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MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 13, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, September 13, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Max Scherzer - Washington Nationals - Lineuplab

Max Scherzer Vs Atlanta Braves
Park – Nationals Park
Opp implied total – 2.58

When looking at a slate as a whole, you have to consider what steps you will need to take to play a pitcher. For example, if there were 2 8-run projected offenses in Coors Field tonight, I may have to reconsider paying up for pitcher. This slate, however, doesn’t have any of that. With plenty of similar offenses in similar spots, you should have no issue paying up for an elite arm. Max Scherzer and the Nats face off with the Braves, who they’re favored -315 over. Vegas is expecting a blood bath here and I simply can’t disagree. He’s held both sides of the plate to a sub .271 wOBA and he’s struck out over 12 batters per 9 innings. Scherzer did have one of his very rare disappointing starts last time out, so maybe that’ll keep 5-10% of the field on their toes. If you watched that game, you saw that absolutely nothing was wrong with him. He will bounce back tonight and have a stellar performance against a weak Braves team.

Jon Lester Vs New York Mets
Park – Wrigley Field
Vegas O/U – 3.19

For your 2nd arm, there are a lot of different ways to go. Working from the bottom, Jack Flaherty will draw some consideration. He’s a strong young arm out of St. Louis and he should have a very strong 4 or 5 innings of work. You then get Doug Foster, who’s still a bit shaky, even with his recent stretch. He’s in Fenway Park and faces a team I hate picking on with sinker ballers, especially in Fenway. That leaves us with Yu Darvish and Jon Lester. Darvish is fine and he should have a great game, but we can’t guarantee more than 85 pitches, so the upside is tough to see. We know the Cubs are in need of wins and Lester will stretch to 120 if he’s pitching well. The Mets stink and they’ve posted a .295 wOBA over the last 30 days. They will try to fit a bunch of righties in there, but it doesn’t really matter when Lester is good against them and they are AA/AAA players. Expect another W out of the Cubs here and for Lester to put them on his back and deliver a classic stat line. Maybe something like 7 innings, 8 K’a, 1 ER, and the win.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Lineup Lab - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Boston Redsox

Washington Nationals Vs Luiz Gohara (Braves)
Park – Nationals Park
Implied Total – 5.68

Just like with the pitchers, we have a clear top offense here in the Nats, who are a bit expensive. They figure to be around 20-25% owned and are very much in play across the board. They face off with Luiz Gohara, who is just 21 years old and making his debut in the rotation. While he did move up the ranks fast and I can’t say he’s. a bad pitcher, he was certainly rushed. He never got his BB rate below 3 in A+ and was demolished by righty power for the last 2 months in AA/AAA. He now moves up to the majors, facing off with one of the leagues most lethal offenses. Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman are the top 2, both hitting lefties for a .420+ wOBA, literally. They are 2 of my favorite plays on the slate and guys I’ll have exceedingly high exposure to. Next, you get Werth and Hendrick in the OF and Turner/Difo at SS. Depending on how your lineup is looking, they all make sense. They all get it done against lefties and come in at different price points. All in all, the Nationals are the safest offense to choose from and we have to pay for that safety.

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

Boston Red Sox Vs Jharel Cotton (Athletics)
Park – Fenway Park
Implied Total – 5.37

The Red Sox aren’t a team I stack often, but I always seem to end up with a 1 or 2-off in tournaments. It’s often Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi, due to their pure dominance across the board. Tonight, I’m a fan of the entire top 6. Jharel Cotton and the Athletics move into Fenway, giving way to a 5.82 implied run total out of the home team. It only makes sense. Jharel Cotton was decent for a few starts at the beginning of the year, but offenses have surely figured him out. He’s held a .359 wOBA against lefties and a .357 against righties, with most of the contests played in the spacious O.Co Coliseum. Both sides of the plate are in play here and that’s great news with the monster in right field. Mookie and Benintendi remain my top 2 options, but are joined with Mitch Moreland, who’s one of the top HR plays at 1B. The rest of the order is a bit scattered, but feel free to go with anyone in the top 5 or 6. Jharel Cotton is a below average pitcher and a team like the Red Sox should jump on that in September.

