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DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 07, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 07, 2017

With one early and one late afternoon game on Friday, we will turn our attention to the 13-game main slate and look at a couple of the top pitchers and stacks.

Starting Pitchers

Max Scherzer
Opponent – vs. ATL
Park – Nationals Park(Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (WSH -245)
Vegas Total (8.0)

First of all, there is much less chance of rain tonight so we shouldn’t have to deal with the Nats brass making any horrible weather decisions. For cash games, I don’t think there is any other way to go than Max Scherzer tonight who has a higher floor and almost more upside than any other pitcher in baseball this season(honorable mention to Kershaw & Sale). In my opinion, Scherzer is the clear CY Young in the national League at this point, at least from a fantasy perspective. Sure, Kershaw has a sparkling 13-2 record but Scherzer helps you where you need it most in the strikeout department. He is second in the entire MLB(qualified starters) with a 12.2 K/9 rate and is tied with Sale with a ridiculous 16.2% swinging strike rate. On paper the Braves don’t strikeout a ton but Gio was able to rack a K per inning last night so Scherzer should have no issues.

 

Jordan Montgomery
Opponent – vs. MIL
Park – Yankee Stadium(Hitters Park)
Vegas Favorite (-175)
Vegas Total (11.0)

For tournaments on DraftKings where you want to access Scherzer’s upside without totally handicapping your bats, take a close look at Jordan Montgomery tonight. There is definitely risk involved as the game has a huge 11 total but to be fair the majority of it is coming on the Yankee side. It has been a good season for the rookie and even better lately as he has gone at least five innings in six straight starts since the start of June with a 2.95 ERA and 8.6 K/9 rate. I believe he can even afford to give up a few earned runs and still hit value tonight as the Brewers boost his K upside as they strike out 26.1% of the time vs. left-handed pitching.

 

 

Stack of the Night

New York Yankees vs. Junior Guerra(MIL)

The other reason I like Montgomery so much tonight is the fact he gets a huge boost in win potential thanks to the potent Yankee offense. They are one of two teams(Rockies) projected to score north of six runs tonight and they get an elite matchup to do it. Junior Guerra has been awful lately walking over 6.5 batters per nine and has a 7.27 ERA over his last five starts. He is also giving up home runs at high rate(23.1% HR/FB). Combine the fact that the wind is projected to blow out to left field and Guerra has struggled more vs. right-handed batter and you have a very high upside stack that could be a tick lower owned than the Rockies.

Top Players to Stack – Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Didi Gregorius

 

 

Baltimore Orioles vs. Felix Jorge(MIN)

My favorite stack of the night when using Scherzer is the Orioles with their terrific values at the top of the lineup. They also get a pretty good matchup tonight vs. rookie Felix Jorge making his second major league start after jumping straight from Double-A last week. Normally when we see this jump the pitcher has dominated making a trip to Triple-A meaningless. That is not the case for Jorge despite his 8-1 record in the minors this season. He also had a respectable 3.26 ERA and 3.43 xFIP but only struck out 6.4 batters per nine while giving up a 15% HR/FB rate. He won his first start going five innings but only struck out two and gave up seven hits and three earned runs but was back by an 11 run offensive output. I fully expect similar troubles in his second start vs. a powerful O’s team.

Top Players to Stack – Seth Smith, Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Jonathan Schoop

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 06, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 06, 2017

Thursday brings us a split slate and with four games early it leaves us with a nice sized seven-game main slate. This is where we will turn our attention in the following article as I cover my favorite pitchers and top stack of the night.


DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineup Lab - Chris Sale - Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks

Starting Pitchers

Chris Sale
Opponent – @TB
Park – Tropicana Field
Vegas Favorite (BOS -160)
Vegas Total (7.0)

He comes at a heavy cost once again but is the clear choice for CY Young in the American League if the award were given out at the All-Star Break. He has completely dominated in his first season with the Rex Sox with a 2.61 ERA that is backed by a 2.70 xFIP but for fantasy, the biggest factor has been the elite 12.4 K/9 rate and 16% swinging strike rate. To put that into perspective for those who aren’t familiar with the swinging strike rate stat, there are only 32 qualified pitchers with over a 10% rate and only three(Sale, Scherzer, Kluber) over 15% in all of baseball. Tonight he faces a Rays team that has been much worse vs. left-handed pitching with a wOBA 36 points lower and a 26.5% strikeout rate that trails only the Texas Rangers vs. southpaws. Pay the steep price and find value to surround him with.

