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DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 11, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 11, 2017

Welcome back for another exciting day of daily fantasy baseball. I hope everyone safely navigated through the first NFL/MLB Sunday as it was a crazy one. Tonight we have a smaller eight-game slate but again we get a nice selection of ace pitchers at the top and some teams in great spots offensively. Let’s jump in and take a look at a couple pitching options and some stacks.

Starting Pitchers

Zack Greinke
Opponent – vs. COL
DraftKings – $11,800
FanDuel – $9,300

Don’t let the fact that Chase Field is a Top 3 hitters park get in the way of your decision making tonight. Zack Greinke has been much better at home this season with an ERA(2.31) over a run and a half lower at Chase Field. In fact, he has not allowed an opponent to score more than three earned runs on him since mid-May and he ended up winning that game and striking out eight Mets. The strikeouts have been down lately(20 last 4 games) but he has also only allowed four total earned runs over his last three starts. Tonight he faces a Rockies team who understandably has been much better at home but rank right near the bottom in wOBA(.302) and wRC+(82) on the road this season. Greinke is considerably cheaper than Carrasco on both sites and is in play in all formats.

Brandon Woodruff
Opponent – vs. PIT
DraftKings – $7,100
FanDuel – $6,700

On a smaller eight game slate, the options are somewhat limited on the value side of things and it will be very important to get this right as we have two high-end pitchers on the mound. Jason Hammel makes a nice GPP play who has been up and down but I lean rookie Brandon Woodruff who has had a sparkling start to his Major League career. He has now made four starts and allowed just four earned runs with two quality starts, the second being his most recent start where he went seven innings striking out eight Nats in the process. He gets an even better matchup this time around vs. a struggling Pirates team that ranks 27th in wOBA(.295) and 29th in wRC+(78) over the last 14 days and have seen their K rate(22.9%) go way up vs. their season long number(19.4%). He makes a top SP2 play on DraftKings and a low-end GPP play on FanDuel if you are planning on loading up on bats.

Top Stacks


Cleveland Indians vs. Myles Jaye(DET)

No better place to start Monday night than with the hottest team in the league. The Indians have now won 18 straight and haven’t lost since August 23rd and during that stretch have scored an average of 6.7 runs per game. They now sit just two games away from tying the 2002 “Moneyball” Oakland Athletics for longest win streak. If that isn’t enough, they also get a nice matchup vs. rookie Myles Jaye who is making his first major league start. In two long relief appearances(5.2 IP), he has not allowed an earned run but has also not struck anyone out. He also seen a big falloff from AA to AAA in both his K rate and xFIP so I am not at all confident he will be able to handle major-league hitters, better yet, the hottest team in the league. If he last only a few innings that is also good news for the Indians as the Tigers have the worst bullpen ERA(5.25) of any team.

Top Hitters to Stack: Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana

 

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Steven Brault(PIT)

The Indians will definitely be the chalk tonight and if you are looking for an ownership pivot, consider the Brew Crew. They do strike out a ton but hit lefties for power(.170 ISO) and come in winners of three straight including a 15-2 route of the Cubs where they got nine runs off two lefty pitchers. They now face struggling youngster Steven Brault who struck out zero and gave up three earned runs in his first start and four earned runs in a relief appearance before that. Not only will the Brewers be lower owned tonight but they are also cheaper making it much easier to stack with one of the top pitchers.

Top Hitters to Stack: Ryan Braun, Domingo Santana, Hernan Perez, Travis Shaw

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 8, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 8, 2017

Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy baseball. Thursday brings us a smaller eight-game slate but is not short on elite pitching or top bats in great spots. Let’s dig in and take a look at a couple of the top pitchers and stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Max Scherzer - Lineuplab
Max Scherzer
Opponent – vs. PHI
Park – Nationals Park(Neutral)

Scherzer will be back on the mound after leaving early last Saturday’s game when he was hit in the calf muscle with a line drive. He played catch and Tuesday and was pain-free after a bullpen session on Wednesday so there is no need to worry about it at this point. That is good news as he has been elite all season with a 2.19 ERA, 12.1 K/9 rate and crazy 15.7% swinging strike rate. Scherzer also gets a top matchup vs. the Phillies who rank near the bottom in almost all offensive categories vs. right-handed pitching including wOBA(.311), wRC+(89), and K rate(23.7%). Roll him out with confidence in all formats.

