DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday, 7/6/22

Tuesday's slate was interesting. Yusei Kikuchi was used in nearly 30 percent of the lineups out there, and he finished with negative fantasy points in most formats. That's just the obscurity in fantasy baseball, and many people should have considered the risk of using such a volatile pitcher like Kikuchi. That's why we like to pay up at that position, so let's kick things off with two high-priced pitchers!

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Pitchers

Shohei Ohtani FD - P 10800 DK - SP 9300
Opponent - MIA (Trevor Rogers) Park - MIA
FD - 40.52 DK - 22.19

It blows my mind to think about what this guy is doing. Ohtani is not only one of the best hitters in our sport, but he's developed into an ace as well. His numbers as of late are genuinely absurd, accruing a 0.34 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 12.1 K/9 rate over his last four starts. That led to him scoring at least 33 FanDuel points in eight of his previous nine starts, which should be easy to attain here. We say that because the Marlins rank 17th in runs scored and 18th in OBP. That doesn't even consider that they're missing Jazz Chisholm and Jorge Soler, who are likely their two best hitters. Vegas loves him too, making the Angels a -180 favorite, with the Marlins projected for just 3.5 runs.

Shane Bieber FD - P 10100 DK - SP 9100
Opponent - DET (Michael Pineda) Park - DET
FD - 38.1 DK - 20.69

The Biebs is always a Cy Young candidate, and it's hard to understand why he's in this price range in such a magical matchup. Let's start there, with Detroit scoring the fewest runs in baseball while sitting bottom three in OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA as well. That should allow Bieber to bludgeon this nightmarish lineup, with Shane sporting a 2.65 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate over his last nine starts. He's absolutely destroyed Detroit throughout his career, too, scoring at least 46 FanDuel points in each of his last seven meetings with them dating back to 2019. That's why he's a -175 favorite in a game with a 7.5-run total.

Corbin Burnes (FD $11200 DK $10500) has been one of the best pitchers in the NL over the last three years and is obviously a good option against a terrible Cubs offense.

Catcher/First Base

Freddie Freeman FD - 1B 4200 DK - 1B 5000
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - LAD
FD - 12.11 DK - 9.13

Freeman rarely goes nuts, but this perennial All-Star is one of the safest bets on every fantasy slate. The Dodgers are simply one of the best stacks on the board, projected for over five runs in this spot. It's easy to understand why, with Jose Urena supplying a 5.45 ERA and 1.45 WHIP since 2019. That's kept him in the minors for most of the season, and LA will surely send him right back there shortly. Freeman should be a significant piece of that stack, generating a .344 AVG, .418 OBP, .604 SLG, and 1.022 OPS over his last 24 games played. That looks even better when you look at Freddie's splits, amassing a .426 OBP and .993 OPS against righties since 2020. Not to mention, Freeman has faced Urena 36 times, totaling a .500 OBP, 1.000 SLG, and 1.500 OPS against him.

Rowdy Tellez FD - 1B 3400 DK - 1B 4700
Opponent - CHC (Adrian Sampson) Park - MIL
FD - 11.47 DK - 8.66

Big Rowdy has been doing damage all season as the cleanup hitter in this Brewers lineup, and he's always a premier play when facing off with a weak right-hander. That's certainly the case here, with Chicago sending out Adrian Sampson. The inexperienced righty has a 5.02 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 204 career innings at this level. That has the Brewers projected for five runs, and Tellez should help fulfill that projection. We say that because he's rolling right now, registering a .788 SLG and 1.104 OPS over his last nine games. It's no surprise when you consider his splits, with Tellez tallying a .528 SLG and .846 OPS against righties this year.

Will Smith (FD $3300 DK $4900) should be right in the heart of this dominant Dodgers lineup and is an excellent play on DraftKings.

Second Base

Gleyber Torres FD - 2B 2800 DK - 2B 4000
Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - PIT
FD - 8.15 DK - 6.23

Stacking against Mitch Keller has been printing money for most of his career. The top prospect has been pitiful since his call-up, posting a 5.77 ERA and 1.67 WHIP since 2019. That's a large sample size of disastrous pitching, and his numbers aren't much better this year. That certainly won't go over well against the best lineup in baseball, and Torres is the best value of the bunch. This middle infielder is amid a bounceback season, producing a .270 AVG, .515 SLG, and .842 OPS over his last 59 games. He's also been hitting third recently, and that would make him impossible to fade if you want to stack the Bronx Bombers.

Jonathan India FD - 2B 2500 DK - 2B 4100
Opponent - NYM (David Peterson) Park - CIN
FD - 11.16 DK - 8.43

India looked like a superstar in the making when he took down NL Rookie of the Year last season, but he's had a rough 2022 campaign. In any case, we believe this kid is too good to be this cheap. He's still the leadoff hitter for one of the highest projected lineups on this slate, and he's too talented to be in this price range. We're talking about a top prospect with a .786 OPS while showing 25-20 potential. That makes him even more enticing with the platoon advantage in his favor, and he should be a solid value play with the Reds projected for nearly five runs in this spot.