Gio Gonzalez
Opponent –  vs. ATL
Park – Nationals Park
Vegas Favorite (-160)
Vegas Total (9.0)

If you are looking to save some salary and upgrade some bats, there is a case to be made for Gio in all formats tonight. The Nationals are at home and the same -160 favorite as the Red Sox and while Gio doesn’t provide near the upside as Sale, he comes at a $2K+ discount which goes a long way if there is a lack of value popping up when lineups are released. Gio has also been having a terrific season despite losing two straight starts. First of all, in those two losses he allowed just one earned run in each and over the course of the season has only allowed over three earned runs twice in 17 starts. He does provide strikeout upside with 8+ in four of his last five and carries an 8.7 K/9 rate into tonight’s matchup with the Braves.


DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Miguel Sano - Lineup Lab - Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks

Stack of the Night

Minnesota Twins vs. Dylan Bundy (BAL)

The Twins currently sit with the second highest implied runs of all 14 teams tonight. It starts with the splits as they have been much better against right-handed pitching with a wOBA 24 points higher and wRC+ 16 points higher. What really tips the scales in their favor is the matchup as they face Dylan Bundy who has been downright terrible lately after a strong start to the season in April. He has given up five home runs in his last two starts and has now given up at least one home run in 11 straight and 12 of his last 13 starts. For fantasy, this is exactly we are looking for as home runs pay the bills. Load up on Twins tonight.

Top Players to Stack – Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Robbie Grossman, Eddie Rosario

Also Consider – Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros

 

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup – July 5, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup for July 5th, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5 2017 - Alex Wood - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Alex Wood
Opponent – Vs. ARI
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas Favorite (LAD -220)
Vegas Total (8.5)

We saw Clayton Kershaw dominate these D-backs last night, going 7 innings, striking out 12 and grabbing the W. I’m by no means comparing the bottom-line talent of these 2, but Wood and Kershaw have a lot in common. They are both funky lefties with weird deliveries and dominant 5-pitch arsenals. Wood has picked up a lot from Kershaw and I’m sure the NL West foes are very appreciative. Wood is 26 years old and has been in the majors for 3 years, though never showing this type of consistency and production. He’s striking out over 10 batters per 9 innings and walking barely over 2. He’s been able to pinpoint his fastball and hold better command of his offspeed, which is his 2-strike out pitch. He’s holding a .220 wOBA against righties and a .217 against lefties. There is no reason to dislike this kid as a pitcher and I will argue that he is top 10 right now in the league. The match-up tonight with the Diamondbacks tonight is good, but not great. The D-backs hit lefties better as a team, but also lose Peralta and Lamb, who are big reasons for their overall success.The D-Backs also see a ballpark downgrade from Chase to Dodger Stadium, where the ball dies in the outfield. Wood is inherently risky to a degree, but still the safest on this slate and at his price, don’t be scared in any format.

Trevor Bauer
Opponent – Vs. SDP
Park – Progressive Field
Vegas Favorite (CLE -215)
Vegas Total (9.5)

Trevor Bauer is not a highly-valued DFS pitcher. He’s not going to dominate a good team and he’s never going to burst out as one of the league’s top pitchers. He is Trevor Bauer and you know the risk you get with that name. He will still walk his batters and go 3-2 a bunch of times. Giving up big innings after that is really the only way he gets lit up. He’s been pretty average against both lefties and righties, though a 2.96 xFIP against righties suggests positive regression going forward. He’s also striking out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings and holding batters to a dub 32% hard contact rate. He faces the Padres, who got absolutely obliterated by Corey Kluber last night. As a team, they hold a .301 wOBA against righties and strikeout at an astronomical 25.6% rate. Vegas only projects 2 teams to score under 4 tonight and that’s the Padres and Diamondbacks. If that turns out to be true, we’re certainly in a perfect position. Speaking of pricing, Bauer is pretty cheap. You can use that to your advantage on a slate that has some very nice and expensive offenses to choose from.

 

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5 2017 - Carlos Santana - Lineuplab

Offensive Stacks

Cleveland Indians Vs. San Diego Padres (Luis Perdomo)
Park – Progressive Field

Luis Perdomo is used to pitching in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, so this move into Progressive Field is something he surely isn’t looking forward to. He’ll face off with the Indians, who are one of the more lethal offenses in the game. The Indians are currently projected to put up 5.75 runs and trail just the Rockies in terms of implied team totals. Perdomo has struggled against lefties more so in 2017 (.380 wOBA), but flipped that in 2016 with a .355 wOBA against righties. His BABIP is slightly lower however, so we should start to see righties put up some numbers. The problem with the Indians is that they almost have too much to choose. Starting at 1B, you’ll have to pick between a and Edwin Encarnacion. It will come down to batting order on that one. Next, you move into Kipnis and Brantley, who are the safest of the bunch. They hit righties well and should be right at the top of that order. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez seems like they should be mainstays of the stack, but it’s just not a reality. Both FD and DK will cap you, forcing you to roster a max of 4 or 5 of these guys. All in all, the offense is not at all concentrated and you can;t be surprised to see production come from anywhere.

