DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 6/7/21

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 clicking the button below.

 

Pitchers

Adbert Alzolay FD - P 9900 DK - SP 8800
Opponent - SD (Ryan Weathers) Park - SD
FD - 30.94 DK - 16.14

This might be the worst set of pitching options I can remember. I wouldn't be excited to play Alzolay on a normal slate, but this is no normal slate. And Alzolay, honestly, has been pretty good. His 3.35 xFIP is his best figure since rookie ball, and while it might not maintain all season, we're going to try and ride the wave today. San Diego is basically a league-average offense, and getting Alzolay out of his tough home park and into one of the best pitcher's parks in the Majors can only be a good thing.

Nick Pivetta FD - P 9300 DK - SP 8000
Opponent - MIA (Pablo López) Park - BOS
FD - 29.48 DK - 14.68

Pivetta and the BoSox are the biggest favorites on the slate today against this Miami team. The 28 year old righty is showing glimpses of his 2018 form, posting a double-digit K/9 and a sub 4 ERA. It's nothing to write home about at these prices, but again, it's a three game slate with no amazing pitching options. Miami finds themselves in a familiar position as one of the league's best DFS match-ups for opposing pitchers, pairing the league's 4th highest K% with the 10th worst wOBA.

Position players

You have one game with an 8.5 point total, and two others with a 7.5 point total. This might be the smallest number of runs per game on a main slate ever, and it puts us in a very sticky position when it comes to forecasting player performance today. I'll try to provide you with a few options, but on a small slate your mistakes will be amplified, so where there is a clear-cut option I'm only going to give you one.

Catcher/First Base

Jesús Aguilar FD - 1B 2800 DK - 1B 4300
Opponent - BOS (Nick Pivetta) Park - BOS
FD - 9.2 DK - 6.92

Yep, it's looking pretty thin out here today. Still, Aguilar isn't a terrible option. He's been a hair worse than platoon neutral over the course of his career, so we're not too worried about him not having the platoon in his favor. He strikes out too often, but he also is a serious long-ball threat, with 11 homers so far this season. Home runs happen to be Pivetta's biggest weakness as well, with the Red Sox's righty allowing 1.49 HR/9 for his career.

Also considered: Carlos Santana and Eric Hosmer have the platoon advantage in their favor today, but that's about the only nice thing you can say about the plays.

Second Base

Jazz Chisholm FD - 2B 3100 DK - 2B/SS 4800
Opponent - BOS (Nick Pivetta) Park - BOS
FD - 9.06 DK - 6.88

Chisholm is one of the best stories of the year so far. He was considered a top prospect with huge upside, but there was some question as to whether the bat would play given his tendency to strikeout. Well, he is striking out a lot, but the bat is more than playing so far. The young shortstop has an .823 OPS so far, and with 7 homers and 9 steals, he's a terrific power/speed option. Pivetta is one of the better pitchers on the slate, but beggars can't be choosers today.

Also considered: Ian Happ, if he finds himself toward the middle of the lineup. He's much better against left-handed pitching, and could find himself in the thick of things today.

Shortstop

Xander Bogaerts FD - SS 3500 DK - SS 5300
Opponent - MIA (Pablo López) Park - BOS
FD - 11.92 DK - 9.03

Shortstop, like a lot of positions, is really rough today. You're essentially going to wind up playing some option that has considerable warts. Bogaerts is a terrific hitter, but Lopez is a very good pitcher. Tatis has a tough match-up. Baez strikes out 10 times more than he walks. It's just a tough scene. That being said, the Red Sox have the highest total on the slate, and Bogaerts is one of the best hitters at his position, and thus can't be a terrible option here.

Also considered: Javier Baez has the platoon advantage in his favor, and if we get a miraculous Jose Devers sighting atop the Marlins lineup he could be an every lineup guy.

Third Base

Rafael Devers FD - 3B 3800 DK - 3B 5000
Opponent - MIA (Pablo López) Park - BOS
FD - 12.07 DK - 9.14

It's hard to believe that a player as good as Devers in a market as big as Boston could be underrated, but I believe that to be the case. After a poor showing in last year's shortened season, Devers has regained his 2019 form, generating a .938 OPS and an incredible 15 homers so far. He's been .167 OPS points better against righties for his career, and is a lock for my cash game lineups today. Yes, Lopez is good, but when pickings are slim we have to make tough choices.

Consider: Manny Machado.

Outfield

Outfield is bad enough today that we will instead talk about it in a strategic way, rather than on a pick by pick basis. There are some cheap options that are feasible, like Tommy Pham, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, or Wil Myers. You can pay up for the Red Sox outfielders, though they aren't an exceptional value and have one of the toughest match-ups on the slate.

GRAB A FREE TRIAL OF OUR PROJECTION SYSTEM, AND CHECK OUT DFSR PRO!