DFS MLB Lineups for June 15, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com
For this daily fantasy baseball season, each day there’s a good slate of DFS MLB games, we’ll be writing up a group of pitchers and hitters that we’re considering for our cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll also provide a list of stacks to consider, MLB start times, starting pitchers, and game run totals to give you a good idea of where the fantasy goodness might come from on a given night. As with any DFS sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than they are in real life due to matchup, price, park factor, etc. This is important when constructing a roster. And if you’re looking for a new way to play DFS, be sure and give BOOM Fantasy a try!
We’ve got a small 7 game DFS MLB slate tonight with one of the biggest gaps between top overall pitcher at DraftKings in Chris Sale ($14.1k DK) and the second arm, Gio Gonzalez ($9k DK) that we’ve ever seen. At least it adds a dynamic to the slate where folks will be choosing between Sale/Cheapie and balanced pitching lineups. We also have Coors on this slate, however, the Giants are the opposing squad and with how pathetic that team has been playing, not a single player cracks $5k and multiple guys are sub $4k. They face rookie Jeff Hoffman who has been great so far for the Rockies, and he might even be a contrarian option for us tonight on such a short slate. Outside of Coors, Boston bats are going to be quite popular as well. If you’re playing only a lineup or two, keep a close eye on Twitter and get a feel for which teams are getting all the buzz. Write those teams down and then cross those players off your list of guys to consider. To win a tourney tonight with a single lineup or two, you’re going to have to separate yourself from the herd and that’s an easy way to go about it. Good luck tonight! – Matt
A quick reminder while playing DFS MLB, don’t forget baseball is a game of variance. You can make a really solid lineup and still fall short of the cash line. Even Clayton Kershaw can get lit up, and Mike Trout can still go 0 for 4. Baseball is funny like that. Trust the process and know that if you’re playing quality lineups, you’ll be a winner in the long term.
Another thing to remember outside of making sure your player is in the lineup, is to always check the weather. Always. Make this something that is part of your basic routine. Baseball games can get postponed! Your players receive no points from postponed games!
6/15/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $80k guaranteed (20 Entry Max)
DraftKings Fastball: $33 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $33 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $4 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $9 buy-in, $60k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for June 15, 2017
Gio Gonzalez @ NYM ($9k DraftKings, $8.7k FanDuel)
I’m fine with paying up for Chris Sale as your lone SP on FanDuel, but unless some major value presents itself (and if it does, go for it), he’s a bit too pricey on DK ahead of what is certainly a fantastic matchup. Gio also gets a plus draw against a Mets team that’s ranked 24th with a collective .233 batting average and is sporting a 22% K-rate against LHP this year. Current Mets are hitting a collective .240 with more K’s (48) than hits (47) over a huge sample of at-bats (196) against Gonzalez, who is in the midst of a resurgence with a 2.91 ERA and 5-1 record for the first-place Nationals.
Justin Verlander vs. TB ($7.6k DraftKings, $9.3k FanDuel)
His price tag is so low on DK that it might seem like a trap, but Verlander’s last two outings were cut short by injury, followed by a rough outing at hitter-friendly Fenway Park in a brutal matchup. Now he’ll return home, where he’s sporting a 2.10 with a .198 BAA over 5 starts this season and he’ll face a Rays team that’s sporting the highest K-Rate (26%) in the Majors this year, so his upside likely outweighs the risk. We’ve only got 14 pitchers to choose from tonight and while Verlander presents plenty of risk, his upside is second to only Sale on this slate.
Michael Wacha vs. MIL ($6.3k DraftKings, $7.4k FanDuel)
The Cardinals and Brewers seem likely to play another low-scoring contest tonight, which makes both Zach Davies and Wacha worth a look as intriguing value plays. Wacha has been much more reliable at home this season with a 2.95 ERA and .232 BAA at pitcher-friendly Busch Stadium and he’s facing a Brewers lineup that’s plagued by injuries with both Ryan Braun and Jonathan Villar on the DL. Current Brewers are just 6-for-29 with 8 K’s and 0 HRs in their careers against Wacha, who has been a solid cash game play against weaker offenses even if he often struggles against the better teams in the National League.
