DFS MLB Lineups for July 25, 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!
7/25/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Grand Slam: $444 buy-in, $400k guaranteed
DraftKings Power Alley: $44 buy-in, $350k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $140k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $666 buy-in, $220k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $66 buy-in, $200k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $9 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for July 25, 2017
Charlie Morton @ PHI ($8.8k DraftKings, $8.6k FanDuel)
We never love paying about the highest price that a guy has cost us all year, but that’s where we sit with Charlie Morton today going against the Phillies. Philly is in the bottom third of the league in virtually every offensive category when facing right handed pitchers, but for our purposes, it’s the 23.5% K rate that’s particularly appealing. Morton has shown on multiple occasions this season that he’s capable of turning in double-digit strikeout performances, his latest being just two starts ago when he fanned 10 Twins. And with the scorching hot Astros offense behind him, he’s a big favorite (-155) to get the win bonus. On a day without any aces, we’re going to have to rely on upside and Morton presents as much as anybody on the slate today.
Jacob Faria vs BAL ($8.5k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)
Faria has really impressed in his rookie campaign thus far. In his eight big leagues starts, Faria has failed to register at least 6 innings just once. He’s got Tropicana field on his side, with his offense getting a chance to feast on the remains of Wade Miley. What’s better, is as you’d expect, he’s fared better against RHB than LHB, and the projected starting lineup from Baltimore has just two lefties, one of which is Chris Davis and his 38% K rate. Faria is a -118 favorite taking the hill with one of the more pitcher friendly umpires in the league, Hunter Wendelstedt, behind the plate.
Jordan Montgomery vs CIN ($5.9k DraftKings, $7.3k FanDuel)
First things first, this would be a DraftKings only play. There’s no way to justify his tag on FanDuel when you look at the other arms around him or the ones that cost just a little bit more. But on DK, there are just five pitchers that’ll cost you less money and none of those guys are remotely in play tonight. Montgomery has flashed GPP winning upside, going for 30 DK points five starts ago, and has multiple 20+ point outings to his credit. His recent game log isn’t pretty, but digging a bit deeper into his last start, he had one bad inning that really spoiled the start while he was pretty effective the rest of the game. He’s got good swinging strike stuff. He’s a big favorite (-160). And the Reds have an implied total of just 4 runs. The price, combined with the other options on the slate, make Montgomery too good to pass up.
Others pitchers to consider: Drew Pomeranz, Kenta Maeda, Jhoulys Chacin, Mike Clevinger, Madison Bumgarner
Best DFS MLB Hitters for July 25, 2017
Jake Lamb vs. ATL ($5.3k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
Criminally underpriced on FanDuel, I expect Lamb will be very popular, perhaps pushing him more to a cash play on that site. But on DK, he’s one of the most expensive players on the slate, which could help drive down his ownership in a prime matchup with Mike Foltynewicz. This is a match made in heaven for Lamb. He’s a righty masher, facing a guy that is horrible against left handed batters. For the season, LHB have a .373 wOBA (not a typo) against Folty, with him walking more and striking out fewer lefties. To pile on, he’s been way worse on the road and has allowed lefties to get to him at 1.8 HR/9 away from Atlanta.
Travis Shaw @ WAS ($4.2k DraftKings, $3.6k FanDuel)
With their prices being so close at FanDuel, Travis Shaw makes a nice pivot off of Lamb, who will certainly draw more ownership. Like Lamb, Shaw is a righty masher who has hit .306 with 4 doubles and 5 bombs against righties through 17 July games. Edwin Jackson is just being used as a band aid after spending most of the last two seasons in the minors. He’s got a career ERA across all leagues and levels that tops 4.6 coupled with a K rate of just 17.6%. Jackson really never had ‘better days’ but even his decent days are behind him. Fire away.
Other batters to consider: Matt Carpenter, James McCann, Matt Adams, Steven Souza, David Peralta, Eric Hosmer
7/25/17 DFS MLB Stacks
Houston Astros @ Nick Pivetta
Wow. Really going out on a limb here to recommend the best hitting team in baseball huh? This blurb is actually to let you know that the Astros stack can be had for less of your cap tonight than most nights. George Springer left yesterday’s game with quad discomfort and is all but certain to take tonight off. That shifts everyone in the lineup up a spot and inserts a replacement, likely Jake Marisnick (potentially Nori Aoki), into this potent stack. We’re not really sure how the lineup will look when posted, but keep and eye as there might be some value here to add to the likes of Altuve, Reddick, Gurriel, and McCann.
Oakland A’s @ Cesar Valdez
What’s a Cesar Valdez? It’s a 32-year-old relief pitcher forced into a spot start due to Aaron Sanchez not being able to get rid of a blister on one of his fingers. Valdez has three major league starts to his name, two of those coming back in 2010. He’s also giving up right at 2.5 homers per nine innings pitched, by far the worst amongst anyone on the slate. The A’s get a massive park boost with this game taking place at the Rogers Centre and will likely face a hodgepodge of relief pitchers from Toronto. I also like any of the top hitters as solo plays should you need to fill a hole in one of your other stacks.
Other stacks to consider:
Cardinals vs. Jon Gray
Marlins @ Cole Hamels
Brewers @ Edwin Jackson
