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Jamie Calandro's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Friday, 7/17/26. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Baseball's back, RotoBallers! After a long and boring All-Star break, we get to return fully to America's pastime and look forward to the beginning of the second half. We're also a lot closer to the trade deadline, so let the fun speculation begin as the Mets have informed teams that they're open for business.
I'm deviating from my HR prop writeup to take on DFS tonight. This is usually the spot occupied by the great Casey Wilson of RotoBaller, but fret not - I've got you fully covered for this 11-game Friday slate with all the best pitchers, hitters, and stacks to try and start your second half off with a little extra green in your pocket. Be sure to stop into the RotoBaller Discord channel, as we'll be excitedly talking baseball all day.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 7/17/2026, with the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is always essential.
Top MLB DFS Pitcher for DraftKings, FanDuel
Chris Sale, SP - ATL ($10,000 DK/$10,700 FD)
For me this evening, there's Chris Sale at the top of the SP pool, and then there's a tier break. The Braves lefty is having another masterful season, with a 2.20 ERA/2.82 FIP and a 29% K rate. Sale's floor is sky high, as he hasn't allowed more than three runs since his third start of the season on April 6.
Sale will come out of the All-Star break rested and ready to face the Rangers, who are 23rd in runs per game this season while also ranking 22nd in RBI. Five of Texas' regular starters have over a 29% K rate against LHP, and only three have a barrel rate above 12%. Their implied run total sits right at three runs, which is the second-lowest on the slate.
Why is Chris Sale throwing so hard this year?
"I gotta let 'em know the old man's still got it." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/yvAphp6zl1
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 17, 2026
Sale is an easy fit on both sites. There are plenty of viable SP2s on DraftKings to help complement the pitching staff, and Sale isn't even the most expensive pitcher on the lower-dynamic pricing of FanDuel. He should be your anchor in cash games, and there are enough stacks tonight to go heavier in GPP as well.
Top MLB DFS Stack for DraftKings, FanDuel
Chicago Cubs vs. Bailey Ober
There is a slew of stackable games tonight. We have a Coors game, a contest at Sutter Health Park, and some good old-fashioned "facing a bad pitcher" matchups. My top stack, however, finds itself at Wrigley Field. It's a wind game there, and that park has proven to be one of the most wind-impacted venues in the league.
The forecast for gametime is calling for 85-degree temperatures with the steady winds out to left-center at 10 MPH. Vegas has set the Cubs with an IRT of 5.9 runs (second-highest on the slate), and that's enough for me to go all-in. The Cubbies are fifth in the majors in runs scored this season, and production can be had up and down the lineup.
Twins pitcher Bailey Ober has been horrendous on the road this season, sporting a 7.66 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 11.3% K rate, and .296 ISO allowed. For his career, Ober has been allowing balls to leave the park to all sides of the plate (1.44 HR/9 allowed to LHB, 1.58 allowed to RHB), and he's walked over five batters per nine against righties as well. I'll have some specific plans of attack, but all nine players are viable.
Favorite Targets: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson
Top MLB DFS Hitter for DraftKings, FanDuel
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF - CHC ($6,300 DK/$4,300 FD)
Well, we're stacking Cubs, so we may as well highlight the top guy here. Pete Crow-Armstrong has made a legitimate MVP case for himself in the National League, already with a 20-20 season at the break with a .240 ISO and 6.0 WAR. He's the fifth-most expensive player on DraftKings and the third-most expensive on FanDuel, but he's well worth his price tag if you can only afford one or two high-priced bats.
Back-to-back 20-HR/20-SB seasons for Pete Crow-Armstrong! pic.twitter.com/8x70dpYQSu
— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2026
PCA has slammed RHP this season for a .432 wOBA, .289 ISO, 155 wRC, and 15.5% barrel rate this season, and his stolen base upside only adds to his floor and ceiling. He'll lead off for my top offense of the night, so you can bet I'm locking him into cash games and going overweight in GPPs as well.
Fun fact: If you didn't know, Crow-Armstrong is the real-life son of the mother in "Little Big League".
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