DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 14, 2017
*Chris Durell*
DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 14, 2017
The All-Star break exhibition is now over and it’s time to get back to baseball. The second half starts tonight with a full 15-game slate that is not short of risk. With an early look at the weather, there are some concerns in New York(COL vs NYM), Baltimore(CHC vs. BAL) and Pittsburgh(STL vs. PIT). I am writing this early Thursday afternoon so be sure to check the LineupLab Weather Page closer to lineup lock. Let’s jump into the picks.
Starting Pitchers
Carlos Carrasco
Opponent – @ OAK
Park – Oakland Coliseum(Pitcher Park)
Vegas Favorite (CLE -135)
Vegas Total (8.0)
Ranking pitching staffs by WAR, we find the Indians sitting second(14.2) as a group and it’s in large part to the top two in the rotation(Kluber & Carrasco). Both sit inside the Top 10 in CY Young voting going into the second half. Carassco hasn’t shown the elite upside of Kluber’s 11.9 K/9 rate but has still been dominant with a 9.8 K/9 rate and 12.8% swinging strike rate and has struck out 7+ batters in 11 of his 14 starts. There have been a few blips on the radar this season but overall he has been very consistent averaging 37.7 FanDuel and 20.9 DraftKings points per start. He is safe in all on FanDuel under $10K but should be reserved to GPP only on DraftKings as he has reached a season-high $12,100.
Jacob Faria
Opponent – @ LAA
Park – Angel Stadium of Anaheim(Pitcher Park)
Vegas Favorite (TB +105)
Vegas Total (8.5)
Targeting the Angels lately has been a profitable venture as they rank right at the bottom of the league in almost every category over the past 14 days. While they do get Mike Trout back tonight, I personally think it will take the team a game or two to get back in the groove. I also think Jacob Faria is far too under priced considering how impressive he has been early in his career. He has gone at least six innings in all six starts and has held opponents to two or less earned runs in five of them and is striking out just under a batter per inning. From a fantasy standpoint, he is averaging 41.2 FanDuel and 22.4 DraftKings points per start. He is safe in all formats. The Rays are early dogs on the road making this a contrarian GPP play.
Stack of the Night
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Ricky Nolasco (LAA)
The Rays strike out a ton vs. right-handed pitching(24.6%) making them a tough play in cash games but they are a perfect team to stack in GPP’s. The upside is most definitely there as they rank inside the Top 5 in wOBA(.339), wRC+(114), and ISO(.204) vs. righties and get somewhat of a batting practice session tonight vs. Ricky Nolasco has been downright awful in the first half. He sports a 5.06 ERA, 4.64 xFIP and most notably a 19.8% HR/FB rate so look for the Rays to tee off.
Top Players to Stack – Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Steven Souza Jr, Evan Longoria
Also Consider: Seattle Mariners vs. James Shields (CWS)