Happy Thursday! It is also Paul Skenes day again, which we always celebrate. We have a split slate today with a 6-game early slate and then a 6-game main slate this evening. 

Our playbook will be focused on the main slate, but there is plenty of great action on the early slate as well with Gerrit Cole and Jeffrey Springs being two pitchers I would be looking to build a lineup around considering their MLB DFS projections today. This gives us endless opportunities to create some more winning MLB DFS picks today! 

 

 

 

The 6-game slate this evening will start at 6:40 PM ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Only 6 games on a slate always make things interesting with limited options. Still, we have some great pitchers to target and plenty of offensive options to choose from as well, so let’s jump right into today’s playbook and my favorite MLB DFS picks for the day!

MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, August 22

The pitching options are interesting today. Do you trust Corbin Burnes to bounce back from his 9.00 ERA over his last 3 starts? What about Nick Lodolo and his 9.78 ERA over his last 4 starts? Will Spencer Arrighetti get back to double-digit strikeouts while having to face Baltimore? I am going with no for all three, but I still have 4 pitchers in my favorites, all of which are fantastic options. 

On the offensive side of MLB DFS projections, I am limiting my lineups to a handful of teams with a small slate and some quality pitching. The main lineups I am targeting today are the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, and Pittsburgh Pirates. 

 

 

 

MLB Weather Today, 8/22

Luckily, everything looks clear for tonight’s 6-game slate.

MLB DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator Today

This Playbook is your go-to guide for creating top-notch MLB DFS picks. Check out our expert tips and suggestions, and make sure to catch today’s MLB DFS projections, MLB DFS ownership projections and our dedicated MLB lineups page! 

Easily combine all this info with the MLB DFS Lineup Generator, which lets you secure your Core Plays and whip up winning lineups in no time! Today's sample lineup looks a little something like this: 

 

 

 

MLB DFS Lineup Picks: Starting Pitchers

Top Options For Strikeouts

Best Odds For A Win

MLB DFS Lineups: Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Sure, the dominance has slowed down a little bit with a 24.7% strikeout rate over his last 4 starts compared to the 34.2% strikeout rate he had in the 9 previous starts, but are we really going to complain about an almost 25% strikeout rate against some quality offenses (and Seattle)?

He gets to face a fading Cincinnati team away from Great American Ballpark. They have a 27.1% strikeout rate over the last two weeks, and with Paul Skenes still going 6 innings in almost every start, I am trusting that he will give another great performance. I am betting we see the 8-strikeout mark once again today. 

Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres

On DraftKings' MLB DFS projections, Dylan Cease has better strikeout and win odds than Paul Skenes today. The ceiling for him is just as high as for Paul Skenes. The last two outings were a bit disappointing, with only 5 strikeouts against the Marlins and Rockies, and the start before that got cut short by the weather. In his 5 starts before that, he had 44 strikeouts through 34.2 innings (averaging almost 7 innings a start) with a 1.04 ERA and 0.61 WHIP. 

The Mets have a solid offense, but they strike out plenty, and I don’t see any reason not to expect Cease to return to the dominance we have seen from him for most of this season. 

Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves

Spencer Schwellenbach has been excellent in the second half. In his 5 starts since the all-star break, he has a 36.1% strikeout rate through 31 innings with a 3.48 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He only has 1 win over that stretch, but that is more due to the lack of run support. 

The Phillies will give him his toughest challenge yet, but this Phillies offense has been mediocre in the second half, and it hasn’t really picked up a ton of life, even with the return of some of their key players. Schwellenbach isn’t as sure of a thing as Skenes or Cease, but given the discount, I think he provides a very good pivot option from those two in today's MLB DFS picks. 

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies

If you are looking for a cheap pitching option today I am turning to the other side of the game from Spencer Schwellenbach and going for Cristopher Sanchez against the Braves. He is coming off a complete game against the Washington Nationals, and though it was still only 4 strikeouts that still is extremely valuable. 

The strikeouts have been pretty lacking from Sanchez this season, and while he doesn't give you the strikeout upside that the other 3 pitchers do, going against the Atlanta Braves, who have the highest strikeout rate against lefties since the all-star break (31.6%), he could easily give you a handful of strikeouts still and at this price has a great chance to return value against a reeling Braves team. 

 

 

 

MLB DFS Lineup Picks: Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

MLB DFS Lineups: Core MLB DFS Hitters

Vladimir Guerrero, 1B Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are my favorite stack today, so I want to get the best player in their lineup. Going against Griffin Canning, this Blue Jays lineup provides the most value of any today, in my opinion. 

Vladdy is slashing .410/.485/.846 since the all-star break with 12 homers. Only Aaron Judge has a higher OPS than him in that time (that’s right, even over Bobby Witt, who is batting .445). Even being the highest-priced first base option, this price doesn’t seem very high for what Vlad has been doing, and I am paying it. 

Spencer Horwitz, 1B/2B Toronto Blue Jays

Do you need someone cheaper to stack with Vlad for today's MLB DFS picks? How about Spencer Hortwitz, who will likely be batting cleanup directly after Vlad against Canning Today? He has 2 homers and a double in the last two games, and with no price jump for him, I will ride the hot streak in this matchup. 

Ernie Clement, 3B/SS Toronto Blue Jays 

Okay, so getting the guy batting 4th in the Blue Jays order with 2 homers and a double in his last two games for $3,900 doesn’t quite do it for you. What if you could get a guy who has 2 homers and a double in his last two games and batted 5th yesterday for only $3,500? That is Ernie Clement. 

Stacking the heart of the order against Griffin Canning feels like a no-brainer today. With the multi-position eligibility of Horwitz and Clement, you can do it while still fitting in whatever other top targets you have today. 

Yordan Alvarez, OF Houston Astros

Speaking of top targets, I will pay for Yordan Alvarez' MLB DFS projections today, even against Corbin Burnes. Corbin Burnes had a rough time with the lefties in Boston in his last outing, giving up 8 earned runs off 10 hits in 4 innings, including homers by Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida (both lefties). 

Yordan hasn’t even needed to homer lately to provide some quality value (albeit he was quiet in his final two games against Boston). I like his power potential, and with the Astros' offense hitting like it is, he should get plenty of opportunities to do damage. If Burnes doesn’t have his cutter again, Yordan should be able to punish him. 

 

 

 

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