Luke Weaver
Opponent – vs. PIT
Park – Busch Stadium(Pitchers Park)

Kid’s got game. In nine appearances(8 starts) last season, Weaver showed his huge upside with an 11.2 K/9 rate but struggled to keep the ball down and in the park(30.7% GB rate). In eight appearances(5 starts) this season, he has shown the same upside(11.3 K/9) but has seen his ERA drop over three runs and it has to with him now generating over 50% ground balls. This makes him a near elite DFS option in the right matchups and he gets that tonight as the Pirates have actually ranked worse than the aforementioned Phillies. He makes an excellent SP2 option on DraftKings or GPP option on FanDuel if you are loading up on bats.

 

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Jose Ramirez - Lineup Lab
Hard to fade the hottest team in baseball when looking at DFS from a stacking perspective. They picked up their 14th straight win on Wednesday (writing this before Thurs night game) and during that streak have scored an average of 6.9 runs per game. Three players (Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor) have hit 5+ home runs in the last 14 days and four players (add Roberto Perez) have double-digit RBI. They crush left-handed pitching and get a plus matchup vs. a weaker one in Wade Miley who has posted a 4.91 ERA, 4.56 xFIP, and a 17.5% HR/FB rate this season.

For value tonight, I will be leaning on the New York Mets who despite all the injuries have ranked in the upper half of the league in wOBA/wRC+ over the last 14 days. They don’t have the most talented roster which will leave them low owed and they also get a great matchup. Amir Garrett will be taking the ball for the Reds after being recalled on Tuesday. Before his demotion in late June, he was an absolute gas can with a 7.41 ERA and 27.5% HR/FB rate over 12 starts.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 7, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 7, 2017

Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy baseball. Thursday brings us a smaller eight-game slate but is not short on elite pitching or top bats in great spots. Let’s dig in and take a look at a couple of the top pitchers and stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

Lineuplab - DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber
Opponent – @CWS
Park – Gauranteed Rate Field(Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (CLE -250)
Vegas Total (7.5)

The decision at the top tonight is clearly between Corey Kluber and Clayton Kershaw. For me, it’s easy as Kershaw is likely to be on a pitch count still as the Dodgers have no reason to risk their ace with an 11.5 game lead in the National League West. I mean, sure Kershaw looked good in his last start but for the price it is hard to justify a 20%-30% decrease in innings pitched. For Kluber, his dominance continues as he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in four straight and 12 of his last 15 starts. He already elite K upside(11.85 K/9 & 15.8% swinging strike rate) gets a boost tonight facing one of the worst offenses in baseball in the White Sox. They rank 27th overall in runs scored and 28th in wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitchers. For those of you looking at the game logs, he has faced the White Sox three times this year and despite giving up seven earned runs has struck out 29 White Sox batters. Load up in all formats.

Tyler Mahle
Opponent – @ NYM
Park – Citi Field(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (CIN -110)
Vegas Total (9.0)

If you are planning on using Kluber or Kershaw or even Lester on a short slate, you are going to need to take a risk with your SP2. Enter rookie Tyler Mahle of the Reds who isn’t going to give us a ton of upside with strikeouts but can provide just enough value at his low price to make him a top SP2 tonight. He has faced the Pirates in both of his starts and after getting into some trouble with four walks and three earned runs the first time around, he looked better in the second start allowing just five hits, no earned runs and most importantly he didn’t walk anyone. He now faces a Braves team that sits in the bottom third in runs scored overall and wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching. If he can once again keep the walks down I can see him going 5+ innings and more than that helps us get some top bats in our lineups with an elite arm.

Top Stacks

Lineuplab.com - DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Francisco Lindor

From a stacking perspective tonight, there are some hot teams that are in fantastic spots and it starts with the Cleveland Indians. They have been the hottest team in the league over the last 14 days(going into Weds night) winning 13 straight games and have led the league in wOBA(.400), wRC+(150), ISO(.249), and runs scored(94). They face off against Carlos Rodon who has been better lately allowing more than two earned runs just once in his last seven starts but continues to walk too many(4.02 BB/9) and has only struck out more than four once in his last five starts. I tend to lean the way of the hot team over the over performing pitcher. My top hitters are Francisco Lindor, Edwin, Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, and Carlos Santana.

