Thursday, Aug. 25, is getaway day, with three afternoon games leading into a six-game featured slate that begins 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 (8/25)
Main Slate: New York Mets vs. RHP Ryan Feltner — 4.9 implied runs
The Stokastic Top Stacks Tool is wondering just how many at-bats the Metropolitans will end up having with ducks on the pond. In his 14 appearances during the last two seasons, Ryan Feltner has allowed 1.48 baserunners per inning, a 44.8% hard-hit rate and a 38.8% ground ball rate. The 6.00-plus xERA indicates that Feltner is living on borrowed time.
New York has been firing on all cylinders this season, with a 123 wRC+ against right-handed hurlers that is second to only the Dodgers. The top seven rival any team in the league, and rookie Brett Baty has flashed impressive power, though he does have holes in his swing. Baty, along with Dan Vogelbach, should terrify opposing right-handed hurlers, as they are the “easier” outs in the lineup. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are the trio to target at the top of the order. Jeff McNeil and Mark Canha can provide much-needed differentiation at the bottom of the lineup, and they are solid as a contrarian twosome.
Late Slate: New York Yankees at RHP James Kaprielian — 4.5 implied runs
The Stokastic Top Batters Tool knows that you know that the Yankees are in a good spot tonight. It is hard to miss these things when Aaron Judge seems to hit a home run every other game. To his credit, James Kaprielian has rounded into form, and while he is not a shutdown pitcher, he has become a “crafty” righty. Usually that moniker is reserved for softer-tossing lefties, but it is apropos in this case. In his last 11 starts, the 28-year-old has logged 59.1 innings with a 2.88 ERA while allowing just five home runs. The downside risk is that he has been lucky on balls in play and survived 26 walks, despite a low 6.7 K/9 rate.
Across his last 914 batters faced, Kaprielian still has a .197 combined isolated power, a 5.46 xFIP and a mediocre 10.0% swinging strike rate. If any team can rain on his parade, it is a loaded New York squad. Judge, Anthony Rizzo, D.J. LeMahieu, Andrew Benintendi and former Athletic Josh Donaldson should be the primary options in any stacks.
Best MLB DFS Pitchers
Primary Target: RHP Jacob deGrom vs. Colorado Rockies — 2.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $10,800 | FanDuel $12,500
Today, the pitching rankings are very clear cut. Of course, “baseball being baseball” means anything goes in large-field tournaments, though for those of you looking to play it safe, Jacob deGrom against an overwhelmed Colorado squad is the way to go. We know that heading into the thin Denver air, or leaving after an extended stay, does tend to mess with hitters. Because the ball behaves differently than it does at high altitude when compared with sea level, this is going to be an adjustment game for the Rockies, who are coming off a five-game homestand.
DeGrom has been otherworldly in his four games this season after missing significant time with an injury, with 37 strikeouts in 23.1 innings, allowing just six runs and a dozen baserunners. Yes, that math works out to a 0.51 WHIP, which is downright comical.
Secondary Target: RHP Aaron Nola vs. Cincinnati Reds — 3.1 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $10,000 | FanDuel $10,800
Tonight, Aaron Nola has a matchup against a depleted Cincinnati offense that will be without Joey Votto for the remainder of the season. Mike Moustakas was the planned fill-in for Votto, though he is day-to-day with a calf issue, and once again Jonathan India is dealing with lower leg soreness.
On the season, Nola has been outstanding, with a career-best 3.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, plus his 174 strikeouts are the sixth most in the league. Over 157.2 innings, he has issued just 22 walks while ceding only 16 home runs. Take the cherry matchup and look for differentiation at other positions.
Wild Card Target: RHP Lance Lynn at Baltimore Orioles — 3.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,800 | FanDuel $9,100
Lance Lynn has been improving over the last month now that he has built up his stamina after making his debut in mid-June. Baltimore has a decent offense, though the reasonable salary on DraftKings has taken out a lot of the downside risk, other than a complete meltdown on the mound. The wild card designation for Lynn is the result of what looks like a heavy interest in him as an SP2 on the two-pitcher sites. On FanDuel, the quality start bonus is a big deal for increasing tournament success. Unfortunately, that is a tall order in this matchup for Lynn, so he can be skipped in all formats on FanDuel tonight.
Additional Opportunities
Jacob deGrom should be a stalwart in DFS lineups tonight. However, his 9.5 strikeout prop for his matchup against the Colorado is a tall ask. The Stokastic MLB Player Props Tool has him for 7.9 strikeouts and a 69% chance of failing to record the 10 strikeouts it will take to surpass the over. This is a nice way to hedge against the DFS field, by being able to grab a little green if deGrom takes even the slightest dip from his current form.
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
- RHP Jordan Lyles vs. Chicago White Sox (Main SP2)
- RHP Kevin Gausman at Boston Red Sox (Main)
- RHP Luis H. Garcia vs. Minnesota Twins (Late)
- RHP Jameson Taillon at Oakland Athletics (Late)
Other Hitting Options
- Isaac Paredes vs. LHP Patrick Sandoval (Early)
- Alec Bohm vs. RHP Justin Dunn (Main)
- Teoscar Hernandez at RHP Kutter Crawford (Main)
- Alex Verdugo vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (Main)
- Kyle Tucker vs. RHP Chris Archer (Late)
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Final MLB DFS Thoughts & MLB Weather Notes
Thursday’s weather looks clear across all slates and venues. Enjoy!
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