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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

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

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 26, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 26, 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 - Chris Sale - Lineup Lab

Starting Pitchers

Chris Sale
Opponent – Vs. MIN
Park – Fenway Park
Vegas Favorite (BOS -193)
Vegas Total (8.5)

When Chris Sale is pitching you can certainly expect to find him in this spot. He is always going to be the top pitcher on the slate and I actually thought he would be more expensive tonight. That’s not to say he’s cheap, still forcing you to pay down in numerous spots to afford him. The problem is you don’t really have a strong alternative. Sure, there are some talented guys on the slate. There is nobody who compares to Chris Sale in Fenway Park. Sale has been absolutely dominant to start this ’17 campaign, posting a combined wOBA of .242. He’s also striking out 12.2 batters per 9 innings, which is very telling in itself. His peripherals suggest, if anything, he’s actually just getting a bit unlucky. The point is Chris Sale is amazing and he’s going to have some insane games on the season. This could certainly be one, facing off with the Twins at home in Fenway. The Twins offense is slightly scary, but hot too bad. Miguel Sano and Brian Dozier are the only 2 real worry spots, albeit very real ones On a side note, I actually don’t hate rostering either one of the guys in large-field tournaments. Getting back to this match-up, the Twins leave a lot to be desired. They strikeout 22% of the time against lefties and have a few guys who have simply no shot against Sale. Kepler, Polanco, Grossman, and Castro have all struck out over 25% of the time against lefties and have absolutely no chance against Sale. If you want to play cash games on this slate, I would advise finding a way to fit Sale. He’s the clear top options and makes for the top player in both formats.

 

Jeff Samardzija
Opponent – Vs. COL
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas Favorite (SF -120)
Vegas Total (8.5)

After Sale, we see a pretty steep fall to the number 2. There are definitely a lot of ways you can go here, but I ended up on Jeff Samardzija. Jeff “Shark” Samardzija is a guy who will consistently put up solid games, though he’ll rarely step out of that comfort zone and wow. He has a very safe match-up tonight, facing the Rockies porous offense in AT&T Park. A lot of people have the perception that the Rockies are an elite offense. If you put 25 of these MLB offenses in Coors Field for half of their games, they would be better. The Rockies ranked 26th in terms of wOBA in 2016 on the road and can’t get away from it at AT&T Park. It has ben in the bottom 3 for hitting for many years in a row now and against righties, good luck. Samardzija has held a .302 wOBA against righties, so the likes of Arenado, Reynolds, and LeMahieu should be held down at the top of the order. CarGo and Blackmon are the 2 obvious trouble pieces and it may come down to whether or not he can avoid them. When looking at the other options you have to choose from, I’ll take Samardzija in AT&T Park. Some may also make an argument for his counterpart in German Marquez, which I don’t hate, but only in tournaments.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Cody Bellinger - Lineup Lab

Offensive Stacks

Los Angeles Dodgers Vs. Los Angeles Angels (Ricky Nolasco R)
Park – Dodger Stadium

The Dodgers are a pretty easy offense to love tonight. For god’s sake, they face Ricky Nolasco. Ricky Nolasco was a pitcher who used to stifle offenses, but that was about 50 years ago. He’s now posting a .390 wOBA against righties and a .360 against lefties. He moves into Dodger Stadium, which is actually a slight upgrade from Angels Stadium. The Dodgers are obviously one of the more lethal offenses in all of the league, possessing bats from both side of the plate that rakes righties. We start off with Babe Ruth. I mean Cody Bellinger. Bellinger and Corey Seager have been ridiculous against righties this season and look to be the future of this franchise. They will both remain in every Dodgers stack I create. You then work into Justin Turner, who is very safe as well. As a righty, he swings it better against opposing righties, which plays into Nolasco and his reverse splits. Once you get past Turner, you can go a ton of different ways, wait for the lineup to come out and take your pick.

Main Stack – Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Logan Forsythe/Chase Utley (leadoff)

Sneaky Stack – Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig

New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox (Dylan Holmberg L)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

The Yankees offense is another pretty obvious one on this slate. This slate is a bit odd, with only a few games and a few offenses that stand far above the rest. Even if the Yankees do end up being popular, I see the merit in going here. They are raking what seems like every night and I certainly don’t see Dylan Holmberg slowing that down. Holmberg has been decent in hos own right, but not really. A .220 BABIP throws absolutely every number out of the window. The regression monster is going to come and it’s probably going to come tonight. Gary Sanchez may seem like the obvious choice, but he’s actually better against lefties. That’s not to say I’ll be avoiding him. I just think he sees an inflated ownership tag. Aaron Judge is my favorite of the bunch with Aaron Hicks emerging next, both holding a .400+ wOBA against lefties. You then get into Starlin Castro and Matt Holliday, who are very safe and have HR upside as well. After that, you don’t have a lot with this team. You know where to look and who to target. Guaranteed Rate Field is a + park for hitting and the righties should have a better time here than they do at home in Yankee Stadium. All in all, the Yankees are one of the top offenses on the day and you will want to make sure you get exposure one way or another.

