This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
As we head toward August, a few teams have already played their 100th games with others about to join them. We've been in this MLB season for a while, but it can still be tricky to stay on top of everything going on. That can be an issue when it comes to setting your DFS lineups. Fortunately, I have some recommendations. There are 15 games on the MLB slate, with the first couple starting at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Get your lineup in early! Maybe with some of these players!
PITCHING
Yu Darvish, SD at MIA ($10,300): Darvish has posted a 3.09 ERA through 19 starts with his new team in San Diego. Has he benefited from playing his home games at Petco? The 2.79 ERA should confirm that. Things should balance out in this matchup because Darvish is visiting the Marlins and they rank 28th in runs scored.
Zack Greinke, HOU vs. TEX ($8,400): Greinke comes in with 3.58 ERA, but that mark is 3.11 over his last nine starts. He's been the opposite of Darvish, as he's managed better numbers on the road. But once again I don't mind because of the matchup considering the Rangers are 27th in runs scored, thanks in part to a sub-.300 OBP.
Lance Lynn, CWS at MIL ($9,700): Lynn looked solid the last couple of years in Texas, but he's taken his game to a new level with the White Sox with perhaps his best year logging a 1.94 ERA and 10.04 strikeouts per nine innings. The Brewers are in the middle of the pack in terms of runs scored, but they're also in the bottom-five in team batting average.
Sonny Gray, CIN vs. STL ($8,600): Gray is coming off a rough start that raised his ERA from 3.19 to 3.65. That was an anomaly as he managed a 2.42 mark across the previous nine starts. The Cardinals added Nolan Arenado this offseason, but still sit in the bottom-five in runs scored.
TOP TARGETS
Rafael Devers, BOS vs. NYY ($4,100): Though he plays for the Red Sox, Devers is possibly underrated. He boasts stellar power slugging .580 with 26 home runs. Devers' 1.024 OPS against righties is also quite impressive. Domingo German tallied a 4.71 FIP in 2019, the last season he pitched. So far in 2021, he's been more of the same with a 4.70 FIP.
Jesse Winker, CIN vs. STL ($3,600): Winker has slashed .297/.374/.531, and it's not a fluke considering he holds a career .868 OPS and a .901 over the last two seasons. Johan Oviedo will be on the mound for the Cardinals, and he enters with a career 5.01 ERA.
VALUE BATS
Austin Meadows, TAM at CLE ($3,300): The Rays, including Meadows, are probably happy to be seeing a right-handed pitcher on the mound. Triston McKenzie is not merely a righty, but one with a 5.91 ERA. It's a little disappointing Meadows isn't stealing bases like he did in 2019, but he's still crushed 18 home runs and a .899 OPS against right-handers.
David Peralta, ARI at CHC ($3,000): Peralta has produced an .802 OPS versus righties since 2019. Meanwhile, Trevor Williams is more than a pitcher with a 5.61 ERA over the last three seasons. He's also allowed left-handed bats to go .308 against him since 2019. Basically, southpaws are collectively competing for a batting title against Williams.
LINEUP STACKS TO CONSIDER
Athletics vs. Marco Gonzales: Mark Canha ($2,900), Ramon Laureano ($3,200), Jed Lowrie ($2,800)
Last season, it seemed like Gonzales might actually be turning his career around. But then 2021 happen and it's been the worst of his career with a 6.11 FIP. Gonzales's problem is the fact he's allowed 2.34 home runs per nine innings. And don't think just because he's a southpaw he wipes out lefties. In fact, since 2019, left-handed batters have hit .271 against. Although, I did still go with two righties and a switch hitter.
It's best for Canha this contest is on the road. He's posted a .751 OPS at home this year, but a .949 away. Canha has also managed a .390 OBP over the last three seasons. In his last full campaign, Laureano racked up 24 homers and 13 stolen bases, and he's at 14 and 11 this season. It seemed as though Lowrie was winding down his career a couple years ago, but he's currently hitting .261 with 11 home runs.
Angels vs. Bailey Ober: Shohei Ohtani ($4,400), Jared Walsh ($3,200), David Fletcher ($3,000)
Ober has been thrust into the fifth-starter role for the Twins, and the 26-year-old rookie has struggled in the role with a 5.45 ERA while giving up 2.37 home runs per nine innings. And it's admittedly a small-sample size, but he's also allowed lefties to hit .333 against.
Ohtani has probably been the best hitter in baseball this year and leads the majors in homers. I don't need to say anything more about him, though I will note he's a lefty. Walsh is also a southpaw and has posted an OPS over 1.000 against righties over the last two seasons. Fletcher often leads off for the Angels, which makes sense. He doesn't offer a lot of power, but his career average is .298 and his career OBP is .345.
