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Welcome to Thursday baseball on FanDuel. The early slate is a fun one, but not what we'll be focusing on. We'll instead hone in on the main slate, starting at 7:05 PM. We have some fun pitching options and plenty of guys to pick on. Without a game in Coors Field, the slate is balanced and we have a ton of ways to look in tournaments. Trevor Bauer is an easy choice at the top, but he's expensive and there are some solid alternatives.
FanDuel is offering up some fun contests tonight. It all starts with a $115k prize pool with just a $9.99 entry fee. The sky is the limit there and I'm not against putting together a bunch of lineups and taking your shot at the top prize. There are some other higher-end tournaments, with an $88 Grand Slam and $555 Monster. Let's have some fun tonight!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/18/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @VarneyDFS.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Trevor Bauer - CLE @ DET ($10,800)
We saw Clevinger dominate last night, striking out 12 in just six innings of work. Bauer is a pretty comparable pitcher, except he has a longer leash and strikes out an extra batter per inning (11.56). He goes over 100 pitches in every outing and has the upside for an CGSO any given night. The Tigers rank 29th in baseball against right-handed pitching and strikeout 26% of the time. Bauer is an easy choice, but the alternative could be just as popular.
Noah Syndergaard - NYM @ SFG ($9,200)
Noah Syndergaard is nearly $2k cheaper than Bauer and has a phenomenal match-up in the best pitchers ballpark in the league. The Giants rank 27th against right-handers in terms of wOBA, but sit 28th and 30th in ISO and K:BB. Syndergaard has looked solid recently, sporting a .297 combined wOBA while still striking out close to a batter per innings. He’s not the same K pitcher he once was, but he’s traded it in for more consistency and command. The match-up is great and the price hard to pass up. It’s just whether or not you think Bauer gets close to his ceiling or not. I personally have 100% Bauer.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
C/1B - C.J. Cron - MIN vs. OAK (Fiers) - $3,200
There isn’t much bad pitching on this slate, but let’s get one thing out of the way. Mike Fiers is a terrible pitcher and the luckiest player in baseball this season. A 5.90 xFIP and 3.61 ERA tells you all you need to know. Everything in the world points to Fiers having a terrible second half and I’m all in. Especially on the road. The Twins are my favorite offense of the night and Cron will be slotted in behind Rosario with plenty of RBI opportunities. Garver/Castro and Sano are in play here as well, assuming they’re in the lineup.
2B - David Fletcher - LAA vs. HOU (Miley) - $2,800
Wade Miley is another pitcher that has performed far better than his stats tell us. Not at all to the same degree of Fiers, but he holds a 4.71 xFIP vs righties with just a 2:1 K:BB ratio. A .224 BABIP will inevitably rise and Miley will struggle. Fletcher is a cheap second baseman that has a platoon advantage and will be hitting leadoff for a team that will put up at least four or five runs. If you can’t play Altuve, Fletcher is a comfortable settlement.
3B - Jake Lamb - ARI vs. MIL (Davies) - $2,600
We called on Jake Lamb last night and he came through with 31 FD points. The entire Diamondbacks squad went off, and Lamb was one of the big reasons why. He’s now been over 28 FD points three times with two homers in his last eight games. It’s not safe to say he’s back to the 30+ HR hitter of 2015, but he is putting solid wood on the ball and we know that player is still in there somewhere behind those injuries. On the off case that Jake Lamb is back, you’re getting a $4k+ third baseman for dirt cheap. He faces off with Zach Davies tonight, who’s given up a 5.68 xFIP to left-handed bats. The Diamondbacks are as hot as could be right now and I don’t have much hope for Davies here.
SS - Jorge Polanco - MIN vs. OAK (Fiers) - $3,700
The Twins have been seeing some lefties of late, so Jorge Polanco hasn’t been able to have much fun. He's a switch-hitter, but a shell of himself on the right side. That’ll all change tonight against Mike Fiers, who ranks 87th out of 90 qualifying pitchers against lefties. His 5.90 xFIP is going to hit him like a train and the Twins should start the melee. Polanco has sported a .393 wOBA with 12 of his 13 homers against them. He should be the most popular shortstop on the slate in all formats, but I doubt he will be against Fiers. His reputation still far exceeds his expected performance. Take advantage as much as you possibly can.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Juan Soto - WAS @ ATL (Teheran) - $4,100
Julio Teheran isn’t a tough pitcher to figure out. For years now, he’s been an extreme platoon arm that is great vs righties and disastrous vs lefties. On the season, he’s allowing a 5.54 xFIP to lefties while walking five per nine innings. He’s allowed 13 home runs in just over 100 innings of work, with half coming bad lefties. Juan Soto on the other hand, has posted a consistent .399 wOBA vs righties and has hit 17 homers on the young season. The upside is huge in this phenomenal match-up. Eddie Rosario is another outfielder that will be in every lineup of mine, but I don't want to stuff the Twins down your throat.
Justin Upton - LAA vs. HOU (Miley) - $3,500
Mike Trout may be back for this game, and he’s the top hitter on the slate if so. With that said, Justin Upton is a seasoned vet and all he does is mash lefties. Dating back to ‘17, Upton has plastered southpaws to the tune of a .408 wOBA. He now sees the regression-due Wade Miley who happens to have HR issues. Upton is only $3.5k on FanDuel and makes for one of my favorite plays in all formats. Good luck tonight and please do reach out on Twitter with any questions!
