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Happy July! DraftKings and FanDuel chopped up this slate so that it's barely recognizable. We have three early games, the seven-game main slate, and five games in prime time. We will cover the two large slates here at RotoBaller today. We have to draw the line somewhere.
This article contains my picks for the five-game late slate on July 1, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 7:15 PM ET. We have to keep an eye on the weather in Chicago and Kansas City, but as of now, it looks like both games will be safe enough. That means we have a Coors Field matchup on a small slate. Yikes!
The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Tyler Glasnow, TB at SEA ($10,500 DK, $10,000 FD)
The pitching is nasty after you get past the top three with one exception. That would be Tanner Bibee against the Cubs (a bonus pick for you all). I won't go any lower than that, which means we're cheap stacking hitters tonight. It's a necessary evil, and quite doable with the suppressed prices on Tigers hitters, but I digress.
Glasnow has the best upside on the slate thanks to the strikeouts. He struck out a dozen Royals in just five innings last weekend after a brief hiccup against the Orioles in which he still has seven punchouts even though he was chased in the fifth inning. The Rays still aren't letting Glasnow throw more than 90 pitches or so. If his last start is any indication, he can do a lot of damage in those 90 pitches.
Julio Urias, LAD at KC ($9,500 DK, $9,600 FD)
Urias is making his long-awaited return from the IL, where he has been since May 18. He will likely be on a pitch count in this one, but he's facing the Royals. The same team that Glasnow racked up 12 strikeouts against in five innings. There is a lot of upside here if you're willing to take the risk in GPP formats. If not, I'm using Bibee in cash games or Stroman if I can afford it.
Others to consider: Marcus Stroman ($9,800 DK, $10,400 FD) vs. CLE
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Spencer Torkelson - 1B, DET at COL ($3,800 DK, $3,200 FD)
Torkelson hit three homers in the last two games in Texas, but "only" notched one RBI in the first game at Coors Field last night. He played a lefty. That means Torkelson still drove in a run and scored against a lefty. He gets a right-hander in Jeff Criswell tonight. You know, the guy with the 2-7 record and 9.00 ERA for Albuquerque in 15 games this year. I know it's the PCL, but wow! If he's that bad in Albuquerque, how bad will he be in Denver? Torkelson is too cheap not to find out!
Ketel Marte - 2B, ARI at LAA ($5,400 DK, $3,900 FD)
Arizona's leadoff hitter has been on fire lately, hitting .316 with five homers, 11 runs scored, and 13 RBI (not to mention seven walks) in his last 10 games. On top of that, he has clobbered Tyler Anderson in his career. Marte is 12-for-27 (.444) in his career against Anderson with six doubles and two homers. That means only four of those hits are singles. He should put up all kinds of crooked numbers once again.
Mookie Betts - SS/OF(DK) - 2B/SS/OF(FD), LAD at KC ($6,400 DK, $4,300 FD)
Coors effect? What Coors effect? Mookie Betts came down from the mountains and pulverized the Royals with a four-hit (and two-walk) night. Six plate appearances, six times on base. Baseball is easy! Two of those were home runs, another was a double, he drove in four, and scored three times. For those of you scoring at home, that's 95 DraftKings points in the last three games for Betts.
Look, I know we can't afford both him and Shohei Ohtani with the ghastly lower-tier of pitching, but those of you willing to take a chance on cheap pitching and paying up in both of these slots will have a decided advantage in large-field GPPs.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Shohei Ohtani - 1B/OF(DK) - OF(FD), LAA vs. ARI ($6,500 DK, $4,600 FD)
Shohei Ohtani really caught fire last year for a stretch, but that was in August, not June. He's a bit early and a bit hotter this year. He hit 15 home runs in just 27 June games in 2023. He leads the majors with 30 homers already and has driven in 67. 29 of those were in June. That's right...Ohtani averaged more than one RBI per game in the entire month of June. Pay up. He's worth it when he's on this kind of hot streak.
Jurickson Profar - OF, COL vs. DET ($3,700 DK, $3,300 FD)
Colorado's leadoff hitter has five hits in the last two games alone. This is a small price to pay in a game that might break the scoreboard. Colorado has a rookie making his major-league debut and Detroit is sending a guy out there who hasn't thrown four innings in a game yet this season in front of a terrible bullpen. You will definitely want some exposure to Coors tonight, but there are a lot of other great spots for hitters. Find a good mix that works within your budget. Profar at this price certainly helps.
Teoscar Hernandez - OF, SEA vs. TB ($3,500 DK, $3,000 FD)
Teo is familiar with Tyler Glasnow from his days with the Jays. Hernandez is 4-for-10 in his career against Glasnow with a homer off of him. He also has five strikeouts, but who's counting? Those don't hurt us in DFS. Hernandez has three homers and eight RBI in the last seven games, so he may finally be heating up in Seattle.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Tyler Anderson
This isn't some small sample size. Arizona has 170 plate appearances against Anderson, so we have a good idea of what to expect. If you're an Angels fan, it's not good.
I highlighted Marte above because his numbers are great now and against Anderson. Nick Ahmed only starts against lefties now, so this is a great chance to play him at a really low price. Christian Walker also stands out here. Those three are the top priorities. My full stack will also include Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Emmanuel Rivera. Kyle Lewis could be an intriguing piece on the cheap tonight as well.
Also consider: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Daniel Lynch
Lynch has been brilliant in his last two outings, but that was against the Tigers and Rays, both on the road. Lynch has struggled at The K this year with a 6.23 ERA in his three home starts. The Dodgers have a bunch of dangerous right-handed hitters in this lineup, but man, are they expensive!
Sneaky stack: Detroit Tigers vs. Jeff Criswell
I mentioned Criswell's awful stats for Albuquerque so far this season, so there's no reason to expect that the Tigers can't knock him around a little. Many times this year, the Tigers have looked like a Triple-A team, but they're still major leaguers. They're at least a little bit better. Criswell hasn't always been this bad. He pitched at three levels in the Oakland system last year, finishing at Triple-A Las Vegas, and posted a 4.03 ERA. He might not be that bad.
However, the Tigers are so cheap that I'm going to act like he is. You can stack Torkelson, Zach McKinstry, Kerry Carpenter, Andy Ibanez, and Javier Baez -- the first through fifth hitters in this lineup -- for just $19,100 on DraftKings. That gives you $30,900 for two pitchers and the other four hitters. While this stack may not be really sneaky, full-stacking the first five slots should be.
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