The other hot team in a great spot tonight is the Minnesota Twins. They aren’t too far off the Indians over the last two weeks with the 7th best wOBA(.343), 8th best wRC+(111), and 5th best ISO(.218). They will face newly acquired Sam Gaviglio who has been awful for the Mariners all season making 11 starts with a 4.62 ERA, 4.99 xFIP and has given up at least one home run in 10 of those starts. The only knock on this stack is the park as Kauffman Stadium is a Top 10 pitchers park but the price and possible ownership gap between them and the Indians make it worth the risk.

 

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for September 6, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, September 6, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab.com

Carlos Carrasco @ Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Opp implied total – 3.20

A lot of people were on Danny Salazar last night, who didn’t even get out of the 1st inning against these same White Sox. He just wasn’t on his pitches and as soon as the bullpen came in the Sox got shut down. If Salazar was at all on his game, he would have shut them down. Carlos Carrasco is also a step up from Salazar, who is a bit more volatile. Carrasco will typically give you a guaranteed 6 innings and 7 strikeouts, while Salazar will be up and down all year long. Carrasco has posted a .288 combined wOBA on the season and has backed it up with some fantastic peripherals. He’s striking out 10.2 batters per 9 innings while walking just 2.19, giving him his personal career best K: BB. Carrasco is an elite pitcher any way you look at it and his opponent is extremely weak. The White Sox have ranked in the bottom 5 in every offensive category since the ASB. Jose Abreu is the only real bat in the order and Carrasco should be able to deal with him with ease. He’s the top play in cash games and it’s not too close at all, at least in my book.

Kenta Maeda Vs Arizona Diamondbacks
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas O/U – 3.70

After Carrasco, there is a ginormous drop to the 2nd guy(s). I’m not exactly sure who ends up being highly owned out of this 2nd tier, but it could be Kenta Maeda for cash games. To be clear, I don’t like him in tournaments as I can’t see the Dodgers letting him eclipse 90-1000 pitches. With that being said, it could very well be enough for a cash game at his price. He faces off with the Diamondbacks, who are a good offense, but they outside of Chase Field and even more so in pitcher-friendly parks. The 2 bats to be most wary of are Jake Lamb and David Peralta. Maeda is a bit worse against lefties (.318 wOBA), so he could have some trouble with those guys. On the flip side, his numbers against righties (.264 wOBA) are fantastic. The majority of this D-Backs lineup will be right-handed and we know they can strike out with the best of them. Vegas has a 3.70 implied total and Maeda should end up as one of the more conservative

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab.com

Cleveland Indians @ Reynaldo Lopez (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.80

The Chicago White Sox rotation is just 1 big pitching machine with legs. The IQ seems non-existent if you watch and they go through putrid starters like they’re easy to come by. Reynaldo Lopez, in particular, is pretty bad. He’s just 23-years-old and walked 4.50 batters per 9 in AAA. He’s obviously not ready for the majors just yet and it’ll be a few years until we get there. The Indians are one of the most dangerous offenses and one of the most difficult to contain. Guaranteed Rate Field is small and the Indians should put up plenty of runs. The cream of the crop is Jose Ramirez and the 1 1B. they all destroy righties and have more than enough HR upside. After that, you can go anywhere. Vegas has the Indians implied at 5.80 runs, which is the highest outside of Coors Field. I like Jay Bruce a lot, actually, as he’s struggled lately and should go low-owned. He sets up well for Lopez and could send a heater back where it came from. The rest of the order has upside, but not to the point where you need to reach.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Texas Rangers @ Julio Teheran
Park – SunTrust Park
Implied Total – 4.74

For a larger slate, there aren’t many great teams to stack. Sure, you can go into Coors Field and get a team with a 6.5 implied total, but good luck paying for anyone else, including your pitcher. It’s not necessarily a bad strategy, but I’d rather pay up for safety in my arms and find a cheaper offense that can put up similar production. Here we have the Texas Rangers, facing off with predictable righty Julio Teheran. Teheran has allowed a .335 wOBA against lefties and nearly a 2 HR/9. He calls in the Rangers to SunTrust Park, which has been a top 7 park for lefty power on the season. We all know the Rangers have plenty of that. The first guy that sticks out is Joey Gallo. Gallo is my pick for HR of the night and I wouldn’t have a Rangers stack without him. The rest of the lefties (Choo, Mazara, Odor) are the way to go in cash games. In tournaments, feel free to throw a righty in there and hope for some production off the bench. Either way, I don’t see the Rangers walking away with less than 2 dingers in this contest.

