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MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 12, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 12, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber Vs Detroit Tigers
Park – Progressive Field
Opp implied total – 2.32

At the top tonight, there are 2 guys who stand far above the rest. Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber are by far the best 2 pitchers on the slate and in cash games, I don’t see how you can get away without exposure to at least one. For me, it’s Corey Kluber. Kershaw has a few more question marks (pitch count, need to win) than Kluber, who is putting the Indians on his back to go for 19 straight. The Indians are the hottest team in baseball right now and I don’t see Matt Boyd and the Tigers coming in here and ending it with Klubot on the mound. He’s been better than any other pitcher this year. Sorry, Chris Sale, but you’ll never do anything when your arm is a piece of spaghetti by September. Kluber has exhibited a 12.04 K/9 that’s backed up a league-leading 2.49 xFIP and a 1.65 BB/9. This Tigers lineup is watered down and to be quite honest, insanely bad. I’m not one to jump off the Miguel Cabrera train, but C’mon man. Miggy has been a shell of his own shell this season. The rest of the team hasn’t been any better, either, striking out close to 25% of the time and pulling just a .309 wOBA against right-handers. Kluber is the top arm on the slate and as things sit now, I’ll have 100% exposure in cash games.

Jose Quintana Vs New York Mets
Park – Wrigley Field
Vegas O/U – 3.64

If we’re looking at raw points, it’s Clayton Kershaw against the Giants here. Even though we like Kluber a tad bit more, Kershaw can easily have one of the his performances where we all look back and wonder why we were such idiots. Still, if you need to pay down a bit, Jose Quintana is a fantastic pivot. Great against both lefties and righties, it doesn’t really matter what funk lineup the Mets toss out there. No matter how you break it down, it stinks. Everyone besides 2 guys in the order should be in the minors. The only 2 above average bats are Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera, which is a sad, sad statement for the city of New York. They both belong in the 7/8 hole of a good team and certainly don’t scare me away from an ace in Jose Quintana. Quintana may fly under the radar for some, but he is a top 15 pitcher in baseball and he will solidify that down the stretch with the Cubbies. The Cubs are in mus-win mode at this point and Quintana will pitch as long as he possibly can. He will be my 2nd most popular pitcher, but still, has a lot more risk than either of the top 2 options.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Stanton - Lineuplab.com

Cleveland Indians @ Matt Boyd (Tigers)
Park – Progressive Field
Implied Total – 5.68

We’re going to stay right here in Cleveland and hope the Indians can put up some runs for our man Corey Kluber. I sure hope they can, as they will see one of the best match-ups of their entire streak. Matt Boyd, a lefty, has run into some major problems against both sides of the plate. Against lefties, a .349 wOBA 19 innings. Against righties, a .373 wOBA and 15 home runs in just under 100 innings. He’s also pitched most of his games in Comerica, so this will be a bump down for Boyd. The Indians have some lefty mashers and they’ll be right in the mix of things. Austin Jackson is a lefty specialist, so I’d expect him to be at the top of the order and be a fantastic player. The cast of regular character will take over there, with the likes of Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Edwin Encarnacion. We do know this lineup is pretty spread out, however, so don’t be afraid to take a bat or two lower in the order. I expect the Indians to put up some runs tonight and I doubt they are over 20% owned.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Miami Marlins @ Nicholas Pivetta
Park – Citizens Bank Park
Implied Total – 4.40

I know the Marlins don’t have the 2nd or even 3rd highest implied total on the board, but I like them a lot as a stack. The first reason is they have the perfect 4-man stack. Gordon, Yelich, Ozuna, and Stanton take up for most of the Marlins production and you don’t really miss anything by fading the rest. They also face-off with Nicholas Pivetta, who’s been horrible against righties with a .409 wOBA. That immediately puts Stanton and Ozuna at the top of my list. He hasn’t been good against lefties, but a .319 isn’t horrible either. Dee Gordon and Yelich both dominate righties and I like them both just as much as the others. I don’t feel the need for a sneak stack with this lineup, as the main one won’t be very popular. We’re all watching Stanton and his path to 60, which he may get closer to tonight. Citizens Bank Park is a lot friendlier than Marlins Park and Stanton can probably bunt it out against Pivetta.

Main Stack – Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna






DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 11, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 11, 2017

Welcome back for another exciting day of daily fantasy baseball. I hope everyone safely navigated through the first NFL/MLB Sunday as it was a crazy one. Tonight we have a smaller eight-game slate but again we get a nice selection of ace pitchers at the top and some teams in great spots offensively. Let’s jump in and take a look at a couple pitching options and some stacks.