Main Stack – Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Mitch Moreland, Rafael Devers
Sneaky Stack – Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, Mitch Moreland

 

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 August 18, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 18, 2017

Welcome for another big Friday in daily fantasy baseball. With one afternoon matchup(TOR @ CHC) it leaves us with a big 14-game slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET tonight. Let’s take a look at a couple of the top pitching and stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Max Scherzer - Washington Nationals - Lineup Lab

Max Scherzer
Opponent – @SD
Park – Petco Park(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (WSH – 198)
Vegas Total (7.0)

The price is steep, especially on DraftKings where he has reached the $14K mark once again but Max clearly has the best matchup and most upside of any pitcher tonight. He and the Nats will travel to Petco Park to take on the Padres who have scored a league low 466 runs this season and also rank 27th in wOBA and 26th in wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching with a 25% strikeout rate. Scherzer is currently the leading CY Young candidate in the National League and is running a career-high 12.35 K/9 rate and is second to only Kershaw with a 2.25 ERA on the season. On a full slate, there will be more than enough value plays to fit Scherzer in your lineups in all formats.

Matt Moore
Opponent – vs. PHI
Park – AT&T Park(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (SF -150)
Vegas Total (8.0)

I won’t be considering Moore on FanDuel in the mid $7K range but on DraftKings he makes an excellent SP2 at $5K if you are planning on using a lot of Scherzer and still want some bats in your lineup. The combination keeps you under $20K for your pitching staff and allows you an average of $3,862 for the remaining eight spots in your lineup. I am definitely not suggesting he is a safe play with a 5.71 ERA and 4.92 but with has shown more K upside lately(16 K’s last two starts) and has picked up double-digit DK points in seven of his last 10 starts, scoring 20+ in two of them. Not bad for just $5K.

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Corey Dickerson - Tampa Bay Rays - Lineuplab

There are a lot of different ways to go tonight and I really think that helps spread the ownership out quite a bit. The Coors Field ownership is definitely helped by the fact there are two CY Young candidates on the mound (Scherzer & Kluber) in great matchups and are priced as such. I prefer the Rockies who are currently projected to score almost seven runs as they face-off with Matt Garza who doesn’t miss bats(6.05 K/9) and has struggled this year with a 4.38 ERA and even worse 4.97 xFIP. The Brewers are also on my radar despite the second half struggles as they come at a discount and very well could fall outside the Top 3 in ownership. The team I project to push the Rockies for the top owned team tonight is the Texas Rangers who have been on fire this week winning four straight games while scoring 37 runs (9.3 per game) with 10 long balls. They are also a team I will run multiple variations as they are loaded with power throughout the lineup. For value tonight, I love the Tampa Bay Rays left-handed bats (Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Lucas Duda, Brad Miller) going up against their old teammate, Erasmo Ramirez who has been much worse vs. lefties(.357 wOBA vs .281 wOBA vs RH).

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 7, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, August 7, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Max Scherzer - Washington Nationals - Lineuplab

Max Scherzer Vs. Miami Marlins
Park – Nationals Park
Vegas O/U – 8

Who else? If you’ve taken a look at this slate, you’re probably aware of what’s going on at pitcher. We have 2 solid options at the top and not much after. While there are arguments to be made, I don’t think anyone compared to the elite 2 in Scherzer and Arrieta. Starting with Scherzer, you have to love him in this match-up. The Marlins have been average against righties with a .323 wOBA and strikeout 21% of the time. Guys like Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton are locks for 2-3 K’s here. Scherzer has been one of the3 best pitchers in the entire league this season and I’m not sure it’s debatable. Through nearly 150 innings, Scherzer has posted a .231 combined wOBA, while striking out over 12 batters per 9 innings and walking just 2. He’s a lock to go 7 innings and has the upside for a CGSO every start. In Nationals Park, he’s been even better. There is no reason to shy away from Scherzer in this spot and it just comes down to price. Without any expensive offense being a must, you can certainly fit Scherzer. Let’s take a look at Arrieta, who’s a bit cheaper and in a better match-up.

