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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 8/2/19
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We have a game playing in Coors Field for this Friday slate, so you know what that means! This article will be littered with players from that game while including some other value plays throughout the Majors.
Pitchers
Lance Lynn FD - P 10500 DK - SP 11700
Opponent - DET (Tyler Alexander) Park - TEX
FD - 34.67 DK - 18.52
It seems crazy to use Lynn as a five-figure player but he's probably the best option on this slate. The simple fact is, Lynn is one of the best pitchers in the Majors right now. That's evident by his 3.05 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over his last 15 starts, striking out 124 batters in barely 100 innings of action. That's a ridiculous stretch from a guy people weren't even considering two months ago and it's clear he's changed his game. What really adds to Lynn's intrigue here is this matchup, with the Tigers ranking bottom-three in OPS, xwOBA, wOBA, OBP and runs scored. That's why Lynn enters this game as a -230 favorite.
Steven Matz FD - P 7800 DK - SP 7700
Opponent - PIT (Trevor Williams) Park - PIT
FD - 27.95 DK - 14.19
Matz just had his best outing of the season in his most recent start and guess who it came against? Yes, it was these Pirates, as he struck out seven batters en route to a complete-game shutout. That sort of upside is incredible and it's surprising Matz isn't above $8,000 on both sites. A major reason why he's a great option against this club is because of Pittsburgh's struggles against southpaws, with the Pirates ranked 26th in runs scored, 29th in OPS and dead-last in OBP against them this season.
Also consider Martin Perez (FD $7000 DK $7900)as a big favorite against the Twins.
Catcher/First Base
Brandon Belt FD - 1B 3600 DK - 1B 4000
Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - COL
FD - 15.11 DK - 11.4
It's rare that we ever want to use the Giants but they're always in play at Coors Field. The last time they were there, San Fran dropped 40 runs in a four-game series and that tells you everything you need to know about this wild ballpark. Belt has quietly been the Giants best hitter this season too, posting a .353 OBP and .750 OPS. That's actually below his career averages, with Belt providing a .365 OBP against right-handers since 2017. His career numbers in Coors are absurd too, with Belt generating a .313 AVG, .546 SLG and .927 OPS in 228 plate appearances there. Peter Lambert is a fantastic matchup as well and we'll go over that more later.
Daniel Murphy FD - 1B 3400 DK - 1B 5200
Opponent - SF (Shaun Anderson) Park - COL
FD - 14.62 DK - 11.23
Murphy just continues to be undervalued on FanDuel and it's hard to understand why. Since getting off to a terrible start because of a hand issue, Murphy has returned to his career form. In fact, Murph is hitting .329 over his last 60 games en route to a .912 OPS. That doesn't even take into consideration that Murphy gets the platoon advantage in his favor, as he's got an OPS in the .900-range against right-handers for his career. Shaun Anderson is definitely a pitcher we want to exploit, which is evident by the fact that the Rockies are projected for close to seven runs.
Second Base
Ryan McMahon FD - 2B 3100 DK - 2B 4500
Opponent - SF (Shaun Anderson) Park - COL
FD - 12.41 DK - 9.5
McMahon is one of the only Rockies that you'll see as a relative value, as it's hard to find any Coors Field bat this cheap. This dude has been raking recently too, hitting .304 over his last 17 games on his way to a .982 OPS. That's all you can ask for from a guy who has an .857 OPS at home this season and he's definitely in play with the Rockies projected for so many runs. Shaun Anderson's 5.06 ERA and 1.49 WHIP is a major reason why this club is projected so highly and he's going to have a tough time navigating through this lineup.
Ozzie Albies FD 3400 DK 4200
Opponent - CIN (Alex Wood) Park - CIN
FD - 11.82 DK - 9.15
It's time we start giving Albies the credit he deserves, as he's truly one of the best second basemen in the league. Any 20-20 threat is obviously in play in this price range but he comes into this matchup rolling. Over his last nine games, Albies has a .372 OBP and .911 OPS. That's the guy we've been seeing for months now, with Albies providing a .322 AVG and .960 OPS over his last 45 games. That's why the Braves have moved him up to the two-hole and that should be beneficial against Alex Wood in just his second start of the season. Not to mention, Albies has a 1.040 OPS against left-handers so far this season.
