MLB

3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 8/21/19

Gabriel Billig Aug 21st, 2019
Mookie Betts isn't as dominant against lefty pitchers this season as he was last year. Does that mean we need to avoid him tonight at his high price tag?

While we have plenty of pieces geared towards guys you should target in your DFS contests, it's also important to narrow down your short list of plays and avoid the suboptimal ones who are overpriced and/or in tough spots.

Let's check out three guys to consider fading on tonight's FanDuel main slate.

Walker Buehler, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

FanDuel Price: $11,000

On the surface, this seems like a great matchup for Walker Buehler against the largely unimpressive Toronto Blue Jays. Buehler has been elite this year, carrying a 2.99 FIP and 29.1% strikeout rate into tonight's game. Surprisingly, however, the Blue Jays have been clicking on offense over the last few weeks. Since August 1st, they rank 6th in the league with a 120 wRC+ and second with 41 home runs. With other elite pitching options on the slate, tonight staying away from Buehler is the right move.

Patrick Corbin ($10,300) has an enticing matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox

FanDuel Price: $4,400

Mookie Betts has not matched the production from last year's MVP season. Despite the drop-off, he has still productive atop the potent Boston Red Sox lineup accumulating 21 home runs and a 4.8 WAR. However, Betts has struggled against lefties this season with a .328 wOBA and only four home runs in 139 at-bats. His opponent tonight, lefty Drew Smyly, is not a great pitcher by any means but Betts' struggles against lefties suggest leaving him on the bench for tonight's slate.

Save some salary with J.D. Martinez ($4,200) who has mashed lefties throughout the season.

Shohei Ohtani, OF, Los Angeles Angels

FanDuel Price: $3,700

Shohei Ohtani has been one of the few bright spots (outside of Mike Trout) for the angels this season. That being said, tonight's matchup against lefty Mike Minor presents a challenge for Ohtani. Minor has a 2.94 ERA and 3.6 WAR for the Texas Rangers while striking out nearly 25% of batters he faces. Ohtani strikes out against lefties at a 31.1% rate compared to 20.2% against righties and figures to have fewer opportunities with men on base against a tough pitcher.

Aaron Judge ($3,800) seems to be breaking out of his slump and has high upside in tonight's matchup against the Oakland Athletics.

Gabriel Billig is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Gabriel Billig also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username gpbbsb. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.