DFS MLB Lineups for July 2, 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 new ways to play DFS, be sure and give BOOM Fantasy and DRAFT a try!
We’ve got 10 games on the main slate for Sunday without a single ace to be found on the mound. And even the talented arms have horrible matchups, so it’ll be a cheapie day for me. I’ll be all over the sub $8k guys and will likely have the most exposure to sub $7k guys. As for bats, the Cubs have been bad and their prices reflect it. They’re in a great hitters park against Tim Adleman, who has given up at least one homer in six straight games (9 total in those games). I’ll take advantage of the discount and look for them to get some good looks in Cincy. Good luck guys! – 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!
7/2/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Full Count: $55 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Walk-off home run: $555 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Demonster: $666 buy-in, $200k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $55 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $3 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for July 2, 2017
Drew Pomeranz @ TOR ($9.0k DraftKings, $8.2k FanDuel)
Over the past month, Pomeranz has been the best Red Sox starter and in his last three outings, he owns a 1.53 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. He will face a relatively average Blue Jays lineup, one that owns a .247 batting average and .744 OPS against left-handers this season, but they are also a team that really struggles in day games. Coming into the weekend, they had scored 103 runs in 28 day games which averages out to 3.67 runs per game. Pomeranz is also backed by a decent offense and Blue Jays starter Joe Biagini owns a 4.93 ERA over his last 10 starts, so Pomeranz could be in line to grab a win.
Jose Quintana vs TEX ($10.7k DraftKings, $9.4k FanDuel)
Quintana has thrown the ball well as of late, posting a 1.78 ERA in his five June starts while striking out 30 batters in 30.1 innings. In that span, he has allowed just two home runs. It helps Quintana that the Rangers have a shoddy lineup against left-handed pitching, batting .222 with a .664 OPS off them coming into the weekend. Plus, when they are not at Globe Life Park in Arlington, their weak offense is exposed; they’re hitting .219 with a .691 OPS away from home but .261 with a with a .785 OPS at home. Maybe those drastic splits indicate it should be an easy day for Quintana.
Trevor Williams vs SFG ($6.3k DraftKings, $7.7k FanDuel)
Williams has filled in nicely for a Pirates rotation that has struggled throughout the season. He is 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA in his last nine starts spanning 50.1 innings and has allowed just three home runs in that span and not walked more than two batters in any given outing. That should be helpful as he faces the struggling Giants offense that has mustered just 322 runs in 80 games this season and owns a meager .679 OPS against right-handers in that span. He is an affordable play and one who should be able to piece together a solid outing.
Other pitchers to consider: Rafael Montero, Kevin Gausman, Mike Clevinger
Best DFS MLB Hitters for July 2, 2017
Eduardo Escobar vs. KC ($3.5k DraftKings, $2.8k FanDuel)
Escobar is coming off a hot month in June where he hit .354 with four home runs and a .947 OPS. Over the course of the season, Escobar has done most of his damage against left-handed pitchers (.314 batting average, five home runs, .934 OPS in 70 at-bats against lefties), so it would be safe to bet he has a productive day against Travis Wood, who is making his first start since 2015. After all, Wood has been ineffective in relief this year (6.75 ERA), so it would be tough to expect good results from him.
Andrew Benintendi vs. TOR ($4.5k DraftKings, $3.2k FanDuel)
The lefty’s Rookie of the Year case has been greatly overshadowed by Aaron Judge’s prowess, but he is settling in as a major asset to the Red Sox lineup in his first full season. Most of his damage is coming against right-handers (.277 batting average, 10 home runs, .803 OPS) and after enduring a slump at the plate for part of May, Benintendi has returned as arguably the top hitter in the Red Sox mediocre lineup (.295 batting average, five home runs, .895 OPS in June). It might also be worth noting Benintendi’s OPS in day games is over .900 while his night OPS is about .700. That should be helpful since the Red Sox take on a struggling righty in Joe Biagini, who owns a 4.93 ERA in his last 10 starts.
Other hitters to consider: Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts, Yoenis Cespedes, Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano, Logan Morrison, Matt Davidson, Shane Peterson, Ian Happ
7/2/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Mets vs. Nick Pivetta
Pivetta is not having the best season (1-4 record), owning a 5.40 ERA in his nine MLB starts with eight home runs surrendered in just 45 innings. Maybe the Mets, who are decent against righties (.250 batting average, 86 home runs, .773 OPS off them through 79 games) could capitalize off the struggling Pivetta at home. The likes of Lucas Duda, Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce have fared well against lefties throughout this season.
Twins vs Travis Wood
There is little reason to believe this one could go great for Wood. It will be his first start since 2015 and in relief, he has struggled all year, surrendering 21 runs in 28.2 innings. In his nine starts in 2015, he posted a 5.06 ERA and went less than five innings per start. In other words, it is likely they will need to turn to their substandard bullpen early (4.40 ERA through 76 games). He faces a Twins team that is not great against left-handed pitching (.246 batting average, .707 OPS), but the difference in splits against righties and lefties is quite drastic for much of their lineup. Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, Miguel Sano and even Chris Gimenez have done well against lefties throughout the year.
Other Stacks to consider:
Marlins vs. Junior Guerra
Royals vs. Hector Santiago
Red Sox vs. Joe Biagini
