DFS Plays of the Day – 8/16/2023

Slate Details

 

DK/FD – Main slate (8 games) – starts at 7:05 p.m. EDT

 

Weather Impact

 

No rain concerns for the main slate today but there are some strong winds blowing out to left in CHW@CHC and SEA@KC so bear that in mind.

 

Pitching

 

We start off tonight’s main slate with a battle between two talented lefties in James Paxton and MacKenzie Gore and against my better judgment I think I am going with Gore in this one. Paxton has been a little shaky over the last month and the Washington offense has been shockingly tough of late. Meanwhile, the Boston offense has been just plain mediocre. I don’t think Gore is going to put up an insane slate winning line, but he could provide a solid quality start with modest strikeout upside.

I love Reid Detmers but the Rangers offense is just too dangerous right now. On the other hand, the Angels’ offense has been putrid of late, scoring more than 4 runs just once in their last 10 games. Jon Gray is always a scary pitcher to roster because he could blow up in your face or pitch a complete game shutout. I’m hoping for something closer to the latter, but I’d settle for a quality start in this one.

The Royals’ offense has been as hot as just about anyone in baseball, but you have to think at some point they are going to come back down to Earth. I think that could happen today when they face Seattle ace Luis Castillo, who limited the dangerous Orioles bats to 2 hits and 1 run while striking out 8 over 6 innings in his last start. Aside from one brief hiccup, Castillo has been excellent over the last couple of months and is usually a good option against anybody.

Finally, we are going with Clayton Kershaw, who is quietly having another excellent season at 10-4 with a 2.51 ERA. In the late game, he faces a Milwaukee Brewers lineup that just isn’t very intimidating offensively. Kershaw should roll through the Brew Crew and is about as safe an option as there is on this slate.

 

Hitting

It’s very simple. Get as many Atlanta Braves into your lineup as possible against Randy Vasquez. This 2023 Braves team is looking like one of the best offenses of all time and that is not an exaggeration. They are averaging a whopping 8.1 runs per game over their last 10 games. The fact of the matter is they are going to score a lot tonight so do your best to stack them in your DFS lineups.

Speaking of juggernaut offenses, the Texas Rangers are back and bopping again and while I am a fan of Reid Detmers, he might have a tough go of it tonight. I am all for stacking Texas RHHs and of course Corey Seager as well.

A sneakier team to stack will be the Seattle Mariners who have been swinging the bat well of late. They are getting a bullpen game from the Royals and their bullpen certainly isn’t anything special. Teoscar Hernandez is coming off a 5-5 night and Ty France also had 4 hits in last night’s game. Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez are always good bets to go yard and Cal Raleigh offers excellent power from the catcher position. I have also been a fan of what Cade Marlowe has done in his brief time in the Majors and the once promising Diamondback Josh Rojas hit a HR last night and could benefit from a change of scenery.

 

Hitter Pricing 8-16-23