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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/9/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Friday, RotoBallers! We've got a 14-game slate on tap for the final Friday before the All-Star break. The only matchup not on our featured schedule is the Cardinals at the Cubs day game at Wrigley Field. As for the other 14, it all starts at 7:05 PM ET in Baltimore, with the White Sox and Orioles kicking off their weekend series. Then, this great game goes on all night until three West Coast games throw out their first pitch at 10:10 PM ET.
I went on vacation for one week, and all the pitching slates have gone south! On Wednesday, we had Zack Wheeler and a bunch of nobody's, and today, Jake Odorizzi is the most expensive arm at $10,000 against the Yankees. What is going on?! Fortunately, tonight's arms are far better than Wednesday's secondary options, and it has me leaning towards the youth movement with some discounts to load up the bats. I'm not going to trust Alex Cobb and his 7.77 road ERA, even if it is against the Mariners.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/9/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Alek Manoah - P, TB at TOR ($7,000)
Manoah was supposed to pitch on Thursday, but he'll be available for our DFS squads tonight due to the rainout in Baltimore. After a phenomenal debut (29.1 fantasy points at NYY), the right-handed rookie struggled for a couple of turns before getting back on track in the latter half of June.
Over his last four starts, Manoah has a 2.42 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and a 31 percent strikeout rate in 22 1/3 innings. While a .220 BABIP and 91 percent strand rate in the same stretch is highly unsustainable, he limits opponents to a 24.1 percent hard-hit rate. So while the 23-year old may be playing a bit over his head, he is getting the results we desire in DFS. For the season, he's averaging 18.7 fantasy points per game, and he's struck out at least six batters in four of his seven starts. Manoah should have no problem making that five of eight against this Rays lineup that's striking out 27.2 percent of the time versus righties since June 1.
Zach Thompson - P, MIA vs. ATL ($6,900)
We are going with the discount route on DraftKings tonight, as both pitcher recommendations are below the $7,000 mark. After only a few Major League outings, Thompson follows Manoah as another rookie providing impressive real-life and fantasy results. Tonight will be Thompson's sixth start of the year, but already the third time he faces the Atlanta Braves. He also saw them in his last start on Independence Day, so the Braves have plenty of tape on the rookie.
However, in those first two starts, Thompson threw a combined 11 innings while allowing three earned runs, nine hits, and a walk while sending 12 Braves back to the dugout via strikeout. Nevertheless, the rookie clearly has the goods to produce at the Major League level. In his last four starts, Thompson averages 23.6 FPPG, and he'll have a chance to rack up more strikeouts against this Braves lineup and their 25.6 percent strikeout rate to right-handed hurlers.
Other options: Alex Cobb at SEA ($9,800), Wade Miley at MIL ($9,700), Kenta Maeda vs. DET ($7,100)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Tyler Stephenson - C, CIN at Eric Lauer ($3,600)
When the Cincinnati Reds face a lefty on the mound, they deploy Tyler Stephenson, giving him a premier lineup spot. This week, they've already encountered two southpaws, and he batted second and fourth. Tonight, Stephenson will see Eric Lauer on the mound as he looks to continue his dominance against lefties. In 73 plate appearances versus left-handers, Stephenson slashes .303/.370/.545 with a .387 weighted On Base Average while chipping in seven doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B, TOR at Shane McClanahan ($5,600)
Guerrero isn't a tough choice on a bad day, but DK lowered his salary, and that's all the extra incentive I need to get him in my lineup. The 22-year old has only cost $5,600 or less once since June 16th, and he's been on an absolute tear. Fellow Rotoballer Mike Kurland even laid out a perfectly timed tweet to illustrate how good Vlad is against left-handers just in time to face Shane McClanahan on Friday night.
#BlueJays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has turned it on against LHP. Over the last 2 weeks against LHP:
3 HR
.333/.444/1.067
This is with just a .250 BABIP
wOBA: 593
wRC+: 281Bringing his 2021 numbers against LHP up to:
5 HR
.273/.455/.530
wOBA: .428
wRC+: 171Such a stud. pic.twitter.com/498OoTmp8V
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) July 8, 2021
Jonathan India - 2B, CIN at Eric Lauer ($4,200)
Pairing India, Stephenson, and another big Reds bat will be one of my favorite strategies for Friday's schedule. Grabbing India and Stephenson, especially at a combined $7,800, makes a ton of sense in my brain. India is the established leadoff hitter in Cincinnati, and it's been that way for a while.
