DFS MLB Lineups for July 9, 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!
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!
7/9/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings All-Star Break Special: $55 buy-in, $275k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $110k guaranteed
DraftKings Walk-off Home Run: $555 buy-in, $275k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $55 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Demonster: $666 buy-in, $200k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $3 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for July 9, 2017
Brad Peacock vs TOR ($9.4k DraftKings, $8.1k FanDuel)
Peacock is back starting games and doing so has been no problem for him. He is 4-1 with a 3.66 ERA and has struck out 58 batters in 39.1 innings while allowing just one home run. His FIP on the year is only 2.35 headed into a game where he hopes to shut down the Blue Jays and their subpar offense against right-handed pitching (.246 batting average, .311 on-base percentage, .727 OPS through 85 games). He is also backed by arguably the top offense in baseball, so a win bonus could come into play.
Jon Lester vs PIT ($9k DraftKings, $10.4k FanDuel)
The Pirates are not known for their ability to hit a baseball this season, and that situation worsens whenever they face a left-handed pitcher. When that left-hander is Jon Lester, then they will probably have some trouble. The Pirates own a .222 batting average and a .683 OPS against southpaws in 87 games — an OPS that ranks 26th among 30 MLB teams. In contrast, Lester has been pretty good at home all season, going 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 10 starts while striking out 61 batters in 62 innings.
Trevor Cahill vs PHI ($7.7k DraftKings, $8.1k FanDuel)
Cahill has found new life as a starter for the Padres. He is 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA in eight starts this year while striking out 55 batters in 45.2 innings and limiting the opposition to just three home runs. His 2.99 FIP also indicates that what he is doing is sustainable. That should be helpful as he plans on shutting down the struggling Phillies offense that owns a mere .309 on-base percentage and .692 OPS against right-handed pitching. Their OPS against righties is the second worst in baseball.
Other pitchers to consider: Jerad Eickhoff, Steven Matz, Masahiro Tanaka
Best DFS MLB Hitters for July 9, 2017
Avisail Garcia vs COL ($4.1k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
When a guy is hitting .417 with a 1.029 OPS against left-handed pitching, then that guy is probably going to be a pretty good pickup. That is the case today for Garcia since he will be playing at Coors Field in Colorado and facing a struggling left-handed pitcher in Kyle Freeland. Simply put Freeland has given up at least four earned runs in each of his last three starts, so he is struggling and one of the best right-handed bats in the game should be able to take advantage of it.
Eddie Rosario vs BAL ($3.8k DraftKings, $2.7k FanDuel)
The left-handed hitting Rosario is swinging a hot bat in what could be categorized as a breakout season for him. He is hitting .299 with 10 home runs and an .846 OPS in 194 at-bats against right-handed pitchers this season. He is also hitting .406 through eight games this month. It helps that he is facing one of the worst starting pitchers in the big leagues, Ubaldo Jimenez. His ERA is over 7.00 as a starter this year which should just about say it all. The only reason he is still in a big league rotation is because of his past track record, but even that has been suspect these past few seasons.
Freddie Freeman vs WAS ($4.6k DraftKings, $3.6k FanDuel)
Freeman is crushing baseballs this year and he is finally healthy once again. The left-handed hitter has been equally as impressive against righties and lefties but against righties, he owns a .334 batting average, 12 home runs and a 1.194 OPS through 125 at-bats against them. This could be helpful up against Nationals starter Joe Ross, who owns a 4.86 ERA and 4.90 FIP in 12 outings this season.
Other hitters to consider: Jose Abreu, Max Kepler, Miguel Sano, Tzu-Wei Lin, Mitch Moreland, Mookie Betts, Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, Joey Gallo, Adrian Beltre, Matt Adams, Matt Kemp
7/9/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Twins vs Ubaldo Jimenez
Somehow, Ubaldo Jimenez has been a big league starter for a long time and no one seems to know why teams keep putting him out there. He’s been subpar–to put it nicely–yet again this season going 3-4 with a 7.26 ERA while allowing 18 home runs in 12 starts. The Twins have been pretty good at home this year, putting up 217 runs in 46 games while posting a respectable .768 OPS. Attack him with some of the Twins better hitters against lefties such as Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Miguel Sano and Joe Mauer.
Red Sox vs Chris Archer
Chris Archer is a talented starting pitcher. There is no way to refute that, but his career stats against the Red Sox are miserable, and sometimes stacking against a good pitcher can win us a tournament. He is 2-11 with a 5.14 ERA in 17 starts against them. Against everyone else in his MLB career, he is 46-45 with a 3.39 ERA. The Red Sox also have one of the top road offenses in baseball, scoring 245 runs through 48 road games which is 5.1 runs per game. They might not have much home run power, but their .338 on-base percentage against righties is strong and simply put, they find ways to score runs which is what matters. Their entire outfield, Tzu-Wei Lin, Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez could be appealing options here.
White Sox vs Kyle Freeland
Freeland is on a real cold streak as of late. He has allowed 14 runs in the last 17.1 innings he has pitched, raising his ERA from 3.42 to 4.09. Fortunately, the White Sox clobber left-handed pitching somehow and own a .293 batting average (MLB-best) and .814 OPS (third in MLB) against them. It helps that they will be at Coors Field, a big-time hitter’s park. Jose Abreu, Avisail Garcia, Todd Frazier and Melky Cabrera should be able to punish Freeland for his struggles.
Other Stacks to consider:
Rangers vs. JC Ramirez
Braves vs Joe Ross