Main Stack – Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez
Sneaky Stack – Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Scott Feldman)
Park – Coors Field

I know, I’m getting a little too sneaky with this one. All jokes aside, the Rockies are projected to put up 6.33 runs and that’s not something you can ignore. They face off with Scott Feldman, who has gone through some weird times as a major leaguer. He’s bounced from to bad and back about 4 times, while sitting right in the middle right now. He’s allowed a .320 combined wOBA and hasn’t gotten blown up very often. However, I don’t think it’s going to last much longer. He has actually seen a severe dip in velocity and that may be why hitters are struggling. He held a .380 wOBA against leftie sin 2016 and I expect that number to return there by the time it’s said and done. As for the Rockies offense, they aren’t nearly as deep as the Indians, and especially with the injury to Desmond. Blackmon and CarGo are the 2 obvious ones and I don’t see stacking the Rockies without both. After that, Arenado and Reynolds are next. They are both safe and the 2 guys I would stick in my cash game stack with Blackmon and CarGo. Moving a bit lower in the order, keep an eye out for Raimel Tapia and Trevor Story. They both hold some very solid upside in this match-up and very well deserve a spot on some GPP’s. In terms of ownership, I think it will be relatively low for Coors Field. Take advantage.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds
Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 4, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 4, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Michael Fulmer - MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Michael Fulmer
Opponent – Vs. SFG
Park – Comerica Park
Vegas Favorite (DET -205)
Vegas Total (10)

On the early slate, the pitching options aren’t nearly as strong. We’ll touch on the late slate later, but we have a bunch of aces to choose from. The early slate is less fruitful, but we definitely have stronger options than last night. We’ll start with Michael Fulmer, who is facing the Giants at home in Comerica Park. Fulmer, at 24 years old, has been very impressive. He did come up as a big prospect, but nobody thought he would develop as fast as he has. He’s posted a .257 combined wOBA and his peripherals back it up. He’s striking out nearly 8 batters per 9 innings and walking just under 2. He’ll face off with the Giants today, who hold the lowest wOBA against righties in all of the league at just .280. Comerica Park is a very spacious one and while it’s not as big as AT&T Park, it still holds its own. The Tigers are a -205 favorite and face Matt Cain, so the win should be there as long as Fulmer is decent. All in all, pitching is pretty ugly on this early slate and Fulmer gives you some solid security.

Corey Kluber
Opponent – Vs. SDP
Park – Progressive Field
Vegas Favorite (CLE -305)
Vegas Total (8.5)

It basically comes down to Clayton Kershaw vs Corey Kluber in cash games on this main slate. They both have pretty solid match-ups and you obviously can’t go wrong either way. We’ll look at Kluber here, who is cheaper and has been exceptionally great this season. He’s sported a .227 wOBA against righties and a .293 against lefties, while striking out over 11 batters per 9 innings. Kluber looks to be back to the pitcher he was in 2014, when he was a top 3 pitcher. His hard contact rate, line drive rate, and pull % are all way down from last season, when he struggled a bit. The Indians are a crazy -305 favorite and the win is already almost in the bag. He faces the Padres, who we know all too well. They’ve ranked 3rd worst in the majors with a .301 wOBA and strikeout a ton at 25.6% hard contact rate. Progressive Field is rather average for hitting and Kluber has posted a wOBA under .250 there for many years. All in all, Kluber is going to have a good game and it just comes down to what the others do. Kershaw, Darvish, Price, and Hernandez are also on the slate and have as much upside as anyone. Kluber is coming in as the top option in terms of point per dollar, but don’t be afraid to go elsewhere.