Jake Arrieta @ San Francisco Giants
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas O/U – 8

We have been targeting righties against the Giants all season long and rightfully so. They stink. At home, they are by far the worst team in the league against righties with a .290 wOBA. While they do have some talented bats, they are unable to string anything together and in AT&T Park, it takes a monster to hit it out. The Cubs will move into San Fran and bring Jake Arrieta to the table in the first game. Arrieta hasn’t been his best this year, but he has been very good. Against lefties, he’s posted a .323 wOBA, compared to the dominant .244 on the right side. As long as he can keep the Giants from singling him to death, you can lock Arrieta in for 7 innings and 7 K’s. The Cubs offense is one we’ll touch on in a second, so the win shouldn’t be too tough to come by. At pitcher, I suggest going with one of these top 2 guys. In cash games, I don’t think paying down is something you can afford. There are no bats that can assure you get those points back.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Kris Bryant - Chicago Cubs - Lineup Lab

Chicago Cubs @ Matt Moore (Giants)
Park – AT&T Park
Implied Total – 4.65

We don’t have a ton of games on this slate and we really don’t have any horrible pitchers either. We definitely have some guys we can pick on, but we won’t be seeing any 6 run implied totals. Starting off, let’s take a look at the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are facing off with the San Fran Giants at AT&T Park. Matt Moore will take the hill and do his best to limit this lethal offense. Matt Moore is not a very good pitcher. In fact, he hits more barrels than any other starter at 11.2%. He’s posted a .331 wOBA against righties and .454 against lefties. He’s given up 19 homers and hasn’t shown any signs of improving. Kris Bryant is definitely the top option and he is my favorite bat on the entire slate. After him, you can really go anywhere. Willson Contreras and Javier Baez hit lefties well from the right side and may not be too highly owned. Anthony Rizzo can also hit lefties very well, so don’t be afraid to plug him in there.

Main Stack – Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras, Ben Zobrist
Sneaky Stack – Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Javier Baez, Addison Russell

Cincinatti Reds Vs. Jhoulys Chacin (Padres)
Park – The Great American Ballpark
Implied Total – 5.00

I think the Reds are going to come in as the most popular stack of the night. They hold the highest implied run total on the board at 5.00 and are facing the worst pitcher. Jhoulys Chacin is pretty good in Petco Park, but he is atrocious anywhere else he goes. He will move into Great American Ballpark and I don’t think he’ll have much fun. On the road, Chacin has posted a .381 wOBA. Against lefties, it’s sitting at .442. Wow. Joey Votto is one of the best plays of the night and I’ll have a hard time getting off of him in cash games. Adam Duvall and Scooter Gennett are my next 2 favorites and both have a ton of upside against righties. The rest of the order is up in the air and you can really go anywhere. Billy Hamilton and Jesse Winker have a ton of safety in the top of the order, with Mesoraco being a great GPP play towards the bottom.

