Monday, Aug. 22, gets a fresh week jumpstarted with an eight-game, frontloaded main slate beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks today for pitchers and stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
DraftKings & FanDuel MLB DFS Picks Today (8/22)
Main Slate: Cardinals at LHP Drew Smyly — 4.6 implied runs
The Stokastic Top Stacks Tool is having a hard time with St. Louis having an implied run total under 5.0, considering they are facing a lefty. We spend a lot of time covering just how epically bad Detroit is against right-handed pitching, but we are not acknowledging that St. Louis has been historically good this season against southpaws. Currently, the Cardinals lead the league with a 151 wRC+ against left-handed pitching, which means they are creating runs 51% more effectively than league average and double what the Tigers are doing against right-handed hurlers.
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have long been among the best in the game against opposite-handed pitching, but they are being joined by most of their teammates this season. Albert Pujols has been resurgent as a platoon player, and he has a .333 ISO in his 94 plate appearances against lefties, including six doubles and nine home runs. Paul DeJong always has had power, but he too has been resurgent since being recalled from the minors. Add in Dylan Carlson’s breakout and the steady presence of Tyler O’Neill, and this is a terrifying lineup for Drew Smyly.
Smyly has just a league-average 21% strikeout rate over the last two seasons while allowing a .200-plus ISO to batters from both sides of the plate. It is going to be in the low-70s with a light breeze in from right field during this game, but now seems like a good time to jump on the Redbirds run line or the over 8.5, which is currently at slightly plus money.
Late Slate: Dodgers vs. LHP Eric Lauer — 5.0 implied runs
The Stokastic Top Batters Tool thinks that Eric Lauer can be exploited tonight by the Dodgers. While the 27-year-old southpaw has been a steadying presence in the Milwaukee rotation, he is approaching a career high in innings, which may have contributed to the four home runs he has allowed in his last two turns on the mound. Two of those were courtesy of the Dodgers in his last start, and it was the Cardinals who got him the game before. There is no shame in that, as these are excellent teams against left-handed pitchers. However, it is a little concerning, as is the drop in Lauer’s strikeout upside, which began tailing off in mid-July.
Trea Turner, Mookie Betts and catcher Will Smith are the trio to target, along with first baseman Freddie Freeman, who excels in lefty-lefty matchups. Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson are discounted differentiation plays, though it should be noted that Thompson is also a pinch-hit risk if a righty comes in from the bullpen.
Best MLB DFS Pitchers
Primary Target: LHP Jeffrey Springs vs. Angels — 3.1 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,700 | FanDuel $8,000
There are no particularly “safe” pitching options Monday, and frankly, the top eight are barely separated by half a dozen fantasy points. This should make for a fun tournament slate, as aces like Max Scherzer and Julio Urias have tricky matchups. If either falters even slightly, there are plenty of yet-to-be-identified options who could top the fantasy point leaderboard.
Jeffrey Springs will be facing an Angels squad that has been struggling mightily. They have produced the fifth-fewest runs on the season, and over their last six games (1-5), they have plated just 15 runs, with three or fewer runs in five of those appearances. Mike Trout has played in three games since missing five weeks with a back injury. In these games, he is 3-for-11 with no extra-base hits. Shohei Ohtani was pulling double duty Sunday afternoon, but he left the game with stomach issues after completing the fourth inning. Unfortunately, he has also seemed a little off in his recent pitching starts and allowed the longest home run of his career to Riley Greene, who launched a 448-foot moon shot on the first pitch of the game. It would not be a shock to see Ohtani get a night off to regroup.
The Halos are a slightly below average team against lefties, even at full strength. Springs has been excellent this season, spending some time as a reliever before stretching out as a starter. In his three August appearances, he has tallied 16 innings, a 1.69 ERA, 18 strikeouts and no home runs. Tonight he should be good for 80 to 85 pitches, and that will likely be enough for him to close out the fifth inning and be the pitcher of record with a chance at the win.
Secondary Target: RHP Jake Odorizzi at Pirates — 5.0 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,200 | FanDuel $7,300
The last five starts for Jake Odorizzi have been rough. This stretch includes three with Houston, the most recent two coming after his trade to Atlanta as part of the deal that sent Will Smith to the Astros to bolster their bullpen. Odorizzi was injured as he tried to cover first base towards the end of May. The fear was an Achilles injury, but he ended up with just strained ligaments and a sprained ankle. This cost him around a month, and then after he returned, he also had to deal with a blister on his middle finger.
This is a long way of saying that the last five starts spanning 25.2 innings and resulting in just 18 strikeouts, half a dozen home runs and a 5.26 ERA is not a new baseline. Odorizzi has indicated the blister issue has resolved itself, and his ability to go 90 to 95 pitches over his last handful of starts bears this out.
Pittsburgh is just playing out the string on this season while being overmatched by pitchers of either handedness. On the season, the Pirates active roster has a 23.8% strikeout rate against right-handed hurlers while also being in the bottom third of the league with a .143 ISO and 91 wRC+ and plating just 3.6 runners per tilt.
Wild Card Target: LHP Jordan Montgomery at Cubs — 3.5 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $8,300 | FanDuel $9,200
Jordan Montgomery could easily flip spots with Springs, though with the Halos limping towards the finish line and the Cubs being above average against lefties, this categorization seems appropriate. Since being traded by the Yankees, Montgomery has been lights out in a St. Louis uniform. In three starts, he has held the opposition to one run while striking out 17 across 16.2 frames. If Montgomery can finish the game with more ground balls than fly balls, he should be in the mix for a victory as well as half a dozen strikeouts.
Additional Opportunities
Eric Lauer has a 5.5 strikeout prop for his matchup against the Dodgers, and the Stokastic MLB Player Props Tool has him for 5.1 strikeouts and a 65% chance of failing to record the six whiffs it will take to surpass the over. We are laying heavy juice at -150 on the under, so this wager is best utilized as part of a same-game or straight parlay to create a better payout. In the event this strategy 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
- RHP Michael Kopech at Kansas City Royals (Early)
- RHP Max Scherzer at New York Yankees (Main)
- RHP Sonny Gray vs. Texas Rangers (Main)
- RHP Noah Syndergaard vs. Cincinnati Reds (Main SP2)
- LHP Julio Urias vs. Milwaukee Brewers (Late)
Other Hitting Options
- Jose Abreu at LHP Daniel Lynch (Early)
- Jose Miranda vs. LHP Cole Ragans (Main)
- Randy Arozarena vs. LHP Tucker Davidson (Main)
- Matt Olson at RHP Roansy Contreras (Main)
- Jesus Aguilar at RHP Adam Oller (Late)
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Final MLB DFS Thoughts & MLB Weather Notes
Much like this weekend, there are some weather concerns in the Mid-Atlantic, with New York and Philadelphia likely to get a little wet. As of the forecasts this morning, it looks like each game has a window to play in — but keep an eye on these situations as we get closer to first pitch. It seems that Atlanta has brought scattered showers with them to Pittsburgh, though the worst-case scenario looks like only a delay.
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