 

Offensive Stacks

Detroit Tigers Vs. San Francisco Giants (Matt Cain)
Park – Comerica Park

I’m going with 1 offense on the early slate and 1 on the main slate, starting with the Tigers. The Tigers will face off with the Giants, at home in Comerica Park. It is the middle of summer and if you’re wondering why it seems like every day-time game has a high O/U, that’s why. The country is hot and we’re no longer seeing 50-degree weather up north. This Tigers game is sitting at 10, though the Tigers are implied to score over 6 of those. They face off with Matt Cain, who is absolutely horrible. He may actually be one of the 3 worst pitchers in the entire league at this point. Cain has allowed a .358 wOBA to righties and a .368 to lefties. He’s barely striking out 5 batters per 9 innings and giving up an LD rate of nearly 26%. Cain is simply horrible right now and coming from AT&T Park, Comerica is a downgrade for him. The Tigers are the top offense on this early slate and I’ll make sure to have a ton of exposure. J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera both hit righties phenomenally and they are my 2 favorites. Ian Kinsler and Alex Avila are also pretty safe and should see 1/2 in the order. After those 4, you can go anywhere. V-Mart, Castellanos, and Upton are all in play and can be argued over Kinsler or Avila.

Main Stack – J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Alex Avila
Sneaky Stack – J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos, Victor Martinez

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Homer Bailey)
Park – Coors Field

Wow, the Rockies are currently holding an implied run total of 7.10. It’s the highest I remember seeing this year and I don’t think Vegas is wrong. Homer Bailey is coming into Coors Field. Yes, the Homer Bailey who gives up home runs for fun. The Homer Bailey who hasn’t pitched since 2014 and struggled for about 2 years before that. He’s only pitched a few innings over the last few years, but has looked all but good. The Reds management has now decided it would be wise to start him in Coors Field against the Rockies. With a 7 implied run total, there isn’t a player on this roster I would talk you off of. CarGo, Arenado, and Blackmon are obviously elite and in a class of their own within the lineup. LeMahieu and Reynolds come in next and both can be played in cash games. Tapia and Story are both great tournament plays and in cash games, I can’t blame you. The game is sitting at a 13 over/under and it looks to be getting bet up as of now. All in all, the Rockies are easily the top offense on the slate and while they may be popular, I have no reservations to go contrarian.

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

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 3, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 3, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Aaron Nola - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Aaron Nola
Opponent – Vs. PIT
Park – Citizens Bank Park
Vegas Favorite (PHI -115)
Vegas Total (8.5)

Boy oh boy, pitching is absolutely terrible tonight. The Nationals play earlier in the day and you can just chalk Strasburg in if you’re playing that slate. On the main slate, the 3 most expensive options are Tanaka, Stroman, and Nola. Stroman and Tanaka face off with each other and I don’t like them against either offense. That leaves us with Aaron Nola on the “high-end”. He’s not that expensive, but relative to the slate, I guess he is. Nola is a huge prospect for the Phillies and a guy they can rely on as a solid pitcher for a long time. He started out 2017 a bit cold, but it was expected after an injury. He’s now back to the old Aaron Nola we know and he’s hit 50 FanDuel points in each of his last 2 starts. He’ll face off against the Pirates, a team that doesn’t offer too much against righties. They’ve ranked 22nd in the league with a .311 wOBA and 20% strikeout rate. They move into Citizens Bank Park, which is a pretty neutral park with all things considered. Nola is striking out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings and the Pirates offer plenty of K’s. I will say nobody on this slate is safe and I personally think cash games are a bit tough on this slate. Let’s take a look at a cheaper, though riskier option.

Jharel Cotton
Opponent – Vs. CWS
Park – Oakland Coliseum
Vegas Favorite (OAK -125)
Vegas Total (9)

I know, yikes. If you have someone better, let me know when they were added to the slate. The said reality of tonight is we have no pitching. It’s something we have to work with and we can take comfort in knowing everyone is going through the same struggle. We’re going to look at Jharel Cotton, who faces the White Sox at home in the Oakland Coliseum. The Coliseum is a bottom 3 park for hitting and the A’s entire pitching staff is terrific at taking advantage. As for Cotton, in particular, he’s not a great pitcher. His true peripherals suggest a wOBA around .332 and a very average K rate. He does, however, face the White Sox. The Sox have ranked 27th in baseball against righties and have trouble getting the ball out in their own hitter-friendly park. Cotton is super cheap on both sites and he won’t have to do much to come through. Even if he allows 2 or 3 runs, the White Sox strikeout nearly 25% of the time, so I assume he’ll pick up a healthy share of those. All in all, this slate is very ugly from a pitching point of view and I don’t think Cotton is any riskier than anyone else.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Mookie Bets - Lineuplab

