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We have a busy Thursday on tap with 11 games, but they are split up all over the place. Both DraftKings and FanDuel left off the early bird leaving us with a four-game early slate and six games in prime time. I will be with you all day for your MLB DFS needs. This will focus on the main slate of games.
This article contains my picks for the six-game main slate on Thursday, August 3, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 7:15 PM ET. There is a chance of rain in St. Louis again tonight, but as of now, it doesn't look like anything that will wipe out the game. It is worth keeping an eye on though.
The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Julio Urias, LAD vs. OAK ($9,800 DK, $8,800 FD)
Urias had been better of late with the exception of a soul-crushing bashing at the hands of the Orioles in Baltimore on July 19. Aside from that, he has allowed five runs in 18 innings over the other three of the four starts in that span. The best hitters on this A's team hit from the left side. Urias has been solid against lefties, even if they have tagged him for a few more homers. I much prefer Urias at the price on FD. On DK, I would like to say that there are better options for the price, but I can't truthfully say that. The middle tier of pitching is a minefield today.
Jameson Taillon, CHC vs. CIN ($6,200 DK, $8,500 FD)
FD giveth with the price on Urias, but they taketh away with Taillon, so this is a DK-only play. Taillon has been serviceable of late after a dreadful start to the season. He has only allowed five runs over 25 1/3 innings in his last four starts with 18 strikeouts in that span. Sure, the Cardinals, Nationals, and Yankees are likely worse offenses than the Reds, but not that much worse. There is very good potential for the price on DK tonight.
Others to consider: Sonny Gray ($9,400 DK, $10,100 FD) at STL; Adrian Houser ($5,200 DK, $7,400 FD) vs. PIT
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Cody Bellinger - 1B/OF, CHC vs. CIN ($5,200 DK, $4,000 FD)
The Cubs have scored 36 runs over the last two games against this dreadful Cincinnati bullpen. Bellinger has been heavily involved with hits, a homer, four RBI, three runs scored, and two steals. Bellinger is 4-for-10 in his career against Luke Weaver with a pair of homers. Once the Cubs inevitably get to this bullpen again, we've seen what can happen. Look out for flying objects on the sidewalks of Waveland and Sheffield Avenues around Clark and Addison streets...
Amed Rosario - 2B/SS(DK) - SS(FD), LAD vs. OAK ($3,900 DK, $2,900 FD)
The newly minted Dodger has been batting cleanup against lefties and Big Blue gets to face another one tonight. Rosario is batting in the primo spot in one of the best offenses in baseball at this low of a price? Sign me up!
Tommy Edman - 2B/SS/OF(FD)- SS/OF(DK), STL vs. MIN ($3,300 DK, $2,800 FD)
Edman returned from the IL just in time to take over SS from the departed Paul DeJong. Edman's leash appears to be short since top prospect Masyn Winn is hitting for power and stealing bags at Triple-A Memphis. Whatever the case, Edman will get some games to see if he can keep the job and last night's performance won't hurt. Neither will his career 7-for-15 mark with two doubles and a homer against Sonny Gray. Nolan Arenado has smashed two homers off of Gray in his career, so he's an option if you have extra money available.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Yordan Alvarez - OF HOU at NYY ($6,000 DK, $4,300 FD)
Alvarez has nine hits in six games since returning from the IL including two homers, four RBI, and five runs scored. Clarke Schmidt has allowed five homers in his last four starts. We saved on our second pitcher so we can afford a couple of big bats. Alvarez is one of those that I'm going after.
Bryan Reynolds - OF, PIT at MIL ($4,500 DK, $3,400 FD)
Not much has gone right for the Pirates of late, but Reynolds has 10 hits in his current six-game hitting streak with two homers, three RBI, and five runs scored. Adrian Houser has been tagged like a New York subway station, allowed 12 runs in his last three starts. Sure, two of those were against the Braves and the other against the Reds in Cincinnati, but Reynolds is worth chasing due to his hit streak.
Mike Tauchman - OF, CHC vs. CIN ($3,400 DK, $3,200 FD)
Tauchman should be back to leadoff against the right-handed Luke Weaver tonight, fronting an offense that is tearing through the Reds' pitching staff like a category 4 hurricane. Tauchman is hitting .361 with two homers, 10 RBI, nine runs, and a steal over his last ten games.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Chicago Cubs vs. Luke Weaver
Weaver has a 6.80 ERA on the season and the Cubs are hotter than Hansel in Zoolander right now. I can't argue with adding anyone in a Cubs uniform to this stack right now. Tauchman and Ian Happ feel severely underpriced and Bellinger has a good history against Weaver. For the rest of the stack, I'm going with hot hands in Dansby Swanson and Jeimer Candelario. Who's in your Cubs stack?
Also consider: Minnesota Twins vs. Matthew Liberatore
Liberatore allowed four runs while only recording one out against the Marlins in his last major league appearance back on July 5. The Cardinals shipped off half of their rotation, so Liberatore is back in St. Louis. The Twins may strike out a lot, but they do have some good bats in this lineup. I'm mainly targeting righties, but with Byron Buxton likely out, the righty population is dwindling. Good thing Max Kepler and Edouard Julien hit lefties well enough for consideration.
Of course, if you don't trust the Twins, there's always the Dodgers against Sears for you high-rollers that didn't spend anything on pitching.
Sneaky Stack: New York Yankees vs. Cristian Javier
The K-rate is down and the hard-hit percentage is up. That explains the reason for Javier's ERA being nearly two runs over last year's mark. The Yankees aren't the Murderer's Row of 1923 (or 2022, for that matter), but they still have a lot of power in this lineup. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton stand out in particular.
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