Other pitchers to consider: Chris Sale, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray, Zach Davies
Best DFS MLB Hitters for June 15, 2017
Nolan Arenado vs. SF ($5.4k DraftKings, $4.6k FanDuel)
He really isn’t that expensive for the best hitter on the home team at Coors Field and Arenado should be well worth the money tonight. He faces a LHP in Matt Moore, who has really struggled with a 7.94 ERA and .338 BAA on the road while getting tagged for 11 ER on 19 hits and allowing 4 homers over 2 starts against the division-leading Rockies this season. The southpaw has allowed Arenado to go 7-for-14 with 3 doubles and a HR in his career and the Rockies slugger is absolutely crushing lefties this year with a .418 batting average and ridiculous 1.301 OPS against LHP this season.
Mookie Betts @ PHI ($5.2k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel)
While Betts could be very highly owned after going deep twice last night, he’s still relatively cheap on FanDuel as he continues to break out of his slump in dramatic fashion. Betts draws a great matchup tonight against rookie RHP Nick Pivetta, who has been more vulnerable in RvR situations, as he’s allowing RHB to post a .428 wOBA with a 2.70 HR/9 ratio on the season. And even though Betts’ average is way down from where it was last year, his category juice is still alive and well with 22 doubles, 11 HRs and 11 SBs on the season.
Miguel Cabrera vs. TB ($3.4k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel)
I can’t really fathom why Miggy remains so cheap on DK, as he’s the fourth-most expensive 1B on FD and deservedly so after logging 2 hits in a third consecutive game last night. He hasn’t performed up to his lofty standards this season, but is now slashing .335/.414/.465 over his last 10 appearances and that’s right on par with what we’re accustomed to seeing from him. Rays RHP Alex Cobb is pitching better than he did during a disastrous 2016 campaign, but still sporting a rough 4.29 ERA with a 38.3% Hard Contact Rate and he’s an easy target with a stud value like Cabrera.
Other hitters to consider: Bryce Harper, Cameron Maybin, Jackie Bradley Jr., J.D. Martinez, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Crawford, Ryon Healy, Yunel Escobar, Logan Morrison
6/15/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Red Sox vs Nick Pivetta
It’s typical of the Red Sox to struggle for spurts and then catch fire and it appears that the lowly Phillies have served as a spark for that offense after they walked off in successive nights and had a big performance on Wednesday led by 2 HRs from Betts. They could be all over Pivetta, who is sporting a 15.6% HR/FB ratio with a 5.52 ERA and 27% Line Drive Rate over 6 MLB starts. Lefties Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi have plenty of upside in this matchup while Dustin Pedroia is sparking Boston’s offense out of the 2-hole and they’ll start an appealing value at catcher in either Sandy Leon or Christian Vazquez.
Rockies vs Matt Moore
You don’t have to fade the first game of a series at Coors Field tonight with boom-or-bust southpaw Matt Moore coming to town. Along with Arenado, 2B D.J. LeMahieu has had success against Moore and against lefties in general, while new Rockies RHB Ian Desmond has a chance to break his slump in this plus matchup. Mark Reynolds has flashed great upside due to his power this year and although they’re less dangerous in LvL matchups, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez are both worth a look tonight in the event that Moore doesn’t last very long.
Royals vs Ricky Nolasco
You can look to the Royals as a value stack tonight against RHP Ricky Nolasco, who has avoided serious implosions, but given up steady production with a 5.81 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 6 home starts this season. The Royals offense is coming around a bit with Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas swinging hot bats. Whit Merrifield is still a great option at the top of the order and he’s heating up once again, while big backstop Salvador Perez and lefty 1B Eric Hosmer have very good splits in their careers against Nolasco.
Other Stacks to consider:
Nationals vs Robert Gsellman
Giants vs. Jeff Hoffman
