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We have a very light Thursday today as all eyes will be on the opening of the college football season tonight. MLB only gave us four games and one of them it a matinee. That gives us three games for the main slates on both sites.
This article contains my picks for the three-game main slate on Thursday, August 31, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 7:05 PM ET. At least there are no weather concerns, so this should remain a three-game slate.
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.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Lance Lynn, LAD vs. ATL ($8,800 DK, $9,500 FD)
This is a situation where I would normally avoid Lynn like the plague, but he we are...it's a three-game slate and the Braves just spent four games in Coors Field where the stadium is as high as the people in it. Lynn has been excellent with the Dodgers, posting a 4-0 record with a 2.03 ERA in five starts with his new team. Getting him against a Braves team coming down from the mountains is a great spot. The Coors effect is a real thing, folks.
Pedro Avila, SD vs. SF ($6,300 DK, $6,700 FD)
I'm just hoping that Avila is efficient enough with his pitches to make it through five innings to get the win. The Giants are dead last in wRC against right-handed pitching in the month of August and it's not close. Their wRC is 53. The next-worst is Cleveland with 65. It's like that across the board. The Giants have a pathetic .098 ISO against RHP in August and the .269 wOBA is also dead last by a large margin.
Others to consider: Braxton Garrett ($8,200 DK, $8,700 FD) at WAS
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Freddie Freeman - 1B, LAD vs. ATL ($6,200 DK, $4,200 FD)
Yes, this is the same bum that hit .255 in June. Since then, Freeman has destroyed anything remotely white flying towards him. I think he might have even knocked down an airplane or two. Freeman hit .359 in July and is up to a robust .375 in August. The Dodgers are hitting .273 against Spencer Strider in his career and his strikeout rate is a shade under 25%. Strider is human against the Dodgers and Freeman's .377 since the break is superhuman. Advantage: Freeman.
Mookie Betts - 2B/OF, LAD at ATL ($6,500 DK, $4,500 FD)
Betts or Freeman? That's a decision that we might have to make on DK. Freeman's .377 is nice and all, but Mookie is terrorizing the league with a .454 average in August with nine homers, 26 RBI, 32 runs scored, and three steals in 27 games. Fade him at your own risk. If it comes down to Mookie or Freddie, I'm still going Mookie.
Carter Kieboom - 3B, WAS vs.MIA ($3,100 DK, $2,900 FD)
It's time to start hunting for value to afford the Dodgers. Kieboom is back in the majors and has already slugged three homers in seven games. One of those was off of Braxton Garrett last weekend. I'll see if he can do it again at this price.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Jorge Soler - OF, MIA at WAS ($5,300 DK, $3,300 FD)
Soler has slugged five homers in the last 10 games. I like the price a lot more on FD, but if we're chasing homers (which we are), Soler is the guy you want...if you can afford him.
Mike Yastrzemski - OF, SF at SD ($3,100 DK, $2,700 FD)
Yastrzemski returned from a month on the IL yesterday with a pair of walks. It's not much, but the Giants need all the help they can get. I know that I recommended Avila and I will be over the field on him, but Yastrzemski is a great way to get a little bit of leverage on the field.
Jason Heyward - OF, LAD vs. ATL ($2,700 DK, $2,400 FD)
Heyward had an outstanding series against Arizona, racking up six hits in the three games with two homers, six RBI, and a pair of runs. Who are you going to trust, a red-hot veteran in Heyward, or Spencer Strider? For this price, I'm giving Heyward a shot.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
San Diego Padres vs. Sean Manaea
Manaea has a 6.48 ERA in 15 road games and allowed five runs in just two innings to the Padres in San Diego back at the end of April. The problem? Most of the Padres are battling cold streaks right now. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts are the obvious choices. Garrett Cooper is a good way to mitigate the cost. So is the newly-recalled Jose Azocar, who should start against the lefty but will be lifted once a righty comes in.
Favorite pieces: Machado, Luis Campusano, Tatis, Azocar, Cooper
Also consider: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Spencer Strider
Strider is going to get enough strikeouts to mitigate the damage done, but he will also give up enough runs to keep him from being worth using. If you're feeling froggy, you can run Strider in large-field GPPs. I'll be too busy trying to afford Dodgers.
Favorite pieces: Mookie, Freeman, Heyward, Max Muncy
Sneaky Stack: Washington Nationals vs. Braxton Garrett
Attacking Strider is probably going to be the chalky play of the night, so putting some cheap Washington righties against Garrett is a good way to get some leverage.
Favorite pieces: Joey Meneses, Kieboom, Keibert Ruiz, Alex Call
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