Main Stack – Joey Votto, Adam Duvall, Jesse Winker, Scooter Gennett
Sneaky Stack – Joey Votto, Adam Duvall, Billy Hamilton, Devin Mesoraco

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 1, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 1, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Max Scherzer - Lineup Lab

Max Scherzer @ Miami Marlins
Park – Marlins Park
Vegas O/U – 8

If you’re making me choose between Chris Sale and Max Scherzer on this slate, I have to lean Scherzer. Chris Sale, who can easily still dominate, faces off with the lethal Indians offense inside Fenway Park. Scherzer on the other hand, is facing the Miami Marlins in pitcher-friendly Marlins Park. Statistically, the Marlins are league average against righties with a team .323 wOBA. They strike out 21% of the time and struggle to put together big innings. Max Scherzer has dominated these bats in the past and I expect it once again. Scherzer is once again having an amazing year, sporting a 12.45 K/9 and 2.35 BB/9. The guys is a top 3 pitcher in baseball and see a matchup he dominates. Scherzer has also held a .combined .236 wOBA this season, so you have nothing to worry about. WHile I wouldn’t be surprised if the Marlins scored 1 or 2, I do think they strikeout over 10 times and give Scherzer a very nice outing.

Jose Berrios @ San Diego Padres
Park – PetCo Park
Vegas O/U – 8

Sure, Chris Sale and the other uber-elite arms make more sense in cash games. I don’t need to tell you that. Instead, let’s take a look at Jose Berrios, who could fly way under the radar tonight. He faces off with the San Diego Padres in PetCo Park, which as we know, is a dream match-up. The Padres are one of the leagues absolute worst offenses and it’s backed up by each and every number. Against righties, the Padres have ranked 27th in the MLB with a .307 wOBA and astronomical 25.5% K rate. When you combined that with a huge ballpark, these guys struggle to put up runs. Berrios on the other hand, has looked phenomenal. He’s sported a .291 combined wOBA and is striking out about 8.5 batters per 9. He should see a few extra in this match-up and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Berrios have a huge game. We do have a lot of arms on the slate and I could see Berrios ending at just 1% or so owned. In tournaments, I can’t think of anything better.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Gary Sanchez - Lineup Lab

New York Yankees @ Anibal Sanchez (Tigers)
Park – Yankee Stadium
Implied Total – 5.46

Anytime Anibal Sanchez takes the mound, we will be targeting opposing hitters. He’s a horrible pitcher and he struggles against hitters from both sides of the plate. The Yankees lineup is full of righties, for the most part, so let’s look there. In just 30 innings against righties, Sanchez has allowed a .384 wOBA and 8 home runs. He now moves into hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium to face off with one of the best offenses in baseball. Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge are both elite plays and when facing a reverse-splits righty, they become very difficult to fade. After those 2, you can go anywhere. Matt Holliday and Clint Frazier will be towards the top of the order and are my 2 favorites for cash. Todd Frazier and Didi Gregorious are another 2 options who have plenty of upside and could go low-owned. The Yankees are projected to put up nearly 5.5 runs, so Vegas is certainly expecting some fireworks. Get some exposure in both cash games and tournaments.

Main Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Matt Holliday
Sneaky Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Brett Gardner, Todd Frazier

Toronto Blue Jays @ Mike Pelfrey (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.82

The Blue Jays were right here yesterday and they won’t be going anywhere. Moving from James Shields to Mike Pelfrey, I’m not sure what can be better. While Pelfrey may actually be slightly better than Shields, that’s not saying much at all. He has also been better against righties, which does make some things interesting. Against left-handers, Pelfrey has posted a .376 wOBA and has allowed 10 homers. I’m going to shift my attention towards some of the lefties and hope the general public just hops on the popular bats. I’m not saying I’ll fade the righties. In most cases, I’ll go Bautista, Donaldson, and then find 2 lefties. Smoak and Morales are the top 2 with Carrera and Goins following behind. They will both be very low-owned and do have some power upside in Guaranteed Rate Field. Vegas has the Jays putting up nearly 6 runs, so you can’t ignore them by any means. They are more of a touramnt stack for me, but I love Smoak and Morales in cash games.

Main Stack – Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak, Russell Martin
Sneaky Stack – Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Steve Pearce, Josh Donaldson

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

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 27, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 27, 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.

