Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Padres vs. Angels Showdown on August 28

This week’s Saturday night Showdown contest on DraftKings is the second game in an interleague series between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. The Padres came into the series just 2-12 over their previous 14 games, but they cruised to a 5-0 win in the series opener behind a three-hitter from Joe Musgrove. Their recent struggles have dropped the Padres out of a playoff spot, as they now trail the Cincinnati Reds by two games for the second Wild Card spot.

San Diego will look to gain a little momentum and pick up a second straight win as it sends Ryan Weathers ($10,500 CP; $7,000) to the mound against José Suarez ($15,000 CP; $10,000). Both pitchers have been giving up a lot of runs and specifically a lot of home runs in their recent outings, so it should be an exciting night for showdown contests. DraftKings Sportsbook has set the over/under at 10 runs, while the Padres are slightly favored at -110 on the Moneyline.

Which players are specifically set up for success in this matchup? Let’s take a look at how to construct your DraftKings lineups for Saturday night’s Showdown contest.

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Captain’s Picks

Phil Gosselin ($10,200 CP) - Gosselin has bounced around quite a bit in his MLB career, spending time with the Braves, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Rangers, Reds and Phillies before joining the Angels for 77 games this season. The journeyman has been producing lately, though, and has settled in as the team's No. 3 hitter. He had two of the Angels’ three hits Friday night and is 14-for-43 (.341) with a .171 ISO, .380 wOBA and 144 wRC+ over his past 10 games. Gosselin is one of the few Angels who thrive against lefties, and he makes a very affordable play in your Captain’s Pick spot for this contest.

The Padres’ rotation, which has been decimated by injuries, is a huge part of their recent struggles, and Weathers probably wouldn’t be in the rotation if there were any other options. The 21-year-old lefty has given up 28 runs in 17 ²⁄₃ innings over his past five games, including nine home runs. He has a 14.26 ERA and 8.94 FIP over that span, and he has given up 14 of his 17 home runs on the season to right-handed batters. You can definitely look past the splits and captain Shohei Ohtani ($15,300 CP; $10,200) or Jared Walsh ($12,900 CP; $8,600), but Gosselin is much more affordable and leaves plenty of salary to stock up big bats in flex spots.

Jake Cronenworth ($12,000 CP) - The pitching hasn’t been much better on the Angels’ side of this matchup, and Suarez has allowed 24 runs (20 earned) over his past six starts, going 1-5 with a 6.21 ERA and 4.86 FIP. Suarez has even more dramatic splits, surprisingly getting pummeled by lefties even in the lefty-lefty matchup. Left-handed hitters have hit .318 against him with four homers and a .407 wOBA. Knowing the reverse splits can be key in this case since it makes Cronenworth and other left-handed hitters strong options instead of players to avoid. Cronenworth has cooled off a little at the plate this month, hitting just .259 but still has a solid .247 ISO and .348 wOBA. He actually has good splits against lefties as well, so he’s a great way to go a little contrarian and save salary for big bats like Fernando Tatis Jr. ($15,900 CP; $10,600) and Manny Machado ($13,800 CP; 9,200) in flex spots.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $8K Extra Inning [$2K to 1st] (SD vs. LAA)

Value Plays

Jo Adell ($5,800) - Adell has been the Angels’ top prospect for several seasons but hasn’t been able to fully settle in during his previous trips to the Majors. He is still just 22, though, and crushed Triple-A with 23 home runs in 73 games, a .302 ISO and a .380 wOBA. Since his call-up earlier this month, Adell has gone 19-for-85 (.224) with one home run, a .106 ISO and .266 wOBA. Adell had hit safely in four straight games before going 0-for-2 with a walk against San Diego in the series opener. He brings a lot of power potential and could thrive against Weathers, who is basically pitching at a Triple-A level at this point.

Jurickson Profar ($4,000) - Profar has been getting more playing time with so many regulars struggling for the Padres and now Wil Myers ($7,200; hamstring) dealing with an injury. Profar had a key two-run triple and 16 DKFP on Friday and also homered against the Dodgers earlier this week. If he gets another start against the lefty, Profar makes sense as a very cheap flex play.

Fades

Tommy Pham ($9,000) - Both starting pitchers have been so bad lately, that it’s easy to fade both of them, but many of the hitters are also scuffling (which explains why both teams are sinking in the standings). Pham continues to be highly-priced, though, while not bringing much production. In August, he has gone just 11-for-73 (.151) with a .137 ISO and .239 wOBA. Things haven’t been trending well for him either, with just three hits over his past 11 games. He’ll probably start this game with Myers still ailing, but that doesn’t mean he’s worth paying $9K for despite the favorable matchup.

The Outcome

This is an interesting contest since both pitchers have been so bad but are facing lineups that have also been less than inspiring. It’s very much a “resistible force meets movable object” situation. I think the play that makes the most sense is to go with one of the few hitters going well as your Captain’s Pick like Gosselin or Cronenworth and then stock your flex spots with all the star power you can fit with Ohtani, Tatis, Walsh and Machado as good plays. There should be some solid bargain value in these lineups as well, and ultimately I think there will be plenty of runs scored with the Padres pulling out the win since their bullpen is better and should be in better shape after Musgrove’s complete game Friday.

Final Score: Padres 8, Angels 6

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $8K Extra Inning [$2K to 1st] (SD vs. LAA)

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