We're winding down to the All-Star break. We're only a week away from those festivities, and it's been a fun first half of the season. It's tough to gauge who will start that All-Star game, but our first pitching recommendation might be the guy! With that in mind, let's get started with the best pitcher in fantasy!
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Opponent - NYM (Taijuan Walker) Park - NYM
FD - 35.15 DK - 18.35
Consistency is arguably the most important thing when evaluating DFS pitching, and there's been no more reliable pitcher than this guy. His length is what makes Alcantara so good, throwing at least seven innings in 11 straight starts. There are only a few pitchers who have double-digit seven-inning starts all year, and it looks even better with Alcantara amassing a 1.33 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in that span. He's also scored at least 40 FanDuel points in 10 of those 11 starts, and it should continue in a pitcher's park like Citi Field. He faced this Mets team in Citi Field two weeks ago and dropped 52 FD points!
Opponent - CHC (Undecided) Park - LAD
FD - 33.78 DK - 17.34
Urias got off to a rough start this season, but he's been amazing over the last month. The lefty has allowed one run or fewer in six of his previous nine starts, generating a 2.26 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate in that span. That's the stud we've become accustomed to, and we love his 2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP at Dodger Stadium this season. The Cubs are also far from a scary matchup, with Chicago sitting 20th in xwOBA and 25th in K rate. This is one of the oddsmakers favorite plays, too, with Urias and LA entering this matchup as a -300 favorite, with Chicago projected for just 3.5 runs.
Michael Kopech (FD $8200 DK $8200) had a 2.11 ERA and 0.96 WHIP through his first 11 starts and could recapture that form against the lowest-scoring team in baseball.
Opponent - DET (Drew Hutchison) Park - CHW
FD - 11.56 DK - 8.75
Abreu was atrocious through the opening month of the season, but he's really been finding his swing recently. The former All-Star has a .358 AVG, .439 OBP, .566 SLG, and 1.006 OPS over his last 44 games. He's also got seven doubles over his last 13 games, and it's just a matter of time before those start creeping over the outfield wall. It could start here against Drew Hutchinson, with the right-hander registering a 5.41 ERA and 1.52 WHIP since 2015. That's a large sample size of shelling, and he'll surely struggle with this revamped White Sox lineup.
Opponent - STL (Andre Pallante) Park - STL
FD - 11.06 DK - 8.21
Hoskins probably won't make the All-Star team, but it's time this guy got some recognition. He's been one of the best first basemen over the last two months, maintaining a .361 OBP, .534 SLG, and .895 OPS since April 30. That's over two months of dominance, with Hoskins posting a 1.221 OPS over his last nine games. That scorching form makes him tough to fade against a pitcher like Andre Pallante, with the Cards righty totaling a 4.30 FIP and 1.40 WHIP.
If you need a catcher, Will Smith (FD $3400 DK $4600) hits in the heart of the best lineup in baseball.
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 12.71 DK - 9.69
Altuve has been one of the most consistent players in baseball for a decade now. The All-Star is amid another amazing season, producing a .279 AVG, .368 OBP, .538 SLG, and .908 OPS. His most recent form is what's encouraging, posting a .438 OBP, .649 SLG, and 1.087 OPS over his last 16 games in total. All of that makes him worthy at any price, but his splits are sensational too. In fact, Altuve has a .323 AVG, .758 SLG, and 1.140 OPS, with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. Cole Irvin has been solid, but his 3.35 ERA and 5.28 xERA tell us that some negative regression is right around the corner.
Opponent - ARI (Tyler Gilbert) Park - ARI
FD - 9.93 DK - 7.62
We hate using Rockies outside of Coors Field, but they could be one of the sneakiest stacks against Tyler Gilbert. This has been one of the best offenses in baseball against left-handers this season, and Gilbert has been one of the worst arms in our sport. The Diamondbacks lefty has a 6.86 ERA and 1.42 WHIP this year. That obviously won't go well against this righty-heavy lineup, with Rodgers likely batting fourth or fifth. He always bats in that prominent spot against lefties because Brendan has a .277 AVG, .346 OBP, .497 SLG, and .843 OPS, with the platoon advantage in his favor.