Starting Pitchers

Max Scherzer
Opponent – Vs. CHC
Park – Nationals Park
Vegas Favorite (SEA -175)
Vegas Total (7.5)

Hey, I’m all for giving Clayton Kershaw the title of the best pitcher in baseball. We just might need to re-open the application process because Max Scherzer has something to say. He’s been absolutely fantastic this season, sporting a .289 wOBA against lefties and a crazy .168 against righties. He’s striking out over 12 batters per 9 innings, which is more than enough upside, even at his elevated price tag. Scherzer is match-up proof and when at home, I’m willing to almost ignore the match-up. The Cubs aren’t a good match-up, no matter the numbers people will throw at you. This is the Cubs and they’ll be battling with the Nats for the NL Championship. Expect Scherzer to take this game very seriously and for him to be stretched out to around 110 pitches if all is going well. Nationals Park is slighted towards pitching and Scherzer has held a .254 combined wOBA there. In cash games, Scherzer is always going to be the king. With that being said, you can also fade him on a slate with some other top options that have contending upside.

James Paxton
Opponent – Vs. PHI
Park – Safeco Field
Vegas Favorite (SF -120)
Vegas Total (8.5)

James Paxton is making his 4th start after returning from the DL, which did put him in a little bit of a rut. He struggled for 2 starts, but got on his right foot last week and struck out 9 batters. Paxton has an insane amount of upside, as shown by almost all of his starts at the beginning of the season. He’s held crazy numbers against both righties and lefties, combined with a 10.33 K/9. I’m not sure what the general perception of Paxton is, but he’s elite. He’s going to be one of the top SP’s in the game and in Safeco Field, he’s basically unhittable. Sure, he might get a little wild for an innings and let Franco or Joseph square one up. I don’t think, however, that the Phillies will be able to string together consistent runs. The Phillies are obviously one of the worst teams in baseball and get even worse with the move to Safeco Field. They hold a 22% K rate and Paxton will probably get them closer to 25 or 26%. Don’t shy away in either cash games or tournaments.

Offensive Stacks

Boston Red Sox Vs. Minnesota Twins (Hector Santiago L)
Park – Fenway Park

Hector Santiago is making his first start since coming off of the DL. For whatever reason, the Twins are throwing him in the fire of Fenway Park. Vegas currently has the Red Sox over 6 runs and are fully expecting a Hector Santiago meltdown. I don’t know why you wouldn’t. Santiago has been bad for 2 seasons, but not in a conventional way. He won’t typically get hit up for 7 runs and 12 hits. His struggles come in the form of the long ball. Santiago allowed 26 homers to righties in each of the last 2 season, which is simply insane. This Red Sox team is very lethal and the thought of Hanley facing this guy is great. You then work into Mookie Betts and Chris Young, who stand out as elite bats in the OF. Bogaerts and Pedroia are another 2 who will find themselves at the top of the order and make sense for both and tourneys. As a whole, this Red Sox team should be one that’s pretty easy to stack. You have 6 or 7 guys with talent and you should be able to find a combo that works if you’re putting forth the effort. The Red Sox are in one of their best spots all season.

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 (Kevin Gausman R)
Park – Rogers Centre

There has been a step fall for Kevin Gausman. Once a guy who was known for his upside and potential, he’s now trying to get his way out of the 4th innings. Gausman has been atrocious against everyone, but a .418 wOBA against righties is something that stands way out. He’s always been worse against righties, but it looks like he’s gotten even worse. The Blue Jays lineup is full of righties and at home, they rake. Gausman has also given up 14 home runs in just 70 innings of work. Plain and simple, horrible. Looking towards the Jays lineup, it’s pretty concentrated. Donaldson and Bautista are my 2 musts if you’re stacking the Jays, with Russell Martin a close 3rd. Smoak, Morales, and Tulowitzki all have a ton of upside, but by no means are on the same level as Donaldson or Joey Bats.

