Happy Monday #Family we are back with another short slate of MLB DFS as we are getting close to the end of August. The good news being this late into the season means that we have a decent idea of who players are and hopefully have a better idea of what to expect. The bad news is that there isn’t a lot of time left for the MLB season. There isn’t any real star power taking the mound on Monday’s small slate but let’s get to the best options at different salary levels to help you start the week cashing some lineups.
Top Tier
Lance Lynn, CWS – This top tier lacks the elite names today and I don’t understand how Jordan Montgomery is the high salary pitcher on DK. Lynn doesn’t get a great matchup against the Blue Jays, but he has really good this year. I mean sure he got thrown out of the game last time out, but he has allowed one earned run or less in 11 of his last 14 starts. That includes a game on June 9th where he gave up just one run over seven innings while striking out nine against these Blue Jays. Given the lack of quality choices on the slate, Lynn is one of the safer options.
Zack Greinke, HOU – Despite how many innings he throws, Greinke just keeps getting the job done. His strikeout rate has plummeted this season, but his ERA is still very respectable, and he has 11 wins. However, only the Rangers and Orioles have scored fewer runs in the American League than the Royals and Greinke allowed just one run over six innings in his last start which was also against Kansas City. He didn’t record a single strikeout in that game, but that is unlikely to be repeated. Either way, the Royals are hitting just .238 as a team against right-handed pitching and the Astros should give Greinke plenty of run support to get the win with a solid pitching line.
Mid-Tier
Huascar Ynoa, ATL – It is not an easy draw against the Yankees who are finally hitting the ball like they should have all season long, but Ynoa has been a great story this season. In his return from the Injured List after punching the wall in May, Ynoa shutout the Marlins in his first start in three months, so I am confident he can keep up the momentum. His K/9 is a very nice 9.7, and he has pitched much better at home (1.54 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 11.6 K/9) than on the road (3.71 ERA/1.24 WHIP, 8.1 K/9). The Yankees have the tenth most strikeouts in all of baseball against right-handed pitching and are hitting just .229 as a team.
Marco Gonzales, SEA – The last month has been really good for Gonzales as he has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last six starts. He isn’t a strikeout machine, but he has whiffed 21 guys in his last 27 innings, so his rate is still acceptable. The A’s can bring some firepower, but Gonzales did hold them to two earned runs over 5.2 innings and struck out four. His ERA is also a half run lower on the road this season, and Oakland is known for being a pitcher’s ballpark.
Value Tier
Daniel Lynch, KC – This is another one that isn’t the best matchup, but it is a short slate, so we don’t have a ton of options. Plus, Lynch has been pretty solid this season. In fact, his last start was against these same Astros, and he allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out five. Lynch has made eight starts and he has only allowed more than three runs in one of them. I wouldn’t consider him for FanDuel where you only have one pitcher, but on DraftKings if you need to pay up for that stud hitter he might be worth rolling the dice with.