Opponent - DET (Drew Hutchison) Park - CHW
FD - 13.37 DK - 10.42
If the White Sox are one of our favorite stacks of the day, we must love their table-setter. That happens to be Timmy, who's always one of the frontrunners to grab the battling title. He's amid another outstanding season, tallying a .316 AVG and .780 OPS. That's essentially the guy we've seen for five years now, with Anderson being an elite option for runs and steals atop this dangerous lineup. We already discussed how horrible Hutchinson has been over recent years, and it has Chicago projected for nearly five runs in this spot. If they get there, TA will be a significant reason why.
Opponent - CHW (Michael Kopech) Park - CHW
FD - 8.66 DK - 6.63
It's been a rough debut season in Detroit for Baez, but he's starting to get going. The former All-Star has a .278 AVG, .583 SLG, .886 OPS, and two steals over his last 16 games. That's the power-speed stud we've been waiting to see, and it's clear he just needed some time to adjust to his new team. His price dropped way too far because of that early-season slump, and we want to hop on the train before he's $500 more on each site. Facing Kopech sounds scary on the surface, but the Chicago slinger has a 6.86 ERA and 1.62 WHIP over his last four starts.
Opponent - KC (Zack Greinke) Park - KC
FD - 14.2 DK - 10.73
Ramirez is in a slump right now, but most players would give anything to have his numbers. The perennial MVP candidate is still on pace for nearly 30 homers, 25 steals, and 125 RBI, making him one of the best options in fantasy. We love that since he has two doubles, a homer, three RBI, and three runs scored in the first two games of this series. That means J-Ram is starting to get hot, and it seems unlikely that a soft-tosser with a 4.84 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 4.5 K/9 rate will slow him down. Not to mention, Jose has a .390 OBP, .625 SLG, 1.015 OPS, and nine of his steals against right-handers this year!
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 12.25 DK - 9.19
If we believe Irvin is in for some regression, it could start here against the Astros. This is simply one of the best lineups in baseball, and they've been slaughtering southpaws throughout the year. Bregman is a major reason why, amassing a .302 AVG, .393 OBP, .542 SLG, and .934 OPS against left-handers throughout his career. That's nearly 1,000 at-bats of dominance, making him tough to fade with his recent form. Over his last 19 games, Alex has accumulated a .333 AVG, .458 OBP, .621 SLG, and 1.079 OPS. Don't be afraid to stack all of these Stros in this spot!
Opponent - WSH (Paolo Espino) Park - ATL
FD - 17.49 DK - 13.18
Acuna is having a "down" year by his standards, but this is still one of the best fantasy producers around. He's ranked Top-5 in fantasy points per game almost every year since his call-up, and it's just a matter of time before he returns to that player atop this lineup. This Braves team ranks third in runs scored over the last month, and they're projected for 5.5 runs in this spot. The Nationals have simply had the worst rotation in baseball this season, and Espino is seeing some negative regression come his way behind a 9.00 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over his last two starts. That has Acuna as one of our highest projections of the day, and we certainly don't mind that he had a homer and three RBI on Saturday.
Opponent - STL (Andre Pallante) Park - STL
FD - 11.83 DK - 8.76
Schwarber goes on these stretches where he looks like the best hitter in baseball. He's undoubtedly amid one of those, knocking out nine dingers over his last 16 games. This run has been going on longer than that, with Kyle compiling a .379 OBP, .686 SLG, and 1.065 OPS over his last 36 games. All of that makes him an excellent option against a righty with a 1.40 WHIP, particularly with Schwarbs swinging a .345 OBP, .609 SLG, and .954 OPS against righties since the start of last season.
Opponent - PIT (José Quintana) Park - MIL
FD - 11.07 DK - 8.3
It's strange that McCutchen remains this cheap. He's not the MVP candidate we saw in Pittsburgh, but this dude is still a stud. Cutch has actually been hitting cleanup for Milwaukee over the last month, generating a .330 AVG, .418 OBP, .500 SLG, and .918 OPS over his last 28 games. That's a month of raking, and we're certainly not worried about him facing a lefty who has a 4.45 ERA and 1.39 WHIP since 2018. In addition, Cutch has clobbered Quintana throughout their careers, providing a .368 AVG, .429 OBP, .579 SLG, and 1.008 OPS in his 21 at-bats against him.
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