Offensive Stacks

Boston Red Sox @ Texas Rangers (Martin Perez)
Park – Globe Life Park

The Red Sox have been in a lot of good spots lately, coming through in some and mightily disappointing in other. It’s also known as the nature of baseball. You never really know what can happen and at the end of the day, it can come down to the smallest factors. However, the Red Sox are once again in a great spot and we’ll go right back to the well. They move into Arlington and will hit in Globe Life Park, where fly balls go a far way. In summer, Globe Life has consistently ranked in the top 5 for hitting ballparks. They also face off with a classic DFS MLB pitcher, Martin Perez. Perez has sported a .356 wOBA against righties this year, but is actually getting a bit lucky. We can expect a wOBA around .380 at the end of the year and he’s also always struggled with the long ball (1.86 HR/9. righties seem to hit the ball out at a crazy rate and while the reason is a bit unknown, the proof is there in the numbers. Perez is a very boring lefty and he won’t intimidate a single batter from the get go. As for who to play on the Sox, they have a very strong 4 in Betts, Pedroia, Young, and Ramirez. That is easily my favorite stack, though I think Bogaerts is basically even with Pedroia. You can then go for a Jackie Bradley or Sam Travis, who hit lefties well and will see sub 10% ownership. The Red Sox aren’t implied to score as much as the team we’ll talk about next, but the upside is there and the ownership may not be. Fire away.

Main Stack – Chris Young, Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia
Sneaky Stack – Chris Young, Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr.

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Luis Castillo)
Park – Coors Field

I know, sneaky. I just couldn’t ignore the 6.88 implied run total coming out of Colorado. If you’re somehow unfamiliar and have been living under a rock for 20 years, Coors Field is a crazy boost for the offense(s). You will rarely see an over/under below 11 and tonight is included at 12. The ball flies in the air and also doesn;t break much from the hand, which leaves guys with a fastball and slider. When you’re leaning on 2 pitches in Coors Field, good luck. Luis Castillo is not ready for the majors and lets alone Coors Field. He’s struggled against both sides of the plate and didn’t show any extreme splits in the minor leagues. We do have some interesting injury news with the Rockies, so watch out. Both CarGo and Ian Desmond are questionable, so keep an eye out on Twitter and prepare accordingly. Charlie Blackmon is the easy choice and a guy you have to include in a Rockies stack. after that, go anywhere. LeMahieu, Arenado, and Reynolds are all in the top of the order and make a lot of sense in cash games. Whoever plays out of Cargo/Desmond is in play in both formats as well, as I doubt either return under 100%. Trevor Story has a ridiculous amount of upside and I’ll definitely have him in my tournament stacks. All in all, the Rockies are projected to put up 7 runs and if it happens, you can’t go wrong.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, D.J. LeMahieu, Ian Desmond / Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado
Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, Raimel Tapia, Mark Reynolds

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 07/02/2017

by Mike Barner 0 Comments

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Sunday, July 2

Sunday is loaded with elite starting pitchers, so don’t be afraid to invest big money at the position. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Max Scherzer vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Park – Busch Stadium

Scherzer has been lights out this season as he enters Sunday 9-4 with a 2.06 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. His current 12.0 K/9 would be the highest mark of his career. Not only are his strikeouts impressive, but he has only issued 24 walks this season. Scherzer faced the Cardinals earlier this season and allowed one run while recording 10 strikeouts over six innings. Look for him to be dominant again in this outing.

Justin Verlander vs. Cleveland Indians
Park – Comerica Park

Verlander is not having the best of seasons as he enters Sunday 5-4 with a 4.47 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. His control has been a problem as he has already walked 44 batters in 94.2 innings. By comparison, he walked 57 batters over 227.2 innings in 2016.  He did face Cleveland earlier this season and allowed two runs to go along with five strikeouts over seven innings. The key to this game is that Verlandar is a much better pitcher at home than on the road. He has a very ugly 6.22 ERA and 1.62 WHIP on the road, but a sparkling 2.45 ERA and 1.25 WHIP at home. In a day full of stud starting pitchers, Verlander looks primed for a big performance.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kevin Gausman (Baltimore Orioles)
Park – Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Although Gausman finished 2016 with a 9-12 record, he showed plenty of promise as he had a 3.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 179.2 innings. However, he has taken a big step backwards this season as the Orioles starting staff has struggled as a group. Gausman has an unsightly 6.07 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. His strikeouts are also down as he only has 67 in 86 innings. He walked only 47 batters last season, but has already walked 41 this year. Look for the Rays to take advantage of his poor performance Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Evan Longoria, Logan Morrison and Mallex Smith

Minnesota Twins vs. Travis Wood (Kansas City Royals)
Park – Kauffman Stadium

The move to the American League has not been kind to Wood. After posting a 2.95 ERA and 1.13 WHIP for the Chicago Cubs last year, Wood has a 6.28 ERA and 1.81 WHIP this season. This will be Wood’s first start of the season and he’s not really stretched out, so don’t expect him to pitch deep into the game. Look for the Twins to feast on him early, then continue their assault on the underbelly of the Royals’ bullpen.

