FanDuel MLB DFS Picks and Helper: Tuesday 8/13/24

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

Michael King ($9,800) enters Tuesday's slate with the highest salary at pitcher ahead of making back-to-back starts versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Besides playing at home -- where he has a 33.5% strikeout rate and 3.08 xFIP -- King faces a Pirates squad that has the ninth-worst wOBA (.296), seventh-worst wRC+ (88), and second-worst ISO (.121) against right-handed pitching in the last month.

Which version of Kevin Gausman ($8,800) will we be getting on Tuesday? The Gausman who posted 52 FanDuel points versus the Texas Rangers three starts ago, or the Gausman who tallied a mere 8 FanDuel points against the New York Yankees two starts ago? An 11.3% barrel rate and 42.8% hard-hit rate aren't ideal for Gausman, but the Los Angeles Angels have the sixth-worst wOBA (.290), sixth-worst wRC+ (84), and worst ISO (.117) when facing right-handed pitching over the last 30 days.

There was a point where the Oakland Athletics were one of the best teams in baseball against right-handed pitchers. The A's have cooled off a bit in that split to the tune of a .279 wOBA, 83 wRC+, and .140 ISO in the last 14 days of action. This bodes well for Paul Blackburn ($8,300), who is set to make his home debut for the New York Mets against his former team after allowing a combined two earned runs in road meetings with the Colorado Rockies and Angels.

Kyle Harrison ($8,100) is the next southpaw who gets a crack at an Atlanta Braves squad that has the highest strikeout rate (34.6%) versus lefties in the last 30 days. While Harrison is in just the 44th percentile in strikeout rate (21.7%) this season, he posted a 26.8% strikeout rate across his four starts in July. The strikeout upside is certainly there for Harrison, but his 10.0% barrel rate and 44.2% hard-hit rate could get him in trouble against the Braves.

For those looking to fit in a bunch of high-salary bats, Zebby Matthews ($6,100) is a viable pitcher to deploy. Although it's a small sample size, Matthews logged a 2.96 xFIP, 28.4% strikeout rate, 28.6% flyball rate, and 13.4% swinging strike rate in four Triple-A starts this year. The matchup isn't ideal versus the Kansas City Royals, but Matthews doesn't need to do much to be a solid point-per-dollar play.

Stacks to Target

• New York Yankees (5.53 implied total) -- A lot of people got burned by the Yankees on Monday, but they are much better versus righties than lefties. In the last month, the Bronx Bombers have the second-best wOBA (.380), best wRC+ (151), and second-best ISO (.232) against right-handed pitching. Even though Jonathan Cannon has been better in recent starts, the bullpen of the Chicago White Sox has registered the worst xFIP (5.24) and WHIP (1.72) over the last 30 days.
• Arizona Diamondbacks (5.15) -- Regardless of whether or not Ketel Marte ($3,800) plays on Tuesday, the Diamondbacks should do plenty of damage against Austin Gomber and the bullpen of the Rockies. Gomber ranks in the 13th percentile in xERA (5.01), 10th percentile in xBA (.278), and 8th percentile in barrel rate (10.6%). Josh Bell ($2,800) and Jake McCarthy ($2,900) are fantastic salary-saving options in Arizona stacks.
• Texas Rangers (4.68) -- Has there been a pitcher who has struggled worse in recent starts than Kutter Crawford has? Crawford has surrendered a total of 22 earned runs and 13 homers across his last four starts, and he'll face the Rangers for the second time in his last three outings. With Crawford giving up a 53.6% flyball rate and 2.15 HR/9 to lefties, Corey Seager ($3,500), Josh Smith ($3,000), Nathaniel Lowe ($3,000), and Leody Taveras ($2,800) are the primary targets in Rangers stacks.
• San Diego Padres (4.58) -- The Padres could go overlooked on a slate that has plenty of stacks to choose from. San Diego is sporting the eighth-best wOBA (.341), seventh-best wRC+ (125), and second-lowest strikeout rate (16.5%) against right-handed pitching in the last 30 days. Luis Ortiz has given up three earned runs in three straight outings, and he'll take on the Padres for the second time in the last week. Jackson Merrill($3,300) has been red-hot with 25-plus FanDuel points in three of his last six contests.

Dinger Tuesday is back! Place a pre-live, straight "To Hit a Home Run" wager on any MLB game happening August 13th. You’ll get Bonus Bets for each home run BOTH TEAMS hit in the game! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking to build some MLB DFS lineups? Check out FanDuel’s daily fantasy baseball lobby to see all the offerings for today’s slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.