Main Stack – Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Starlin Castro, Matt Holliday

Sneaky Stack – Aaron Judge, Matt Holliday, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 06/25/2017

by Mike Barner 0 Comments

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Sunday, June 25

There are a lot of bad pitchers taking the mound Sunday, meaning there should be a lot of offensive production to cash in on. 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**

Sonny Gray vs. Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

Gray gave up five runs in his last start against the Houston Astros, but had allowed three runs or less in three straight starts entering that outing. His overall numbers don’t stand out as he has a 4.84 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, but he does have 58 strikeouts in 57.2 innings. The White Sox have struggled against right handed pitchers this season as they are batting only .248 against them with a .399 slugging percentage. With such a weak group of starters going Sunday, Gray is one of the best available options.

Jordan Zimmermann vs. San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park

Zimmermann has pitched very well of late, allowing eight total runs over his last four starts. He faced some tough offenses over that stretch too, squaring off against both the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Some very poor outings earlier this season have left him with bloated numbers overall though as he has a 5.25 ERA and 1.46 WHIP for the season. The Padres offense is bad, so going with Zimmermann makes a lot of sense Sunday given the other available options.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Oakland Athletics vs. Derek Holland (Chicago White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

Holland has been terrible lately as he has allowed at least six runs in three of his last four starts. His excellent start to the season has been all but washed away with his recent struggles as he now has a 4.48 ERA and 1.52 WHIP overall. Home runs have been a problem for him as he has already allowed 16 in only 76.1 innings. While the Athletics may not hit for a high average, they do hit plenty of homers. This has the makings over another bad outing for Holland.

Players to consider stacking: Khris Davis, Ryon Healy and Rajai Davis

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chris Tillman (Baltimore Orioles)
Park – Tropicana Field

The Baltimore Orioles have one of the worst starting staffs in all of baseball and Tillman has been right in the middle of their struggles. He enters Sunday with a gruesome 8.39 ERA and 2.17 WHIP. He only has 26 strikeouts compared to 22 walks and has given up nine home runs in only 39.2 innings. Over his last three starts, he has allowed a staggering 19 runs in only 10.2 innings. Look for the Rays to put up some big numbers Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison and Mallex Smith

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 06/24/2017

by Mike Barner 0 Comments

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Saturday, June 24

There are several aces taking the mound Saturday, so look for some big strikeout totals. 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**

Robbie Ray vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Park – Chase Field

Ray had a sub par outing against the Phillies in his last start as he allowed four runs in 5.1 innings. However, he still provided value as he recorded seven strikeouts. Ray continues to be a strikeout machine as he has 114 in only 87.2 innings this season. His current 2.87 ERA and 1.14 WHIP are the best of his career and he already has seven wins, one shy of his career high. The Phillies offense is among the worst in baseball, so look for Ray to have a better outing against them at home this time around.

Lance Lynn vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Park – Busch Stadium

Lynn missed the entire 2016 season due to injury, but has returned to provide solid production this season as he has a 3.33 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. Lynn has been excellent at home this season, posting a 1.53 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over five starts. He has already faced the Pirates once this season and pitched seven scoreless innings while recording five strikeouts. The price is right to go with Lynn Saturday if you want to save some money at starting pitcher.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

New York Yankees vs. Austin Bibens-Dirkx (Texas Rangers)
Park – Yankee Stadium

Bibens-Dirkx has pitched in eight games this season, three of which were starts. On the surface, his 4.25 ERA and 1.05 WHIP would indicate he has at least had moderate success. The area of concern though is that he only has 18 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. He has also allowed six home runs already. Saturday presents a very difficult opponent in the Yankees who hit a ton of home runs. They can strike out a lot, but with Bibens-Dirkx not having that type of stuff, this could get ugly.

Players to consider stacking: Aaron Judge, Matt Holliday and Didi Gregorius

Texas Rangers vs. Luis Cessa (New York Yankees)
Park – Yankee Stadium

Cessa continues to fill in for the injured C.C. Sabathia, but he struggled in his last start against the Oakland Athletics as he allowed four runs over four innings. Cessa has only thrown 7.1 innings in the big leagues this season, but has already allowed two home runs. The long ball has been a problem throughout his short time in the majors as he has allowed 18 home runs in 77.2 career innings. The Rangers may not hit for average, but their lineup is loaded with power hitters. This game between the Rangers and Yankees has the potential to be a fireworks show.