Players to consider stacking: Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier and Robbie Grossman

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 07/01/2017

by Mike Barner 0 Comments

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Saturday, July 1

The calendar turns to July Saturday with 17 games on the MLB schedule. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Chris Sale vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Park – Rogers Centre

Sale has been dominant in his first season in Boston as he enters Saturday with a 2.77 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 155 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. He has only walked 21 batters this season and allowed just nine home runs. While the Blue Jays lineup can be productive, Sale already shut them down earlier this season when he struck out 13 batters over eight scoreless innings. Although he will be expensive, don’t hesitate to start Sale Saturday.

Gio Gonzalez vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Park – Busch Stadium

Gonzalez was a pretty average starter in 2016 as he finished the season 11-11 with a 4.57 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 177.1 innings. This season has been a vastly different story as he is 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 100.1 innings. His consistency has been key as he has allowed three runs or less in each of his last seven starts. The Cardinals entered Friday hitting only .228 against left handed pitching, which is third worst in the majors. Gonzalez should be in for another nice outing Saturday.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Tom Koehler (Miami Marlins)
Park – Miller Park

Simply put, Koehler is having a terrible season. He has made eight starts for the Marlins and has a 7.04 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. Although he has only pitched 38.1 innings, he has walked 19 batters and allowed 10 home runs. You can’t count on him for strikeouts either as he only has a 6.9 K/9 for his career. The Brewers hit a lot of home runs, so this could get ugly in a hurry for Koehler.

Players to consider stacking: Travis Shaw, Jonathan Villar and Keon Broxton

Cincinnati Reds vs. Eddie Butler (Chicago Cubs)
Park – Great American Ball Park

Butler’s ERA sits at a very respectable 3.71, but a further look at his numbers would indicate he has not pitched that well. Not only does he has a 1.35 WHIP, but he only has 26 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. He walks too many batters as well as he has already issued 21 free passes. His saving grace is that he has only allowed three home runs. The Reds starting rotation is horrible, but their offense is in the top half of the majors. Look to take advantage of this favorable match up against Butler Saturday.

Players to consider stacking: Joey Votto, Adam Duvall and Zack Cozart

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 30, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 30, 2017

Welcome back for another huge night in daily fantasy baseball. Friday brings us a full 15-game slate tonight and while we don’t have that elite ace, there are still plenty of options to choose from not mention the bats in great spots. Let’s jump in and take a look at a couple pitching and stacking option.

Put your favorite Draftkings / Fanduel MLB Lineup Picks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Starting Pitchers

Jacob deGrom
Opponent – vs. PHI
Park – Citi Field (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (NYM -245)
Vegas Total (8.5)

Without a clear elite ace on the mound, we get two pitchers at the top who have reached a season high salary. Alex Wood and Jacob deGrom have both been good this season but I lean on deGrom as he gets the slightly better matchup and has more of a track record of going deep into games. Since being blown up by the Rangers in early June, deGrom has been red hot winning three straight starts, going at least eight innings in all of them while allowing just two total earned runs despite walking seven batters. The strikeout has got him out of a lot of trouble as he has racked up 19 in that time to give him an elite 10.5 K/9 for the season. He now gets a great matchup vs. the Phillies who rank near the bottom of the league in runs scored and hitting against right-handed pitching. Go ahead and roll out deGrom in all formats tonight.

 

Sonny Gray
Opponent – vs. ATL
Park – Oakland Coliseum (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (OAK -160)
Vegas Total (8.5)

On the value end of things, I will be using Sonny Gray as my SP2 on DraftKings and as a GPP pivot on FanDuel tonight. He and the A’s are the fourth biggest favorite on the board currently and after a disaster of a 2016 season, Gray looks back near top form. He is striking out 9.1 batters per nine which is his highest K rate since his rookie season back in 2013. He has walked a few more batters than league average and had a few blips on the radar but overall has held opponents to three or less earned runs in eight of his 11 starts. He also pitches in a great pitchers environment and faces a team in the bottom third of the league in hitting vs. righties.

 

Stacks of the Night

Tampa Bay Ray vs. Chris Tillman (BAL)

Not only do the Rays sit with the highest implied run total of the day, they also get to tee off on Chris Tillman who, if the O’s had other options, would not be in the majors still. He strikes out less than 6.5 batters per nine while walking the ballpark(4.9 BB/9) and comes in with a 8.39 ERA on the season. Even the xFIP sits at 5.71 and he is giving up a career-high 36% hard contact rate and 17.9% HR/FB rate. The Rays are also a team that has more than one way to stack and allows you to get creative. Look for them to go ham tonight.

