FanDuel MLB DFS Picks and Helper: Monday 8/19/24

Our daily fantasy helper is available every day to analyze FanDuel's main slate and give you a starting point when you're building lineups.

Be sure to incorporate our MLB DFS projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- into your research process. numberFire also has the latest starting lineups and weather as well as heat maps to help you find the best matchups.

Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Note: All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

MLB DFS Picks

Pitcher Breakdown

Tonight's nine-game MLB DFS slate features several strong arms to build lineups around, with three pitchers cracking a five-figure salary and another three eclipsing $9K. FanDuel's main slate locks at 7:07 pm ET.

Michael King ($10,600) boasts the slate's highest salary, and he's worth considering even in a tough matchup against the Minnesota Twins. King has been rolling of late, exceeding 45 FanDuel points (FPs) in four of his last five starts. He's pitched to a 2.08 ERA with a 35.3% K% over that stretch, lowering his season-long ERA to 3.19. His ERA indicators (3.32 xERA; 3.35 xFIP; 3.48 SIERA) are rock-solid, and the strikeout upset is high enough warrant rostering him even with Minnesota sporting the sixth-best wRC+ (112) against RHP. King is projected for a slate-leading 40.1 FPs, according to our MLB DFS projections.

Taj Bradley ($9,800) has given up 15 runs over his last three starts, failing to score more than 22 FPs in all three blow-ups. But in a road date against the Oakland Athletics, I'm optimistic he bounces back in a big way. Bradley still has a stellar 28.5% K% on the year, and his 3.52 SIERA suggests he's pitched quite well overall. Before these recent struggles, Taj had scored 34 FPs in six of his previous seven starts. Oakland isn't a total pushover against righties, but they're just 16th in wRC+ (98) and sport the third-highest K% (25.3%) in that split. That puts Bradley in a strong position to produce in DFS and makes the over on his 6.5 strikeout prop an intriguing wager at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Others to Consider

• Seth Lugo ($9,400 vs. LAA) - Lugo continues to outperform relative to his ERA indicators (3.97 xERA; 3.96 xFIP; 4.07 SIERA), but it's hard not to like him at home against the Los Angeles Angels. The righty has failed to crack 20 FPs in three of his last five outings, but he went for at least 40 FPs in the two others. There's a wide range of outcomes here, but I like the upside in a bounce back spot against an Angels side that ranks 26th in wRC+ (89) and has a 23.4% K% against right-handed pitchers.
• Kyle Harrison ($8,200 vs. CHW) - Despite a trio of poor outings from Kyle Harrison, there's plenty of reason to buy into him bouncing back with the Chicago White Sox in town. Harrison has a 3.64 ERA and 25% K% at Oracle Park, taking full advantage of Statcast's third-best venue for pitchers. That bodes well for his chances of producing against a White Sox team that ranks dead-last in wRC+ (74) and wOBA (.274) against lefties. Their 24.6% K% in that split (sixth-highest in baseball) gives Harrison upside, and that's reflected in our projections. We peg Harrison for 33.8 FPs tonight, making him the top point-per-dollar value at pitcher (4.12 FPs per $1,000).

Stacks to Target

• Kansas City Royals (5.28 implied total) -- The Royals are the clear top stack tonight, and it's hard to pick holes in their home date with Carson Fulmer. The right-handed Fulmer has a 4.32 SIERA while allowing a 10.2% barrel rate on the year, making Bobby Witt Jr. ($4,700) a priority for KC stacks. In this split, Vinnie Pasquantino ($3,300) and Salvador Perez ($3,00) are strong options, too. Michael Massey ($2,800) is the fourth-best point-per-dollar value among hitters, according to our MLB DFS projections.
• Texas Rangers (4.59) -- Texas has an appealing matchup against Pittsburgh Pirates righty Luis Ortiz. Ortiz's 4.47 SIERA is nothing to write home about while 9.2% barrel and 42.6% fly-ball rates offer plenty of upside for the Rangers. With a right-handed pitcher on the bump, I'm into Corey Seager ($3,600), Josh Jung ($3,100), and Josh Smith ($3,000).
• New York Mets (4.48) -- The Mets feast against lefties, so they're primed to rake against southpaw Trevor Rogers. Rogers has given up 12 runs in three starts with the Baltimore Orioles; the Mets can take advantage of his 4.91 SIERA and 44% hard-hit rate marks. It's hard to go wrong when stacking Mets against lefties, though Mark Vientos ($3,200), Pete Alonso ($3,300), and J.D. Martinez ($3,000) stand out in this split.
• Tampa Bay Rays (3.94) -- Tampa's implied total isn't ideal, but this isn't a slate that projects for a ton of offense and you won't find a better matchup than Oakland's Joe Boyle. Boyle's 5.39 SIERA is easily the worst mark on the slate, and his 17.1% walk rate could lead to plenty of runners on base for the Rays. Against a righty, Brandon Lowe ($3,300) and Josh Lowe ($3,000) are both strong options. Dylan Carlson ($2,600) and Junior Caminero ($2,400) could save you salary.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.