DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday, 7/31/22

The next 48 hours are going to be wild. This could be one of the craziest trade deadlines ever, with superstars like Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani rumored as major targets. There will undoubtedly be many other unanticipated moves, and it could lead to chaos over the next three DFS slates. Not only will we have some strange lineups, but rotations could also change. With that said, there are so many good pitching options on this slate. We didn't even get Shane McClanahan in here, and he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball. We have two other aces that we love, though, so let's start there!

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Pitchers

Dylan Cease FD - P 10900 DK - SP 10200
Opponent - OAK (Adam Oller) Park - CHW
FD - 39.32 DK - 21.73

Cease is the best option on this slate, and it's not close. Despite not making the All-Star team, Cease is one of the frontrunners for AL Cy Young. The hard-throwing right-hander has allowed one run or fewer in 11-straight starts, generating a 0.42 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in that span. That makes him tough to fade, but he's also leading all starters with a 12.5 K/9 rate for the season. That's a godsend for DFS, and we haven't even discussed that he faces the worst lineup in baseball. Oakland ranks 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA, with Cease entering this matchup as a -260 favorite.

Aaron Nola FD - P 10700 DK - SP 9700
Opponent - PIT (JT Brubaker) Park - PIT
FD - 40.76 DK - 21.92

Nola's 6-8 record might look ugly, but this guy has been pitching like an ace all season. The Phillies righty has a 3.32 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, striking out 144 batters across 132.2 innings. Those are some of the best averages in fantasy, with Nola throwing at least seven innings in eight of his last nine starts. He should be able to reach that threshold again here, with Pittsburgh sitting 28th in runs scored and OBP while sitting 29th in K rate and OPS. That's no surprise since Nola has at least 30 FanDuel points in his last five matchups with the Pirates, entering this matchup as a -190 favorite in a game with a seven-run total.

Reid Detmers (FD $8300/DK $7600) is a solid cheap option against a 24th-ranked Texas offense, posting a 1.06 ERA and 0.94 WHIP since being recalled from Triple-A.

Catcher/First Base

José Abreu FD - 1B 3700 DK - 1B 4900
Opponent - OAK (Adam Oller) Park - CHW
FD - 10.05 DK - 7.6

Abreu took down AL MVP in the shortened 2020 season, and he's having another run as he did in that 60-game sprint. The All-Star first baseman has a .383 AVG, .438 OBP, .530 SLG, and .938 OPS over his last 30 games. That's the stud we've been waiting to see, and it's just a matter of time before the power numbers become even more bloated. A matchup with Adam Oller might be the way to get that power stroke rolling, with the Oakland arm amassing an 8.07 ERA and 1.86 WHIP this year. That has Chicago projected for nearly five runs, and Abreu should be the heart of your ChiSox stack.

Jared Walsh FD - 1B 2700 DK - 1B 3100
Opponent - TEX (Dane Dunning) Park - LAA
FD - 9.98 DK - 7.52

Nothing about Walsh's season will make you want to use him. In any case, this guy has shown too much potential over recent years to be sitting near $3K on both sites. His splits are what's most impressive, providing a .291 AVG, .353 OBP, .536 SLG, and .889 OPS against right-handers since 2020. That's why he always bats cleanup against righties, and he's obliterated Dane Dunning throughout their careers. In 13 at-bats against the righty, Walsh has walloped a .667 AVG, .769 SLG, 1.444 SLG, and 2.213 OPS against him. It's a small sample size, but I've never seen BvP numbers like those.

Yasmani Grandal (FD $2600 DK $4500) is an excellent GPP play on DK at the catcher position, facing one of the worst pitchers on this slate.

Second Base

Marcus Semien FD - 2B 3300 DK - 2B/SS 4600
Opponent - LAA (Reid Detmers) Park - LAA
FD - 9.75 DK - 7.37

Semien continues to surge in the second half of the season, and it's hard to understand how he was so bad through the opening month. This 2021 MVP candidate finished last year with 45 homers and 15 steals, playing at that level for two months now. In fact, Marcus has maintained a .282 AVG, .518 SLG, and .857 OPS over his last 59 games. He's also got 14 homers and 15 steals in that span, showing that power-speed duo that's made him a fantasy stud throughout his career. We also love that he gets the platoon advantage against a lefty, with Semien's OPS sitting over 100 points higher against that side this season.

Jonathan India FD - 2B 3000 DK - 2B 5500
Opponent - BAL (Austin Voth) Park - CIN
FD - 12.3 DK - 9.29

Like Semien, India broke out last season and got off to a horrendous start this year. He's also taken the same route as Semien, stepping up his game over the last month. The 2021 Rookie of the Year has has a hit in 15 of his last 19 games, tallying a .320 AVG, .378 OBP, .600 SLG, and .978 OPS in that span. That means he's about $1,000 too cheap on FanDuel, and he should continue to do damage atop this Cincinnati lineup. Facing Austin Voth is the icing on the cake, though, with the Orioles righty registering a 6.15 ERA and 1.68 WHIP this year.