Main Stack – Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara, Elvis Andrus, Joey Gallo
Sneaky Stack – Nomar Mazara, Joey Gallo, Rougned Odor, Robinson Chirinos/strong>

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 31, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 31, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Luis Severino Vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Park – Yankee Stadium
Vegas O/U – 8.5

We don’t have much pitching at all on this slate and Severino is the one guy who’s basically a lock. He’s easily the top option in both formats and will end up being very popular. I’m fine with it and in tournaments, this is a slate where you can get contrarian with your bats. Severino and the Yankees host the Rays, who are not very good. While they can hit homers against righties, the strikeout the 2nd most in the league at 25%. Severino has proven himself as a dominant and close to elite starter this season. He’s held both lefties and righties to a sub .281 wOBA, while striking out 10+ and walking 2 per 9 innings. He’s been better at home and all in all, doesn’t have much working against him tonight. He still has risk because of his age and these Rays can get streaky. However, nobody is at all safer. In any way.

Sonny Gray Vs. San Francisco Giants
Park – Oakland Coliseum
Vegas O/U – 9.5

It looks like Sonny Gray is going to get traded. Definitely watch out for news, but I expect his to be his last showcase game. They will let him wear his arm out of pitching well and they will tank him quickly if he’s not. Against the Giants, there’s a good shot of Gray dominating. The Giants have ranked dead last in baseball against righties with a .280 wOBA, showing no hope or signs for the future. Gray has been phenomenal against both sides of the plate (.271 wOBA) and is striking out 8.5 per 9 innings. The Oakland Coliseum is huge and I expect the Giants to have similar issues as they do at home. Gray is always going to be a bit risky and this 9.5 over/under is slightly worrisome. We don’t have much to choose from on the slate and Gray is a quality arm in a quality match-up. Once again, make sure he doesn’t get traded before the start.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Cleveland Indians @ Doug Fister (Red Sox)
Park – Fenway Park
Implied Total – 5.56

I tried to go a little bit under the radar here. We do have some super popular offenses on the slate and you don’t need me to tell you to play those guys. However, we’ll look at a team who should be popular, but I’m not expecting it. The Indians will head to Boston and face off with the Red Sox in Fenway Park. The Sox will be tossing Doug Foster, who is AWFUL. In over 80 innings last season, he gave up a .400 wOBA. This year? It’s up to .470. I don’t know what in the world happened to this guy, but he can’t get his sinker to work against lefties. They’re implied to score over 5.5 runs and I think they should end up over 6. Jose Ramirez and Michael Brantley are my 2 favorites, but you can really go anywhere. This team is full of hitters and not at all a concentrated offense. Choosing between the 2 1B, I’ll go Santana due to the splits.

Main Stack – Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley, Edwin Encarnacion, Bradley Zimmer

Toronto Blue Jays @ James Shields (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.89

Now here’s one of the far more obvious stacks. When James Shields is on the mound, look to stack the other team. He’s one of the absolute worst pitchers in baseball and I will target hitters against him every single time. The Blue Jays have an implied team total of 5.69 and it’s only gone up from opening. Shields has been better against righties this year, but looks to just be getting lucky. He allowed a .385 wOBA against righties in 2016 and all of the peripherals still match. Against lefties, he’s held a .370+ wOBA for multiple seasons. Guaranteed Rate Field a great park for hitting and I fully expect the Jays to give off some fireworks. Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson are my 2 favorites, with the 2 1B following. This is a concentrated offense and I would keep your exposure towards the top of the order. If you want to get cute, find a guy with substantial power and hope for a low-owned dinger.

Main Stack – Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak, Russell Martin
Sneaky Stack – Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Steve Pearce, Josh Donaldson

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 23, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 23, 2017

Welcome back for another TGIF edition of my daily fantasy baseball picks. With no afternoon games today, we get a full 15 game slate tonight. This gives us tons of different slates on both sites so be sure to get your subscription to the tools here at LineupLab to help you build better lineups. Let’s jump in and take a look at a couple pitchers to build around and some stacking options for tournaments.

