DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 6/24/19 Monday brings us a short slate in MLB action with only seven games on the schedule. But we've got some gusty winds in Chicago, Jon Gray getting out of Coors, the Indians still coming cheap and much more. Let's take a look at what Monday has to offer. 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 Jon Gray FD 8500 DK 9800 Opponent - SF (Drew Pomeranz) Park - SFFD - 34 DK - 18.04 As a card-carrying member of the Jon Gray Fan Club, I’m almost contractually obligated to write him up for this Monday slate. He faces the bottom-feeding Giants in San Francisco so there isn’t the thin air of Coors to worry about here. San Fran ranks 27th in the league against righties this season and there’s not a lot of hope for improvement going forward. And Gray is a solid strikeout guy, posting a 9.66 K/9 rate and a 3.76 xFIP. The walks are still something of an issue at 9.4% but that’s less of a concern against the Giants on Monday. He doesn’t have a ton of win expectation (-130) but that is something of a theme on Monday’s slate. I’m taking the K upside and the matchup as a path to rostering Gray in cash games on Monday. Eduardo Rodriguez FD 8400 DK 8700 Opponent - CHW (Lucas Giolito) Park - CHWFD - 35.05 DK - 18.71 Rodriguez is having arguably his best season since hitting the majors back in 2015. He’s striking out 9.73 batters per nine and has limited the walks to 2.62. These are his best K:BB (3.7:1) numbers yet. He’s getting burned a little on the BABIP at .338 leading to the 4.71 ERA being almost a run higher than the 3.88 xFIP. Monday he’ll face a middling White Sox team ranked 17th against lefties this season who strikeout 24% of the time in that split. He’s a -165 home favorite, one of the better money lines on the day and because of the ERA issues is coming fairly priced. CC Sabathia (FD $6500 DK $7100) has the best win expectation going on Monday at -240 at home against the Blue Jays. But C.C.’s numbers are rough this season. Catcher/First Base Luke Voit FD 3800 DK 4800 Opponent - TOR (Aaron Sanchez) Park - TORFD - 13.13 DK - 9.94 Having weathered most of their injuries at this point, the Yankees are basically back to full strength and this lineup is...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday 6/23/19 We've got another Sunday Funday happening in baseball with plenty of offenses to choose from, but maybe not as much on the pitching side of things. We'll have to wade through some of the mid-tier pitching options on the main slate of games while identifying the better value stacks. 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 Joey Lucchesi FD - P 8500 DK - SP 9100 Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - PITFD - 32.31 DK - 17.08 The Pirates have been completely brutal against lefties this season ranking 28th in wOBA in that split, striking out 24% of the time and there doesn’t seem to be much hope on the horizon. Lucchesi has cooled off a bit in the strikeout department, since his 11K game against Toronto back in late May, but this is still a guy who puts down batters at about a strikeout per inning. He’s also gone six or more innings in five of his last six starts because he’s been able to limit the walks. Dude isn’t an overwhelming favorite on the road (-135) but you have to like the peripherals and the matchup for sure. Brandon Woodruff FD - P 9200 DK - SP 7900 Opponent - CIN (Anthony DeSclafani) Park - MILFD - 36.05 DK - 19.12 Woodruff has made the successful transition from reliever to starter and is now putting up some excellent numbers this season. He’s striking out more than 10.5 batters per nine with a 4.25:1 K:BB ratio through 87 innings pitched. The 3.55 xFIP is about a half run lower than the 4.02 ERA and on Sunday he’ll face a Reds’ team ranked 25th in team wOBA against righties this season. They strike out 24% of the time in that split and Woodruff enters the game as a -178 home favorite. Without many big-time pitching options on Sunday’s main slate, I think we can comfortably run him out there in cash games in the upper middle tier salary tier. I think you can also consider Rick Porcello (FD $8000 DK $8600) against the Blue Jays. Catcher/First Base Yasmani Grandal FD - C 3300 DK - C 4700 Opponent - CIN (Anthony DeSclafani) Park - MILFD - 12.09 DK - 9.02 Eric Thames FD - 1B 2600 DK - 1B 4700 Opponent - CIN (Anthony DeSclafani) Park - MILFD - 10.48 DK - 7.86 The Brewers switched up their lineup in the short-term moving Grandal up to the leadoff...