DFS MLB Lineups for July 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 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!
7/15/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Saturday Slugfest: $40 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
DraftKings Grand Slam: $444 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $9 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
FanDuel Jumbo: $9 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $4 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for July 15, 2017
Jhoulys Chacin vs SFG ($7.6k DraftKings, $8.0k FanDuel)
The Giants haven’t been hitting all year, and there is no reason that should change. Prior to the All-Star break, their .673 OPS against right-handers was an MLB-worst. That should be helpful for Chacin, who has thrived at pitcher-friendly Petco Park this year. In his nine home outings this year, he is 5-2 with a 1.68 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting just .180 with a .543 OPS against him at Petco. That should be enough shut down one of the worst teams in baseball.
Danny Duffy vs TEX ($7.8k DraftKings, $8.5k FanDuel)
There are a couple of things the Rangers do not do well. First off, they do not hit left-handed pitching well — ever. Their mere .227 batting average and .683 OPS against them before the All-Star break indicates that. They also don’t hit well away from hitter-friendly Globe Life Park (.221 batting average, .699 OPS on the road). That’s pretty good news for Duffy, a southpaw who owns a 2.76 ERA in five home starts this season.
Alex Cobb vs LAA ($7.5k DraftKings, $7.9k FanDuel)
Offensively, this has not been a very good month for the Angels. Prior to the All-Star break, they were averaging less than three runs per game in July (23 in eight games). Their .242 batting average and .704 OPS against righties certainly do not impress. It also helps that Cobb is throwing the ball well as of late too, posting a 2.38 ERA in 41.2 innings over his past six starts. His ability to go deep into the game should boost his chances of picking up the win.
Other pitchers to consider: Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber
Best DFS MLB Hitters for July 15, 2017
Jose Ramirez vs OAK ($5.2k DraftKings, $4.4k FanDuel)
Ramirez is hitting well lately; he batted .429 with five home runs in nine July games prior to the All-Star break. On the year, he is hitting .340 with 13 home runs and a 1.047 OPS through 209 at-bats against right-handers which puts him in elite territory. With that in mind, he should be able to punish A’s rookie starter Paul Blackburn, a righty, who only struck out 6.33 batters per nine innings in Triple-A this season. That high contact rate probably won’t lead to MLB success.
Max Kepler @ HOU ($4.3k DraftKings, $3.2k FanDuel)
Kepler is one of the top hitters in baseball against right-handed pitchers and the true definition of a platoon player. Against righties, he was hitting .305 with 10 home runs and a .907 OPS in 223 at-bats in the first half. Kepler has been red hot as of late; he collected 14 hits in nine July games prior to the All-Star break. The pitcher he is facing, Joe Musgrove, has allowed 18 runs over his last three starts.
Willson Contreras vs BAL ($3.7k DraftKings, $3.2k FanDuel)
There are certain days where Contreras is a major asset to the Cubs lineup, and today could be one of those days. Over the course of the season, he has favored left-handed pitching heavily (.276 batting average, .849 OPS in 76 at-bats against them). Plus, he was hitting .357 in eight July games prior to the All-Star break, so his bat is hot. That should work out well against Orioles southpaw Wade Miley, whose ERA is above 9.00 in his last seven starts.
Other hitters to consider: Nelson Cruz, Ben Gamel, Ian Happ, Albert Almora Jr., Anthony Rizzo, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Joe Mauer, Danny Valencia, Jean Segura, Wil Myers
7/15/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Cubs vs Wade Miley
Miley has been one of the worst starters in the big leagues since the start of the 2016 MLB season. In his last seven starts, he has let up 32 runs in 28 innings. It helps that the Cubs are one of the top teams against left-handed pitching this season; their .802 OPS against southpaws prior to the All-Star break was the third best in the big leagues. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras and Ian Happ are all viable options here.
Twins vs Joe Musgrove
Musgrove’s ERA is over 6.00 this season and over his past three starts, things have only gotten worse. The guy has let up 18 runs over 15 innings and allowed six home runs in those frames. The Twins are a competent team against right-handed pitching (.754 OPS ranks 14th of 30 MLB teams), so they are capable of knocking around an incompetent pitcher. Here, there are a few competent Twins bats to choose from: Max Kepler, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and Joe Mauer.
Mariners vs Derek Holland
Somehow, Holland is still in the big leagues. He owns a 5.55 FIP this season and has not been throwing well lately. Over his last seven starts, he has allowed 35 runs and 10 home runs in 31 innings. Throughout the year, the Mariners offense has been quite good during night games (4.9 runs per game), so they should be able to take advantage of a struggling left-hander. Nelson Cruz, Ben Gamel, Jean Segura and Danny Valencia could help punish Holland for his mistakes tonight.
Other Stacks to consider:
Nationals vs Luis Castillo
Indians vs Paul Blackburn