Put your favorite Draftkings / Fanduel MLB Lineup Picks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab - Chris Archer

Chris Archer
Opponent – vs. BAL
Park -Tropicana Field (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (TB -225)
Vegas Total (9.0)

The Rays are hanging on in the American League East thanks to their sparkling 23-16 home record which is second best in the league. After taking two of three from the Reds earlier in the week the Rays have now won seven of their last 10 home games and open a series with the Orioles tonight with their ace toeing the rubber. Chris Archer has given up some runs this year and sits with a 3.75 ERA but makes up for it in fantasy with his very high floor thanks to an elite 11.2 K/9 rate(4th in the league). The only knock on Archer this season has been the high walk rate(2.84 BB/9) but the good news is he faces an Orioles team that walks less than all but two teams in the league(6.6%) vs. right-handed pitching. Archer has also had some trouble with lefties(.335 wOBA) this season while dominating righties(.249 wOBA) and another bump in the projections is the fact Chris Davis(O’s most powerful LH bat) is out of the lineup. Look for Archer and the Rays to open the series with a dominating performance from their ace. He is safe in all formats.


J.A. Happ
Opponent – @ KC
Park – Kauffman Stadium (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (TOR -125)
Vegas Total (9.5)

His salary is back up in the $8K range on both sites but Happ still brings a lot of value to the table in this matchup. He spent a month and a half on the disabled list in April and May and struggled in his first two starts back but has been much better lately. Over his last two starts, Happ has allowed just three earned runs in 12.2 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts and just one walk while limiting the hard contact to 28%. He appears back in the form we saw last season when he posted a career-high 20 wins and the best part is the increase in strikeouts, even though I don’t think he maintains a rate over 10 per nine. As long as he keeps limiting the free passes (1.7 BB/9), he will give himself a much better shot at getting deeper into games and a shot at more wins. Tonight he gets a park upgrade as the Jays travel to Kauffman Stadium to take on a Royals team that ranks in the bottom third of the league vs. left-handed pitching. The opening line has Happ as a -125 favorite and I wouldn’t be surprised if it got even bigger closer to lineup lock. Happ makes an excellent SP2 on DraftKings or contrarian GPP play on FanDuel.

 

 

Stacks of the Night

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab - Francisco Lindor

Cleveland Indians vs. Adalberto Mejia (MIN)

I will be targeting the Indians heavily as my top stack in tournaments and even some smaller two and three-man stacks in cash games. They currently sit as big -170 favorites with the third highest implied run projection tonight as the Twins come to town to open a weekend series. The Indians have been red hot lately winning eight of their last nine games while scoring 68 runs which is an average of 7.5 runs per game. They will be facing rookie start Adalberto Mejia who has struggled in his first attempt as a major league starter. He is walking over 4.5 batters per nine innings and while he has only had one blow up game (8 ER to the Mariners), he will not be able to sustain such a high walk rate. He enters tonight’s matchup with a 5.53 ERA and 5.31 xFIP while also giving up an 18% HR/FB rate. All signs point to the Indians having their way with Mejia tonight. They rank 12th in wOBA and 10th in wRC+ vs. left-handed pitching and have some hitters that can take us to GPP glory tonight.

Top Players to Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez

Value Options – Austin Jackson, Yan Gomes

 

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab - Corey Seager

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kyle Freeland (COL)

The Dodgers are down the list a bit when looking at implied run projections and I think this helps with their ownership tonight. Along with the Indians, they are arguably the hottest team in the league winning seven straight and 13 of their last 14 games. They have sustained the winning streak with some timely pitching but most of all from their consistent and powerful offense. During those last 14 games, they have scored a total of 98 runs on their opponents which works out to seven runs per game. Over the last 14 days, they sit with a .400 wOBA and 153 wRC+ as a team and should be able to keep that pace up going up against Kyle Freeland tonight. He is another pitcher who has struggled with his control(3.53 BB/9) but has gotten away with it for the most part. While you would think a pitcher for the Rockies would have splits favoring the road but it is a different story for Freeland who has an ERA close to a half run more on the road while allowing opponents a wOBA of .345 while holding them to a .309 wOBA in Coors. It doesn’t completely make sense over a small sample size but it is something to monitor. He could be in trouble tonight as the Dodgers lineup ranks 5th in wRC+ and 10th in wOBA against left-handed pitching and make a high upside and very affordable stack.