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 6/22/19 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 Hyun-Jin Ryu FD - P 10600 DK - SP 11500 Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - LAD FD - 41.47 DK - 22.87 On the main slate we could see cash game ownership pushing 100% tonight. With three games pushing totals over 10 on a five game slate, you really don't have a lot of palatable options. Me? I'm going with the herd and playing Ryu. While he's not a household name, Ryu has been every bit of an ace this season. His sub 9 K/9 isn't anything to write home about, but his .48 BB/9 is the stuff of legends. If math isn't your thing, that's a single walk every 18 innings. He just doesn't let people get on base for free. This incredibly efficient approach has yielded a delightful 6.64 innings pitched per start, which is a beautiful thing for both his fantasy point totals and his ability to snag a win. I love grabbing pitchers against the Rockies when they are on the road, and the nice pitcher's park here is just icing on the cake. Like I said, this is one of the easier plays in recent memory. Mike Foltynewicz FD - P 7700 DK - SP 6400 Opponent - WSH (Anibal Sanchez) Park - WSH FD - 24.89 DK - 12.77 There's no way to sugarcoat it, this year has been an incredible disappointment for Foltynewicz. That stands in stark contrast to last year's dream season, where he added 1.6 K/9 and shaved almost a full run off his xFIP. He ran hot with a .251 BABIP allowed, but he was still very much an above league average pitcher. This year it's all gone sideways. The K rate is back under 8 per 9, and his HR/FB rate has more than doubled, which is why his ERA and xFIP are both dramatically suffering. It's weird, though, because his fastball is still averaging 95.2 miles per hour, and his walk rate has actually decreased. I don't know that he'll get back to 10 Ks per 9, but I do believe he can at least be a league average pitcher, and on this slate? That means something. The Nats have a below average wOBA against righties this season, and even though they're a little healthier that's about as good as we can hope for in the pitcher two slot tonight. Also considered: Masahiro Tanaka, if you don't trust Folty....

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 6/21/19 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!Friday's are the best night for baseball and we have yet another spectacular slate here. The greatest thing about this slate might be that we have almost no weather to worry about. Kansas City is the only game with rain projected in the forecast and that's a DFS players dream. We actually don't even have any recommendations from that game and that makes things so much easier for us!PitchersChris Sale FD - P 12000 DK - SP 12000 Opponent - TOR (Trent Thornton) Park - BOSFD - 48.2 DK - 27.91Sale is the highest-priced player on the slate and it's easy to understand why. Not only has Sale been one of the best pitchers in the Majors for nearly a decade, he's actually in the midst of one of his best stretches ever. In fact, Sale has pitched to a 2.24 ERA and 0.83 WHIP over his last 11 starts, striking out 116 batters across 72.1 innings. That K rate is absolutely absurd and it really makes him a tempting option against a Toronto club who ranks 21st in K rate. In addition, the Blue Jays sit 27th in runs scored and 26th in wOBA, which is why Sale enters this game as a -350 favorite. Aaron Nola FD - P 8700 DK - SP 8000 Opponent - MIA (Sandy Alcantara) Park - PHIFD - 36.75 DK - 19.9Nola's ugly numbers this year will not make you want to use him but this guy is too good of a pitcher to be priced this cheaply. The Philly ace is typically a $10,000 when he's right and it's easy to see why when looking at his career numbers. In fact, Nola has a 3.37 career xFIP to match his 26 percent K rate. That shows the talent that this guy possesses and we truly believe that he'll get closer to those numbers with a matchup against the Marlins. So far this season, Miami ranks last in runs scored, OPS and wOBA. That puts Nola and the Phillies as a -200 favorite in this game, with Miami projected for fewer than four runs.  Listen to "Friday MLB DFS Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 6/21/19" on Spreaker. Catcher/First BaseJoey Votto FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 4000 Opponent - MIL (Chase Anderson) Park - MILFD - 11.32 DK - 8.49The demise of Joey Votto has been greatly exaggerated and recent results would indicate that he's back to top form....