Starting Pitchers

Zack Greinke
Opponent – vs. COL
DraftKings – $11,800
FanDuel – $9,300

Don’t let the fact that Chase Field is a Top 3 hitters park get in the way of your decision making tonight. Zack Greinke has been much better at home this season with an ERA(2.31) over a run and a half lower at Chase Field. In fact, he has not allowed an opponent to score more than three earned runs on him since mid-May and he ended up winning that game and striking out eight Mets. The strikeouts have been down lately(20 last 4 games) but he has also only allowed four total earned runs over his last three starts. Tonight he faces a Rockies team who understandably has been much better at home but rank right near the bottom in wOBA(.302) and wRC+(82) on the road this season. Greinke is considerably cheaper than Carrasco on both sites and is in play in all formats.

Brandon Woodruff
Opponent – vs. PIT
DraftKings – $7,100
FanDuel – $6,700

On a smaller eight game slate, the options are somewhat limited on the value side of things and it will be very important to get this right as we have two high-end pitchers on the mound. Jason Hammel makes a nice GPP play who has been up and down but I lean rookie Brandon Woodruff who has had a sparkling start to his Major League career. He has now made four starts and allowed just four earned runs with two quality starts, the second being his most recent start where he went seven innings striking out eight Nats in the process. He gets an even better matchup this time around vs. a struggling Pirates team that ranks 27th in wOBA(.295) and 29th in wRC+(78) over the last 14 days and have seen their K rate(22.9%) go way up vs. their season long number(19.4%). He makes a top SP2 play on DraftKings and a low-end GPP play on FanDuel if you are planning on loading up on bats.

Top Stacks


Cleveland Indians vs. Myles Jaye(DET)

No better place to start Monday night than with the hottest team in the league. The Indians have now won 18 straight and haven’t lost since August 23rd and during that stretch have scored an average of 6.7 runs per game. They now sit just two games away from tying the 2002 “Moneyball” Oakland Athletics for longest win streak. If that isn’t enough, they also get a nice matchup vs. rookie Myles Jaye who is making his first major league start. In two long relief appearances(5.2 IP), he has not allowed an earned run but has also not struck anyone out. He also seen a big falloff from AA to AAA in both his K rate and xFIP so I am not at all confident he will be able to handle major-league hitters, better yet, the hottest team in the league. If he last only a few innings that is also good news for the Indians as the Tigers have the worst bullpen ERA(5.25) of any team.

Top Hitters to Stack: Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana

 

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Steven Brault(PIT)

The Indians will definitely be the chalk tonight and if you are looking for an ownership pivot, consider the Brew Crew. They do strike out a ton but hit lefties for power(.170 ISO) and come in winners of three straight including a 15-2 route of the Cubs where they got nine runs off two lefty pitchers. They now face struggling youngster Steven Brault who struck out zero and gave up three earned runs in his first start and four earned runs in a relief appearance before that. Not only will the Brewers be lower owned tonight but they are also cheaper making it much easier to stack with one of the top pitchers.

Top Hitters to Stack: Ryan Braun, Domingo Santana, Hernan Perez, Travis Shaw

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 8, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 8, 2017

Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy baseball. Thursday brings us a smaller eight-game slate but is not short on elite pitching or top bats in great spots. Let’s dig in and take a look at a couple of the top pitchers and stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Max Scherzer - Lineuplab
Max Scherzer
Opponent – vs. PHI
Park – Nationals Park(Neutral)

Scherzer will be back on the mound after leaving early last Saturday’s game when he was hit in the calf muscle with a line drive. He played catch and Tuesday and was pain-free after a bullpen session on Wednesday so there is no need to worry about it at this point. That is good news as he has been elite all season with a 2.19 ERA, 12.1 K/9 rate and crazy 15.7% swinging strike rate. Scherzer also gets a top matchup vs. the Phillies who rank near the bottom in almost all offensive categories vs. right-handed pitching including wOBA(.311), wRC+(89), and K rate(23.7%). Roll him out with confidence in all formats.

Luke Weaver
Opponent – vs. PIT
Park – Busch Stadium(Pitchers Park)

Kid’s got game. In nine appearances(8 starts) last season, Weaver showed his huge upside with an 11.2 K/9 rate but struggled to keep the ball down and in the park(30.7% GB rate). In eight appearances(5 starts) this season, he has shown the same upside(11.3 K/9) but has seen his ERA drop over three runs and it has to with him now generating over 50% ground balls. This makes him a near elite DFS option in the right matchups and he gets that tonight as the Pirates have actually ranked worse than the aforementioned Phillies. He makes an excellent SP2 option on DraftKings or GPP option on FanDuel if you are loading up on bats.

