he catches up with his new teammates in the home-run department. During the 2021 campaign, the outfielder slashes .217/.373/.478 with 57 runs, 55 RBI, and 25 home runs. In New York, all three of those counting categories should rise exponentially with a better lineup and a better ballpark. Of course, $5,400 is a bit steep, but he can change the slate with one swing of his bat, and that type of player is always an option for my lineups.
Bryan Reynolds - OF, PIT at Eric Lauer ($4,600)
We're going big in the outfield tonight with a lot of expensive recommendations. Out of three picks tonight, I think Brian Reynolds is the safest play. That's a little ludicrous to say with Soto and Gallo right there, but Reynolds is $4,600 for a reason. Over the last two months, his .397 wOBA ranks 20th among 149 qualified hitters. Plus, during the previous 10 games, Reynolds is averaging 8.4 FPPG thanks to six extra-base hits contributing to a .980 OPS.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles (Jorge Lopez, RHP)
- New York Mets at Miami Marlins (Jesus Luzardo, LHP)
- Sneaky stack: Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies (Ranger Suarez, LHP)
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