MLB

3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 8/22/19

Gabriel Billig Aug 22nd, 2019
Bo Bichette has been incredible since being called up, but he's got a difficult matchup tonight versus Kenta Maeda, who is tough on righties. Who else should you stay away from on Thursday night?

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.

Max Scherzer, P, Washington Nationals

FanDuel Price: $12,000

Max Scherzer normally has a very high floor, especially in a plus matchup -- like he has today against the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, Scherzer will be making his return from injury tonight and therefore will be on a pitch count. Scherzer reportedly threw just 64 pitches in his most recent simulated game, so it's hard to see the Washington Nationals letting him push up near 100 pitches tonight.

If you are looking to spend big on a pitcher, Gerrit Cole ($12,200) should be a safer option, and he's got a great matchup against the Detroit Tigers.

Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

FanDuel Price: $4,100

While Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Hyun-jin Ryu tend to get the majority of the attention for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kenta Maeda has also had a nice season with a 4.01 FIP. Maeda is especially tough against righties, holding them to a miniscule .227 wOBA. Bo Bichette has had a historic first few weeks in the majors, but his price coupled with his expected limited opportunities with runners in scoring position -- Toronto has a mere 3.88 implied total -- suggests leaving him on the bench tonight.

Corey Seager ($3,400) provides a salary relief and a better matchup.

Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals

FanDuel Price: $4,200

Juan Soto is an elite hitter, especially considering he is still too young to buy a beer. This season he has accumulated 3.6 WAR and 28 home runs from the heart of the Washington Nationals' order.

Soto experiences a modest 45-percentage-point drop in wOBA against lefties, but his opponent today, Steven Brault, has limited lefties to just a .230 wOBA. With plenty of other outfielders available, leave Soto out of the lineup in favor of someone like Austin Meadows ($3,700).

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.