 

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Jose Ramirez - Lineup Lab
Hard to fade the hottest team in baseball when looking at DFS from a stacking perspective. They picked up their 14th straight win on Wednesday (writing this before Thurs night game) and during that streak have scored an average of 6.9 runs per game. Three players (Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor) have hit 5+ home runs in the last 14 days and four players (add Roberto Perez) have double-digit RBI. They crush left-handed pitching and get a plus matchup vs. a weaker one in Wade Miley who has posted a 4.91 ERA, 4.56 xFIP, and a 17.5% HR/FB rate this season.

For value tonight, I will be leaning on the New York Mets who despite all the injuries have ranked in the upper half of the league in wOBA/wRC+ over the last 14 days. They don’t have the most talented roster which will leave them low owed and they also get a great matchup. Amir Garrett will be taking the ball for the Reds after being recalled on Tuesday. Before his demotion in late June, he was an absolute gas can with a 7.41 ERA and 27.5% HR/FB rate over 12 starts.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 7, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 7, 2017

Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy baseball. Thursday brings us a smaller eight-game slate but is not short on elite pitching or top bats in great spots. Let’s dig in and take a look at a couple of the top pitchers and stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

Lineuplab - DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber
Opponent – @CWS
Park – Gauranteed Rate Field(Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (CLE -250)
Vegas Total (7.5)

The decision at the top tonight is clearly between Corey Kluber and Clayton Kershaw. For me, it’s easy as Kershaw is likely to be on a pitch count still as the Dodgers have no reason to risk their ace with an 11.5 game lead in the National League West. I mean, sure Kershaw looked good in his last start but for the price it is hard to justify a 20%-30% decrease in innings pitched. For Kluber, his dominance continues as he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in four straight and 12 of his last 15 starts. He already elite K upside(11.85 K/9 & 15.8% swinging strike rate) gets a boost tonight facing one of the worst offenses in baseball in the White Sox. They rank 27th overall in runs scored and 28th in wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitchers. For those of you looking at the game logs, he has faced the White Sox three times this year and despite giving up seven earned runs has struck out 29 White Sox batters. Load up in all formats.

Tyler Mahle
Opponent – @ NYM
Park – Citi Field(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (CIN -110)
Vegas Total (9.0)

If you are planning on using Kluber or Kershaw or even Lester on a short slate, you are going to need to take a risk with your SP2. Enter rookie Tyler Mahle of the Reds who isn’t going to give us a ton of upside with strikeouts but can provide just enough value at his low price to make him a top SP2 tonight. He has faced the Pirates in both of his starts and after getting into some trouble with four walks and three earned runs the first time around, he looked better in the second start allowing just five hits, no earned runs and most importantly he didn’t walk anyone. He now faces a Braves team that sits in the bottom third in runs scored overall and wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching. If he can once again keep the walks down I can see him going 5+ innings and more than that helps us get some top bats in our lineups with an elite arm.

Top Stacks

Lineuplab.com - DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Francisco Lindor

From a stacking perspective tonight, there are some hot teams that are in fantastic spots and it starts with the Cleveland Indians. They have been the hottest team in the league over the last 14 days(going into Weds night) winning 13 straight games and have led the league in wOBA(.400), wRC+(150), ISO(.249), and runs scored(94). They face off against Carlos Rodon who has been better lately allowing more than two earned runs just once in his last seven starts but continues to walk too many(4.02 BB/9) and has only struck out more than four once in his last five starts. I tend to lean the way of the hot team over the over performing pitcher. My top hitters are Francisco Lindor, Edwin, Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, and Carlos Santana.

The other hot team in a great spot tonight is the Minnesota Twins. They aren’t too far off the Indians over the last two weeks with the 7th best wOBA(.343), 8th best wRC+(111), and 5th best ISO(.218). They will face newly acquired Sam Gaviglio who has been awful for the Mariners all season making 11 starts with a 4.62 ERA, 4.99 xFIP and has given up at least one home run in 10 of those starts. The only knock on this stack is the park as Kauffman Stadium is a Top 10 pitchers park but the price and possible ownership gap between them and the Indians make it worth the risk.

 

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for September 6, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, September 6, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab.com

Carlos Carrasco @ Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Opp implied total – 3.20

A lot of people were on Danny Salazar last night, who didn’t even get out of the 1st inning against these same White Sox. He just wasn’t on his pitches and as soon as the bullpen came in the Sox got shut down. If Salazar was at all on his game, he would have shut them down. Carlos Carrasco is also a step up from Salazar, who is a bit more volatile. Carrasco will typically give you a guaranteed 6 innings and 7 strikeouts, while Salazar will be up and down all year long. Carrasco has posted a .288 combined wOBA on the season and has backed it up with some fantastic peripherals. He’s striking out 10.2 batters per 9 innings while walking just 2.19, giving him his personal career best K: BB. Carrasco is an elite pitcher any way you look at it and his opponent is extremely weak. The White Sox have ranked in the bottom 5 in every offensive category since the ASB. Jose Abreu is the only real bat in the order and Carrasco should be able to deal with him with ease. He’s the top play in cash games and it’s not too close at all, at least in my book.

