MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 7/15/2019

There’s no shortage of action Monday with 10 games making up the main evening slate in DFS. There is a good mixture of top-tier pitchers and lineups in positions to thrive, so there could be a few approaches to consider. Let’s try to make that task a little easier by highlighting some of the players with the best matchups. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our MLB Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Lucas Giolito vs. Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Kauffman Stadium
FanDuel = $9,100
DraftKings = $11,200

This is a juicy matchup if you don’t mind paying up at starting pitcher. Giolito has been excellent with his 3.15 ERA and 3.20 FIP, while also becoming an asset in the strikeout department with his 30.1 percent strikeout rate. The Royals have a few talented hitters, but largely their lineup is uninspiring. That’s helped Giolito limit them to five runs while recording 34 strikeouts across 25 innings in four previous outings this season.

Adam Plutko vs. Detroit Tigers
Stadium – Progressive Field
FanDuel = $7,500
DraftKings = $7,800

For those looking to load up on hitters and save at starting pitcher, Plutko stands out as one of the top cheap options. Yes, he has a 4.95 ERA and an even worse 5.85 FIP to go along with a meager 17.5 percent strikeout rate. However, this is a prime matchup against a Tigers team that has scored the second-fewest runs (329) in baseball. The last time he faced them, he allowed three runs (two earned) and posted six strikeouts over six innings. He could provide excellent value in their rematch.

CATCHER

Roberto Perez vs. Daniel Norris, Detroit Tigers
Stadium – Progressive Field
FanDuel = $2,700
DrafrKings = $4,100

Catcher isn’t always an easy position to fill, but there are actually a few enticing options for this slate. One of them is Perez, who is having the best offensive season of his career with a .262 ISO and a 121 wRC+. As good as those numbers are, he’s been even better with a 163 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. Add in the fact that Norris has a 1.42 WHIP and this could be another strong showing from Perez.

Others to consider: Christian Vazquez

FIRST BASE

Freddie Freeman vs. Adrian Houser, Milwaukee Brewers
Stadium – Miller Park
FanDuel = $4,100
DraftKings = $5,200

It’s not hard to make a case for deploying Freeman against most pitchers. He’s having yet another sparkling campaign with his 145 wRC+ and already has more home runs (24) in 93 games than he did all of last season. Houser has a 1.45 WHIP and has allowed a .404 wOBA against left-handed hitters, making this one of the times to pay up to get Freeman into your entry.

Others to consider: Daniel Murphy and Joc Pederson

SECOND BASE

David Fletcher vs. Josh James, Houston Astros
Stadium – Angel Stadium
FanDuel = $2,900
DraftKings = $3,700

James will serve as the opener for the Astros with lefty Framber Valdez expected to follow and pitch the bulk of the innings. Valdez hasn’t been able to put things together up to this point, registering a 1.50 WHIP. Fletcher has at least two hits in four of his last five games and is a tough out for his 7.8 percent strikeout rate, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on base a couple of times again in this contest. Of note, he is only eligible at second base on FanDuel since he is listed at third base and the outfield on DraftKings.

Others to consider: Max Muncy and Adam Frazier

THIRD BASE

Josh Donaldson vs. Adrain Houser, Milwaukee Brewers
Stadium – Miller Park
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $5,100

After a couple of injury-plagued seasons, Donaldson signed a one-year deal with the Braves to try and re-establish his value. He was once one of the premier power hitters in the league and he’s starting to show signs of that again, going deep six times over his last eight games. That’s increased his ISO to .264 for the season. With how hot he is right now, he’s a must for a Braves stack when you also factor in Houser’s struggles.

Others to consider: Rafael Devers and Yuli Gurriel

SHORTSTOP

Andrelton Simmons vs. Josh James, Houston Astros
Stadium – Angel Stadium
FanDuel = $3,100
DraftKings = $3,700

I do like an Angels stack here, even if Mike Trout (calf) is out of the lineup. They still have a couple of fearsome hitters in Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton to go along with some excellent cheaper options like Fletcher and Simmons. Like Flecther, Simmons puts the ball in play a lot, leaving him with just an 8.7 percent strikeout rate.

Others to consider: Trevor Story and Corey Seager

OUTFIELD

David Dahl vs. Dereck Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Coors Field
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $4,900

Stacking the Rockies is likely going to be the chalk move of the night. This will be the second game of their doubleheader against the Giants and it doesn’t get much better than a matchup at Coors Field against Rodriguez, who has allowed 1.6 HR/9. Dahl has a .431 wOBA at home and a .370 wOBA against right-handed pitchers, so this could be the perfect storm.

Nick Markakis vs. Adrian Houser, Milwaukee Brewers
Stadium – Miller Park
FanDuel = $3,100
DraftKings = $4,100

Markakis sometimes gets lost when you consider the other potent hitters in the Braves lineup. While he’s not the most prolific power bat, he does have a 124 wRC+ against right-handed hitters. He’s also at the top of his game right now, hitting 19-for-49 (.388) with six doubles across his last 13 games.

Eloy Jimenez vs. Jakob Junis, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Kauffman Stadium
FanDuel = $3,100
DraftKings = $4,000

Junis is in the midst of a very underwhelming campaign for the Royals that has seen him record a 5.33 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He’s also allowed 1.7 HR/9, which could end up being his undoing against Jimenez. After a slow start, one of the most promising prospects in all of baseball has found his groove at the big league level, posting a .639 slugging percentage over his last 27 games,

Others to consider: Charlie Blackmon and Justin Upton

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.