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As usual, the Thursday slate is split between an afternoon and main slate. With only eight total games for the day, the afternoon slate is a bit smaller than usual with just three games. With a small slate, it's important to find every advantage to stay in the green.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 7/27/17. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DanMarcus3.
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DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider
Marcus Stroman - P, TOR vs. OAK (DK - $11,500, FD - $8,600)
Marcus Stroman has his ERA below 3.00 on the season, but perhaps even more important is the fact that he has turned into a workhorse. Over his past five starts, he has completed seven or more innings in three of them and has completed six innings in five of them. That helps cover up his mediocre strikeout rate and allows him to produce at an elite rate. He is priced nicely on FanDuel, well below the other elite pitchers on Thursday’s slate. That isn’t the case on DraftKings, but he is still worth the cost given the A's lineup that is bottom-third in the league in most metrics.
Zack Godley - P, ARI @ STL (DK - $8,400, FD - $8,500)
Zack Godley continues to rack up the strikeouts which keeps him in consideration every time he takes the mound. Unfortunately, his price has caught up to his performance at this point in the season, but the Cardinals aren’t an especially daunting matchup with a wRC+ of 98 against right-handed pitching on the season. That makes Godley a strong option and he comes with a slight discount in comparison the top tier of pitching options on the slate, especially on DraftKings.
DFS Infielders to Consider
Wilson Ramos - C, TB @ NYY (DK - $3,000, FD - $2,400)
The surface stats look ugly for Wilson Ramos, but it’s imperative to look beyond them, especially given the small sample size of his 2017 season. For example, Ramos retains a strikeout rate in line with his career norms and has a higher hard-contact rate than his breakout 2016 campaign. Perhaps most important for DFS purposes, Ramos has increased his flyball rate to nearly 10% above his career rate. The combination of hard hit rate and flyball rate is a desirable one, especially in homer happy Yankee Stadium.
Jose Abreu - 1B, CHW vs. CHC (DK - $4,300, FD - $3,400)
A matchup against Jon Lester doesn’t necessarily immediately jump out as one to attack, but the context is right to play Abreu on Thursday’s slate. For one, the game has a total of 10. While much of that is projected runs for the Cubs, Lester hasn’t been shutting down right-handed hitters this season. In fact, he has allowed a .795 OPS to right-handed hitters on the season. That paired with Jose Abreu’s 1.031 OPS against left-handed pitching makes Abreu a very solid play on Thursday.
Jose Ramirez - 2B, CLE vs LAA (DK - $4,800, FD - $3,600)
The fantasy exploits of Jose Ramirez hardly need explanation at this point and he could be a solid play on basically any slate. However, a matchup against J.C. Ramirez is worth highlighting as J.C. has allowed a whopping 2.30 HR/9 to opposing left-handed batters this season.
Anthony Rendon - 3B, WAS vs MIL (DK - $5,400, FD - $3,700)
Rendon has been excellent and costs plenty as a result, but Thursday’s matchup against Michael Blazek makes him worth buying into. Rendon is an especially streaky player, so his 1.421 OPS since the All-Star Break is worth taking note of.
Andrelton Simmons - SS, LAA @ CLE (DK - $5,400, FD - $3,300)
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the Indians matchup against J.C. Ramirez but be careful not to ignore the Angels matchup against Trevor Bauer. Bauer has proven to be rather hittable for both right and left-handed hitters. The hype has died down for Simmons, yet July has been his best month for both hard-hit rate and wRC+.
DFS Outfielders to Consider
Ian Happ - OF, CHC @ CHW (DK - $4,600, FD - $2,700)
Mike Plefrey hasn’t been as atrocious overall as would be expected, but he has allowed a .874 OPS against opposing left-handed batters. He also allows a large number of flyballs, which creates plenty of home run opportunities for left-handed hitters. Happ is much stronger from the left-side of the plate making him a strong play on FanDuel but the steep price increase on DraftKings is reason to pause. On DraftKings it is worth considering other lefties such as Kyle Schwarber or Jason Heyward, as they offer a considerable discount.
Michael Conforto - OF, NYM @ SDP (DK - $5,400, FD - $3,700)
A lot of fantasy analysts have tried very hard to make Luis Perdomo a fantasy darling this season. While there have been moments of promise for Perdomo, things have only been ugly against left-handed hitters on the season. He has allowed an .887 OPS, 5.18 xFIP, and just a 2.2% K-BB% against lefties. Conforto has hit everyone well this season but he is a player to focus on given his platoon advantage on Thursday’s slate.
Christian Yelich - OF, MIA vs. CIN (DK - $4,000, FD - $3,600)
Yelich is hitting incredibly well as July has been a breakout month for him. A matchup against Robert Stephenson isn’t daunting in the least, so playing to his strong form of late is a solid move on Thursday’s slate.
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