Kenta Maeda Vs Arizona Diamondbacks
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas O/U – 3.70

After Carrasco, there is a ginormous drop to the 2nd guy(s). I’m not exactly sure who ends up being highly owned out of this 2nd tier, but it could be Kenta Maeda for cash games. To be clear, I don’t like him in tournaments as I can’t see the Dodgers letting him eclipse 90-1000 pitches. With that being said, it could very well be enough for a cash game at his price. He faces off with the Diamondbacks, who are a good offense, but they outside of Chase Field and even more so in pitcher-friendly parks. The 2 bats to be most wary of are Jake Lamb and David Peralta. Maeda is a bit worse against lefties (.318 wOBA), so he could have some trouble with those guys. On the flip side, his numbers against righties (.264 wOBA) are fantastic. The majority of this D-Backs lineup will be right-handed and we know they can strike out with the best of them. Vegas has a 3.70 implied total and Maeda should end up as one of the more conservative

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab.com

Cleveland Indians @ Reynaldo Lopez (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.80

The Chicago White Sox rotation is just 1 big pitching machine with legs. The IQ seems non-existent if you watch and they go through putrid starters like they’re easy to come by. Reynaldo Lopez, in particular, is pretty bad. He’s just 23-years-old and walked 4.50 batters per 9 in AAA. He’s obviously not ready for the majors just yet and it’ll be a few years until we get there. The Indians are one of the most dangerous offenses and one of the most difficult to contain. Guaranteed Rate Field is small and the Indians should put up plenty of runs. The cream of the crop is Jose Ramirez and the 1 1B. they all destroy righties and have more than enough HR upside. After that, you can go anywhere. Vegas has the Indians implied at 5.80 runs, which is the highest outside of Coors Field. I like Jay Bruce a lot, actually, as he’s struggled lately and should go low-owned. He sets up well for Lopez and could send a heater back where it came from. The rest of the order has upside, but not to the point where you need to reach.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Texas Rangers @ Julio Teheran
Park – SunTrust Park
Implied Total – 4.74

For a larger slate, there aren’t many great teams to stack. Sure, you can go into Coors Field and get a team with a 6.5 implied total, but good luck paying for anyone else, including your pitcher. It’s not necessarily a bad strategy, but I’d rather pay up for safety in my arms and find a cheaper offense that can put up similar production. Here we have the Texas Rangers, facing off with predictable righty Julio Teheran. Teheran has allowed a .335 wOBA against lefties and nearly a 2 HR/9. He calls in the Rangers to SunTrust Park, which has been a top 7 park for lefty power on the season. We all know the Rangers have plenty of that. The first guy that sticks out is Joey Gallo. Gallo is my pick for HR of the night and I wouldn’t have a Rangers stack without him. The rest of the lefties (Choo, Mazara, Odor) are the way to go in cash games. In tournaments, feel free to throw a righty in there and hope for some production off the bench. Either way, I don’t see the Rangers walking away with less than 2 dingers in this contest.

Main Stack – Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara, Elvis Andrus, Joey Gallo
Sneaky Stack – Nomar Mazara, Joey Gallo, Rougned Odor, Robinson Chirinos/strong>

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for September 5, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 5, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - New York Mets - Lineuplab.com

Jacob DeGrom Vs Philadelphia Phillies
Park – Citi Field
Opp implied total – 3.31

When I first looked at this slate, Jacob DeGrom immediately stuck out to me as the top option. When deciding whether or not to play DeGrom, this first thing I look at is if he’s at home. In Citi Field, DeGrom has sported a .276 wOBA, compared to the .308 on the road. He’s also held lefties and righties to a combined .246 wOBA and 10 K/9. He’s dotted the edges extremely well over his last few starts, striking out 23 to just 2 walks. DeGrom has slipped with injuries this year, but he’s still one of the brightest young arms in baseball. His velocity is as high as ever and his change-up has induced an incredible 52% GB rate. He faces off with the Phillies tonight, which doesn’t need much explanation. They’ve posted a .286 wOBA against Phillies in the last 2 months and only have a few guys who deserve to be in a major league lineup. They strikeout close to 25% of the time and make hard contact just 24%. They also move from Citizens Bank Park (top 10) to Citi Field (23rd for hitting). DeGrom should have an extremely solid performance tonight and I’m a big fan in both cash games and tournaments.

