DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 7/23/22

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Pitchers

Gerrit Cole FD 11300 DK 10400
Opponent - BAL (Jordan Lyles) Park - BAL
FD - 41.52 DK - 23.64

There were some ups and downs in the first half but Cole finished very strong holding opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven starts(2.14 ERA). Not only has he been providing a terrific fantasy floor but he has also provided the elite upside we have come to love as he finished with 23 strikeouts over his final two starts and tallied a 36% K rate in those seven starts mentioned above. He faces an Orioles team that finished the first half hot but still ranks as a bottom 10 offence overall. Cole is my top overall pitcher on this slate.

Kyle Wright FD 10500 DK 9100
Opponent - LAA (Patrick Sandoval) Park - LAA
FD - 37.33 DK - 19.97

The Braves' 2017 5th overall pick has faced some hurdles along the way but is finally making an impact on the major league roster. He went into the All-Star break 2nd in the majors in wins(11) with an impressive 2.95 ERA/3.49 xFIP. The only thing really lacking lately are the strikeouts(five or fewer in five straight) but he still holds a slightly above-average 24% rate on the season. He also gets a terrific matchup against a Trout-less Angels team that is operating at a sub 60 wRC+ without him. Lock and load in all formats.

Catcher/First Base

José Abreu FD 3500 DK 4800
Opponent - CLE (Konnor Pilkington) Park - CLE
FD - 9.28 DK - 7.02

Game two of the Guardians/White Sox is on the main slate tonight and it's the Chicago side that I favour for offence. They get a plus matchup against rookie Konnor Pilkington who has struggled as a starter putting a to of runners on base(1.78 WHIP) which has led to an underwhelming 4.84 ERA/4.91 xFIP. He has only given up four home runs but that could change as he is giving up over a 40% hard contact rate and 11% barrel rate. For Abreu, his slow start is a thing of the past as he enters the night with hits in nine straight and 23 of his last 24 games. The price is getting back up there but all things considered, he is my top PTS/$ play at first base on this slate.

Sean Murphy FD 2500 DK 4000
Opponent - TEX (Taylor Hearn) Park - TEX
FD - 10.25 DK - 7.72

I don't know what is more surprising here. The fact I am targeting the A's in back-to-back days or that I am writing up a catcher in this section. Either way, it's another good spot as Murphy checks all the boxes starting with his play as he comes in with hits in 10 of his last 12 games and has been a staple in the three-hole. He faces a below-average lefty in Taylor Hearn(5.78 ERA/1.67 WHIP/43.9% hard hit rate) and has been terrific in the spit this season with a .349 wOBA/131 wRC+. Fire up Murphy in all formats today as our top catcher.

Second Base

Brandon Lowe FD 2900 DK 4300
Opponent - KC (Brady Singer) Park - KC
FD - 14.88 DK - 11.11

Lowe missed two months with injury but you wouldn't guess it by his performance as he has now gone 8 for 14 in three games while adding two doubles. Even better news here is that the Rays top the implied run projections on this slate in a matchup against Brady Singer who has given up 6+ hits in five straight and eight of his last nine starts and has been much worse against left-handed bats(.365 wOBA/.496 SLG). Neither site has adjusted Lowe's price since his return which puts him in elite territory in terms of PTS/$ value today. Lock and load in all formats.

DJ LeMahieu FD 3100 DK 5000
Opponent - BAL (Jordan Lyles) Park - BAL
FD - 11.03 DK - 8.55

It is going to be hard to get away from Lowe on this slate if playing just one lineup but if multi-entering and want a piece of the Yankees, LeMahieu is a great place to start. He has been very productive in his leadoff role with an elite .390 on-base percentage and strikes out less than 13% of the time against right-handed pitching. A high floor isn't the only thing he offers as he sits 11th in runs scored on the season as he benefits greatly from hitting in front of Judge, Rizzo, Stanton, Torres, and Donaldson. While I will be heavy on Lowe, LeMahieu is in play in all formats tonight, especially on FanDuel where his best value lies.

Shortstop

Tim Anderson FD 3200 DK 5300
Opponent - CLE (Konnor Pilkington) Park - CLE
FD - 14.41 DK - 11.24

Always one of my favourite shortstops to target and he once again checks every single box and sits atop our projections at the position. He is not only one of the best hitters in the league hitting over .300 for a fourth straight season, he also obliterates left-handed pitching. While he doesn't have enough at-bats to qualify yet in 2022(lost time due to injury), he would be slotted right behind Goldy as top hitter against southpaw pitching with an insane .457 wOBA/205 wRC+. He is in play in all formats with his best value on FanDuel in the low $3K range.

Willy Adames FD 3500 DK 4700
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 12.19 DK - 9.23

If you have been following along for some time now, we have been joking about targeting against Urena for about a month now. He is not scaring anyone with swing and miss stuff(11.7% K rate), is almost walking(10.4%) more than he is striking out, and sits with an xFIP(4.80) than is over three runs higher than the sparkling 1.45 ERA. He has been worse against left-handed hitters but Adames is still on my radar as he picked up where he left off pre-ASB with a home run last night and now has a .361 wOBA/132 wrC+ in July. He is likely a bit lower owned here but still in play in all formats.

Third Base

Yandy Díaz FD 2800 DK 4100
Opponent - KC (Brady Singer) Park - KC
FD - 11.88 DK - 9.06

Diaz has been one of my favourite PTS/$ plays at third base almost all season and despite slightly cooling off before the break, picked up a double in his first game back post-break. For the season, he has an impressive .295 average and .409 OBP which has him firmly in place as the leadoff hitter for the Rays' who also happen to lead the slate in implied runs today. Singer has been better against righties but Diaz checks every other box and with these prices that never rise, he is once again locked in as a top PTS/$ value on both sites.

Yoán Moncada FD 2500 DK 3900
Opponent - CLE (Konnor Pilkington) Park - CLE
FD - 10.19 DK - 7.71

Moncada is another player who continues to be underpriced on both sites despite checking a ton of boxes once again tonight. He is finally starting to look like himself at the plate with hits in eight of his last 10 games with multi-hit efforts in three of his last five. He has also been moved back up to the two-hole behind Anderson and the White Sox get one of the best matchups on the board and sit as a Top 3 team in terms of implied runs. All things considered, Moncada is in play in all formats and the decision between he and Diaz ultimately comes down to which team you are targeting more.

Outfield

Ramón Laureano FD 3000 DK 4100
Opponent - TEX (Taylor Hearn) Park - TEX
FD - 9.91 DK - 7.55

Unless you are loading up on Yankees, this slate has top pitching and a balanced hitter approach written all over it. It comes down to weaker teams in plus matchups which always presents some risk but like Murphy, Laureano is one player I don't worry about a whole lot against southpaw pitching(.393 wOBA/164 wRC+/.200 ISO). He has also been more consistent in the short-term with hits in seven of his last 10 games and hits second lineup. That is more than enough boxes checked to have him as a top PTS/$ play in the outfield.

Christian Yelich FD 3100 DK 4700
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 13.24 DK - 10.01

I am going back to this matchup against Jose Urena one more time and this one lines up way more than Adames. This is due to Urena dominating righties but struggling against lefties with a .416 wOBA/.519 SLG against which brings the Brewers leadoff hitter into the light once again tonight. Yelich is definitely not the hitter he once was but has been much better as of late hitting .304 with a .382 wOBA/146 wRC+ going back to June 21. I will have exposure in all formats.

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