Traditional MLB DFS formats aren’t the only way to profit from daily fantasy baseball. MLB PrizePicks is a great fantasy pick’em site where we can take today’s projections versus theirs and combine two or more baseball predictions for sizeable payouts.
In this space, we’ll explore a few PrizePicks plays for the upcoming MLB slate. This article isn’t the be-all, end-all of great plays or a recommendation for a full ticket; it’s simply a starting place for you to explore thinking about the game within the game. Maybe you want to scatter these plays across entries. Maybe there are only two or three you think are worth playing. Daily fantasy pick’em gives us the flexibility to make only the plays in which we think there is value rather than being forced to create a full lineup while competing against the best DFS players in the industry.
PrizePicks is daily fantasy baseball made simple, and our MLB PrizePicks picks tool makes the process even simpler.
If you haven’t signed up for a PrizePicks account, make sure to use the PrizePicks promo code ROTOBONUS and get a $100 deposit match. Also, check out more apps like PrizePicks.
All stats cited are since the start of the 2024 season unless otherwise noted.
Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog promo code and Sleeper promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.
MLB PrizePicks Predictions for Wednesday, August 28th
Luis Castillo MORE Than 7.5 Strikeouts (DEMON)
Castillo is a rough ride against lefty power, but outside of Brandon Lowe and Josh Lowe, the Rays lineup shouldn’t be imposing. Castillo has a 24.8% K rate to the 25.4% (against RHP) of the Rays’ projected lineup. Projected for 96 pitches, his command should get us deep into this game to compile Ks in a great strikeout matchup. We have Castillo projected for 7.4 Ks. He should give up a bomb somewhere to one of the Lowes but otherwise should cruise. And we’ve seen Castillo give up runs and stay in games. We really just need the leash intact, and it is, as Castillo has been a sure shot for 6+ IP in 9 of his last 10 starts.
Chris Sale MORE Than 18.5 Outs (DEMON)
The projected lineup for the Twins only has a 22.6% K rate against LHP, and their .322 wOBA / .173 ISO isn’t something we particularly attack. However, Sale has been the best pitcher in baseball this season, has 7, 6, and 7 IP in each of his last 3 starts, and has allowed just a .259 wOBA and .100 ISO on the season. As long as his 5.6% BB rate stays down, his 95 projected pitches should get him into the 6th inning, as these Twins aren’t the pesky team that will BABIP their way to drive him out sooner. Also, the projected lineup has just a 6.8% BB rate against LHP, so they’re not particularly patient. We have Sale projected for 18 outs. Crossing that hump into the 7th inning is always a tough sell, but Sale has as good of a chance as anyone to get there.
Ryan McMahon MORE Than 1.5 Total Bases (DEMON)
Opposing pitcher Max Meyer has only faced 92 lefties, but wow has it been bad for him. He’s allowed a .387 wOBA and .305 ISO on a 14.7% barrel rate and 64.7% hard-hit rate. McMahon has a 13.3% barrel rate against RHP with a 57.8% hard-hit rate, so we have him projected for 2 total bases in this Coors affair in one of the best matchups on the slate.
Kyle Harrison MORE Than 15.5 Outs (DEMON)
This is a tight squeeze because Harrison struggles with power and gets a big ballpark downgrade to Milwaukee. But the Brewers can’t hit lefties for power. Their projected lineup has just a 6% barrel rate against LHP, so Harrison is a great bet for volume with the mitigated power risk. We have Harrison projected for 15 outs, so crossing that hump into the 6th inning is something of a challenge, but the value is good enough to get exposure to this play.
Freddy Peralta MORE Than 2.5 Walks Allowed (DEMON)
The Giants have just a 3.55 implied run total, so we should like Peralta for volume. But with volume for Peralta comes walks. He has allowed a 3.35 BB/9, the projected lineup for the Giants has an 8% BB rate against RHP, and we have Peralta projected for 2.4 walks allowed. This is a tighter squeeze than Harrison’s outs, but we should be exposed to Peralta’s DEMON projection here if we’re playing anything more than maybe 8 contests.
All projections referenced are accurate at the time of writing but subject to change.
This isn’t a huge slate with a ton of edge, but these DEMONs are juicy enough to play a normal volume. We probably shouldn’t max out the plays in our contests though. 3-4 plays per contest looks about right.
Image Credit: Getty Images
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