July 1, 2017

JB's top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for 7/1/17. Expert MLB DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for FanDuel and DraftKings.

Welcome to the weekend, RotoBallers. Running a bit late here today thanks to the usual massive Oklahoma storm knocking out my power all night. We have 17 games of America's pastime to enjoy as we kick off our 4th of July weekend, as both CLE-DET and KC-MIN play doubleheaders. After all the storms last night, it looks like mother nature will cooperate with us today, as only two games look to have a possibility of being affected today. TB-BAL may be delayed shortly but looks to be clear for the rest of the night afterwards, and PHI-NYM has chances of thunderstorms for most of the night but nothing that should require a postponement.

Both sites have struggled with creating Saturday slates all year, and it looks like FanDuel is finally trying to fix it. They now have a six game Main slate starting at 4:05 ET, and a five game Main II slate starting at 7:05 ET. Unfortunately though, only the first games of both double headers are available today, meaning you only get to use DET, CLE, MIN, or KC players on the early or all-day slates. DraftKings took a different approach and morphed all the pre-7:05 ET games into a 10 game Early slate, leaving a much juicier seven game Main slate. That means you can play both sides of each double header on DraftKings- if you want an Indian stack against Jordan Zimmerman, or want to pick on the Tigers offense with Carlos Carrasco.

Due to FanDuel's set up today, I will be focusing on the afternoon and night games only with my picks today. If you are on DraftKings or want to play the early slate on FanDuel, obviously Chris Sale is the man, and stacking against Josh Tomlin and Anibal Sanchez will be rewarding.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 7/01/2017. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options, and of course, value plays.

If you have any question about lineup construction, send me a message on Twitter at @RowdyRotoJB. Now, let's get Rowdy.

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider

Gio Gonzalez, WSH at STL ($8,900 FD; $11,700 DK)

I think Gio has been flying under the radar considering how good he has been over the past month or so. He has scored at least 40 FP (FD) in each of his last four starts and over the last month owns a 2.53 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9. The Cardinals offense is literally the hottest in the league right now- tied with Washington for most runs over the last seven days, but they rank 28th against southpaws for the season. Despite being the underdog (-114), I like Gio to get the W today over Michael Wacha, and stretch his hot streak to five starts. There is some serious price-gouging on pitchers today on DraftKings!

Rich Hill, LAD at SDP ($8,600 FD; $11,300 DK)

It's no secret that Hill has been a major disappointment to fantasy owners in 2017, due to blisters and diminished command, but he may be making the turn back to relevance. Over he last two starts, he owns a 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 11.3 K/9. Today he draws a nice match-up against the Padres who are striking out at a 32.25% clip over the last week. They rank one spot below the Cardinals, 29th, against LHP this season, and only own a .290 OBP which means Hill's free pass issues shouldn't be an issue today. If he can keep the pitch count down, you could be looking at similar results to what teammate Alex Wood posted last night against the Pads.

Tyler Chatwood, COL at ARI ($8,000 FD; $8,000 DK) 

Away from Coors Field this season, Chatwood is holding opponents to a .187/.286/.368 slash, boasting a 2.91 ERA through nine road starts. Arizona has struck out 81 times over the last week, ranking second most in the league, and whiffed 10 times against Jon Gray last night. The last time Chatwood faced the Dbacks lineup back in May, he threw seven innings of one run ball on his way to a 43 FP (FD) performance. His price on DraftKings is especially tasty today.

*Chris Sale, BOS at TOR ($11,600 FD; $13,500 DK) - Early Slates

DFS Infielders to Consider

Mike Zunino- C, SEA at LAA ($2,600 FD; $3,600 DK)

No catcher over the last month has more bombs than Zunino. He has cooled off significantly recently, which luckily dropped his price on both sites. He is coming off a a solo-shot performance last night, and today faces Ricky Nolasco who is allowing a .313/.337/.599 slash and 14 HR to RHB this season. Through just 10 AB against Nolasco for his career, Zunino has four hits including a two-bagger.

Joey Votto- 1B, CIN vs CHC ($4,400 FD; $5,400 DK)

You can never go wrong rostering Votto-matic. Votto's 193 wRC+ over the last 30 days is the highest among first basemen, and he already has hit 16 dingers off RHP this season. At Great American Ball Park he has been absolutely incredible, carrying a .353 BA and a 1.212 OPS. Against Eddie Butler for his career, Votto is 4-8 with two doubles.

Robinson Cano, 2B at LAA ($3,600 FD; $5,000 DK)

Cano is in a perfect situation tonight out in Angel Stadium. He owns a .902 OPS with 12 HR against RHP this season, with a BA 60 points higher on the road. He has owned Nolasco in the past, clubbing three HR in just 17 career AB.

Justin Turner, 3B at SDP ($3,500 FD; $4,700 DK)

In his 18 games since returning from the disabled list, Turner has been hitting like a mad man. He is slashing .415/.519/.692 with five bombs over that time, and an amazing 222 wRC+. Against LHP this season, he is only hitting .423 with a 1.196 OPS. Today he faces poor Dillon Overton who has been hit hard by RHB this season, and is toting around a 6.38 ERA.

Trevor Story, SS at ARI ($2,500 FD; $3,400 DK)

I have not rostered Trevor Story very often this season, considering he is only hitting .224, but I do roster him whenever he is facing Zack Greinke. For some odd reason, Story loves facing his divisional rival. For his career, he is 7-18 with three HR against the strong RHP. In his short time in the big leagues, Story owns a 1.201 OPS with nine XBH through 10 games at Chase Field.

*Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers for Early Slates

DFS Outfielders to Consider

Yoenis Cespedes, OF vs PHI ($3,200 FD; $4,700 DK)

Following the similar BvP trend of Story and Cano, Cespedes also gets a familiar face today as he faces Jeremy Hellickson. Yo has flown under the radar since returning from the disabled list on June 10th, but is still hitting .297 with nine HR on the season. Hellickson has struggled against RHB this season, and has served up three HR in just 16 AB against Cespedes in his career. I will continue to roster Yo on FanDuel as long as his price is this low.

Andrew McCutchen, OF vs SFG ($3,800 FD; $4,600 DK)

If I asked you which qualified OF had the highest wRC+ over the last month, I bet Andrew McCutchen wouldn't be one of your top five answers. But Cutch's 213 wRC+ is higher than that of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and George Springer over that time. He has destroyed southpaws this season, to the tune of a .351/.464/.737 slash, and has fared much better at PNC Park. This leads to a perfect match-up today against Matt Moore who has been getting demolished recently, and gave up two HR and five ER in just 4 1/3 innings last time on the mound. Like most Giants pitchers, he is much worse away from San Fran, as his road ERA sits at an awful 8.39. Cutch fouled a ball off his shin last night, but seems ready to go for today's contest.

Ryan Braun, OF vs MIA ($4,300 FD; $5,000 DK)

Braun is back, folks! Now the Brewers offense has gone from mildly scary, back to terrifying. Today you have to get him in your lineups as the Brew Crew faces off against Tom Koehler with his 7.04 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. Koehler has allowed 10 HR through just 38 1/3 innings this season, and through three starts in his career, owns a mind-boggling 13.11 ERA at Miller Park.

* Cleveland Indians for Early Slates

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