Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 7/3/16

 

Welcome to Sunday baseball! We have a full 15 game all day slate with some good pitching options and a few offenses in great spots to score some runs. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on some more pitchers, tournament stacks and any weather that may arise. Let's get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Jon Lester FD 10600 DK 12800
Opponent - NYM (Syndergaard) Park - @NYM
FD - 40.1 DK - 26.66

While pitcher is a pretty solid position tonight, there is no really obvious option that sticks out more than the others. That being said, I think Lester is going to be our top option here. The New York Mets are all kinds of beat up and Lester will look to take advantage of the weak bats that have been inserted into the lineup. Lester has been dominant this year as his 3.49 SIERA is supported by a 27% hard contact rate and a .282 wOBA. The Mets, however, have ranked 26th in the league against lefties with a .302 wOBA. Lester makes for a tremendous play in all formats.

Chris Archer FD 9000 DK 8300
Opponent - DET (Pelfrey) Park - @TB
FD - 34.38 DK - 23.04

If you are looking for a guy with as much upside as anyone with a low ownership, you can take a look at Chris Archer. Archer has held an elite strikeout percentage over the course of his career and he faces off against a team that can bring the strikeouts out of him. The Tigers have held a 22.3% strikeout rate against right handers and the .312 wOBA doesn't make up for it. Sure, Archer has had some troubling starts at the beginning of the season, however, his .345 xFIP and 18% HR/FB rate suggest that he is the same pitcher that dominated the world last year. While Archer is far from a cash game play, this match up presents itself to be a very good one in tournaments.

Consider - Check out our pitcher specific article to see more guys to consider in both cash games and tournaments!

CATCHER

Buster Posey FD 3600 DK 4400
Opponent - ARI (Ray) Park - @ARI
FD - 11.31 DK - 8.79

Starting us off at catcher, we have Buster Posey taking on a bad lefty. As we all know, Buster Posey has destroyed left handed pitchers for about 7 years now. Dating back to 2013, Posey has hit lefties to the tune of a .362 wOBA that is supported by a high hard contact rate and a low HR/FB rate. He will be taking on Robbie Ray, a left handed young prospect that has struggled against righties. Dating back to his MLB debut in 2014, Ray has allowed a .353 wOBA and a 38.2% hard contact rate to right handers. Posey is in a terrific spot here and with this game being played in Chase Field, he has a great shot of putting one over the fence.

Yan Gomes FD 2600 DK 2200
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @TOR
FD - 8.87 DK - 6.87

Yan Gomes is way under priced on both sites at $2600 on FanDuel and $2200 on DraftKings. While he is nearly a must play on DK at that price, FanDuel made it a bit more interesting. Gomes is back to hitting lefties well this season with a .360 wOBA and .856 OPS. Happ on the other hand, has been bad against righties for about 5 years now with a .342 wOBA dating back to 2012. Gomes makes for a tremendous play in all formats, especially if you are paying up at pitcher and are unable to afford Posey.

Consider - Chris Hermann

 

FIRST BASE

Ryan Zimmerman FD 3000 DK 4200
Opponent - CIN (Lamb) Park - @WSH
FD - 9.93 DK - 7.59

While first base is not as stacked as it usually is, there are still plenty of options to choose from. The top option for me is going to be Ryan Zimmerman who is facing off with John Lamb and the pitiful Reds bullpen. John Lamb is a left handed soft tosser that struggles against righties as evidenced by his .354 wOBA and 34.7% hard contact allowed in 2016. Zimmerman has been the exact opposite and has mashed lefties over the past 5 seasons with a .362 wOBA and peripherals to back it up. The Nationals are a team you should get exposure to and this is a good way to do it.

Prince Fielder FD 2700 DK 3600
Opponent - MIN (Gibson) Park - @MIN
FD - 11.15 DK - 8.45

I am going to be all over Fielder until his price starts going up. While I will admit that he has been bad, I think he will start to turn it around before long. That improvement has already begun as he possessed a .348 wOBA in June and will look to extend that into July. The Rangers will be facing off with Kyle Gibson, a right handed average pitcher that has sported a .336 wOBA against lefties dating back to his debut in 2013. If you are looking to pay down and still want upside, Fielder is a great way to go.

Consider - David Ortiz, Adam Lind

 

SECOND BASE

Robinson Cano FD 3100 DK 4400
Opponent - BAL (Jimenez) Park - @SEA
FD - 12.5 DK - 9.69

Second base is pretty deep today and there are a multitude of different price ranges you can find someone in, but we are going to look at the top of the price range. Robinson Cano has been on fire this season, especially against righties as he has exhibited a .427 wOBA that is backed up by an insane 39% hard contact rate and 23.4% HR/FB rate. Ubaldo Jimenez will be his opposition and he is just an average right hander that has problems against lefties that can hit a changeup, which Cano can do very well. Cano is going to be the to option in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is $3100 for some reason.

