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It's Friday, which means we've got a full slate of games (well, besides those two games that aren't playing for COVID safety concerns). There are a ton of good pitching options on the slate today, so have fun messing around with the potential hitting combinations that allow you to roster high-upside arms but be sure to double-check the weather and starting lineups before finalizing your roster.
While I won't directly be breaking down the best stacks, it's good practice, especially in GPP contests, to stack 3-4 bats from a team that you feel most confident in since you're trying to build a lineup that can outscore thousands of people if said offense has a great night. It's obviously riskier to put all your eggs in one basket, but that's why it's a strong strategy for GPP games and not as necessary for cash games.
In this article, I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/31/2020. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. 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, contact me on Twitter @SamskiNYC.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Yu Darvish - SP, CHC vs PIT ($10,500)
The rain pushes Yu Darvish back a day, and he goes from having to face the Reds to getting to square off against the Pirates. A considerable win for the right-hander. Despite a rough first start against Milwaukee, Darvish has elite strikeout upside and will face a Pirates squad that is 8th-worst in the league with a 25.8 K% and a team batting average of just .171. Darvish was at 73 pitches when he was removed against Milwaukee in his first start, so you can expect around 90 tonight, which should be enough to get him through at least six innings against this lineup.
Luis Castillo - SP, CIN @ DET ($8,000)
This feels like cheating, but it seems that DraftKings didn't change Castillo's price after the rain similarly pushed his start back. Unlike Darvish, Castillo was dominant in his first start against these same Tigers. He allowed one run on six hits while striking out 11 and inducing 24 swinging strikes in his 91 pitches. The Tigers are worst in the league with a 33.5 K% and have a team batting average of .198, so Castillo should rack up the strikeouts, which will mean tons of fantasy goodness. He should also be up over 100 pitches now, which makes him one of the better pitching options on the slate and a near-lock at his price.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Anthony Rizzo - 1B, CHC vs PIT ($4,600)
Rizzo is the 9th-highest priced 1B on the slate tonight, which seems a little low in such a good match-up. Trevor Williams got lit up in his first outing of the year after pitching to a 5.38 ERA and only a 6.98 K/9 in 2019, so I expect the Cubs to be all over him tonight. Even though Rizzo hasn't been hitting the ball exceptionally well this year by Statcast metrics, he has three home runs in four games, which makes me more confident that the rest of the metrics will continue to correct back to his career norms. His career splits favor home games against right-handers, and his position as the number two-hitter in the lineup means that he can contribute with some runs as well as RBI and a potential long ball.
Jose Peraza - 2B/SS, BOS @ NYY ($2,900)
The Yankees are starting Jordan Montgomery tonight, which means Jose Peraza will be leading off for the Red Sox. He's hit .297 off of left-handed pitching in his career and has been making consistent contact this season, which gives him the ability to use his elite speed on the basepaths. The Red Sox offense has yet to wake up, so he hasn't been scoring runs, but the big hitters behind him are going to come alive soon and Peraza against a lefty will be a great salary saver when they do.
Tim Anderson - SS, CHW @ KC ($4,000)
We're all excited to watch Royals rookie Kris Bubic take the hill on Friday, but the left-hander has never pitched above High-A and will now be squaring off with a talented young White Sox lineup. Anderson has started the season a little slowly, but is a .314 career hitter against left-handed pitching and will likely lead off for the White Sox in a game where they could score a good number of runs. His power/speed combo gives him a number of ways to help your fantasy team, which makes him a solid option for both cash and GPP.
Mike Moustakas - 2B/3B, CIN @ DET ($3,600)
I like Spencer Turnbull, and he pitched well against the Reds the first time out, but that was when Moustakas and Senzel were held out of the lineup with health concerns. Moose is back now, and this is simply way too low of a price for a man who's 5-for-10 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in the three games he's played. That's 17 DraftKings points a game for under 4K. I don't expect the Reds as a team to light up Turnbull, but I'm going to ride the hot bat here with Moustakas at a bargain price.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Trent Grisham - OF, SD @ COL ($4,900)
When you see "@ COL" you know your eyes widen a little bit. Grisham will draw a vulnerable Jon Gray tonight and has put on a show the last two nights with DraftKings scores of 24 and 25 points. The best part is that Grisham has earned those points in a number of ways, going 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBI one night and then following that up by going 2-6 with a 2B, 3B, 2 R, and a SB the next. His versatile skill-set gives him a safe fantasy floor and you obviously can't ask for a better hitting environment.
Aaron Judge - OF, NYY vs BOS ($4,600)
The Yankees will square off against Ryan Weber tonight at home, which will make them one of the chalkier options on the slate. The Red Sox also used their two best relievers - Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman - in back-to-back games, so it would be likely that they rest both of them tonight, meaning the Yankees will see the Red Sox weaker relievers after facing a replacement-level starter. It's a situation you should attack. Giancarlo Stanton has been seeing the ball exceptionally well to start the season and will likely be highly owned, but Judge has homered in two straight and comes in $1,100 cheaper than his outfield teammate, so he could be a more unique pivot.
Kyle Schwarber - OF, CHC vs PIT ($4,400)
Schwarber hasn't gotten off to the hottest start this season, but he showed clear improvement last year in barrels and exit velocity. I firmly believe that those gains will carry over into this season, and there might not be a better time than at home against Trevor Williams. Schwarber has a batting average that's almost .040 points higher at Wrigley Field and makes for another great way to get exposure to the Cubs lineup.
Joey Gallo - OF, TEX @ SF ($4,300)
Gallo at this price is incredibly tempting. Yes, he's a streaky hitter and Oracle Park isn't the best for left-handed power, but Gallo's power isn't being held in by any stadium. He's hitting only .211 on the year but has two HR in the last three games, and you've never rostered him for his high average. He'll get to square off against Logan Webb, who was solid in his first start this year but had a 5.22 ERA and a 17.9% HR/FB ratio last year. I like Gallo's chances of getting on the board with another home run tonight.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
For tonight's slate, there are many stacks to choose from but my two favorite stacks are the chalky Yankees stack taking on Ryan Weber and a depleted Red Sox bullpen and the Chicago Cubs at home against Trevor Williams and a relatively inept Pirates team.
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