Players to consider stacking: Adrian Beltre, Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 23, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for June 23, 2017

Welcome back for another TGIF edition of my daily fantasy baseball picks. With no afternoon games today, we get a full 15 game slate tonight. This gives us tons of different slates on both sites so be sure to get your subscription to the tools here at LineupLab to help you build better lineups. Let’s jump in and take a look at a couple pitchers to build around and some stacking options for tournaments.

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

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab - Chris Archer

Chris Archer
Opponent – vs. BAL
Park -Tropicana Field (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (TB -225)
Vegas Total (9.0)

The Rays are hanging on in the American League East thanks to their sparkling 23-16 home record which is second best in the league. After taking two of three from the Reds earlier in the week the Rays have now won seven of their last 10 home games and open a series with the Orioles tonight with their ace toeing the rubber. Chris Archer has given up some runs this year and sits with a 3.75 ERA but makes up for it in fantasy with his very high floor thanks to an elite 11.2 K/9 rate(4th in the league). The only knock on Archer this season has been the high walk rate(2.84 BB/9) but the good news is he faces an Orioles team that walks less than all but two teams in the league(6.6%) vs. right-handed pitching. Archer has also had some trouble with lefties(.335 wOBA) this season while dominating righties(.249 wOBA) and another bump in the projections is the fact Chris Davis(O’s most powerful LH bat) is out of the lineup. Look for Archer and the Rays to open the series with a dominating performance from their ace. He is safe in all formats.


J.A. Happ
Opponent – @ KC
Park – Kauffman Stadium (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (TOR -125)
Vegas Total (9.5)

His salary is back up in the $8K range on both sites but Happ still brings a lot of value to the table in this matchup. He spent a month and a half on the disabled list in April and May and struggled in his first two starts back but has been much better lately. Over his last two starts, Happ has allowed just three earned runs in 12.2 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts and just one walk while limiting the hard contact to 28%. He appears back in the form we saw last season when he posted a career-high 20 wins and the best part is the increase in strikeouts, even though I don’t think he maintains a rate over 10 per nine. As long as he keeps limiting the free passes (1.7 BB/9), he will give himself a much better shot at getting deeper into games and a shot at more wins. Tonight he gets a park upgrade as the Jays travel to Kauffman Stadium to take on a Royals team that ranks in the bottom third of the league vs. left-handed pitching. The opening line has Happ as a -125 favorite and I wouldn’t be surprised if it got even bigger closer to lineup lock. Happ makes an excellent SP2 on DraftKings or contrarian GPP play on FanDuel.

 

 

Stacks of the Night

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab - Francisco Lindor

Cleveland Indians vs. Adalberto Mejia (MIN)

I will be targeting the Indians heavily as my top stack in tournaments and even some smaller two and three-man stacks in cash games. They currently sit as big -170 favorites with the third highest implied run projection tonight as the Twins come to town to open a weekend series. The Indians have been red hot lately winning eight of their last nine games while scoring 68 runs which is an average of 7.5 runs per game. They will be facing rookie start Adalberto Mejia who has struggled in his first attempt as a major league starter. He is walking over 4.5 batters per nine innings and while he has only had one blow up game (8 ER to the Mariners), he will not be able to sustain such a high walk rate. He enters tonight’s matchup with a 5.53 ERA and 5.31 xFIP while also giving up an 18% HR/FB rate. All signs point to the Indians having their way with Mejia tonight. They rank 12th in wOBA and 10th in wRC+ vs. left-handed pitching and have some hitters that can take us to GPP glory tonight.

Top Players to Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez

Value Options – Austin Jackson, Yan Gomes

 

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab - Corey Seager

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kyle Freeland (COL)

The Dodgers are down the list a bit when looking at implied run projections and I think this helps with their ownership tonight. Along with the Indians, they are arguably the hottest team in the league winning seven straight and 13 of their last 14 games. They have sustained the winning streak with some timely pitching but most of all from their consistent and powerful offense. During those last 14 games, they have scored a total of 98 runs on their opponents which works out to seven runs per game. Over the last 14 days, they sit with a .400 wOBA and 153 wRC+ as a team and should be able to keep that pace up going up against Kyle Freeland tonight. He is another pitcher who has struggled with his control(3.53 BB/9) but has gotten away with it for the most part. While you would think a pitcher for the Rockies would have splits favoring the road but it is a different story for Freeland who has an ERA close to a half run more on the road while allowing opponents a wOBA of .345 while holding them to a .309 wOBA in Coors. It doesn’t completely make sense over a small sample size but it is something to monitor. He could be in trouble tonight as the Dodgers lineup ranks 5th in wRC+ and 10th in wOBA against left-handed pitching and make a high upside and very affordable stack.