Shortstop
Brandon Crawford FD - SS 3000 DK - SS 3700
Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - COL
FD - 12.04 DK - 9.26
We foreshadowed why we like the Giants here and it's easy to understand why. They're projected for more than six runs in this spot, facing a gas can like Peter Lambert. The Rockies righty is currently pitching to a 5.67 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, which is truly scary in a place like Coors Field. Crawford showed just how nice it is to hit there in his last series, with the shortstop collecting three homers, five runs scored and 10 RBI in that four-game set. That makes these prices hard to understand and he'll be one of the chalkiest plays on the board.
Elvis Andrus FD - SS 3000 DK - SS 4200
Opponent - DET (Tyler Alexander) Park - TEX
FD - 12.41 DK - 9.67
We have to get some Rangers in there against Tyler Alexander. Texas is projected for more than six runs in this spot and it's really no surprise against a pitcher who's got a 4.35 xFIP and brought in a 5.72 ERA from Triple-A this season. The reason we like Andrus here is because he'll hit in the heart of this Rangers order and will have the platoon advantage in his favor. Since 2017, Andrus has a .762 OPS against lefties and a .791 OPS at home. He's also one of the league leaders in steals since then and there's a lot of ways he can contribute.
Third Base
Alex Bregman FD - 3B 3800 DK - 3B/SS 4600
Opponent - SEA (Yusei Kikuchi) Park - HOU
FD - 15.85 DK - 11.94
This is one of my favorite plays on the board. Bregman has been too good to be priced where he is on both sites and I truly believe that he should be $500 more on each site. Not only does he have a .393 OBP, .516 SLG and .909 OPS this season, that's also pretty much on par with his career numbers. That's very scary against a left-hander, with Bregman generating a .395 OBP, .579 SLG and .975 OPS against southpaws in that span. Kikuchi is definitely a pitcher we want to exploit too, with the Mariniers lefty pitching to a 5.21 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.
Luis Arraez FD - 3B 2800 DK - 2B/3B 3900
Opponent - KC (Glenn Sparkman) Park - MIN
FD - 12.08 DK - 9.25
Picking a second third baseman was a difficult task but Arraez batted second on Thursday and that definitely puts him in play atop this dangerous lineup. The Twins are actually projected for 6.5 runs in this game and that happens to be the second-highest total, only behind the Rockies in Coors Field. If you get the two-hole hitter for a team projected that highly in this price range, you simply can't fade them. Arraez has shown some signs of brilliance too, hitting .357 in 42 games this season.
Outfield
David Dahl FD - OF 3500 DK - OF 5200
Opponent - SF (Shaun Anderson) Park - COL
FD - 15.7 DK - 12.02
Let's cap off our Rockies with their three-hole hitter. This guy has done nothing but rake since getting called up by Colorado and it's no surprise he made his first All-Star team this season. Anderson's aforementioned numbers definitely put him in play, especially cause he gets to face a righty. For his career, Dahl is providing a .349 OBP, .539 SLG and .888 OPS against right-handed pitching and has been even better at home. In fact, Dahl has a .386 OBP, .639 SLG and 1.026 OPS at Coors Field in that span.
Eddie Rosario FD - OF 3700 DK - OF 4700
Opponent - KC (Glenn Sparkman) Park - MIN
FD - 14.95 DK - 11.51
We already discussed that we like the Twins, so let's go over this matchup a little more. Glenn Sparkman has had one brilliant start but has been terrible aside from that. A 5.25 ERA and 1.42 WHIP tells you everything you need to know, as Rosario should do some serious damage in the heart of this order. This happens to be one of the most underrated bats in the game too, with Rosario providing a .522 SLG and .831 OPS this season. He's typically much better against right-handers, generating a .538 SLG and .867 OPS against them since 2017.
Shin-Soo Choo FD - OF 3400 DK - OF 4700
Opponent - DET (Tyler Alexander) Park - TEX
FD - 14 DK - 10.6
Choo really isn't discussed much in terms of fantasy but this guy is quietly one of the most productive hitters year after year. We're talking about a leadoff hitter with a .374 OBP and .861 OPS atop this dangerous lineup. Those averages are right around his career numbers and we really can't fade him at such a reasonable price. He's typically worse against left-handers but that risk is limited by Alexander's terrible numbers.
