FanDuel MLB DFS Picks and Helper: Saturday 8/3/24

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

Based on matchup and recent form, today's slate has to start with Bailey Ober ($10,000) here.

Ober's early-season bad luck is a distant fever dream. He's gone at least 6.0 innings and posted at least 30.0 FanDuel points in each of his last seven starts with -- oddly enough -- the worst of those outings coming against today's opponent, the Chicago White Sox. I wouldn't expect a repeat; Chicago's 58 wRC+, .114 ISO, and 26.8% K rate against righties over the past 30 days are all bottom-three marks in baseball.

Though not quite possessing the same elite projected matchup, Hunter Greene ($10,800) definitely works as a top alternative. Greene's managed a 2.97 ERA despite half his starts at "Great American Smallpark" due to an elite rate of whiffs (12.7%) and his ability to suppress hard contact (32.4% rate allowed). The visiting San Francisco Giants' .687 team OPS against orthodox pitchers in the past month isn't scary with a decent history of striking out (23.0%) in this time.

Now that the deadline has come and gone, the daring might look to a four-digit salary on Garrett Crochet ($9,700) should the games end. Crochet hasn't seen a fifth inning in four straight starts. The juice could be worth the squeeze if the shackles come off the elite lefty considering Ober's Minnesota Twins have a paltry 82 wRC+ and a good amount of punchouts (24.0% rate) against lefties in the past 30 days.

The last guy I'd mention is Jack Flaherty. The Los Angeles Dodgers' newest arm is on the road to visit the Oakland Athletics, but Oakland has surged to a .972 OPS against righties in the past 30 days. That's the best mark in baseball. If there's anyone that can put them back into prior-season form, it's likely Flaherty and his elite 2.96 expected ERA (xERA), 32.0% K rate, and minimal 35.9% rate of hard contact allowed.

I'd put Flaherty a distant fourth if assuming Crochet sees a better workload, but this could be another Saturday main slate with one hurler who is overwhelmingly chalky in tournaments.

Stacks to Target

• New York Mets (4.95 implied team total)
  • Jose Soriano's 3.69 ERA is starting to regress toward his 4.36 xERA recently on the back of a lofty rate of hard contact (44.6%). The Mets crush righties (117 wRC+ in last 30 days), and the Los Angeles Angels' bullpen has continued to struggle over the past month (4.32 xFIP).
• San Diego Padres (4.66)
  • The Friars were held down against a lefty, but I don't love righty Tanner Gordon's chances, per a 7.05 xERA, .343 expected batting average (xBA), and 44.6% hard-hit rate allowed. The first six in San Diego's order all have plus marks in the split.
• Los Angeles Dodgers (4.44)
  • "Dodgers in Oakland" would have been a no-doubt position in June, but their .741 OPS against righties in the past month with all the injuries isn't special, and Mitch Spence (3.79 xERA) hasn't been too shabby. If they're projecting to be popular, I'll bail.
• Seattle Mariners (4.11)
  • Largely a bullpen game for the Philadelphia Phillies with an opener before Kolby Allard (4.70 xERA; .290 xBA). The Mariners in one of baseball's best pitching parks are never an easy sell, but with the Phils' bullpen also struggling as a whole (4.28 xFIP in the past month), we've got to consider them on a tough slate for stacks.

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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.