Top Players to Stack – Logan Forsythe, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Chris Taylor

Value Options – Enrique Hernandez, Yasiel Puig

MLB Draftkings Picks – June 20, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

MLB Draftkings Picks – June 20, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Draftkings Picks, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Chris Sale - Boston RedSox - MLB Draftkings Picks - Lineuplab

Starting Pitcher

Chris Sale @ Kansas City Royals
Opposing Pitcher – Matthew Strahm
Park – Kauffman Stadium

Chris Sale is on the slate and he’s in the biggest ballpark in baseball. Kauffman Stadium is death to fly balls and will often throw 2-1 or 3-0 type of games out there. When you move a top 3 pitcher into it against a bad offense, things could get interesting. The Royals rank 23rd in the MLB with a .300 wOBA against lefties and the 2nd lowest ISO in the league.Sale, on the other hand, is the definition of elite. He’s holding a .240 wOBA against both lefties and righties and is striking out over 11 batters per 9 innings. Kershaw is right up there with Kershaw in DFS and you have to love his chances of a big game here. Sale doesn’t really have anyone to be scared of here and he should be able to dice through the lineup relatively easily. With that being said, the Royals do a good job of figuring out ways to put up a couple hits and runs. Sale might not leave with a clean slate, but he’s going to have at least 9 K’s and I doubt he goes less than 7 innings.

Michael Pineda Vs Los Angeles Angels
Opposing Pitcher – Parker Bridwell
Park – Yankee Stadium

We saw Pineda struggle against this same team in just his last start, which will hopefully keep some people off of him. He was on the road and ended up getting extremely unlucky in a few different spots. He heads back home tonight, where he holds a .237 wOBA and an elite 10 K/9. Pineda is close to an elite pitcher at this point and his numbers in Yankee Stadium are undeniable. This LA Angels team is nothing to be scared of in the slightest. They strikeout the 10th most in the majors against righties and don’t have anyone that gives too much fear to opposing pitchers. Pineda will get plenty of run support tonight, with the Yankees projected for almost 6 runs against Parker Bridwell. Pineda is a good savings option from Sale in both cash games and tournaments, though I clearly have Sale as my top option.

Catcher

Gary Sanchez Vs Los Angeles Angels
Opposing Pitcher – Parker Bridwell (R)
Park – Yankee Stadium

Gary Sanchez is usually going to stand far above the rest at the catcher position. You can definitely say that tonight, facing off with a righty in Parker Bridwell that has struggled against righties since being drafted. He’s limped through the minors and has sported a xFIP over 4.00 in 2 straight seasons. There is no reason to think this guy sis going to have nay success in the majors and he’s been worse against righties. We all know by now that Gary Sanchez is also a guy with reverse splits. He’s sported a .417 wOBA over the last 2 seasons against righties and has shown no signs of showing down. If you have the salary and want a legitimate shot at an HR, take a look at Gary Sanchez.

Russell Martin @ Texas Rangers
Opposing Pitcher – Nick Martinez (R)
Park – Globe Life Park

We do have Chris Sale on this slate, so chances are you can’t afford Gary Sanchez at catcher. If you need to pay down a bit and want to get some upside in both cash games and tournaments, Russell Martin has some appeal. He, like Gary Sanchez, has actually been better against righties recently. This hasn’t always been the case with Martin but his change in approach has switched things up for him. The Blue Jays face off with a real gas can in Nick Martinez. He has never been good and I doubt he ever will be. He’s sported a near .400 wOBA against both sides of the plate for years now and I’m truly clueless why he keeps getting starting opportunities. The Blue Jays will put some runs on the board and I could see Martin getting in on the party for cheap on both sites.

Anthony Rizzo - Chicago Cubs - MLB Draftkings Picks - Lineuplab

First Base

Anthony Rizzo Vs San Diego Padres
Opposing Pitcher – Jhoulys Chacin (R)
Park – Wrigley Field

Rizzo has taken over as the leadoff hitter as of late, where we can expect him to be tonight. He’s been very good at getting on base and has been driving the ball to all fields. Rizzo has been great against righties since coming up with the Padres nearly 8 years ago. Over the last 3, he’s sported a .384 wOBA with some of the best peripherals in the game. He stays home in Wrigley Field tonight and faces off with a below average righty in Jhoulys Chacin. He’s allowed a .393 wOBA to lefties so far this season and Wrigley Field is a big downgrade from his home in San Diego, Petco Park. Rizzo is an elite option in all formats and the Cubs are a great team to stack that may go overlooked.

