RADIO
With the Coors Field bonanza taking place earlier in the day -- thus avoiding the main slate -- Thursday has the vibe of being wide open. Day games pack the slate early on, allowing for a fairly balanced collaboration of talent to choose from.
The ace triumvirate of Shane Bieber, Sonny Gray, and Clayton Kershaw makes for a severely delineated cream of the crop Thursday. With just one pitching slot available on FanDuel, owners should be able to limit their exposure enough that roster percentage will not be gaudy for any of the three workhorses. Even with that in mind, we’ll focus today on some lower-priced starting pitcher options for those who are willing to go completely contrarian, as Bieber, Gray, and Kershaw remain excellent options in either cash or GPP scenarios, a fact that doesn’t need to be explicitly fleshed out.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 8/20/2020. Be sure also to check out all the MLB player news including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like DraftKings, and other sports too.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Kevin Gausman - SFG vs. LAA ($7,700)
Believing in the Gausman revival yet? The Giants' offense has been unable to reward the right-hander with a win yet, but through five appearances (four starts), Gausman has compiled a 3.11 FIP and 1.17 WHIP, all while racking up a 31.8 K%. While just one of his starts has gone long enough to qualify for the “quality start” variety, the righty has averaged eight strikeouts as a member of the starting rotation. The Angels’ offense -- while packed with big name sluggers -- has been paltry on the road this year; all of this combined builds up Gausman as one of the premier contrarian GPP plays of the slate, especially considering the offensive options that are opened up by rostering him.
Kyle Gibson - TEX @ SDP ($7,500)
For all of the attention that Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. has deservedly received through the early portion of the season, it has been somewhat lost in the shuffle that the remainder of the San Diego bats haven’t exactly torn the cover off the ball. Through their first 26 games, they averaged 8.5 strikeouts per contest, which works in the favor of Gibson, who has a nine-strikeout outing to his credit from earlier in August. Factor in that Petco Park remains one of the premier parks in the Majors at neutralizing offense and Gibson’s reverse splits of limiting left-handed batters to only a .683 OPS in his first four starts gives him some GPP appeal.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Christian Walker, 1B - ARI @ OAK ($2,800)
Walker may have gotten off to a quiet start in the home run column to begin 2020, but his extra-base hit power has been there, leading the National League in doubles entering play Wednesday. His matchup Thursday against Sean Manaea is particularly exploitable, as he has hammered southpaws in a short sample size this year. An Arizona stack against Manaea figures to be one of the more popular on the slate, with Walker being an integral part of that group.
Mike Moustakas, 2B - CIN @ STL ($3,000)
Back in the lineup Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 4 due to a quad bruise, Moustakas played both ends of a doubleheader against Kansas City. Owners will want to keep a particular eye on his status, as he was removed late in the second contest, although no injury update has been provided to this point. With the second base market rather thin Thursday, owners pressed for cash may opt to go the punt play route, but for those with assets left over, Moustakas is worth a look with four hits -- including a home run -- off Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright in his career.
Rafael Devers, 3B - BOS @ BAL ($2,800)
After a painstakingly slow start to the season for the Majors’ reigning total base leader from 2019, Devers has reeled off back-to-back three-hit games. He now heads to Oriole Park, which ranks inside the Top 10 this season for park factor when it pertains to home runs, further enhancing his upside. Being able to roster an All-Star who has compiled a .923 OPS over his last seven games for the price tag that Devers offers is a deal that many owners should give consideration to.
Marcus Semien, SS - OAK vs. ARI ($2,900)
With gaudy price tags littering the Thursday shortstop bunch, Semien is a low-priced choice that presents the leadoff asset for those either looking to stack Oakland’s offense or get a one-off that won’t break the bank. While Semien has been unable to replicate his career season from 2019 thus far, he entered play Wednesday having collected a hit in 10 of his past 11 contests, averaging 14.3 FD points per night in that stretch.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Anthony Santander, OF - BAL vs. BOS ($3,400)
Fading Santander at this stage is a trickier proposition than it is to fill out a lineup with him in it, especially as his FD price stays within reason. Having compiled at least 10 FD points in his past 13 contests -- which comes out to an average of 21 FD points per game in that span -- Santander is presented a matchup with right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who leads the American League in hits allowed (34), while also having yielded six home runs in 27 ⅓ IP. This run seemingly has to come to an end at some point, but on paper, Thursday doesn’t appear to be that day.
Starling Marte, OF - ARI @ OAK ($3,300)
Not drawing national notoriety in the same way that others that are having career seasons are, Marte is in the midst of his best stretch in years. His 158 OPS+ entering play Wednesday was far and away on track to be his career best, having secured a hit in eight of his first 14 at-bats against southpaws in 2020. Manaea has been tagged at home this season to the tune of eight runs across eight innings, and any D-backs stack would logically be centered around Marte, who hits at the heart of the order.
Jesse Winker, OF - CIN @ STL ($2,700)
The lack of price adjustment on Winker at this stage has gotten somewhat comical. Following yet another home run Wednesday, Winker has the highest OPS in baseball (1.225) and is reaching base at a prodigious clip. While his matchup against Wainwright doesn’t jump off the page as exploitable, there’s essentially no justification to not roster the hottest hitter in the Majors with a price tag that makes adding other stars accessible.
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