Since June 1 (33 games), the rookie infielder has a .322 batting average with 28 runs, 10 extra-base hits (three homers), 14 RBI, and five steals. He's averaging 9.7 FPPG in the same stretch of games, and it would put him behind only Marcus Semien (10.1 FPPG) and Jose Altuve (10.0 FPPG) at the position in 2021.
Justin Turner - 3B, LAD vs. Madison Bumgarner ($5,400)
After a prolific April, Turner slumped in May but has since rebounded for the summer months. Since June 6 (26 games), Turner has a .383 batting average with five doubles, five home runs, 13 runs, and 15 RBI. However, the veteran third baseman has picked it up over the last 10 games with a .412/.487/.618 slash line while averaging 9.0 FPPG.
Right now, DraftKings has Madison Bumgarner as the scheduled start for Arizona, but they could go with Taylor Widener if they need to give their veteran arm some extra rest off the IL. Either way, Turner is in a prime spot to rack up more counting numbers and, therefore, more fantasy points for our lineups.
Willy Adames - SS, MIL vs. Wade Miley ($5,100)
I've already picked on Eric Lauer for the Brewers in this game, but it's not like Wade Miley is a world-beater himself. So that's how we end up with Willy Adames as the shortstop recommendation tonight. A lot has been written and tweeted about how great he's been since the trade from Tampa Bay, but it probably deserves to be repeated.
Since he found greener (and probably colder) pastures in Wisconsin (44 games), the shortstop is mashing to the tune of a .289/.369/.547 slash line with a .258 ISO and .391 wOBA. In the counting categories, he's tacked on 14 doubles, nine home runs, 26 runs, 30 RBI, and even two steals. I love this game for DFS purposes tonight, and Adames is one of the centerpieces I'll look to build around.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI at Garrett Richard ($5,000)
Harper is smack in the middle of a power binge right now, and you're going to want to hop on board in Fenway. Over his last 10 games, the six-time All-Star is sporting a 1.064 OPS with 10 runs, three doubles, four home runs, and 10 RBI. Since a disappointing May, he's rebounded sensationally, and his .593 slugging percentage since June 1 is fifth among all qualified outfielders.
Everything screams Harper in tonight's matchup with Garrett Richards in Boston. The struggling right-handed pitcher has a 1.99 WHIP and a 5.46 SIERA since June 1 while allowing a 55.4 percent hard-hit rate. Harper's going to have a hard hit tonight, and it may clear the fences or the Green Monster to kick off the weekend.
Tommy Pham - OF, SD vs. Kyle Freeland ($4,500)
Pham is another leadoff hitter to bolster our plate appearances and potential fantasy points. He's anchored at the top of the Padre's ship and, recently, is benefitting in a big way. Since Independence Day, San Diego averages 7.4 runs per game, and the entire offense is clicking. Pham is 5-for-10 with four runs, three doubles, and an RBI in his previous three games. It doesn't take a lot to convince me to play a part of the San Diego offense, and grabbing Pham at this sort of reasonable price tag is all I need to push me over the edge.
Luis Arraez - 3B/OF, MIN vs. Matt Manning ($3,600)
*Read in Oliver Twist voice* "Please, sir, I want some more leadoff hitters."
I can't seem to quit the Twins. Despite their standing at the bottom of the AL Central, I still look at their lineup and don't understand how this team isn't bludgeoning their opponents night in and night out. Regardless, Arraez at $3,600 atop this lineup feels like a terrific value on the slate.
He's coming into the game on a bit of a heater himself. The lefty has three multi-hit efforts in his last four games and averages 11.2 FPPG in the same number of games. While Matt Manning is a prospect to watch for the future, he's not getting the results right now with a 7.94 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. If Arraez can get to first base, the rest of the Minnesota offense shouldn't have an issue knocking him in against this rookie pitcher.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays (Shane McClanahan, LHP)
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Madison Bumgarner, LHP / Taylor Widener, RHP)
- Game stack: Cincinnati Reds (Wade Miley, LHP) at Milwaukee Brewers (Eric Lauer, LHP)
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