Top Players to Stack – Logan Forsythe, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Chris Taylor

Value Options – Enrique Hernandez, Yasiel Puig

Daily Fantasy Lineup Picks – June 22, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

Daily Fantasy Lineup Picks – June 22, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best Daily Fantasy Lineup Picks, 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.

Welcome back for another full day of Major League Baseball. The fun begins with a six games in the afternoon and is followed by six more games on the main slate. Let’s jump in and take a look at my top pitcher and stack for each slate.

Jun 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (44) throws to a New York Mets batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

 

Starting Pitchers

Early Slate

Carlos Martinez
Opponent – @ PHI
Park – Citizens Bank Park (Hitters Park)
Vegas Favorite (STL -135)
Vegas Total (8.5)

With a smaller six-game slate, Martinez comes with a premium price but has the highest upside and best matchup of all 12 pitchers this afternoon. He has been a bit unlucky in the W/L column this season as the runs support just has not been there for the Cards who rank in the bottom five but do not be mistaken, Martinez is an elite option. He has only allowed an opponent to score more than three earned runs once in his last 10 starts and struck out seven or more batters in eight of those starts. He enters this afternoon’s game with a 10.2 K/9 rate, 11.0% swing strike rate with a 2.86 ERA that is backed up by a 3.36 xFIP. What makes the pick even more enticing is the fact he will face a Phillies team that ranks second to last in overall runs scored and 28th in wOBA and 29th in wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching with a 23.7% K rate. Much like yesterday, there should be more than enough value popping up to easily fit CarMart into your lineups in all formats.

Also Consider – David Paulino @ OAK

 

 

Jake-Arrieta-DFS-MLB-Lineup-Picks

Main Slate

Jake Arrieta
Opponent – @ MIA
Park – Marlins Park (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (CHI -140)
Vegas Total (9.0)

When look up and see Luis Severino as the top pitcher, over $12K on DraftKings, we know it is going to be a GPP slate. While I can make the case for Severino on FanDuel for just $300 more than Arrieta, I cannot help but take the $3,500 discount on DraftKings. Both have just over a 10.0 K/9 rate on the season and above average swinging strike rates over 10% and while the Trout-less Angels are a better matchup the discount can get you two or three upgraded bats throughout your lineup. The only issue with Arrieta this season has been the increase in fly balls which have resulted in him giving up some long balls but the good news is that he has increased his K rate while reducing the free passes. Arrieta faced the Marlins at the start of June and allowed just two earned runs in six innings with five strikeouts en route to his sixth win of the season. I would be more than happy with a repeat performance but also think he can top that today.

Also Consider – Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. NYM

 

Offensive Stacks

Early Slate

Chicago White Sox vs. Nik Turley(MIN)

The matchup could honestly not get any better if you are looking for a team to stack on Thursday afternoon. The White Sox, while sitting in the bottom third of the league in overall runs scored, lead all teams in wOBA(.356), wRC+(121), and OPS(.827) against left-handed pitching and get a matchup vs. one of the worst pitchers on the slate. Nik Turley was a career minor-leaguer(9 years) before being called up to spot start for the Twins and is somehow getting another opportunity. Through two starts, he has given up 12 earned runs in 8.2 innings striking out seven and walking four while giving up a 42% hard contact rate. Load up on White Sox today.

Top Players to Stack – Jose Abreu, Todd Frazier, Avisail Garcia

Also Consider: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Martin Perez (TEX)

 

Main Slate

New York Yankees vs. Jesse Chavez (LAA)

The Yankees highlight the night slate from a stacking perspective as they lead all of baseball in hitting vs. right-handed pitching with a .359 wOBA, 124 wRC+, and sit second in Isolated Power(.205). They struggled a bit over the last week losing seven in a row but got back on track last night beating the Angels 8-4. Tonight they face somewhat of a gas can in Jesse Chavez who is now with his sixth team in the majors and drastically under performing with a 4.85 ERA and 4.68 xFIP that suggests thing won’t be getting much better. He has dropped his strikeout rate below 6.8 K/9 for the first time since 2010 and is also giving up a career-high hard contact rate of 35% that has led to a 18.9% HR/FB rate. This is great news if you are stacking Yankees as they sit just one home run behind the league-leading Astros and Rays.

Top Players to Stack – Aaron Judge, Starlin Castro, Brett Gardner, Gary Sanchez

Also Consider: Cleveland Indians vs. Wade Miley (BAL)