Shortstop

Trea Turner FD - SS 4200 DK - SS 5900
Opponent - COL (Germán Márquez) Park - COL
FD - 18.1 DK - 13.94

You could use Trea Turner on any slate against any pitcher. This is simply one of the best players in fantasy baseball, regularly providing a .300 AVG, .400 OBP, 20-25 homers, 30-40 steals, and 100 runs scored. That doesn't even include his boost in RBI, hitting in the two-hole of the best lineup in baseball behind MVP candidate Mookie Betts. He also comes into this matchup scorching, totaling a .356 AVG, .644 SLG, and 1.066 OPS over his last 17 games. That makes him a worthy option against anyone but facing German Marquez in Coors Field is magical. Not only does Marquez has a 5.25 ERA, but the Dodgers are the highest-projected lineup on the board!

Willy Adames FD - SS 3700 DK - SS 4900
Opponent - BOS (Josh Winckowski) Park - BOS
FD - 12.4 DK - 9.39

Adames doesn't hit for much average, but this is one of the best power-hitting shortstops in our sport. The slugging SS has 20 homers and a .453 SLG this season, posting a .481 SLG in each of the last two years. That even included a nightmarish stretch with Tampa Bay, with Adames posting a slugging percentage north of .500 since he put on a Brewers uniform. Getting power like that becomes even more enticing in a place like Fenway Park, especially since he faces a gas can like Winckowski. The Red Sox righty has a 5.18 ERA and 1.50 WHIP this year, with Milwaukee projected for 5.2 runs.

Third Base

Alex Bregman FD - 3B 3000 DK - 3B 4300
Opponent - SEA (George Kirby) Park - HOU
FD - 10.95 DK - 8.22

Man, it took me forever to pick two third basemen. I really hated this position today, but two guys stuck out as good values. Bregman was the first, and it's hard to understand why he remains so affordable on both sites. This former All-Star has been playing at that level for a month now, compiling a .294 AVG, .390 OBP, .529 SLG, and .919 OPS over his last 37 games. That's scary since he has three doubles, six RBI, a .538 OBP, and 1.538 OPS in the first three games of this series. George Kirby is a talented pitcher, but the young righty has a 4.43 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across his last four starts and could struggle with this stacked Stros lineup.

Yoán Moncada FD - 3B 2900 DK - 3B 5000
Opponent - OAK (Adam Oller) Park - CHW
FD - 8.87 DK - 6.71

I don't want to trust Moncada, but we have to stack the White Sox. I genuinely believe this is one of the best offenses in baseball, and a matchup with a guy like Oller could be the start of something. We already talked about how his ERA is north of 8.00, and it also puts Moncada on his more favorable left side. This former prospect has been struggling to get going this season, but a .349 OBP, .455 SLG, and .804 OPS over his last 14 games is an encouraging sign going forward. He's shown glimpses of that guy in the past, and we certainly don't mind that he's batting second in this talented lineup.

Outfield

Aaron Judge FD - OF 5000 DK - OF 6200
Opponent - KC (Zack Greinke) Park - NYY
FD - 15.71 DK - 11.75

Does this play need any explanation? Judge is the clear frontrunner for AL MVP, and he's starting to get in record-setting territory with his home run barrage. The big outfielder now leads baseball with 42 bombs, knocking out 12 dingers over his last 14 games. He's also got a .523 OBP, 1.130 SLG, and 1.653 OPS in that absurd stretch. He was already amid a career year before that run, but he's simply impossible to fade right now with how he's swinging the bat. Zach Greinke certainly won't sway us away, totaling a 5.26 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 6.6 K/9 rate over his last 11 starts.

Juan Soto FD - OF 3800 DK - OF 5400
Opponent - STL (Andre Pallante) Park - WSH
FD - 12.98 DK - 9.69

Soto has been the center of trade discussions with the deadline right around the corner, but he's quietly having a massive second half of the season. The Home Run Derby champ has a .433 OBP, .539 SLG, and .972 OPS over his last 52 games. That's the superstar we've been seeing for a few years now, and it's why he's one of the most coveted trade targets in the history of our game. We love that since he gets to face a weak righty here, with Pallante providing a 1.47 WHIP. That won't go over well when looking at Soto's supreme splits, accumulating a .488 OBP, .569 SLG, and 1.077 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor since 2020.

Andrew McCutchen FD - OF 3100 DK - OF 4300
Opponent - BOS (Josh Winckowski) Park - BOS
FD - 11.98 DK - 8.98

Cutch was an MVP-type player in his days with the Pirates, and he's starting to recapture some of that form in a Milwaukee uniform. The Brewers have been batting this guy cleanup in his resurgent season, totaling a .306 AVG, .386 OBP, .491 SLG, and .877 OPS over his last 44 games played. That's amazing from a player in this price range, and it's hard to understand why these DFS sites keep such a talented player this cheap. We already discussed how bad Winckowski has been, making McCutchen one of the best value plays of the day.