DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 7/22/19
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 7/22/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Gerrit Cole FD - P 11700 DK - SP 12500 Opponent - OAK (Homer Bailey) Park - HOU FD - 44.13 DK - 24.96 It's getting harder and harder to find meaningful DFS statistics where Cole doesn't reign supreme. He leads the Majors with a 2.58 xFIP and a 13.47 K/9. He's fifth in the Majors in innings pitched. The Astros have the third best record in baseball, which means he's a heavy favorite on most nights he goes out there. The only thing stopping him from being a cash game lock on any given night is a bad match-up, and while the A's are a good team, they've only been league average against opposing right handed pitching this season. I love Cole in all formats thanks to his terrific consistency and absurd upside. Robbie Ray FD - P 9600 DK - SP 11400 Opponent - BAL (Aaron Brooks) Park - ARI FD - 37.13 DK - 20.25 Pitcher two gets a little dicier from where I'm sitting, but I'll be the first to say it looks like Robbie Ray really can maintain this bizarre pitcher profile. He's dropped under 12 K/9 this season but he's also shaved his BB/9 down to 4.38. It won't inspire anyone of vintage Greg Maddux, but it's very meaningful for a guy who has struggled to keep that number below five in the past. Fewer walks and strikeouts also means Ray is going deeper into games. Last season he pitched just 6 more innings than he has this year in spite of pitching three more starts. The Orioles are also just a great match-up here, pairing a bottom 5 wOBA with a top 5 K rate against left handed pitching. It's always tough to call Ray a safe cash game play, but he's one of the few guys that can battle Cole for upside on any given day. Also considered: Mike Clevinger. Catcher/First Base Yasmani Grandal FD - C 3200 DK - C 4100 Opponent - CIN (Sonny Gray) Park - MIL FD - 11.75 DK - 8.77 Baseball's best fantasy catcher! Grandal leads all catchers in home runs with 19, and leads all qualified catchers with an .870 OPS. At a truly terrible position, you can't really ask for a a whole lot more. The fly in the ointment here is the match-up. Sonny Gray is a legitimately good pitcher at this point, adding to his...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 7/21/19
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 6/21/19Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW!It's been a rough weekend for me in terms of DFS but it's time to bounce back and give you some great plays for the Sunday slate. The good news is that the weather has been relatively friendly recently and it looks like we don't have too much to worry about here. That makes things so much easier on us and that's big news with all of the games being played within three hours of one another. PitchersWalker Buehler FD - P 10800 DK - SP 10800 Opponent - MIA (Jordan Yamamoto) Park - LADFD - 39.71 DK - 22.1How could we not like this matchup? Buehler has been one of the best pitchers in the league over his last 15 starts, especially if you take out a Coors Field dud. In those other 14 games, Buehler is pitching to a 2.35 ERA and 0.85 WHIP while striking out 107 batters across 92.1 innings. That's the stellar rookie that we saw for most of last season and it's clear he's one of the best arms in the Majors right now. Getting to face the Marlins at home is simply the icing on the cake, with Miami ranking bottom-three in runs scored, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA. That's why Buehler enters this game as a -300 favorite with the Marlins projected for only three runs. Blake Snell FD - P 10000 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - CHW (Dylan Cease) Park - TBFD - 42.59 DK - 23.85Snell has been wildly inconsistent this season but he has too much upside in a matchup like this. We’re talking about a guy with a 3.24 xFIP dating back to last season, which is backed up by one of the three-best swinging strike rates in the Majors. That’s why Snell has a 32 percent K rate in that span, which is huge against a lineup like this. The White Sox currently rank 23rd in K rate, 25th in wOBA and 28th in runs scored. That’s why Snell will likely enter this game as a projected –280 favorite with Chicago projected for fewer than four runs. We also like Brandon Woodruff and his 29 percent K rate at home against the Diamondbacks. Catcher/First BasePaul Goldschmidt FD - 1B 3300 DK - 1B 4100 Opponent - CIN (Anthony DeSclafani) Park - CINFD - 12.98 DK - 9.77Goldy has had a terrible year by his lofty standards but this price is getting way too cheap. We're still talking about...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 7/20/19
