FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Monday 8/14/23

Monday's eight-game main offering has a strong selection at pitcher, though even the top options aren't without their question marks. Coors Field is the headliner on the hitting side, and it might be hard to fade the visitors.

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

Pitching Breakdown

The Los Angeles Angels are by no means a cupcake matchup for Max Scherzer ($10,500), but they're a lineup that tends to whiff a lot, giving Scherzer a clear path to a ceiling game. While the Angels' active roster has a scary .210 ISO versus right-handed pitching, it comes with a 24.8% strikeout rate.

Admittedly, the power is a bit scary for a pitcher who's given up 1.79 home runs per nine innings this season. However, Scherzer's also put up a rock-solid 27.4% strikeout rate -- the slate's second-best mark -- and innings volume is rarely a concern for him. He's logged quality starts in four of his last five outings, including both appearances since joining the Texas Rangers.

Due to back spasms, Tyler Glasnow ($10,700) last pitched on July 31st, so his workload could be limited on a team that tends to keep pitch counts in check to begin with.

That being said, when you have a 34.5% strikeout rate alongside a 2.99 SIERA and 51.6% ground-ball rate, you don't necessarily need a massive workload to accumulate fantasy points. Glasnow's fallen below eight strikeouts just once in his last seven starts, yet he's exceeded 100 pitches one time over that span.

The San Francisco Giants are an above-average offense, but their 3.56 implied team total is the night's worst mark. While Glasnow could end up being a fantasy dud if the Tampa Bay Rays severely curtail his pitch count, even a tally in the high 80s could be enough for him to come through.

Max Fried ($10,600), Logan Gilbert ($10,000), and Yu Darvish ($9,700) all deserve consideration, as well.

Of that trio, Gilbert is arguably the one who stands out due to his inviting matchup versus the Kansas City Royals. Against righties, Kansas City's active roster owns the league's fourth-worst wRC+ (92).

As for Gilbert himself, he's sporting a 25.1% strikeout rate and 4.4% walk rate, and we've seen his workload rise over the course of the season, which includes surpassing 100 pitches in back-to-back starts.

In the value range, Grayson Rodriguez ($7,500) has some appeal. While Rodriguez is getting absolutely wrecked by hard contact, the sizable gap between his 5.84 ERA and 4.21 SIERA still points to positive regression, and his 24.7% strikeout rate barely trails Gilbert. The rookie is consistently seeing pitch counts in the mid-90s, too, and he logged his first quality starts in two of his last three outings.

Still, Rodriguez's 9.6% walk rate is an eyesore, and this is a mediocre spot versus the San Diego Padres. He probably needs a lot to go right to compete with the likes of Scherzer and Glasnow tonight, but the significant salary discount keeps him in the mix.

Hitting Breakdown

The Arizona Diamondbacks are at Coors Field against Chris Flexen, so they're the obvious place to start for stacks.

Flexen has ugly, ugly numbers across the board, showing a 5.43 SIERA, 14.6% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, and 37.9% ground-ball rate while coughing up 2.75 home runs per nine innings. Given his astronomically-high 23.6% homer-to-fly-ball rate, those dingers will theoretically dip over the long haul -- but a 7.05 xERA suggests that it might not be by much.

Given the matchup, it isn't surprising to see the hefty salaries of Arizona's top bats. Corbin Carroll ($4,300), Ketel Marte ($4,000), and Christian Walker ($3,900) will be difficult to fit in together, and Lourdes Gurriel ($3,600) is at just a slightly lower cap hit.

Outside of punting with some low-order batters, Tommy Pham ($3,300) projects as a good points-per-dollar value considering both his power (11 home runs) and speed (14 stolen bases) upside.

On the bright side, perhaps the higher salaries will slightly lower the popularity of some of these bats for what will almost certainly be the chalk stack.

The Atlanta Braves' offense is just about always in play, and it's their lefties who stand out against Clarke Schmidt. While Schmidt can hold his own in same-sided matchups, that isn't the case versus lefty sticks, where we see a 5.25 xFIP, 18.3% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate, and 41.1% ground-ball rate.

This bumps up Matt Olson ($4,400) and Ozzie Albies ($3,900) to the front of the line and adds to the appeal of Eddie Rosario ($2,800) and Michael Harris II ($3,200). Of course, we shouldn't hesitate to include the top righties, as well, but they could have a tougher time getting going while Schmidt's in the game.

The St. Louis Cardinals are against one of the Oakland Athletics' better starters in left-hander JP Sears, but Sears also struggles to keep the ball in the park. Due to a sky-high 55.8% fly-ball rate, he's allowed 1.79 home runs per nine innings this season.

We should see roughly 11 mph winds blowing out at Busch Stadium, which could further put Sears in trouble.

St. Louis is much easier to stack than either Arizona or Atlanta, with all of Nolan Arenado ($3,400), Paul Goldschmidt ($3,300), Willson Contreras ($2,700), and Tyler O'Neill ($2,500) checking in at mid-to-low salaries.

Sears has actually performed poorly versus lefties (6.28 xFIP), so Nolan Gorman ($3,200) also deserves inclusion. Gorman hasn't missed a beat against left-handed pitching this season, boasting a .232 ISO in the split.

The New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers are other teams that could top the leaderboards tonight.

Over five starts, Quinn Priester has posted a 5.40 SIERA, 17.4% strikeout rate, and 13.0% walk rate, putting the Mets in a favorable matchup. On the other side of that game, the Pirates are against an over-the-hill Carlos Carrasco who has the slate's second-worst strikeout rate (15.5%). Patrick Sandoval doesn't allow a ton of home runs, but his 4.71 SIERA points to his 3.86 ERA regressing, and the Rangers pack plenty of punch.

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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.