It’s time to prep for those weekend DFS matchups. Below are some hitters you could build your lineup around or plug into that final slot at a cheap price. There are also some pitchers you’ll want to consider if they are starting this weekend. Good luck to all!
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Hit Streak Leaders (games)
Ha-Seong Kim (15)
- 22-for-53 over this stretch (.415) with 1 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 12 R, 9 SB, 12 BB:9 K batting atop the Padres lineup. The power is nice but the uptick in stolen bases is impressive. There are 7 second basemen more expensive than him on FanDuel, so he’s still reasonably priced. He’ll get Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen, and Brandon Pfaadt this weekend in Arizona. He’s had some success against Gallen (3-for-11, 1 2B, 2 K) but should be usable any day. None of the Arizona starters are LHP, but note that Kim does hit LHP better than RHP, AND he’s eligible on FD at 2B, 3B, and SS.
Maikel Garcia (14)
- 18-for-58 over this stretch (.310) with 2 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI, 10 R, 4 SB, 4 BB:11K hitting atop the Royals lineup. You can really get Garcia on the cheap, with 22 3B-eligible players more expensive than Garcia and 17 SS-eligible players above him (he’s eligible at both positions). The Royals are at home for a 2-game series with the Cardinals this weekend, where Garcia will face RHP Wainwright (7.81 ERA, 1.98 WHIP) and LHP Steven Matz (3.91 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). Garcia’s splits show he hits LHP much better, so maybe consider using him Saturday 8/12 (although he should be usable against Waino too).
Jose Altuve (12)
- 21-for-50 (.420) with 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 15 R, 6 SB, 6 BB:10 K. Splits show he’s struggling against LHP this season and he’ll get two of them to start the Angels series (Reid Detmers and Tyler Anderson), although he’s got 3 hits off each of them including a HR apiece.
Ryan Mountcastle (12)
Nick Castellanos (11)
Gleyber Torres, Ozzie Albies, Tom Murphy, Orlando Arcia (9)
- Murphy has been splitting time with Cal Raleigh at catcher, so he’s not playing every day, but when he’s been in the lineup he’s been hitting. He’s 13-for-33 during his streak, with 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, and 1 BB:7 K. He’ll be a cheap option at catcher who also provides some pop. The Mariners take on the O’s this weekend in Seattle, and he’ll have the opportunity to face RHP Kyle Gibson (1-for-1, HR against), LHP Cole Irvin (5-for-8, 1 2B, 2 BB:1 K), and RHP Kyle Bradish (no matchup history).
Highest Avg Last 7 Days (minimum 11 at-bats)
James McCann (.636)
- McCann and the next two hitters just met the minimum criteria here (11 at-bats), but when McCann has got playing time recently he’s been hitting the ball well. He’s 7-for-11 in his last 4 games with 3 2B, 8 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB, and even a stolen base.
Luis Campusano (.636)
- As with McCann, Campusano is not playing every day while splitting catching duties with Gary Sanchez, but he’s seized his opportunities. He’s 7-for-11 over his last 3 games with 2 HR, 5 RBI, and 2 R.
Dylan Moore (.545)
- He’s been more of a platoon outfielder/utility man, so many games he just gets a couple of at-bats, but he’s been making the most of it. He’s 6-for-11 over the last 5 games, with 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, and 2 BB.
Cody Bellinger, George Springer, Wander Franco (.500)
- We’re used to seeing Bellinger’s name here and for the most part Franco too, but good to finally see Springer getting hot. He’s been pretty up and down this season, with a woeful April (.190), a decent May (.287) and June (.286), and then a dismal July (.191). Over the last 7 games though he’s 14-for-28 with 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, and 2 SB.
Highest ISO Last 7 Days (minimum 12 at-bats)
Pete Alonso (.667)
- Alonso has 7 hits in the last 7 days, with 6 of them going for extra bases (2 2B, 4 HR).