Jose Altuve FD 3600 DK 5500
Opponent - CHW (Quintana) Park - @HOU
FD - 12.04 DK - 10.5

If you are looking for a cash game play with some tournament upside, Jose Altuve can be looked at nearly every day the Astros play. However, we are honing in on him today because he is facing off with a lefty. Altuve has demolished lefties over the past 3 seasons with a .386 wOBA that is backed up by his batted ball peripherals and any other metric you can find. While Jose Quintana is not someone I look to target against, I don't stay away from him either. Altuve makes for a great play in all formats, though I prefer him in cash games.

Consider - Matt Carpenter, Rougned Odor

 

SHORTSTOP

Trevor Story FD 2200 DK 4100
Opponent - LAD (McCarthy) Park - @LAD
FD - 7.9 DK - 6.4

This is a FanDuel specific play and I am going to find it very difficult to not play Story if he makes his way back in the lineup. At $2200 at shortstop, you will be perfectly fine if he can get a base hit or an RBI, let alone the advantage you will get if he goes yard. Brandon McCarthy will be returning from the DL and while he is a righty, Story should have the advantage as he should be a bit rusty. If you are not buying Trevor Story, let's take a look at Xander Bogaerts.

Xander Bogaerts FD 3100 DK 4100
Opponent - LAA (Shoemaker) Park - @BOS
FD - 10.99 DK - 8.81

Xander Bogaerts has been as consistent as they get this year with a .374 wOBA and a very high batting average. While those are sure to come down, we cant be too picky at the shortstop position as it is rather shallow today. While Matt Shoemaker is no slouch, he has had his fair share of troubles against righties and he should struggle in the hitter friendly Fenway Park. With X-Man being way under priced on both sites, he makes for a good play in all formats.

Consider - Corey Seager, Tim Anderson

 

THIRD BASE

Kyle Seager FD 3400 DK 4200
Opponent - BAL (Jimenez) Park - @SEA
FD - 11.41 DK - 8.83

Third base is another position that is pretty deep and our top guy here is going to be Kyle Seager. As I mentioned when talking about Cano, Jimenez is a bad pitcher and that is evidenced by his .420 wOBA against lefties in 2016. While he may not be THAT bad, his peripherals certainly support some poor numbers. Seager has been dominant against righties this season with a .413 wOBA that is supported by a rediculous 42.3% hard contact rate. Seager makes for a great play on both sites in all formats.

Jacob Lamb FD 3200 DK 5500
Opponent - SF (Suarez) Park - @ARI
FD - 11.29 DK - 8.83

Jacob lamb seems to be automatic at home against lefties and he showed that again last night with another 2 hits, a double and a run scored. He will face off with another bad righty today in Albert Suarez. While the sample size is extremely small, Suarez has given up a .345 wOBA and his minor league numbers don't tell me anything should change. As I mentioned, Lamb is dominant against righties and that is evident by his .421 wOBA and 44.2% hard contact rate. Lamb is an excellent play on both sites, though I prefer him on FanDuel due to his insane price on DK.

Consider - Evan Longoria, Yunel Escobar

 

OUTFIELD

Mike Trout FD 4600 DK 5400
Opponent - BOS (O'Sullivan) Park - @BOS
FD - 14.97 DK - 11.67

Mike Trout is absolutely rediculous, per sources. I know, breaking news. While I am not sure anything really needs to be said here, I will just say a few things. Sean O'Sullivan is one of the worst pitchers in the league and Trout is the best player in the majors. Secondly, just look at the game log of Trout, he hasn't let you down in 9 games and hasn't given you a 0 in 15. Trout is going to be the top play overall and I am going to do whatever I can to get him into all of my lineups. The Angels are all great plays tonight and Trout should be the highest owned player of the day.

Seth Smith FD 3100 DK 3800
Opponent - BAL (Jimenez) Park - @SEA
FD - 11.87 DK - 9.04

Seth Smith is in the same boat as both Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager, he mashes right handers and the Mariners are taking on a righty that has serious problems containing lefties. Smith has sported a .362 wOBA against righties dating back to 2011 and there are no signs of decline. The Mariners showed us last night what they can do and I wouldn't be surprised if they have another good performance. Make sure you get some exposure to this offense in both cash games and tournaments.

Rajai Davis FD 2900 DK 4000
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @TOR
FD - 10.22 DK - 9.17

Rajai Davis is another guy that just seems like a machine against left handed pitching. In 2016, Davis has hit lefties to the tune of a .342 wOBA with 3 home runs and a 33% hard contact rate. As evident by his 21 stolen bases and 8 home runs, he gives you a rare combo of power and speed, which is difficult to find at $2900 on FanDuel. As mentioned, Happ struggles against righties and these Indians right handed bats are in play, on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck to everyone today ad comment below if you have any questions or comments!

Consider - Corey Dickerson, Nomar Mazara, Mac Williamson

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