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 7/20/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Clayton Kershaw FD - P 10800 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - MIA (Sandy Alcantara) Park - LAD FD - 41.89 DK - 22.88 Your clear cut high floor option for Saturday night. Kershaw is the biggest favorite on the slate at -310, and he'll be up against the second worst offense against left handed pitching in the Miami Marlins. The Fish are a league average team when it comes to striking out, but they are so bad at scoring runs that you just have to deal with it. While Kershaw isn't the world beater he was in the earlier stages of his career, this late model is still plenty effective. He's pairing pin point control (1.54 BB/9) with an adequate 8.40 K/9, and has a career high 52.1% ground ball rate. Kershaw is plenty affordable on both sites, and is simply a terrific option. Luis Castillo FD - P 10500 DK - 11200 Opponent - STL (Miles Mikolas) Park - CIN FD - 35.22 DK - 19.33 After Kershaw things get a little bit dicier. You almost have to grab a volatile option wherever you look, so why not grab the highest upside on the slate while you're at it? While it's true that Castillo's 4.50 BB/9 isn't ace level, his 10.77 K/9 is. His 55.9% groundball rate helps erase a lot of those walks, and his 3.72 xFIP still paints the picture of a plenty effective pitcher. Castillo is only a -135 favorite, but the Cardinals are a bottom 7 team in the league vs. righties this season, and I'd guess Castillo is the best bet for a 10 strikeout game on this slate. Griffin Canning FD - P 6900 DK - SP 8700 Opponent - SEA (Undecided) Park - SEA FD - 31.79 DK - 16.57 So you need a pitcher two, you say? Griffin Canning is a slightly better bet than most rookie pitchers in that he entered the league as a top 100 prospect on FanGraphs, and he looks like a credible strikeout per inning guy. He's only going a hair over 5 innings per start right now, but the big time K stuff can help get you enough points to make up the difference. Canning isn't a control master with slightly more than 3 BB/9, but his biggest risk factor is the long ball, with his 35.6% walk rate leading to a 1.76 HR/9 so far this...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 7/19/19
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 7/19/19Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW!This is one of the coolest slates of the season. We have aces all across the board with almost every guy in a supreme matchup. That means it's dealer's choice in terms of who you want to play but we're going to give you our two favorite options.Like always, check weather before submitting lineups. PitchersHyun-Jin Ryu FD - P 10500 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - MIA (Zac Gallen) Park - LADFD - 42 DK - 23.13This might be the safest play of the season. We're talking about a guy who has at least 31 FanDuel points in all but two starts this season, as he leads the NL in both ERA and WHIP. His numbers come out to a 1.78 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. which is scary because he has an ERA and WHIP below 1.00 at home this season. That makes this FanDuel price truly mind-boggling, as this matchup is arguably the best in baseball too. In fact, the Marlins currently rank bottom-three in runs scored, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA. That's why Ryu enters this matchup as a -310, with Miami projected for only three runs. David Price FD - P 9500 DK - SP 9300 Opponent - BAL (John Means) Park - BALFD - 34.77 DK - 18.64Many people don't consider Price an ace but maybe they should. Not only does he have an impressive 3.15 ERA and 1.15 WHIP this season, he's also got a 3.25 ERA and 1.14 WHIP for his career. That makes him one of the most reliable pitchers in this volatile pitching environment and he makes for a fantastic pivot from all of the five-figure studs. His recent form is what's really encouraging, with Price scoring at least 33 FanDuel points in eight of his last nine games. Facing Baltimore is hard to overlook too, with the Orioles sitting 21st in K rate, 27th in runs scored, 28th in OPS and dead-last in xwOBA. That's why we anticipate Price entering this game as a -200 favorite.There are so many good pitching options on this slate. Justin Verlander (FD $10700 DK $11400) faces a Texas team who ranks dead-last in K rate. Jacob deGrom (FD $10600 DK $10600) faces a terrible Giants offense in a pitcher-friendly stadium like Oracle Park. Shane Bieber (FD $10800 DK $10400) squares off with a dreadful Royals offense at home. If you're looking for someone cheap, Tyler Mahle (FD $6200 DK $6000) has been better than his...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 7/18/19