Danny Salazar @ Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Vegas O/U – 3.62

At this point in the season, there’s a whole lot of attacking offenses. We have a few offenses in the league that stand out as being far worse than the field. The White Sox are certainly in that grouping. Jose Abreu is the only hitter to be afraid of and to be honest, I’m not that worried against a righty with one of the more devastating sliders around. The rest of the order is pretty garbage, with guys like Yolmer Sanchez and Matt Davidson surrounding Abreu. Looking further down the lineup may induce some gag reflex, so be cautious. Guys like Rob Brantly and Adam Engel are AA talent hitters that are pretty solid in the field. Good thing that doesn’t matter in the slightest. As for Danny Salazar, you know what you’re going to get. He is predictably unpredictable. No matter the opponent, Salazar can b one of the more frustrating pitchers to watch. I can vividly remember multiple occasions of wanting to pull my hair out as Salazar walks the pitcher or goes 3-0 to a catcher in the 8 hole. On the other side of things, he can be one of the more rewarding pitchers to have. Those same memories are matched by Salazar on the mound, dicing and dealing for 7-9 innings of no-run baseball. He has been dominant against both sides of the plate this year and has held a K rate over 10. He has one of the best match-ups he’ll see al year, so if his stuff is on, you will see 7+ innings and 10+ strikeouts. If he’s off, there’s no telling when the wheels will fall off. You will know by the 2nd inning.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Cleveland Indians - Lineuplab.com

Cleveland Indians @ David Holmberg (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 6.11

We’ll stick right in Chicago here with the Indians, who are facing off with David Holmberg and have the highest Vegas O/U outside of Coors on the day. it only makes sense when you look at the match-up. David Holmberg has struggled (.341 wOBA) against both sides of the plate since coming up and a .250 BABIP just tells me some more impending doom is on the way. To put it simply, the Indians aren’t a team to mess with. You won’t go out and throw weird pitches that get them to chase. They will happily walk all night long and wait for some in the zone. The targets are pretty obvious but you will have to choose between Encarnacion and Santana. I personally prefer Encarnacion against a lefty, due to Santana being far better against righties. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor are also locks and I wouldn’t consider an Indians stack without either. After that, you can go anywhere. Austin Jackson is actually the guy I have a lot of interest in, as he hits lefties well and should go relatively ignored.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Colorado Rockies Vs Ty Blach (Giants)
Park – Coors Field
Implied Total – 6.38

I know, you can’t get any more obvious than this. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of stacking any other teams than the 2 we’re touching on. I like mixing and matching in tournaments today and there are quite a few options I like across the board on different teams. As for the Rockies, they could easily put up double digits tonight. Ty Blach is a left-handed pitcher that fully relies on the ballpark to save him. He strikes out just over 3 (YES, 3!) batters per 9 innings and has a GB rate that doesn’t do much. In turn, he is giving up more fly-balls than any other pitcher. In the spacious AT&T Park, it’s perfect. it takes a tank to get one over the wall. With this move into Coors Field, the same cannot be said. Those same routing flyouts to left field are going to be 10 rows deep in CoorLiterallyitterally. This Rockies team can certainly hit lefties and there are a few guys that have to be licking their chops. My 2 favorites are Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story. I know Story might sound a bit crazy, but listen. He strikes out about 100% of the time and hits an HR the rest. Against Blach, those K numbers fall dramatically. When you can guarantee me a guy with 52% hard contact against lefties is going to see at last 2 at-bats with contact, I’ll take it. The rest of the order is pretty spread out and you can go wherever you’d like. Charlie Blackmon isn’t a must, but he will likely see some righties out of the pen, so don’t count on him busting.

Main Stack – Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Mark Reynolds, Ian Desmond
Sneaky Stack – Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story, Jonathan Lucroy

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for September 4, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, September 4, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks -- Jake-Arrieta-DFS-MLB-Lineup-Picks

Jake Arrieta @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Park – PNC Park
Opp implied total – 3.59

When we step back and look at this day as a whole, we have an early/main slate and a late slate. Both of them stink at pitching, but the earlier slate is a bit friendlier. You have a few guys to choose from, with Jake Arrieta coming out as the top option. Now it may be a bit too soon to speak, but the old Jake “The Snake” Arrieta may be back. He’s allowed just 4 runs over his last 4 starts and has struck out 24. He’s still holding an elite .287 combined wOBA and striking out around 9 batters per 9 innings. He moves into PNC Park and faces off with a very underwhelming offense against righties. They’ve posted the league’s 3rd worst wOBA against them on the year at .306. The game is also in PNC Park, which is the 4th hardest place to get a ball out for righties. Arrieta is a strong play in all formats and should be set for another solid performance.