Corey Seager (.611)
- Seager has 8 hits in 7 days with 2 2B and 3 HR
MJ Melendez (.609)
- Melendez has 9 hits in 7 days, with 1 3B and 4 HR
Ryan Jeffers (.579)
- Jeffers has 6 hits in 7 days with 2 2B and 3 HR
Adolis Garcia (.524)
- Garcia has 6 hits in 7 days with 2 2B and 3 HR
Most Stolen Bases Last 7 Days
Ha-Seong Kim (5)
- Kim now has 27 SB on the season.
Kyle Tucker (4)
- Tucker has been sneaky good at stealing bases this season having collected 24 swipes. He’s really turned into an all-around great player, hitting for average (.296), power (21 HR, 84 RBI), and now upping his stolen base capability (he had 25 SB all last season).
Luis Robert Jr.(4)
- He was removed from Wednesday’s game so confirm he’s playing before deploying, but he’s got 16 SB on the season now.
TJ Friedl (4)
- Friedl now has 21 SB on the season.
Worst Bullpens
If you’ve narrowed your batters down but still not sure who to use, you can use this list as the deciding factor. Chances are the hitter will only get 2 at-bats against the starter as many pitchers struggle the third time through the order, so a hitter going against a bad bullpen could have the advantage.
Highest ERA and Highest WHIP
- OAK – 5.43 / 1.51
- KC – 5.23 / 1.48
- WAS – 5.13 / 1.45
- COL – 4.84 / 1.47
Most Team Strikeouts Per Game (Batting)
I will use this list when trying to determine which pitcher to use for DFS. If the pitcher has a good K/9 rate and is going against one of these teams I’ll consider using him, and even more so if the pitcher’s team is favored to win.
- Minnesota – 10.25
- Seattle – 9.89
- San Francisco – 9.39
- Colorado – 9.34
- LA Angels – 9.28
K per 9 Leaders
Many times these are the pitchers I will look to use, especially in good matchups (i.e. against those teams that strike out the most, like Minnesota).
| Pitcher | Thr | Team | K/9 |
| Spencer Strider | R | Atlanta Braves | 14.4 |
| Blake Snell | L | San Diego Padres | 11.9 |
| Kevin Gausman | R | Toronto Blue Jays | 11.8 |
| Shohei Ohtani | R | Los Angeles Angels | 11.4 |
| Freddy Peralta | R | Milwaukee Brewers | 11.1 |
| Pablo Lopez | R | Minnesota Twins | 11.0 |
| Kodai Senga | R | New York Mets | 11.0 |
| Joe Ryan | R | Minnesota Twins | 10.9 |
| Jesus Luzardo | L | Miami Marlins | 10.7 |
| Dylan Cease | R | Chicago White Sox | 10.7 |
| Lance Lynn | R | Los Angeles Dodgers | 10.7 |
| MacKenzie Gore | L | Washington Nationals | 10.3 |
| Zack Wheeler | R | Philadelphia Phillies | 10.2 |
| Luis Castillo | R | Seattle Mariners | 10.2 |
| Max Scherzer | R | Texas Rangers | 10.1 |
| Hunter Brown | R | Houston Astros | 10.0 |
Betting Angle
Nick Castellanos 2 Total Bases : I just noticed that someone is letting soft-throwing Dallas Keuchel pitch again and had to jump on the opportunity. Castellanos is mentioned above as having an 11-game hit streak, but he’s also 7-for-18 in his career off Keuchel including a double, a HR, and a walk (2 K). But this was Alec Bohm yesterday and he let me down – as the Phillies often do – so you may want to pivot to Bohm today since Castellanos will likely let me down.
Lance Lynn Under K’s : This seems like a high number for Lynn. If we follow our logic above (use one of the high K/9 pitchers against one of the teams that strike out the most) then maybe he should hit this number. He’s got the 10.7 K per 9 rate, but remember that’s inflated by 11- and 16-strikeout games, and while Colorado strikes out fourth-most in the entire MLB (9.34/game), that number is a bit lower the last 3 games (8.67/game). Lynn has only recorded 8+ K in 5 of 23 starts this season.
Jesus Luzardo Over K’s : Luzardo is on the list above as one of the K/9 leaders, but the Yankees are not listed as a team that strike out much. They are middle of the pack at 8.28 K per game, however, that number is 12.67 over the last 3 games which is the most in the entire MLB. I see Luzardo carving them up.
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