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 7/18/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Early Caleb Smith FD - P 8500 DK - SP 9200 Opponent - SD (Dinelson Lamet) Park - MIA FD - 35.28 DK - 19.6 The chalk will likely fall with Sale on this small, four-game early slate but I love pivoting off him as he just hasn't been consistent whatsoever this season. Despite the Marlins only sitting as a pickem(-105), Caleb Smith is where I will turn as he has been solid all season allowing two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 14 starts and comes in with an impressive 3.46 ERA and supporting 4.04 xFIP. What really stands out, however, is the K upside as he has struck out 30.5% of batters and now faces a Padres team that has an 83 wRC+ over the last 14 days and strikes out 24% of the time vs. left0-handed pitching. I will have exposure in all formats. Also Consider: Chris Sale(BOS) Main Trevor Bauer FD - P 10800 DK - SP 11000 Opponent - DET (Matthew Boyd) Park - CLE FD - 40.79 DK - 22.05 On the main slate, I will be directing my attention to the pitcher's duel in Cleveland and siding with the -300 home favorites and Trevor Bauer. He has had his struggles in certain giving up four or more earned runs in eight of his 21 starts but still sits with an above-average 3.65 ERA and 4.43 xFIP so you can only imagine how good he has been in the rest of those games. Like Smith, he also provides big upside with a 27% K rate facing a bottom three offense in the Tigers who also strike out 26% of the time vs. right-handed pitching. The other $10K+ pitchers on both sites have much tougher matchups making Bauer the easy choice in all formats, at least in cash games. Also Consider: Madison Bumgarner(SF) in the other premier pitching matchup of the night as the Mets have slumped lately scoring just 17 runs(23rd) since the All-Star break Catcher/First Base Early Cheslor Cuthbert FD - 1B 2600 DK - 1B/3B 4100 Opponent - CHW (Ross Detwiler) Park - KC FD - 9.55 DK - 7.31 With Mondesi being placed on the 10-day IL, the Royals have been forced to adjust their starting lineup and it appears Cuthbert has earned a spot in the two-hole which gives him excellent PTS/$, especially on FanDuel. Despite a small sample size this...
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 7/17/19
DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 7/17/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Mike Clevinger FD - P 9400 DK - SP 9900 Opponent - DET (Spencer Turnbull) Park - CLE FD - 36.65 DK - 19.86 The main slate gives us a nice selection of pitchers and at the top of the list for me is Mike Clevinger. He got off to a hot start this season but ended up hitting the IL in early April with a back injury and after returning in June was hit hard and ended up back on the IL with an ankle sprain. He again struggled in his return(7 ER to BAL) but has been fantastic in two starts since allowing just four hits to both the Royals and Twins striking out 15(36.6%) and walking just two(4.9%) batters. Tonight, he is in a great spot as a -240 favorite going against a Tigers team who has been better in the short term(113 wRC+ last 14 days) but still rank 28th in runs scored(143) and 26th in wRC+(87) since the start of June. Fire up Clevinger in all formats. Chris Paddack FD - P 8900 DK - SP 10900 Opponent - MIA (Trevor Richards) Park - MIA FD - 38.43 DK - 21 Since returning from a stint in High A(did not pitch) in an attempt to limit his innings, Paddack has been excellent allowing just three combined earned runs over 16 2/3 innings. It was a bit concerning seeing just one strikeout in his return but he rebounded nicely with 14 over his next two starts(vs STL, @ LAD) while walking just two. He now gets a plus matchup as a -155 favorite against a Marlins team who can be very closely compared to the above mentioned Tigers. They have been better lately but overall are the only team that ranks worse than the tigers in almost every category in almost all splits. Looking at the top of the salary, I love the price discount from Cole, especially on FanDuel and in cash games making Paddack a core play for me in all formats. Also Consider: Gerrit Cole(HOU) as a GPP pivot on both sites as the most expensive option in a below-average matchup(LAA only K's 18% vs. RH pitching) but is easily the best pitcher on the slate or Eduardo Rodriguez(BOS) in a plus matchup vs. the Blue Jays Catcher/First Base Joc Pederson FD - 1B 2800 DK - 1B/OF 4600 Opponent - PHI (Nick Pivetta) Park -...