In-depth analysis of the starting pitchers on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 (8/21) MAIN SLATE to help you build winning cash game and tournament lineups on Draftkings and FanDuel.
TOP PLAYS
So in yesterday article, I recommended playing Gonsalves as a punt play. Then at 3 PM ET we got word that Atlanta was bringing up a top prospect to pitch as well. He was 4 K on DK, and not in the FD player pool. I didn’t have the time to update the article to get people off of Gonsalves and onto Bryse Wilson. For that, I apologize. I will make a more concerted effort to update this article as news comes out. Here is a look at who I like for tomorrows slate.
Blake Snell (TAM) vs KC: 11.5DK, 9.6FD
Blake is the top pitcher on the slate for me, and it’s not even really close. He gets to face the Royals who have been absolutely atrocious vs lefties over the past month, posting a 24% K rate and a minuscule .090 ISO. Blake has been an absolute stud this year. He has a 30% K rate vs lefties and a 28% K rate vs righties. Just plug him in as your CASH SP1, and don’t look back.
Masahiro Tanaka (NYY) @ MIA: 10.2DK, 10.2FD
Masahiro gets to face the Marlins in Miami. This is a huge positive ballpark shift for him. He goes from one of the top hitter-friendly parks to one of the to pitcher-friendly parks. It also helps that he will be facing the Marlins who basically have an AAA team. Over the last 30 days, they have a 22% K rate and a measly .102 ISO vs right-handed pitching. I think you can play him in cash games or tournaments.
Steven Matz (NYM) vs SFG: 6.2DK, 6.4FD
Steven is facing the Giants. I really don’t need to say anymore. We saw Wheeler put up 30 DK, and 52 FD on Monday night. Would you believe me if I told you that the Giants have been even worse vs lefties over the last month? They have a 21% K rate and a little league like .078 ISO. Hey, the Little League World Series is in Williamsport right now. While Steven hasn’t been as impressive as Wheeler has, he still has a 17% K rate, I know that isn’t great, and a 22% K rate vs righties. While he doesn’t have the K numbers to produce 30 DK points, I feel like he could get 20 DK, and at this price, that’s all we need.
VALUE/PUNT OPTION
Michael Kopech (CWS) vs MIN: 7.6DK, 6FD
So, first off, last nights MLB debut for Gonsalves didn’t go well at all. But this isn’t just the Twins number 5 rated prospect either. Michael was part of the massive trade that brought Chris Sale to Boston. He is rated as the 13th best prospect in all of MLB. Across 126 Innings in AAA, he has 170!! K’s!! He has a 31% K rate and has a WHIP of 1.21. While he does have an 11% BB rate, he can make up for it with the strikeouts. Based on his price on DK and FD, I obviously like him more on FD where hits and walks don’t count against him, but I’m not opposed to rolling him out in tournaments on DK either.
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