Brandon Belt @ Atlanta Braves
Opposing Pitcher – Julio Teheran (R)
Park – SunTrust Park

The San Francisco Giants certainly disappointed yesterday, getting shut down by R.A. Dickey for 7 innings. They ended up going scoreless and have surely left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouth. I’m going to jump right back on board and grab Brandon Belt. Belt, who has sported a .371 wOBA against righties, faces off with a righty who struggles mightily against left-handers. Julio Teheran still has a lot working for him, but he has never been able to figure it out against lefties. He’s right back to allowing a .385 wOBA this year and it just looks like its who Teheran is as a pitcher. SunTrust Park has played well for lefties so far this year and I’m going to jump right back on the train tonight. Belt has a great shot at an HR and should be less than 8-10% owned. First base is always very fruitful and the Giants screwed over plenty of pockets last night, including mine. Short term memory is very important in winning with DFS.

Second Base

Robinson Cano Vs Detroit Tigers
Opposing Pitcher – Jordan Zimmerman (R)
Park – Safeco Field

In 2013, Jordan Zimmerman was one of the best pitchers in all of the league. He sported a 3.25 xFIP, walked less than 2 batters per 9 and allowed just 0.80 HR/9. Those numbers? Looooooong gone. For example, 2.02 HR/9 this season. Zimmerman is a completely different pitcher than he was just 3 years ago and this may be his last chance in the league. He’s been horrid against both sides of the plate, holding down a combined .367 wOBA. Robbie Cano is back to the MVP contending elite hitter he used to be. He’ll end up close to a .400 wOBA against righties this year and he’s been terrific in Safeco Field since signing with the Mariners. He’s safe in cash games and I have no reservations to fade in tournaments. The price isn’t crazy and you can make it work with Chris Sale.

Brian Dozier Vs Chicago White Sox
Opposing Pitcher – Derek Holland (L)
Park – Progressive Field

If you want to avoid the gas can in Jordan Zimmerman for some reason, you have a few Moreno options to consider at second. We’ll take a closer look at Brian Dozier, facing off with Derek Holland. Holland, a lefty, has allowed a .378 wOBA to righties so far in 2017. He’s given up a laughable 14 home runs to them in just 61.2 innings. Derek Holland is officially horrible. Brian Dozier on the other hand. Has always been great against lefties. He has posted a .353 combined wOBA since 2014 and hasn’t had a bad year once. He smacked 30 homers in 2016 and always has as much upside as anyone else at the position. Feel free to target Dozier in any format.

Francisco Lindor - Cleveland Indians - MLB Draftkings Picks - Lineuplab

Shortstop

Francisco Lindor @ Baltimore Orioles
Opposing Pitcher – Chris Tillman (R)
Park – Camden Yards

Shortstop isn’t the prettiest position on this slate, so you can definitely get creative and take an off the board player. To start us off, we’re going to take a look at Francisco Lindor. Lindor may end up being the chalk at SS, but it makes sense as to why. The Indians are implied for close to 6 runs tonight and Lindor will be in the middle of it all. As a switch-hitter, Lindor is always able to control the platoon advantage. Lindor has held a .343 wOBA against righties since entering the league and will only get better at 23 years old. The same can’t be said for Chris Tillman. He has been absolutely atrocious this season and that word is no stretch. Against lefties, Tillman has posted a .451 wOBA. While that may not be fully sustainable (at least I hope not), it’s quite clear how bad Tillman is at this point. The Indians come in as one of the top offenses of the night and Lindor is the play at a weaker SS position.

Tim Beckham Vs Cincinnati Reds
Opposing Pitcher – Amir Garrett (L)
Park – Tropicana Field

Tim Beckham has flown under the radar for a couple years but is a guy I always look at against lefties He posted a .342 wOBA against them in 2016 and came through the minors as a lefty specialist. Beckham has been trusted by the Rays and he has been seeing the top of the order against left-handed pitching. The Rays face off with some very interesting competition in Amir Garrett. Garret is going to be a great pitcher one day and he is a pretty good K pitcher even right now. However, he’s been knocked around against righties and can’t seem to keep the ball in the zone. He’s been sent down to the minors, but is back up and getting another chance. The Rays swing it well against lefties and Beckham plays his role. Righties have held a .386 wOBA against Garrett and an astonishing 4.84 BB/9, which should tell you just how troublesome he has been. Beckham is a great savings option at a position without much of an opportunity cost.