Main Stack – Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Jose Bautista, Justin Smoak

Sneaky Stack – Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Troy Tuowitzki

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 16, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 16, 2017

Welcome back for another Friday in daily fantasy baseball. We have a full 15-game slate on our hands tonight with some top pitching options to choose from as well as another game in Coors Field with a very high run line. The good news is there are a few other games with high totals that will make some nice pivots off Coors in tournaments. Let’s dig in and start to navigate the DFS landscape and look at some of the top picks for tonight.

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

Max Scherzer @ New York Mets
Park – Citi Field (Pitcher Positive)
Vegas Favorite (WSH -160)
Vegas Total (7.5)

The night starts off with Mad Max who is not only the top pitcher on the slate, but one of the best in the game. Since giving up five earned runs to these Mets back at the end of April he has been absolutely dominant. He has made eight starts since holding opponents to under three earned runs in all of them and comes into tonight having struck out 10+ in four straight and in six of those eight starts. He trails only Chris Sale among qualified starters in K/9 rate(12.2) and Swinging Strike rate(15.6%) and sits with a sparkling 2.36 ERA that is backed up by his 3.05 xFIP. While his salary started to come back down DraftKings, it has reached a season high on FanDuel which leaves you with a choice to make in cash games. A case can definitely be made for some other options but none come with the upside that Scherzer brings to the table. With a huge 15 game slate there should be no problem finding enough value to feel comfortable with Scherzer in all formats.

James Paxton - LineupLab

James Paxton @ TEX
Park – Globe life Park in Arlington(Hitter Positive)
Vegas Favorite (SEA -140)
Vegas Total (10.0)

This pick is more of a GPP play tonight as the Mariners leave the pitcher-friendly confines of Safeco Field and head to Arlington where the balls have been know to fly out of the park. I believe it is fully worth the risk today as Paxton has the ability to shut down almost anyone and provides us with some big upside with his 10.1 K/9 rate and 12.9% swinging strike rate. He has struggled a bit coming into this game having given up seven earned runs in his last two starts but has held opponents to one earned run or less in six of his nine starts this season giving him an elite 2.25 ERA. The good news is that the Rangers have been struggling offensively with a .304 wOBA, 85 wRC+, and 32% K rate over the last seven days and looking at the splits they have really struggled vs. left-handed pitching overall, ranking 28th in wOBA, last in wRC+ and strikeout rate.

Stacks of the Night

Once again we start with the Coors Field game which comes with highest Vegas Total(11) on the slate. If it’s anything like last night, we could be in for more fireworks as both teams put up runs with the Rockies eventually taking the game 10-9 in the bottom of the ninth. Samardzija has a better profile than Moore so there’s definitely more risk tonight in rostering Rockies but like Moore, the Shark has really struggled with the Rockies this season giving up 11 earned runs in back to back starts vs. them back in April. The thing with him will be trying to keep the ball down and not letting the Rockies have their way for a third time. I don’t see this happening whatsoever as the Rockie bats are red-hot at home right now scoring 29 runs in three home games in June. Target Charlie Blackmon, DJ Lemahieu, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado to start with and even Mark Reynolds and Ian Desmond as secondary options.

After the Rockies l will be turning to the Milwaukee Brewers bats tonight. They are pretty big home favorites in a game with the second highest run line and face a pitcher making just his second career start. He started the season out of the bullpen making 21 appearances and struggled mightily. The biggest issue for Diaz has been the control as he is walking over five batters per nine while failing to miss bats with a 6.5 K/9 rate. In 26 innings pitched he has also given up five home runs(15.6%) and now faces one of the most potent power teams in the league. Chances are he won’t be going more than two or three innings and when this is the case I always like to take a peek at that team’s bullpen. Great news for Brewers stackers today as the Padres have one of the worst bullpens in the league with a 4.90 ERA and 15% HR/FB rate. If Eric Sogard is back at the top of the order I like starting my stack with him and following it up with Eric Thames, Domingo Santana and Travis Shaw.