MLB DFS: Sunday, August 18th provides a nine game “main” slate on DraftKings, FanDuel and FantasyDraft, however if you are looking for the teams playing in Texas and Coors Field on your “main” slate then head over to Yahoo. Before you lock in your fantasy baseball lineups and MLB picks, make sure to check out Awesemo’s MLB rankings and projections. Not a member? Sign up HERE and use Promo Code: MLBSTACKS for 50% off any one month subscription.
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Greetings Gamers! Welcome Sunday Funday with a nine game “main” slate operating without the two “best” games (Texas and Coors Field) on most sites… well, those not named Yahoo.
If you haven’t signed up for Yahoo Fantasy DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit and you will be eligible for $30 of “free play” which Yahoo will match through the first $30 of your deposit (this bonus will be received in Yahoo Sports Rewards Points aka YSRP which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately).
Main Slate
Boston Red Sox vs LHP Ty Blach – 7.9 implied runs
Oh for the luv… the BoSox have nearly an 8.0 implied run total against the team that has allowed the most runs in the league (Seattle and Colorado are about 60-70 runs behind as the next two closest teams). Everyone including the bat boy and the lucky fan in section 214 can be rostered in this one.
Toronto Blue Jays vs LHP Yusei Kikuchi – 5.9 implied runs
Well it finally happened and now LHP Yusei Kikuchi is on the cusp of wresting the home runs allowed title from former teammate RHP Mike Leake against a team with a little experience but a lot of pop. Vladimir Guerrero left early on Saturday with a strain, so he may not be in the lineup, but this is another spot where pretty much everyone taking the field will be a live option in all formats on Sunday.
Afternoon Slate
Arlington – 11.0 implied runs
Once again it is going to be approaching triple digits at first pitch in Texas though our two hurlers LHP Martin Perez and RHP Lance Lynn have done a pretty good job of not getting destroyed on the mound, particularly Lynn who is having one of his better seasons considering that he is in Texas and facing the designated hitter. Perez has allowed ten home runs over his last four starts so I would want to begin there and look to the lefties against him with the preferred order considering price, projected popularity, position eligibility and potential production being Danny Santana, Hunter Pence, Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor, Willie Calhoun, Logan Forsythe and Delino DeShields.
Coors Field – 13.5 implied runs
It should be in the low-90s and with a pair of young righties on the bump in Jordan Yamamoto and Peter Lambert look to the lefties with the Rockies offering up Charlie Blackmon, Raimel Tapia, Ryan McMahon and Daniel Murphy with Nolan Arenado along with Trevor Story as solid plays. For the Marlins it will be Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker and Isan Diaz and then we can fill in elsewhere as price/position needs dictate.
Late Slate
San Francisco Giants at RHP Merrill Kelly – 4.7 implied runs
This will probably be the tenth time I have recommended batters against RHP Merrill Kelly, but the 30-year old rookie deserves to be picked on after serving up eight home runs in his last four starts spanning 19.1 innings with 22 earned runs, five walks, 32 hits and 17 strikeouts. As I have mentioned before, he spent five years in the minors with Tampa Bay never going beyond AAA-Durham before spending the last five seasons in Korea.
His 24 home runs allowed are just outside of the top ten this season and it has been the righties (16) that have done more damage than opposite-handed batsmen (8). His 311 same-handed matchups have culminated in a .331 wOBA and .227 ISO though Evan Longoria and Buster Posey are likely to be the only two righties in the lineup for the Giants as they can get very platoon heavy. Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Scooter Gennett and the Brandons will likely be the others in the lineup and their pricing is all over the place depending on which site you favor.
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or on Twitter @EMacDFS.
Good Luck Gamers! ~ EMac
Awesemo’s MLB Projections
In addition to our MLB Projections, Awesemo’s ownership projections come out every day before lineup lock.We also release a daily Top Stack projection, which takes a look at how likely each MLB stack is to be the highest scoring unit on the slate, relative to our projected ownership and value. Want a more in-depth look? Check out Data Central page, which tallies up every single bit of data we’ve collected over the course of the day, including chance of postponement.
Awesemo YouTube
Of course, please do stop by our Awesemo YouTube channel for loads of FREE MLB DFS content, including fantasy MLB lineup advice on The Strategy Show with Josh Engleman and Loughy, as well as MLB picks on Four Corners with Chris Spags, and the MLB Deep Dive with Awesemo, Loughy and ShipMyMoney, where they’ll discuss Awesemo’s MLB rankings.
