DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 7/27/21 - Main slate

Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB, NBA, PGA, NHL, and NFL optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clickiang the button below.

Pitchers

Julio Urías FD 8700 DK 9000
Opponent - SF (Logan Webb) Park - SF
FD - 36.18 DK - 19.18

This is a good day for starting pitching with a number of solid options near the top of the food chain. It will be close among some of these upper price tier arms. Urias has the worst matchup among some of them against the Giants, which isn’t great, but you have to love the strides he’s made with his control this season among other things. The 5:1 K:BB ratio is elite and he has a 3.63 xFIP. The win odds aren’t amazing, but they really aren’t for anyone on this slate who’d you feel comfortable putting into cash games.

Lance McCullers Jr. FD 10500 DK 10400
Opponent - SEA (Chris Flexen) Park - SEA
FD - 36.87 DK - 20.52

McCullers comes in as a -148 road favorite against the Mariners. Seattle ranks third-to-last in the league in team offense this season with a .296 wOBA. And they strike out a league-high 27% of the time as well. This is a near-perfect matchup for McCullers who has some series swing-and-miss stuff when he is dialed in. He’s striking out almost 11 batters per nine with his biggest issue being the walks. He allows almost 4.5 free passes per nine, a number that sometimes keeps him from going longer into outings. But, as stated, the matchup is just too good here and he’s an excellent cash game option.

On the cheaper side, Dane Dunning (FD $7700 DK $6400) makes for a good DraftKings SP2 option.

Catcher/First Base

Yuli Gurriel FD 2900 DK 4200
Opponent - SEA (Chris Flexen) Park - SEA
FD - 13.03 DK - 9.99

Gurriel is a DFSR staple and for good reason. He walks (10%) as much as he strikes out (10%) good for an 80% contact rate. And there’s been some power there as well and his OPS is sitting in the mid-800s range. And he’s a near-guarantee to have the ball in play a lot here with Flexen striking out fewer than six batters per nine over his career. Gurriel just remains way too cheap on FanDuel considering his plate discipline and three-spot in the Astros’ lineup.

J.T. Realmuto FD 3400 DK 5000
Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSH
FD - 13.18 DK - 9.97

While we usually don’t recommend catchers in this slot, especially on FanDuel where you don’t need to play them at all, I do like Realmuto here on both sites. He should be hitting second in the Phillies’ lineup against Fedde. He’s shown solid patience at the place this season with an 11% walk rate, and though not overwhelming, he was a power (10 HR) and speed (6 SB) combo that plays well in fantasy terms.

Second Base

Jean Segura FD 3100 DK 4300
Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSH
FD - 11.9 DK - 9.22

The Phillies have an implied run line over 5.0 which represents one of the higher numbers on the slate. That’s because they are facing Erick Fedde who has an ERA near 5.00 and an xFIP that isn’t too far behind. Segura should be in the leadoff slot for the Phils and has a near-80% contact rate on the season. His lower-800s OPS plays well at a weaker position and he’s added some speed with seven stolen bases as well.

Jorge Polanco FD 3400 DK 4300
Opponent - DET (Tyler Alexander) Park - DET
FD - 12.09 DK - 9.29

Polanco should be hitting leadoff for the Twins on Tuesday against the lefty Tyler Alexander and considering the former’s price point, I think we can take a shot on him in cash games. Polanco is set to turn in the best power numbers of his career with 14 home runs already, well on pace to eclipse his 22 home runs from 2019 if he can stay healthy the rest of the way. He is still very tough to strike out at only 15% and even has nine stolen bases as well. The Twins have a 5.4 implied run line too, one of the best of the slate.

Shortstop

Bo Bichette FD 4000 DK 4800
Opponent - BOS (Garrett Richards) Park - BOS
FD - 13.93 DK - 10.69

The potency of the Blue Jays’ lineup just puts their top-of-the-order bats in play almost every slate. Bichette has moved down the lineup to the third slot, but it’s not a massive change for the young shortstop. The power (18 home run) and speed (13 stolen bases) combo is among the best in the game and he’s tougher to strike out at only 21%. The DraftKings price is a bit more palatable than the FanDuel price, but he’s in consideration on both sites.

Miguel Rojas FD 2600 DK 4600
Opponent - BAL (Spenser Watkins) Park - BAL
FD - 11.93 DK - 9.31

It isn’t often that we have Marlins in the mix in cash games because their offense is pretty damn bad, but facing off against Spencer Watkins is a spot for us to consider. The Marlins have an implied run line over 5.0 which is one the higher ones you will see from this team. Rojas should hit leadoff and puts the ball in play around 80% of the time. He also has stolen eight bases this season and has dribs and drabs of power. The DraftKings price is a bit steep, but on FanDuel he’s in play.

Third Base

Josh Donaldson FD 3200 DK 4200
Opponent - DET (Tyler Alexander) Park - DET
FD - 13.33 DK - 9.87

Donaldson has continued to tune up lefties this season which has been mostly the story of his career. This season he has a .912 OPS and .387 wOBA in that split. That’s in line with the career .943 OPS and 156 wRC+ in that split with a sub-20% K rate and .284 ISO. These are elite numbers against lefties and Tyler Alexander is a below-average southpaw for his shorter career. The Twins have one of the better implied run lines on the day for a reason.

If Isan Díaz (FD $2000 DK $2200) is hitting second for the Marlins then I think he would make an excellent punt play. Miami is in a good spot and are all coming cheap across the board.

Outfield

George Springer FD 4300 DK 4500
Opponent - BOS (Garrett Richards) Park - BOS
FD - 14.5 DK - 10.9

Garrett Richards is one of the worst arms going on this slate and there’s a good reason the Blue Jays have a very high implied run line. Richards strikes out only around seven batters per nine and carries in around a 5.00 xFIP. Springer has moved into the leadoff slot and has worked the OPS into the mid-400s range. He remains a very patient hitter at the plate and has returned some of the power while struggling with injuries to start the season. His DraftKings’ price is particularly attractive.

Bryce Harper FD 4300 DK 6100
Opponent - WSH (Erick Fedde) Park - WSH
FD - 14.78 DK - 10.9

Stacking Phillies seems like a solid play on this slate and though Harper is incredibly expensive on DraftKings especially, there is still a strong case for it. He’s pushed the OPS up and over .900 on the season thanks to 15 home runs and also has added 12 stolen bases. It’s the power/speed threat we are looking for and he’s gotten himself back into the superstar discussion of fantasy production.

If Brent Rooker (FD $2100 DK $2900) is still hitting second then these prices are simply too cheap on both sites.