MLB DFS Picks Monday 8/8: Spotlight Pitchers & Top Stacks Today

Monday, Aug. 8, rings in the start of a new week with a solid seven-game main slate and a first pitch at 7:05 p.m. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks today for pitchers and stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.


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DraftKings & FanDuel MLB DFS Picks Today (8/8)

Main Slate: Mets vs. RHP Justin Dunn — 6.0 implied runs

The Stokastic Top Stacks Tool is liking the Metropolitans in their matchup with youngster Justin Dunn. The Reds acquired the soon-to-be 27-year-old from the Mariners as part of the return package in the Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker deal. Dunn was an intriguing pitcher during his time with Seattle, though a shoulder injury ended last year and his subsequent rehabilitation has kept him in the minors this season. He has worked himself up to 90 pitches with Triple-A Louisville, and that should be enough for most of the New York bats to get two cracks at him tonight.

The Mets have assembled an imposing offense that is buoyed against right-handed pitching by recent additions Tyler Naquin and Daniel Vogelbach. While that duo is likely to be relieved if a lefty comes in from the bullpen, Cincinnati has only two southpaws, and they both saw action yesterday and appeared in multiple games over the last three days.

DraftKings made things interesting by goosing the salaries for the stalwarts at the top of the order, though there are enough mispriced hitters on other teams that it is not overly challenging to build a full stack of Mets. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are the trio to target, with Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte being the other two desirable options that are not picking up quite as much traction on DraftKings at this time. FanDuel should be fun, as it is the only site where we can roster Alonso and Vogelbach on the same entry, with them just having first base eligibility.


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Late Slate: Mariners vs. RHP Jameson Taillon — 3.7 implied runs

The Stokastic Top Batters Tool is liking tonight’s matchup for the Seattle hitters swinging the stick from the left side of the plate. Over his last 463 opposite-handed matchups, Jameson Taillon has allowed a .204 ISO with a 9.5% walk rate. Jesse Winker and Adam Frazier are in play at the top of the order, and a wraparound stack can be completed with switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh and the suddenly resurgent Jarred Kelenic. On the main slate, the Mariners are just the seventh-most popular stack, though they have a solid positive leverage score.


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Primary Target: RHP Chris Bassitt vs. Reds — 3.5 implied runs

  • DFS Salary: DraftKings $9,300 | FanDuel $10,400

Tonight, there are several above-average pitching options as well as a few second-tier starters in good matchups. This should make things very interesting in tournaments, as there are several potential pivots that could lead to significant leverage against the field in the giant Monday tournaments.

Chris Bassitt is not a flashy pitcher, and while the 33-year-old is having a good season, it is nowhere near as stellar as the last two years. However, steady fantasy performances — nearly a strikeout per inning and an average of 97.6 pitches per outing — make the former Athletic a coveted target in this matchup with Cincinnati. This is a ballpark downgrade for the Reds, who are better suited to face southpaws. Their projected lineup has a two-year-trailing .124 ISO against right-handed pitching, which is the equivalent of the batting order being entirely populated with below-replacement-level players.

If Bassitt is able to navigate the trio at the top of the order — including talented youngster Jonathan India, the obscure but effective Jake Fraley, and Joey Votto, who is one month away from his 39th birthday — he should be in line to secure his career best 14th quality start.

Secondary Target: RHP Zac Gallen vs. Pirates — 3.1 implied runs

  • DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,900 | FanDuel $9,600

For those of you willing to accept a rollercoaster ride with your second pitcher on DraftKings, then Blake Snell taking on a right-handed-heavy San Francisco lineup is the better option for fantasy upside. On the other hand, Zac Gallen has a better matchup and the Chase Field roof is scheduled to be closed tonight, which should amplify the effects of the baseball humidor.

The Pirates are a bottom-five offense against right-handed hurlers, with below-average power (.143 ISO) and above-average strikeouts (24.3%). For the first time in his career, Gallen is averaging under 10 strikeouts per nine innings, though his 8.6 rate is still solid. Additionally, he already has a career-best 10 quality starts, and his ERA, WHIP, ground ball rate and extra-base hits allowed are all below his career averages. Pittsburgh has scored the third-fewest runs in the league, while also being one of the worst road teams.


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Wild Card Target: RHP Keegan Thompson vs. Nationals — 3.2 implied runs

  • DFS Salary: DraftKings $6,700 | FanDuel $8,000

Keegan Thompson has struggled in three of his last eight starts, allowing 14 combined runs across 15.1 innings in matchups against St. Louis, Cincinnati and the Mets. However, in those other five starts, he has allowed a grand total of two earned runs. After sending Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres, the Nationals are an epically bad lineup that now rivals the Tigers. Thompson has seven or more strikeouts in five of his last eight starts, and he should be able to coax half a dozen from Washington tonight.

Additional Opportunities

Yusei Kikuchi has been a disaster this season, with Toronto winning only six of the 18 games for which he has taken the mound. Though he has a low 4.5 over/under strikeout prop, the Stokastic MLB Projections have him with 4.2 strikeouts and a 58% chance of failing to reach the five strikeouts needed for the over. Kikuchi does have exactly five strikeouts in four of his last six starts, with the other two outings resulting in eight and zero whiffs. Keep in mind that there is plus money currently on this under (+115), which creates an expected ROI of 25% — one of the best on the board. It is hot and humid in Camden Yards tonight, with an 8 to 10 mph wind out to center. Even with Trey Mancini now in Houston, the Orioles still have enough power at the top of their order that they could send Kikuchi to the showers after only a couple of innings tonight.

If this wager feels a bit risky, you can still navigate things at an advantage with a RISK FREE BET up to $1,000 on BetMGM.

Other Pitching Options

  1. LHP Blake Snell vs. San Francisco Giants (Main, Late)
  2. LHP Cole Irvin vs. Los Angeles Angels (Main, Late)
  3. RHP Logan Gilbert vs. New York Yankees (Late)

Other Hitting Options

  1. Ryan Mountcastle vs. LHP Yusei Kikuchi (Main)
  2. Ian Happ vs. RHP Anibal Sanchez (Main)
  3. Joe Adell at LHP Cole Irvin (Late)
  4. Manny Machado vs. LHP Alex Wood (Late)
  5. Ketel Marte vs. RHP Tyler Beede (Late)

Final MLB DFS Thoughts & MLB Weather Notes

Weather looks clear today, with heat and humidity highlighting the games in Baltimore and New York and each venue looking at a 10 to 12 mph breeze out to center field. Enjoy!

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Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].

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