FanDuel MLB DFS Picks and Helper: Thursday 8/8/24

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

There isn't a single pitcher with a salary above $10,000 as Bryan Woo ($9,400) is the highest-salaried option at the position for a date with the Detroit Tigers at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park. Woo is logging an impressive 0.95 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, and 3.49 xFIP at home while the Tigers have the seventh-worst wOBA (.305) and eighth-worst wRC+ (96) in the last month when facing right-handed pitching.

Me recommending Kyle Gibson ($9,100) goes to show just how thin Thursday's pitcher pool is. Gibson tends to keep the ball out of the air with a 46.5% groundball rate, and the Tampa Bay Rays are registering the 12th-worst wOBA (.313), 10th-worst ISO (.141), and 4th-highest strikeout rate (26.5%) versus right-handed pitchers over the last 14 days. Tampa Bay also has the fourth-highest groundball rate (43.8%) versus righties in 2024.

Tyler Anderson ($9,000) and Kevin Gausman ($8,900) both have unfavorable matchups, giving them even more risk than usual on Thursday. Anderson is in the 42nd percentile in xERA (4.19) ahead of a road meeting with the New York Yankees while Gausman ranks in the 10th percentile in xERA (5.09) and 4th percentile in barrel rate (11.2%) before taking the mound versus the Baltimore Orioles.

Shane Baz ($8,500) is an exciting young pitcher for the Rays, but his ceiling could be capped against a St. Louis Cardinals squad that has the seventh-lowest strikeout rate (20.0%) against righties over the last month of action. Besides failing to reach six-plus innings in three of his five starts this year, Baz has also given up multiple earned runs in four of his five outings.

Stacks to Target

• Arizona Diamondbacks (4.77 implied total) -- Kolby Allard ($6,200) is projected to start for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, and Arizona boasts the 8th-best wOBA (.337) and 10th-best ISO versus lefties in the last month. Philadelphia's bullpen is also posting the fourth-worst xFIP (4.72), fourth-worst WHIP (1.46), and worst HR/9 (2.0) over the last 30 days. It's easy to pick out Ketel Marte ($4,000) as a core play as he has an elite .468 wOBA, 207 wRC+, and .354 ISO versus southpaws in 2024.
• Philadelphia Phillies (4.73) -- It has been a forgettable debut season for Jordan Montgomery ($6,900) with the Diamondbacks as he is in the sixth percentile in xERA (5.33), second percentile in xBA (.295), and fourth percentile in strikeout rate (14.6%) through 16 starts. In the last month, Philly has the best wOBA (.389), best wRC+ (152), and third-best ISO (.239) against left-handed pitching. With Montgomery being woeful versus right-handed bats, Trea Turner ($3,800), Alec Bohm ($3,200), J.T. Realmuto ($2,900), and Nick Castellanos ($3,000) all receive boosts on Thursday.
• Baltimore Orioles (4.57) -- Gausman has seen his strikeout rate (22.4%) dip to the lowest mark of his career since 2018, and he ranks in the 10th percentile in xERA (5.09), 20th percentile in xBA (.268), and 4th percentile in barrel rate (11.2%). Those metrics could get Gausman in trouble against an Orioles squad that has the 8th-best wOBA (.337) and 10th-best ISO (.187) versus righties in the last 30 days. Using Jackson Holliday ($2,700) -- who has 15-plus FanDuel points in five straight contests -- in wraparound stacks for Baltimore could be one way to get different on Thursday's slate.
• Seattle Mariners (3.99) -- Even though the Mariners are playing at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park, the Tigers could have a bullpen game in store or may have either Alex Faedo (4.10 xERA) or Kenta Maeda (4.83 xERA) starting on Thursday. The uncertainty surrounding who will pitch for Detroit could lead to Seattle slipping through the cracks. Something else that makes the Mariners an intriguing team to stack is the fact they have just two players (Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena) who carry a salary of $3,100 or higher.

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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.