Dallas Keuchel @ Seattle Mariners
Park – Safeco Field
Vegas O/U – 3.82

This night slate is a lot less forgiving in terms of pitching. After our top option in Dallas Keuchel, it gets extremely thin. When I say extremely thin, I mean basically nobody. Dallas Keuchel and the Astros travel to Seattle and will look to pick up a few easy wins. The first one will come against Erasmo Ramirez, who doesn’t have much of a shot against the Astros offense. Keuchel has been one of the better pitchers this season with a .233 combined wOBA and 8.23 K/9. He now moves into one of the friendliest ballparks in baseball for pitchers, Safeco Field. The Mainers are a much worse team against lefties, with Cano, Seager, Gamel, and Segura all considerably worse against them. There is still the danger of Nelson Cruz, but I’m assuming Keuchel will give him a few change-ups in the dirt and let him either strike out or walk to first. Let’s hope. If you don’t like Keuchel, well, too bad. Go complain to the baseball gods.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Jose Ramirez - Lineuplab.com Picks

Cleveland Indians @ James Shields (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.87

Every 5th day, we’re reminded that anyone can make an MLB roster if you were good at one point. That reminder comes in the flesh of James Shields. Shields, who continuously gets pummeled and is somehow still jogging out there and tossing it to the catcher. I don’t see a pride POV how he’s doing this, but I guess it’s the money. I can guarantee that in his interviews 10 years from now he will admit to not really caring at this point. It’s actually quite obvious by his reactions. He’s prone to giving up home runs and runs. Looking at his stats, he’s probably the worst pitcher in the game against lefties with a .424 wOBA and 15 home runs allowed in 45 innings. Yes, that’s a home run every 3 innings or a 3 HR/9. An average HR/9 is around 0.90. Getting to the Indians, we know they are a tough offense with a ton of options. Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez, and Francisco Lindor stand out above the rest and are locks in any Indians stack I create. There are a few more interchangeable guys and it’ll just come down to the batting order and who sees a bump. Play the lefties.

Main Stack – Carlos Santana, Bradley Zimmer, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Washington Nationals Vs Adam Conley (Marlins)
Park – Nationals Park
Implied Total – 5.11

This late slate has a few offenses you can stack, but the Nationals are my favorite and they will likely b e the most popular. Adam Conley is admittedly a fine pitcher, but he’s nothing special. He’s allowed a .330 wOBA against righties, though a .265 BABIP leaves that a bit worrisome. This Nationals offense is elite against lefties and it’s why they’re projected to put up nearly 5.5 runs. Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman are the top 2 options and I wouldn’t put a Nats stack together without either. You then get the 2 stud OF’s against lefties in Jayson Werth and Howie Kendrick. Both are in play as safe plays with plenty of upside. You may have to choose Trea Turner over one of them, however, as he will lead-off and be a big reason if they do have success. I prefer Werth, but you can go Kendrick with no qualms from me. All in all, this offense is going to put up some runs and they may break loose. You want exposure, even if it’s in a minute way. Personally, I’ll have a ton of ownership in the form of stacks.

Main Stack – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick, Trea Turner
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Wilmer Difo, Jayson Werth






DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 1, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 1, 2017

Welcome back to another TGIF edition of our daily fantasy baseball picks. There are two afternoon games today and with the cancellation of the Astros game, we get 14 games on the main slate tonight and this is where we will turn our attention. Let’s take a look at some of the top pitchers and stacks.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Mike Clevinger

Mike Clevinger
Opponent – @ DET
Park – Comerica Park (Hitters Park)
Vegas Favorite (CLE -170)
Vegas Total (8.5)

Clayton Kershaw returns to the Dodgers rotation tonight but will be on a pitch count. This has me going almost exclusively with value pitching and it starts with Mike Clevinger. He is coming off his best start of the season where he shut out the Royals over six innings striking out nine. He has been a bit inconsistent with a 3.72 ERA, 4.15 xFIP but has big upside with a 10.3 K/9 rate and 12.9% swinging strike rate. Then there is the matchup that got a huge boost since yesterday as the Tigers traded away their top bat in Justin Upton. Clevinger is safe in all formats.