Shortstop

Francisco Lindor FD - SS 3600 DK - SS 5700
Opponent - CIN (Graham Ashcraft) Park - CIN
FD - 13.07 DK - 9.92

Franky Smiles is having a bounceback season in New York, and it's been fun watching him and Pete Alonso carry this team. Lindor has been feeling it recently, providing a .343 OBP, .492 SLG, and .835 OPS over his last 16 games. That consistently earns him a prominent spot in this lineup, and that's great news with the Mets projected for 5.5 runs. Hitting in Great American Ballpark is a major reason for the bump, and Graham Ashcroft has been atrocious recently. The righty has an 8.55 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over his last four starts and will surely struggle with Lindor and Alonso.

Corey Seager FD - SS 3200 DK - SS 5100
Opponent - BAL (Spenser Watkins) Park - BAL
FD - 12.19 DK - 9.25

Seager picked up one of the largest contracts in the offseason, and he earned it with his pristine play. The slugging shortstop has a .290 AVG, .360 OBP, .495 SLG, and .855 OPS for his career. That alone makes him a bit too cheap on each site, especially since he's swinging a hot bat right now. Corey's got a .387 OBP and .851 OPS over his last seven games. We also love his sensational splits, providing even better numbers against righties throughout his career. Spenser Watkins is not a worrisome matchup either, accumulating a 6.59 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in nearly 100 career innings.

Third Base

José Ramírez FD - 3B 4100 DK - 3B 5100
Opponent - DET (Michael Pineda) Park - DET
FD - 13.12 DK - 9.91

It's really strange to see J-Ram in this price range. This guy is a perennial MVP candidate with his elite power-speed combo, entering every season as a 40-homer, 25-steal threat. That's the stud we've seen throughout the season, with Ramirez providing 18 homers, 12 steals, and a .952 OPS halfway through this year. That even includes a recent slump, which has lowered his price tags by about $500 too much. We obviously love that he hits from his more favorable right side, facing a pitcher who has a 4.20 ERA since 2016.

Alex Bregman FD - 3B 3100 DK - 3B 4600
Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - HOU
FD - 12.93 DK - 9.7

This is some more pricing that I don't understand. Bregman is another guy that's always an All-Star candidate, and he's currently in the best stretch of his season right now. The slugging third baseman has a .357 AVG, .464 OBP, .625 SLG, and 1.089 OPS over his last 16 games. That makes him one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and it has this Houston offense humming. They're averaging about six runs per game in that span, and that should continue against a gas can like Keller. The Royals righty has a 4.94 ERA and 1.53 WHIP since the start of last season.

Outfield

Yordan Alvarez FD - OF 4300 DK - OF 5800
Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - HOU
FD - 14.02 DK - 10.51

If we love Bregman in this Stros stack, we have to use Yordan. This guy has simply been one of the best hitters in baseball, generating a .313 AVG, .413 OBP, .663 SLG, and 1.076 OPS so far this year. That has him as one of the frontrunners for AL MVP, and it's not even that far off of his .977 career OPS. That's nearly 1,300 at-bats of raking, and it's even more impressive since he has a 1.200 OPS over the last two months. All of that is bad news for Brad Keller because Alvarez has a .434 OBP, .763 SLG, and 1.198 OPS against right-handers so far this season.

Cedric Mullins FD - OF 3400 DK - OF 5400
Opponent - TEX (Glenn Otto) Park - BAL
FD - 12.09 DK - 9.3

The Orioles are quietly developing a nice young core, and Mullins looks like the centerpiece of their rebuild. This guy was playing at an All-Star level last season, compiling 30 homers and 30 steals in an unbelievable campaign. He's on his way to another stat-stuffing season, providing seven dingers and 16 steals so far this year. A good amount of that damage has come recently, with Mullins maintaining a .391 AVG, .453 OBP, .587 SLG, and 1.040 OPS over his last 12 games played. He's also got dominant splits against right-handers, which is scary for Glenn Otto and his 5.63 ERA and 1.53 WHIP.

Kyle Schwarber FD - OF 3800 DK - OF 5100
Opponent - WSH (Josiah Gray) Park - PHI
FD - 11.56 DK - 8.56

Schwarber is a home run machine right now. This masher knocked two dingers on Tuesday and now has 25 taters on the year. Most of that mashing has come over the last month, accruing a .367 OBP, .560 SLG, and .947 OPS over his last 49 games. We love that since he's got seven homers over the last 12 games, and you know he's going to rake in a hitter's haven like Philly all year. Josiah Gray is a talented young arm, but he's allowed 35 homers in 151 career innings. That's one of the worst rates around, making Schwarber one of the best home run bets on the board.