Thursday, Aug. 5, has split-slate action with six afternoon games and a six-game main slate. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Thursday, Aug. 5
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Cincinnati Reds vs. RHP Wil Crowe — 5.8 implied runs
Gamers will be flocking to the Bronx today with the Yankees boasting a six-run implied total as they take on Tyler Anderson. This is a great matchup, and the salaries are very appealing for New York. However, it should be noted that Anderson has allowed more than four runs only four times in his last 32 appearances.
The Reds taking on rookie Wil Crowe are excellent pivots away from the Yankees on the six-game main slate. Crowe has definitely seen improvement as he continues to gain experience, and his July was solid with a 3.46 ERA, though he still allowed 13 walks in 26 innings. Over his last 10 starts he is still allowing 2.3 home runs per nine innings. The power is coming from both sides of the plate, generating a .240+ ISO.
Pittsburgh has only two lefties in the bullpen, and Chasen Shreve has pitched the last two days, which leaves Anthony Banda as the only southpaw available. This bodes well for Tyler Naquin, who is often at risk of being lifted for a pinch hitter, and at just $9 he is the key to Reds stacks on Yahoo. Joey Votto and Jesse Winker are the other lefties to target, and both have posted excellent power numbers this season. There is a chance rookie second baseman Max Schrock will be in the lineup, and at the Yahoo minimum salary of $7 he would be a priority.
Rounding out full stacks, look to Kyle Farmer ($20) and Jonathan India ($23). Their salaries are going to seem high to casual gamers, but this should help keep their popularity in check. They have ISOs over .200 in same-handed matchups over the last month, which is appealing when considering 13 of Crowe’s 17 home runs have gone to righties.
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Boston Red Sox at LHP Tarik Skubal — 5.4 implied runs
The Coors Field game should be the priority target on the afternoon slate.
Now that that is out of the way, look to the Red Sox as they square off against rookie Tarik Skubal. Skubal has 105.1 innings this year, which is the second highest workload of his career. In his last four starts he has allowed multiple home runs three times and eight total over 22.2 innings. During this stretch his strikeouts have fallen off as well.
The Boston lineup is excellent against southpaws, and they offer a variety of options up and down the salary spectrum. Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez are the top options. Hunter Renfroe has a long track record of crushing in opposite-handed matchups, and he should be in the heart of the order. Enrique Hernandez will be leading off, which should all but assure him of five plate appearances, including at least two against Skubal. Bobby Dalbec provides some discounted differentiation at the bottom of the lineup, and Rafael Devers excels in against lefties.
Late Slate
Chicago White Sox vs. LHP Daniel Lynch — 5.7 implied runs
Daniel Lynch has had a tough major league debut. Last year’s pandemic-shortened season resulted in no experience above Single-A and rookie ball until he made 11 starts for Triple-A Omaha this season. In that stretch he allowed 11 home runs in his 57 innings. Though he has ceded only a pair of home runs in in his 22 MLB innings, he has been otherwise hittable, allowing a 6.95 ERA and 1.68 WHIP while striking out just 13.
The White Sox picked up switch-hitter Cesar Hernandez at the trade deadline, and his acquisition plus the return of Eloy Jimenez from the injured list have boosted the Chicago offense. Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu should be the primary focus, as they each have ISOs over .290 in opposite-handed matchups since the beginning of last season. Andrew Vaughn, Adam Engel and Jimenez can complete a full stack alongside Hernandez and Yoan Moncada. The depth of the White Sox lineup will provide a great deal of flexibility for roster construction on both the main and late slates.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: LHP Framber Valdez vs. Minnesota Twins — 3.7 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $38 | FanDuel $9,700 | DraftKings $9,900
This is a nice matchup for Framber Valdez, who does not get the DFS recognition he deserves. He has an excellent 24.8% strikeout rate over the last two seasons and has held righties to just a .126 ISO in his last 517 opposite-handed matchups. The projected Twins lineup has a 31.8% strikeout rate against southpaws over the last season-plus, which is icing on the cake.
Secondary Target: RHP Sonny Gray vs. Pittsburgh Pirates — 3.5 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $38 | FanDuel $9,300 | DraftKings $9,600
On Yahoo the discount on Sonny Gray eliminates a fair amount of the variance for poor performance. Things are little more challenging on the other DFS sites where Touki Toussaint, Ross Stripling and Nestor Cortes come into play. There are not many standout options, but there are several viable options that should make for an exciting six-game tournament slate.
Gray gets a matchup against a depleted Pirates squad that is bereft of proven talent outside of Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Gregory Polanco. While it is never comforting when Gray is a focus of the player pool, he at least had 95 to 99 pitches in three of his last four starts and should be in line for the win given the Reds are heavy favorites.
Afternoon Target: RHP Aaron Nola at Washington Nationals — 3.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $40 | FanDuel $10,600 | DraftKings $10,300
Outside of Juan Soto and the resurgent Josh Bell, the Nationals are down to a bunch of understudies that lack experience or mediocre veterans like Alcides Escobar and Gerardo Parra. While his traditional numbers have not been stellar this season, Aaron Nola is still a phenomenal strikeout artist. On the season he has a 29.4% strikeout rate and a minuscule 4.5% walk rate. There is no question that he is the top option on the afternoon slate.
Final Thoughts for the Thursday, Aug. 5 MLB DFS Slate
Thursday weather is not showing any substantial precipitation, so that is one less variable to worry about. There are intriguing pitching matchups and offense-rich environments on both slates today.