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 6/20/19 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 Walker Buehler FD - P 11400 DK - SP 10500 Opponent - SF (Madison Bumgarner) Park - LAD FD - 39.49 DK - 21.46 With the Dodgers lead in the division sitting in double digits, we are likely going to see some limitations on the pitching staff down the stretch but as for tonight, all systems go! Buehler has been outstanding this season with a 3.06 ERA and supporting 3.44 xFIP while averaging 5.9 innings/92.6 pitches per start. The upside(26% K rate) isn't that of other elite pitchers but he limits baserunners with a low 4% walk rate and elite .92 WHIP. Tonight, he gets a plus matchup against a Giants team that has struggled offensively all season but has been even worse lately ranking dead last in wOBA(.269), wRC+(65), and ISO(.108) over the last 14 days with a 25% K rate. Going even further, Buehler has an electric four-seam fastball(avg 96.7 mph) and Giants rank dead last against fastballs this season. Fire up Buehler in all formats. *It will be Julio Urias making the start for the Dodgers shifting my cash game focus to Jake Odorizzi tonight. Urias can be used in GPP formats.* Jose Suarez FD - P 6300 DK - SP 8500 Opponent - TOR (Clayton Richard) Park - TOR FD - 26.3 DK - 13.61 For value tonight, my eyes immediately locked on Jose Suarez who is a -150 favorite making his fourth career start. He has given up eight earned runs in 16 innings(4.50 ERA/5.56 xFIP) but the good news is that he has limited opponents to a 26% hard contact rate and while the K rate(20%) is below average he is operating with an elite 14% swinging strike rate telling me there are more K's to come for the 21-year-old. More good news as he gets a plus matchup against a Jays team that struggles to score runs and has been a bottom five offense against lefties with a .288 wOBA, 79 wRC+, and 14% K rate. Suarez makes a value SP2 on DraftKings and an excellent punt GPP play on FanDuel allowing you to stack any team you wish. Also Consider: Jake Odorizzi(MIN)  Catcher/First Base Matt Adams FD - 1B 3000 DK - 1B 4600 Opponent - PHI (Nick Pivetta) Park - WSH FD - 12.15 DK - 9.17 I am not overly excited about this position tonight, at least for cash games. Because of this,...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 6/19/19 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 Gerrit Cole FD - P 12000 DK - SP 11400 Opponent - CIN (Tyler Mahle) Park - CIN FD - 40.57 DK - 22.82 Despite the downgrade in park factor, Gerrit Cole is easily the pitcher on the early slate today. He has been absolutely lights out lately holding opponents to two or fewer earned runs in four straight and six of his last seven starts(3.07 ERA/2.26 xFIP) while tallying 10+ K's four times. Overall, he leads the league(qualified) with an elite 2.48 xFIP and eye-popping 38.8% K rate. He now gets a plus matchup against a Reds team that has not only struggles lately(.289 wOBA, 74 wRC+, 149 ISO last 14 days) but has also struggled slightly more against righties(.298 wOBA, 80 wRC+, 24% K rate). Weather permitting, there should be more than enough value plays pop up when lineups come out to pay up for Cole in all formats. Also Consider: Blake Snell(TB) or Zach Eflin(PHI) as GPP plays on the road in tougher matchups Main Rich Hill FD - P 9600 DK - SP 10300 Opponent - SF (Drew Pomeranz) Park - LAD FD - 36.61 DK - 19.97 The main slate gives us a nice selection of pitchers at the top but with Scherzer questionable(likely starts) and Giolito in a tougher matchup vs. the Cubs, I will be riding with Rich Hill. Through nine starts he has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a start while averaging 5.8 innings and 93.3 pitchers per start. Not only has he been consistent for cash games, but he has also provided upside with a 27% K rate. The matchup also stands out tonight as he faces a Giants team that has struggled lately(.284 wOBA, 75 wRC+, .113 ISO last 14 days) and also rank at the bottom of the league against lefties(.273 wOBA, 68 wRC+, 24% K rate). Fire up Hill in all formats, especially on FanDuel where he is in the sub $10K range. Also Consider: Andrew Heaney(LAA) as an SP2 on DraftKings or GPP pivot on FanDuel in a plus matchup against the Jays Listen to "Wednesday MLB DFS Podcast with Bonus NBA thoughts and reactions - 6/19/19" on Spreaker. Catcher/First Base Early Eric Hosmer FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 4400 Opponent - MIL (Zach Davies) Park - SD FD - 10.31 DK - 7.9 Some positions on this slate are a bit tricky...