Top Players to Stack – Evan Longoria, Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison

Value Options – Mallex Smith, Steven Souza Jr., Shane Peterson

 

Nelson Cruz - LineupLab

Seattle Mariners vs. Parker Bridwell (LAA)

The Mariners, in my opinion, make an excellent high upside stack tonight and could be low owned for a couple reasons on the main slate. First of all, the game is at 10:00 ET which usually helps wit ownership considering all the lineups aren’t always in before the 7:05 lock. Second, the Mariners sit in the middle of the pack today when looking at implied runs and the overall Vegas Total. I think these projections come from fact that the game is in a pitchers park and Parker Bridwell sits with an ERA below 3.00 for the season. Don’t fooled, however, as he has been getting extremely lucky when looking at the other metrics. He is striking out just five batters per nine and is holding runners on at a very unsustainable 95% rate and sits with a 5.32 xFIP. Best of all, he has been giving up over 35% hard contact with a 19.2% HR/FB rate. Load up on M’s.

Top Players to Stack – Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Jean Segura

Value Options – Mitch Haniger, Ben Gamel

 

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 29, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 29, 2017

Welcome back for another split Thursday in daily fantasy baseball. In the article below, I will be looking at some of the top pitchers and stacks for the eight games main slate tonight. Let’s jump right in.

Put your favorite Draftkings / Fanduel MLB Lineup Picks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Starting Pitchers


Clayton Kershaw
Opponent – @LAA
Park – Angel Stadium of Anaheim (Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (LAD -210)
Vegas Total (8.0)

Starting right at the top, we get the best pitcher on the planet tonight. The concern all season has been the price vs. the production and while it was close to sub-optimal early on, Kershaw appears back on an elite pace. He had a hiccup vs. the Mets two starts ago but has limited opponents to a .175 average in June while striking out 12.2 batters per nine with an elite 5.6 strikeout to walk ratio. The Angels have been a scrappy team since losing Mike Trout but still rank in the bottom third of the league in hitting vs. left-handed pitching and strike out right around league average. The Dodgers are huge -210 favorites boosting Kershaw’s win potential which makes him playable in all formats tonight.

 

J.A. Happ
Opponent – vs. BAL
Park – Rogers Center (Hitters Park)
Vegas Favorite (TOR -190)
Vegas Total (10.0)

If you are looking for a viable SP2 on DraftKings or a low-owned GPP pivot on FanDuel, target J.A. Happ who appears to be back on track after spending over a month on the disabled list. He was rusty in his first start giving up five earned runs to the A’s in early June but has limited opponents to just four earned runs in 19.1 innings pitched since. The best part about Happ is that he comes with added upside this season as he is carrying a 9.9 K/9 rate into this matchup with Orioles who are striking out over 25% of the time vs. left-handed pitching and rank in the bottom half of the league in wOBA and wRC+. There is definitely risk tied to this game with a high Vegas total but Happ should be easily low owned with two elite options above him making him a great GPP pivot with upside.

 

Stacks of the Night

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Homer Bailey (CIN)

Start your stacks tonight by targeting Homer Bailey who is still making his way back to full health after he had surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow in the offseason. He wasn’t able to get in any spring training and missed the first two and half months of the season. He made his return to the Reds last Saturday and was greeted by the top offense in the league who scored eight earned runs off him in just 1.2 innings pitched. The Brewers aren’t quite at the level of the Nats this season but still rank Top 10 in overall runs scored and they also rank Top 10 in wOBA, wRC+ and ISO vs. right-handed pitching. The left-handed bats are the top target for the Brew Crew as Bailey has struggled much more vs. southpaws dating back to the 2013 season.

Top Players to Stack – Eric Sogard, Eric Thames, Travis Shaw, Ryan Braun

Value Options – Domingo Santana, Manuel Pina

 

 

 

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (BAL)

The Blue Jays are likely to be the chalkier stack tonight but also come with a bit more upside considering their implied run total is almost a full run higher than the Brewers. The Jays offense has struggled in 2017 ranking 26th in overall runs scored but the run line has much more to do with the matchup vs. Ubaldo Jimenez. When stacking offenses we want home run potential and Ubaldo gives us just that. Since returning to the rotation in mid-June, he has given up 11 earned runs in 9.1 innings pitched with back to back games with multiple home runs giving him a 22.2% HR/FB rate for the season. Look for the Jays to tee off tonight.