Third Base

Miguel Sano Vs Chicago White Sox
Opposing Pitcher – Derek Holland (L)
Park – Progressive Field

Boy, this is close to a dream match-up for Miguel Sano. We touched on Derek Holland when looking at Dozier, but let’s look again at those numbers. He has somehow allowed 14 home runs to right-handers in just 61 innings. He backs it up with a .378 wOBA and 2.04 HR/9. Miguel Sano is one of the most dangerous bats in the sport and against lefties, is an HR waiting to happen. He’s held a 52% hard contact rate this year and is hitting it to all parts of the field. The Twins offense has a ton of upside and Miguel Sano is my top pick for an HR on the slate. Against lefties, Sano has posted a .391 wOBA dating back 2 seasons. Progressive Field is neutral for righties and Sano has been great there for his entire career.

Jake Lamb @ Colorado Rockies
Opposing Pitcher – German Marquez (R)
Park – Coors Field
We are often looking to target Jake Lamb when he is at home and facing a righty. Chase Field is extremely friendly for hitting and he thrives there. Tonight, we’re spoiled. Lamb and the D-Backs find themselves in Coors Field to take on the Rockies and German Marquez. Marquez is a decent young pitcher, but has predictably struggled at home against lefties with a .351 wOBA. Lamb is an elite hitter against righties and I expect him to finish this season with a wOBA well over .400 against them. As for tonight, he is right up there with Miguel Sano as a top play. It all comes down to price.
 

Aaron Judge - New York Yankees - MLB Draftkings Picks - Lineuplab

Outfield

Aaron Judge Vs Los Angeles Angels
Opposing Pitcher – Parker Bridwell (R)
Park – Yankee Stadium

The Yankees as a whole may have lost a few steps on the road, but not Mr. Judge. He belted another 2 homers on the 2-series road trip and came through with 7 base knocks in total. This kid is making a legitimate case for MVP and if things keep up, he’ll have it in his back pocket. I’m not a fan of “on pace for” hypotheticals, but Judge is putting something quite special together for a rookie. He’s already belted a total of 23 homers and 18 of the have come against right-handers. He faces a poor one tonight, in a minor-league caliber arm Parker Bridwell. Bridwell isn’t developed enough for the majors and while he may get around the order once with minimal damage, the Yankees will score some runs tonight. They are my favorite offense of the night and have the ability to put up double digit runs without blinking.

Giancarlo Stanton & Marcell Ozuna Vs Washington Nationals
Opposing Pitcher – Gio Gonzalez (L)
Park – Marlins Park

We have a nice little duo here with Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna, who are both much stronger against left-handed pitching. A lot of people know how great Stanton is against lefties, but they don’t know how close Ozuna is to him. Ozuna held a .384 wOBA against lefties in 2016 and it looks like that may be going up by the time this season is over. They face off with Gio Gonzalez, who is far from a bad pitcher. He does, however, have some issues with righties. He’s allowed 11 homers in 66 innings and holds a moderate .321 wOBA. Ozuna and Stanton are never really safe, but both hold elevated chances of hitting one out of the park and will be relatively low owned. Take a shot on either or both of these guys in a tournament.

Chris Young @ Kansas City Royals
Opposing Pitcher – Matthew Strahm (L)
Park – Kauffman Stadium

There were a lot of more expensive guys I could of went with here, but wanted to fit in some price savings. Chris Young is a known lefty masher and faces one with a whole lot of uncertainty. When any team is projected to score 5 runs in Kauffman Stadium, they’re facing a BAD pitcher. Matthew Strahm has allowed 3 homers in just 19 innings against righties in Kauffman Stadium. While a small sample size, it’s not easy to do. Young posted a .422 wOBA against lefties in 2016, which isn’t all that crazy for him. He is an elite hitter against southpaws and will draw a spot in the top 6 because of it. With his teammate Chris Sale drawing so much of the salary at pitcher, Young will help you save and give you as much upside as most at the position.