We've got an 11 game schedule on the books today, with two matinee games and nine in the main slate. I'll focus my picks on the main slate and sprinkle a few day game suggestions in there, too.

There are a handful of games today with high run total projections via Vegas, starting with Phillies at Rockies (12.5), Twins at Rangers (10.5), Tigers at Blue Jays (9.5), and the Angels at Rays (9). The hitters with the highest positive park factors for Thursday are the Rockies and Phillies hitters, the left-handed bats of the Rangers and Twins, and the left-handed batters of the Yankees and Indians. It almost goes without saying there is a steep drop-off after the Coors Field game as far as park factors go.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for FanDuel on 7/7/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from high-priced to low-priced options and identify options who will out-perform their expectations, including sleepers and value plays on FanDuel.

 

DFS Lineup Stacks to Target for FanDuel

Cleveland Indians left-handed batters versus Ivan Nova

My eyes light up when I see the Indians matched up with a starting pitcher who struggles to retire left-handed batters. Not only are the Indians hot right now, they have a bunch of talented left-handed and switch-hitting talent and they're all usually placed right at the top of the order. It makes for a very ideal stack, even more so when they're at home, as their lefties have some of the highest positive park factors today. For the season, Nova has been very kind to opposing lefty bats, allowing a .357 wOBA and .508 slugging percentage along with 1.78 home runs surrendered per nine innings. My favorite Indians' hitters are Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana.

Texas Rangers versus Tyler Duffey

The Rangers make for an intriguing stack for a handful of reasons. First off, they're one of the most electric offenses in the league, normally featuring hitters with power from the first through the seventh hitter in their order. Tonight, they have a strong matchup for hitters on either side of the plate against Minnesota's Tyler Duffey. This game features one of the highest run projection lines in Vegas at 10.5 and I'm expecting the Rangers to provide most of the firepower. For the season, Duffey has allowed a .426 slugging percentage to left-handed batters along with a .569 slugging percentage to righties with 2.31 HR/9. A few of my favorite Rangers today are Jurickson Profar, Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor and Ian Desmond.

Also Consider: Philadelphia Phillies versus Chad Bettis 

 

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider for FanDuel

These pitching options leave a lot to be desired. From a season-long fantasy and diehard baseball fan perspective, it's going to be fun watching young studs like Lucas Giolito, Lucas Harrell and Tyler Glasnow pitch. From a DFS perspective, it makes projecting and selecting pitchers quite a difficult task.

Rich Hill (SP, OAK) - $10,000

The pitcher with the second highest K/9 (10.69) of today's slate also has additional strikeout upside thanks to his matchup with the Astros. For the season, Houston has gone down via the strikeout in nearly 30% of their at-bats versus left-handed pitching. That figure is tied for the highest strikeout percentage of the day of any lineup, and while the Astros team has some scary bats in their lineup, the fact that Hill sports just a 15% hard hit rate over the past 15 days puts my mind at ease a little. Not only is Hill's WHIP of 0.994 very impressive, his HR/9 allowed of just 0.36 is more so and I like his chances to exceed value tonight.

Danny Duffy (SP, KCR) - $8,800

Duffy is my favorite of the mid tier pitchers today. He has pitched very well this season, posting a 3.11 ERA over 10 starts. He's also improved his strikeout rate this season and has an impressive 10.4 K/9 mark. He matches up pretty well with the Mariners, who despite having a good wOBA against left-handed pitching, they have a tendency to strikeout a lot, too, as marked by their 29% strikeout rate. Duffy also has park factors going in his favor, as he's pitching in the best park today for pitchers relative to the rest of the slate. He's not cash game safe, but I do like him a lot in tournament formats for his strikeout upside and lower price.

 

DFS Infielders to Consider for FanDuel

Catcher (C)

Willson Contreras (C, CHC) - $2,800

Contreras, the Cubs' uber catching prospect, has quickly made a name for himself for his work at the dish, rather than behind it. Thus far, he's been mashing right-handed pitching to the tune of a .447 wOBA and .367 ISO. Those numbers aren't sustainable, but I like his chances against rookie pitcher Lucas Harrell.

Also Consider: Yadier Molina (C, STL) - $2,400 (Early)

 

First Base (1B)

Carlos Santana (1B, CLE) - $3,800

Santana should be in line for a big day against a pitcher like Ivan Nova who has surrendered a ton of extra-base hits to left-handed hitters this season. In 2016, Santana has posted very impressive splits -  .357 wOBA and a .235 ISO.

Also Consider: John Jaso (1B, PIT) - $2,900 (Early)

 

Second Base (2B)

Jurickson Profar (2B, TEX) - $2,800

Other than not typically hitting near the top of the order, I can't think of any reason not to roster Profar today. He matches up very well with the struggling Tyler Duffey and his splits are very impressive. Consider the above and the fact he's an absolute steal under 3K and you've found your second baseman for the night.

Also Consider: Logan Forsythe (2B, TAM) - $3,300 (Early)

 

Shortstop (SS)

Andres Blanco (SS, PHI) - $3,200

I like Blanco tonight because he has splits that strongly favor facing right-handed pitching and he gives you Coors Field exposure at a very reasonable price. His position in the order, normally pegged third, is also very favorable as well, as is matching up with subpar pitcher Chad Bettis.

Also Consider: Aledmys Diaz (SS, STL) - $3,600 (Early)

 

Third Base (3B)

Kris Bryant (3B, CHC) - $3,700

To say that Bryant has been on fire of late would be putting it lightly. KBoom has been on a power tear, homering 10 times in the last 19 games, raising his wOBA and ISO splits to .391 and .263, respectively. The fact that he faces a rookie making his first major league start only makes this matchup more enticing.

Also Consider: Evan Longoria (3B, TAM) - $3,300 (Early)

 

DFS Outfielders to Consider for FanDuel

Nomar Mazara (OF, TEX) - $2,700

Mazara is such a bargain at this price point. He's facing a subpar pitcher in Tyler Duffey and while his splits aren't uber impressive in the power department right now, they strongly favor him facing a right-handed pitcher, as he does tonight.

Cody Asche (OF, PHI) - $3,400

Asche has put together a fantastic past month, raising his numbers in nearly every offensive category. He particularly feasts on right-handed pitching and faces an awful one tonight in Chad Bettis. For the season, his splits are noteworthy at a .346 wOBA and .234 ISO.

Ryan Raburn (OF, COL) - $3,300

Raburn, like Blanco and Asche, is a great way to give yourself Coors Field exposure at a reasonable price and with good power upside. Neither starting pitcher tonight in that game is a strong one, and Raburn's .394 wOBA and .261 ISO match up well.

 

Full Season MLB & DFS Premium Pass

Get a Premium Pass for the entire MLB season - including the playoffs - for only $29.99. That's Premium access to over 10 tools, and over 20 valuable resources, for one incredible price. Here's a taste of what you get:

• DFS lineup picks and cheat sheets for FanDuel and DraftKings - seven days a week
• Three expert lineups: FanDuel, DraftKings, and Stack of the Day - seven days a week
• Top DFS value plays, avoids and injury updates - seven days a week
• Lineup tools: daily premium hitter and pitcher matchup ratings

All of this for just $29.99... it's simply the best deal around. No other site offers this type of deal. What are you waiting for?

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room