Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 7/17/16

 

Welcome to Sunday baseball! We have 15 games on the day, with 9 games on the official "main" slate. We have some interesting pitching options as well as some offenses in terrific spots. Make sure to check out our other articles as well as they will touch on some more pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise. Let's get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Max Scherzer FD 11900 DK 13800
Opponent - PIT (Kuhl) Park - @WSH
FD - 42.51 DK - 27.78

Starting us off at pitcher, we have Max Scherzer, one of the absolute best pitchers in the league. The Nationals are going to be taking on the Pirates, at home in Nationals Park. The Pirates come in at league average against righties with a .319 wOBA and a 100 wRC+, which is the definition of average. Scherzer on the other hand, is the exact opposite of average and will look to outweigh the Pirates strengths. So far in 2016, Scherzer has been dominant against both lefties and righties with a 3.25 xFIP, 11.56 K/9 and an elite 26.8% hard contact rate. Scherzer makes for a great play in all formats, though I like him more in cash games due to his price.

Julio Teheran FD 8700 DK 8900
Opponent - COL (Gray) Park - @ATL
FD - 34.78 DK - 22.23

If you are looking to pay down for a guy that has similar upside and will be lesser owned, Julio Teheran is definitely worth the risk. Teheran has been excellent this season with a .291 wOBA against lefties and a .243 wOBA against right handers. While he is known as a guy that is bad against lefties, it is pretty clear that he has squashed that rumor. His opposition, however, definitely struggles on the road, especially against righties. Outside of Coors Field, the Rockies have held a .298 wOBA that is backed up by an 80 wRC+ and a .394 slugging percentage. Teheran makes for an interesting play and is worth consideration across the board, on both sites.

CATCHER

Travis D'Arnaud FD 2000 DK 3300
Opponent - PHI (Eflin) Park - @PHI
FD - 9.55 DK - 7.39

While I mentioned there is a few offenses in good spots, there is no 1 offense that is head and shoulders above the field. Due to that, I will be going for a catcher that provides upside by himself and is not dependent on his team having success as a whole. Therefore, I will be looking at Travis D'Arnaud. D'Arnaud and the Mets will be taking on Zach Eflin, a right handed youngster that has struggled against both lefties and righties with a .332 wOBA, while giving up 5 home runs in only 35 innings against teams that are not necessarily known for their power. I expect the Mets to hit a few home runs today and D'Arnaud has been seeing the 6 spot for a few games now. As always, make sure he is in the lineup as catchers tend to take days off on Sunday.

Evan Gattis FD 2400 DK 4100
Opponent - SEA (Montgomery) Park - @SEA
FD - 9.23 DK - 6.98

While I rarely look to target righties in Safeco Field, Evan Gattis is the type of guy I consider due to his raw power. Gattis can hit the ball out of any park and this match up sets up well for him to do exactly that. Mike Montgomery is a left handed soft tosser that has historically struggled against righties and his peripherals show no improvement anytime soon. While Gattis is more of a GPP play due to his boom or bust nature, the boom is definitely a possibility today.

 

FIRST BASE

Joey Votto FD 3600 DK 5300
Opponent - MIL (Davies) Park - @CIN
FD - 12.53 DK - 9.6

While first base has a ton of good options, it isn't as loaded as it usually is. That being said, Joey Votto is in a terrific spot against Zach Davies. While Davies profiles as a guy that is going to be a starter for a long time, he definitely struggles against lefties. In 2016, Davies has exhibited a .359 wOBA that is backed up by a 4.28 xFIP and a horrible 36% hard contact rate. Votto is one of the best hitters in the league against righties and will look to take advantage of Davies in the hitter friendly Great American Ballpark. While Votto is great across the board, I definitely prefer him on FanDuel where he is $1700 cheaper.

Miguel Cabrera FD 3400 DK 5000
Opponent - KC (Ventura) Park - @DET
FD - 13.01 DK - 9.9

If you are looking for some consistency and a whole bunch of upside, Miguel Cabrera is going to be the guy day in and day out. Today is no different as the Yankees are taking on Yordano Ventura, a right handed fireballer that has given up a 5.00 combined xFIP with some peripherals that suggest decline. Miggy Cabrera on the other hand, has destroyed righties this season with a .399 wOBA and a 38% hard contact rate. While this isn't an ideal match up, it is not one that scares you off the arguably best pure hitter in the world.

 

SECOND BASE

Jason Kipnis FD 3500 DK 5200
Opponent - MIN (Gibson) Park - @MIN
FD - 11.15 DK - 8.94

Second base is one of the positions that I am not too keen on tonight and while there are a few guys in play, I think it is very viable to wait for lineups to be released and punt the position. If you have the available salary, however, Kipnis is going to be the top option. Not only does he hit righties well, but he also brings you the rare power and speed upside that second base lacks. Kipnis and the Indians will be facing off with Kyle Gibson, who has recorded a .369 wOBA against lefties so far in 2016. While Kipnis is insanely expensive on DraftKings, he is fairly priced on FanDuel.