Jack Flaherty
Opponent – @ WSH
Park – AT&T Park(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (STL -110)
Vegas Total (8.5)

If you are wanting to completely load up on bats tonight, Jack Flaherty provides a ton of salary relief. After the trade of Mike Leake opened up a spot on the 40-man roster, the Cardinals called up one of their top pitching prospects to take the mound vs. the Giants. In 15 starts in AAA this season, he has gone 7-2 with an impressive 2.74 ERA and 8.96 K/9 rate. He has improved big time this season adding velocity to his fastball and has three secondary pitches to back it up including a plus changeup(according to reports). The upside may not be there vs. the Giants who don’t K much but they rank second to last in overall run scoring. With Flaherty’s very low price on both sites, we don’t need a monster game and is more about loading up on bats to increase our overall ceiling.

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Paul Goldschmidt

With all the value at pitcher tonight, I head straight to Coors Field where the Diamondbacks have the highest implied run total(6.1) of the night. They will face Kyle Freeland who has been better at home this year but I am not buying it as he strikes out just over six batters per nine while walking over three. I will be loading up on Paul Goldschmidt, J.D. Martinez, A.J. Pollock, and for value I like catcher Chris Iannetta who also crushes southpaws.

The other high-end stack I am chasing tonight is the Los Angles Angels who just acquired Justin Upton from the Tigers to bolster their lineup. Tonight they face Cole Hamels who has a nice win/loss record this season but has fallen off in a big way with a career-low 5.5 K/9 rate and 4.89 xFIP. This is the only other game with a Vegas Total over 10 and if Upton is in the lineup, we could see the implied runs rise even more for the Angels. My top bats will Be Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Justin Upton.

For a value stack, I am looking very closely at the Tampa Bay Rays tonight. They are facing rookie Reynaldo Lopez who has shown some strikeout upside in his first two starts but has struggled with control and has been punished with eight earned runs against including three long balls. He has also been far worse against left-handed bats as well with a .432 wOBA against. The bats I am looking at are Kevin Kiermaier, Lucas Duda, Evan Longoria, and Logan Morrison. Again, it will all depend on the lineups when they are released.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9)

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 28, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, August 28, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Corey Kluber - Cleveland Indians
Corey Kluber @ New York Yankees
Park – Yankee Stadium
Opp implied total – 3.70

You have 2 high-end options facing off on this slate with Luis Severino and Corey Kluber. I’ll take Kluber, who’s the more consistent and just better pitcher at this point. He has been one of the best pitchers in the entire league and could possibly end up in the Cy Young discussion if he keeps it up. Through 152 innings, he’s given up a .251 combined wOBA and has struck out over 12 batters per 9 innings. The Yankees are a lineup prone to strikeouts and while they can put up some runs, the K’s should outweigh the 2 or 3 they may put up. Kluber is easily the safest pitcher on the slate and I wouldn’t recommend going elsewhere in cash games. The Yanks are projected to put up 3.70 runs and I don’t think they get there.

Aaron Nola Vs Atlanta Braves
Park – Citizens Bank Park
Vegas O/U – 3.86

While Luis Severino is a fine option and you can definitely go there, he is nearly as expensive as Corey Kluber and I don’t know if he’s worth it. Instead, we will go way down and take a look at Aaron Nola. He’s facing off with one of the worst offenses in the league and is a very solid pitcher at an affordable price. He’s given up a .292 combined wOBA and strikes out just under 10 batters per 9 innings. The Braves are projected to put up just 3.86 runs as they always struggle on the road. Freddie Freeman can always hit 3 HR’s off of Nola, but I’m definitely willing to bet on Nola being smart and pitching around him. The rest of the order is extremely weak and they have been striking out a lot more over the past couple months. He’s not nearly as safe as Kluber, but he’s also not nearly as expensive.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Nolan Arenado - Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies Vs Jordan Zimmerman (Tigers)
Park – Coors Field
Implied Total – 7.12

I know the Rockies are always going to be obvious in Coors Field, but they stand out even more tonight. Jordan Zimmerman is one of the absolute worst pitchers in all of baseball and he’s struggled against both righties and lefties. He’s pitched most of his innings in Comerica Park and now moves to Coors Field, where the ball obviously flies like nowhere else. The Rockies are projected to put up 7.12 runs, so you almost have to get exposure in both cash games and tournaments. Zimmerman has allowed a .441 combined wOBA, so you can really target everyone. Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado are the top 2 options and you have to have them both in a Rockies stack. The rest of the order is very spread out and you can target any of the bats 1-7. CarGo is sitting lower in the order, but he still has the 2 HR upside in tournaments. The Rockies are known to be the top offense of the night, but prices will keep some of the crowd off of these guys.