Top Players to Stack – Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak, Kendrys Morales

Value Options – Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 28, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 28, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Daily Fantasy Baseball - Stephen Strasburg - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Stephen Strasburg
Opponent – Vs. CHC
Park – Nationals Park
Vegas Favorite (WAS -167)
Vegas Total (8.5)

We had Max Scherzer in this spot yesterday, facing off with the same Cubs team in the same park. He ended up going 6 quality innings and striking out six, but was pulled after just 93 pitches. Dusty Baker and crew will now send Strasburg out there in hopes of keeping this Cubs lineup under control. Strasburg has slipped up a bit as of late, but is having his best season to date as a whole. He’s sporting a .280 wOBA to both sides of the plate and is striking out nearly 11 batters per 9 innings. Strasburg has moved up into that elite category and row that he’s pitching well against lefties, doesn’t have the main spot to attack. Let’s not ignore the obvious, however. This Cubs team is very good and they can score 10 runs against anyone. With that being said, there very cold and I highly doubt Stephen Strasburg is the arm to wake them up. With that being said, Strasburg does hold more risk than most number 1 pitchers on a slate. The problem with that is there is nobody safe pitching tonight. Stras is as safe as you can get and that’s really not saying much against the Cubbies.

Ivan Nova
Opponent – Vs. TAM
Park – PNC Park
Vegas Favorite (PIT -133)
Vegas Total (8.5)

I don;t know if Ivan Nova is looked at as a good pitcher or not, but he is. Nova is a really good pitcher and he has been since going to the Pirates. HE’s been very consistent this season and is definitely one of the safer options in terms of point per dollar. Nova does still struggle against lefties but gets a great match-up for that. The Rays will have a max of 2 or 3 lefties in the lineup and Nova should be able to work around them. He strikes out about 7 righties per 9 innings and has held them to a .265 wOBA. Nova has also been dominant in PNC Park, posting a .253 wOBA in nearly 50 innings of work. The Tampa Bay Rays are one of my favorite teams to target, as they hold a league-high K rate of 25.5%. They give up strikeouts to the worst of them and have been known to show upside to pitchers that once didn’t have any. Nova is pretty cheap across the industry and a guy I love for his price in all formats. PNC Park is very friendly for pitchers and is basically death to right-handed hitting.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Daily Fantasy Baseball - Hanley Ramirez - Lineuplab

Offensive Stacks

Boston Red Sox Vs. Minnesota Twins (Adalberto Mejia)
Park – Fenway Park

The Red Sox are a team we loved last night and it certainly paid off. They beat up Hector Santiago and ended up putting up a ton of runs. They now run into Adalberto Mejia, who is probably worse than Santiago. Mejia has allowed a .351 wOBA to lefties a .364 to righties. He’s been absolutely horrible in every start and hasn’t shown any signs of getting better. He has similar HR problem as Santiago as well, allowing 7 homers in just over 30 innings. Mejia is simply below average and is no match for a Red Sox squad that is hitting the way they are. When looking at who to target, it will all depend on Hanley. If he’s back in the order, he’s a must in a stack. He murders lefties and along with Chris Young, have to be in your Sox stack. You then get into Bogaerts, Pedroia, and Betts. hey are all tremendous options and can be interchanged at any point. After those 5 (Hanley, Young, Betts, Pedroia, Bogaerts), there is a steep downfall.You can target the bottom of the order, but just know you’re truly winging it. The top of the order is elite and you should certainly look to gain exposure in both cash and tournaments.

Main Stack – Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Chris Young
Sneaky Stack – Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Chris Young, Xander Bogaerts

Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles (Wade Miley)
Park – Rogers Centre

The Blue Jays heavily disappointed a lot of people last night, which will hopefully work in our favor tonight with dropped ownerships. The Jays did have a great match-up yesterday, but it was against a righty, who they’re worse against. Tonight comes a lefty in the form of Wade Miley. Miley isn’t tough to figure out. He has posted a .350 wOBA against righties in back to back years and at 30 years old, he isn’t changing. Miley also gave up 22 home runs against righties in 2016, which is pretty nuts. He does play his home games at Camden Yards, though the Rogers Centre is still a hitter park in its own right. On to this Jays order, it’s pretty simple. Against a lefty, Donaldson is in 150% of my Jays stacks. You then get Jose Bautista, who I can’t see leaving out, though I get it in tournaments. Tulowitzki and Martin are also great and fill positions that aren’t too great. All in all, the Jays have a lot of upside against lefties and I’ll make sure I have a few stacks put together.

Main Stack – Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Jose Bautista, Justin Smoak
Sneaky Stack – Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Troy Tulowitzki