Jonathan Schoop FD 3000 DK 4300
Opponent - TB (Odorizzi) Park - @TB
FD - 9.12 DK - 7.06

While this isn't a guy I would touch in cash games, I think he is a tremendous tournament option. While many will look at the righty vs righty match up and write Schoop off, that is the wrong thing to do. Both Odorizzi and Schoop are extreme reverse splits players which means they are opposite than most players with who they perform better against. Schoop for example, who is a righty, has a .372 wOBA against righties compared to his .326 wOBA against left handers. While I would definitely prefer this game to be played in Camden Yards, Tropicana only plays slightly below average for right handed power. Schoop is going to be very low owned and makes for a great GPP play across the board.

 

SHORTSTOP

Aledmys Diaz FD 3000 DK 4400
Opponent - MIA (Conley) Park - @STL
FD - 10.94 DK - 8.68

Shortstop is another that doesn't have any one guy that stands out, but has plenty of guys that are quality options. While we are going to look at 2 guys here, there are about 5 or 6 that deserve serious consideration. Because of that, we can throw ownership % out of the equation when deciding who to play, although it is still a big deal in tournaments to get a guy under 5% owned. Aledmys Diaz and the Cardinals will be taking on Adam Conley, a left handed soft tosser that has struggled with giving up home runs to righties as evident by his 9 in 74 innings pitched. While Diaz is a better cash game play, I couldn't blame you for playing him in cash games on FanDuel where he is only $3000.

Marcus Semien FD 2800 DK 3700
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.11 DK - 8.05

While this is the first Oakland Athletics bat to be mentioned, you will see very soon how much we like them. They are one of my favorite teams to stack when facing a bad left hander and today certainly fits that mold. J.A. Happ is known as a decent pitcher, however, he is absolutely horrible against righties. Dating back to 2013, Happ has given up a .352 wOBA to righties and his batted ball peripherals certainly back that up. Semien on the other hands, provides a ton of power with 19 home runs at a position that lacks power. While this stadium isn't terrific, Semien obviously has the power.

 

THIRD BASE

Danny Valencia FD 2600 DK 3800
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.34 DK - 7.98

I am going to go ahead and call a home run for Danny Valencia today. As I just mentioned a few lines ago, the Athletics are in a great spot against the aging southpaw J.A Happ. While Valencia is far from a household name, that is because he plays in Oakland. Against lefties in 2016, Valencia has sported a .444 wOBA that is backed up by a rediculous 40% hard contact rate and a 27.8% HR/FB rate. Valencia is one of the best hitters in the league against southpaws and you should be able to get him at an ownership that is in your favor.

Kyle Seager FD 2800 DK 5100
Opponent - HOU (McHugh) Park - @SEA
FD - 10.14 DK - 7.8

While the chances are very slim that Valencia isn't in nearly every lineup of mine, it is always a good strategy to get some exposure to Kyle Seager against an average righty. Collin McHugh fits that mold to a T as evidenced by his .364 wOBA against lefties that is supported by a hard contact rate and xFIP well below average. Seager on the other hand, has been great against righties since entering the league with a .356 wOBA and has improved on that number every single year. If you are looking to pivot off of Valencia, Seager definitely has the upside, though he is more expensive across the board.

 

OUTFIELD

Adam Jones FD 3000 DK 4300
Opponent - TB (Odorizzi) Park - @TB
FD - 11.29 DK - 8.77

Like I mentioned when talking about Schoop, Odorizzi is a guy that has shown off some severe reverse splits. Dating back to the start of 2015, Odorizzi has held a wOBA that is .55 points worse to right handers, which is due to his lack of slider and curveball movement and his great changeup. Adam Jones, however, is better against lefties. That being said, he is still a very good hitter against righties and should get 5 at-bats here in a game where the Orioles are guaranteed to get 9 innings of hitting.

Khris Davis FD 2900 DK 3700
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @OAK
FD - 9.82 DK - 7.55

Like I said, the Athletics are in a great spot to produce. Aside from Valencia, Davis is the guy I like the most in this spot. Not only does he smash lefties, but he destroys lefties that throw the ball soft and low in the zone. Yep, you guessed it, J.A Happ fits that exact mold. While the stadium is far from ideal, David obviously has the power as 13 of his 22 home runs have come in the Oakland Coliseum. While DraftKings usually prices guys up in good match ups, they definitely missed the Athletics as a whole today. Make sure to get some exposure to them in both cash games and tournaments.

Consider - Bryce Harper, Jay Bruce, Eddie Rosario

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