Main Stack – Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, Carlos Gonzalez
Sneaky Stack – Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Mark Reynolds, D.J. LeMahieu

Seattle Mariners @ Chris Tillman (Orioles)
Park – Camden Yards
Implied Total – 5.35

Jordan Zimmerman and Chris Tillman are pretty similar in terms of production. What do I mean? Absolutely terrible. Both of them used to be pretty good, but have fallen off a cliff that may be steeper than any other. So far in 2017, Tillman has allowed a .427 combined wOBA while giving up tons of home runs. A 7.09 xFIP is where he’s at now, so the stats are saying he’s actually getting lucky. He now welcomes the Mariners into Camden Yards. The Mariners are dangerous against righties and with the addition of Yonder Alonso, they are a great team to stack. Robinson Cano and Alonso are y 2 favorites and I’ll make sure to have them in there. The rest of the order is pretty spread and in cash, you should look for a mix of Segura, Seager, and Cruz. The Mariners are my favorite stack outside of Coors Field.

Main Stack – Robinson Cano, Yonder Alonso, Jean Segura, Kyle Seager
Sneaky Stack – Robinson Cano, Yonder Alonso, Nelson Cruz, Mike Zunino






MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 15, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, August 15, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Madison Bumgarner - San Francisco Giants - Lineup Lab

Madison Bumgarner @ Miami Marlins
Park – Marlins Park
Opp implied total – 3.70

After all the good pitchers decided to take yesterday off, we’re back on the grind with some aces. We’ve got about 3-4 to choose from and they all have some appeal. Madison Bumgarner is my favorite, facing the Miami Marlins on the road in spacious Marlins Park. Marlins Park and AT&T both rank inside the bottom 5 for hitting, so it doesn’t really matter where this one is played. Bumgarner has pitched well since coming off the DL and has certainly turned up the gas over the last few starts. Facing the Cubs, D-Backs, and Dodgers, 3 of the 10 best teams against lefties, he’s went out and pitched a combined 21 innings with 21 K’s. We’re seeing the Bumgarner of old and as we know, he can throw a CGSO with ease when rolling. This Marlins match-up is pretty good (14th wOBA vs L), but they still have Giancarlo Stanton in the order. He’s deadly against lefties but can also strikeout rather easily. Bumgarner is the top option on this slate and while it is close, he stands as my favorite cash game play.

Alex Wood Vs Chicago White Sox
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas O/U – 2.55(!!!)

I was tempted to throw Alex Wood in there as my top arm, but felt the need to highlight Bumgarner and how he has been pitching recently. With Alex Wood, I’ll be interested to see how things fold out. He’s struggled recently, which I couldn’t care less about. He’s a streaky arm and going a few games without the high K’s is nothing to worry about. He will get back around the 10 mark on average and is still striking out nearly 12 batters per 9. The Dodgers will host the White Sox, who already can’t hit in hitter-friendly Guaranteed Rate Field. Moving to Dodger Stadium, I expect some serious trouble with run production. The Sox have ranked 24th against lefties in baseball and when you consider the park change, they truly are in a horrible spot against Wood. He may not be as safe as Bumgarner, but the upside is just as high and the ownership will be substantially lower. Make sure you get exposure to 1 of these 2 arms, who should both have solid outings.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Cleveland Indians - Lineuplab

Cleveland Indians @ Bartolo Colon (Twins)
Park – Target Field
Implied Total – 5.10

With Bartolo Colon being decent over the last couple starts, it makes me want to stack against him even more. I the Indians aren’t extremely highly owned, they should be. Colon is absolutely atrocious against both sides of the plate and matches up horribly with an Indians offense that murders the fastball. Target Field is a very average hitting park and it is an upgrade from Progressive. Looking at the numbers from Colon, you can target anyone. He’s allowed a .367 wOBA ago righties and a .390 to lefties, which is purely pitiful. Edwin Encarnacion is my favorite of the bunch, but not far ahead any of these other top bats. Lindor, Kipnis, and Ramirez are next to and will round out the cash game stack. In tourneys, don’t be afraid to get weird. This lineup is rather concentrated, but it has some RBI promise towards the bottom.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Jason Kipnis
Sneaky Stack – Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez, Jason Kipnis, Jay Bruce

Colorado Rockies Vs Sean Newcomb (Braves)
Park – Coors Field
Implied Total – 6.22

I know, a Coors Field stack is never the sneakiness thing. On today’s slate, it might be, however, while I think the likes of Arenado and LeMahieu will be rather highly owned, I don’t see anyone else getting attention. Sean Newcomb, a young lefty, is simply going to struggle in a Coors Field. He hasn’t been good yet and while he might get there down the road, it won’t be in this match-up. Nolan Arenado is the top option on the board and a .411 ISO tells you all you really need to know. LeMahieu and Story are my next 2 favorites and I love Story for an HR tonight. After those 3, take a pick. This lineup is spread out in Coors and the production can come from anywhere.

Main Stack – Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story
Sneaky Stack – Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story, Jonathan Lucroy