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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/30/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Friday, RotoBallers! This trade deadline is something else. Yesterday, we saw Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, and Anthony Rizzo change teams. While there are a dozen moves I could discuss, those two stand out because they will produce postseason tremors among the elite teams. Now, we get to follow the deadline with a massive dose of DFS. 15 games inhabit the DraftKings featured slate tonight, and it kicks off the final 60-ish game push towards the playoffs.
On my initial look at the slate, I like a lot of pitching spots. It will enable DFS managers to vary their lineup construction, and it should be quite a fun evening. The first thing jumping off the page is the duel between Framber Valdez ($9,100) and Kevin Gausman ($9,400). The Giants and Astros are two of the best teams in MLB, and this weekend offers us a possible World Series preview for October. WARNING: The trade deadline could drastically affect these recommendations. So take some time to see where the dust settles after the deadline passes.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/30/2021. 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.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Corbin Burnes - P, MIL at ATL ($10,200)
With several intriguing arms below the $9,000, I will happily spend up at my SP1 spot and grab Burnes. He's been electric all season, and he's still going strong as the second half of the season moves along. Over the last 10 games, the righty has a 2.34 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings. Burnes has struck out at least seven batters in seven of his last 10 starts, and that stretch includes both a 12 and a 13-strikeout effort. I have no worries starting him against this Braves offense, even in the hitter-friendly ballpark. Atlanta is striking out 25 percent of the time against righties since the calendar flipped to June, and Burnes' strikeout ceiling quickly puts him in the conversation of must-start plays.
Tony Gonsolin - P, LAD at ARI ($7,900)
It hasn't been all sunshine and lollipops for Gonsolin since he started his 2021 campaign. However, he's coming off his best start of the season (27.6 points vs. COL) and will see another weak offense with the Diamondbacks strolling into Dodgers Stadium. Gonsolin threw 5 1/3 innings of shutout baseball in that last outing while allowing two hits and two walks to go along with a season-high seven strikeouts. I expect he will match that number of innings and strikeouts again versus an Arizona lineup striking out 24.6 percent of the time and producing a 76 wRC+ against righties.
Other options: Lance Lynn vs. CLE ($10,300), Patrick Sandoval vs. OAK ($8,800), Logan Gilbert at TEX ($7,200)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Omar Narvaez - C, MIL at Touki Toussaint ($4,000)
I'm going to play some Brewers mini-stacks tonight because there's an opportunity to gain leverage on the field versus a predictable high-rostered Touki Toussaint. Narvaez is a crucial part of the mini-stack because he's only $4,000, and he's hitting third or fourth for this potent Brewers lineup. After a few below-par games for the backstop, he's recorded an extra-base hit and multiple hits in back-to-back games. This play makes too much sense if you are looking to take on a different lineup. Narvaez is an excellent play.
Joey Votto - 1B, CIN at Carlos Carrasco ($4,700)
Joey Votto has a home run in six straight games. Joey Votto has a 1.243 slugging percentage in his last 10 games. Joey Votto is averaging 19.4 fantasy points per game over his previous 10 games. Joey Votto's salary dropped from $4,900 yesterday to $4,700 today. I will be playing Joey Votto tonight.
One for the record books. pic.twitter.com/ZTwzENXdoD
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) July 29, 2021
Ty France - 1B/2B, SEA at Kolby Allard ($4,300)
The power for Ty France (eight home runs) is not there, but the batting average is here to stay. A couple of injuries have hurt his season-long line, but the most recent version of Ty France is the player I believe we will see moving forward. Over his last 10 games, he's rocking a .350/.409/.475 slash line with nine runs, three extra-base hits, and six RBI. While it would be nice to have him atop this Mariners lineup, the cleanup spot is not a bad consolation prize. Kolby Allard is the second cheapest pitcher on the slate for a reason, and the Mariners should
Yandy Diaz - 1B/3B, TB vs. Martin Perez ($4,800)
Tampa Bay never shies away from playing the lefty-right splits game. So with Martin Perez (LHP) on the mound for Boston, Diaz should find himself on the lineup card. He's batted between third and fifth in his last five starts and will be in line for some much-wanted, fantasy-point-producing opportunities. Recently, the infielder owns a .278/.316/.528 slash line with seven runs, a double, a triple, two home runs, and five RBI. Perez has a 4.91 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in his last 10 starts. This will allow Diaz and the Rays to punish him multiple times on Friday in this AL East showdown.
Chris Taylor - SS, LAD at Zac Gallen ($5,100)
With the recent acquisition of Trea Turner and the soon-to-be returns of Mookie Betts and Corey Seager, Chris Taylor's time as a fantasy stud could be running out. Fortunately, that day will have to wait, and we can roster and utilize Taylor to our advantage on Friday. In July, his .422 weighted On-Base Average is 16th-best, and his .997 OPS is 18th-best among qualified batters (175 players), so that'll do nicely. The $5,100 price tag is a little steep, but I've already been able to make it work in a couple of lineups.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
AJ Pollock - OF, LAD at Zac Gallen ($4,300)
As I mentioned with Taylor above, there will be a squeeze in playing time among the fringe Dodgers players. Pollock is playing well, but he will have to keep it up when the roster crunch begins. Coincidentally, he's on an eight-game hit streak and has an 8.0 FPPG average in that stretch. Pollock also shows some signs of his old speed with two stolen bases in his last four contests. I would love him to sneak into the top half of the Dodgers lineup card, but they are so stacked it's hard to remove anyone. Regardless, he is part of a fantastic lineup, and grabbing a piece of it for $4,300 is nothing to turn away from.
Harrison Bader - OF, STL vs. Jose Berrios ($2,500)
The player with the seventh-best wOBA in July (.450) is only $2,500. It's a little mind-boggling. Still, that's the truth about Harrison Bader, and we need to take advantage of this bad pricing. Over his last 10 contests, the outfielder has six multi-hit efforts, eight runs, five doubles, three homers, nine RBI, and a stolen base. While Jose Berrios is a solid pitcher, I'm not convinced he will be on the mound when this game starts. Instead, it could be a last-second bullpen game for the Twins, which will only enhance my Bader and Cardinals exposure.
Ben Gamel - OF, PIT vs. Vince Velasquez ($2,000)
Adam Frazier has left the building, and Ben Gamel is replacing his lineup spot. The minimum price for a leadoff hitter is a DFS gold mine, but it's even better because of the results Gamel is producing. His .408 wOBA is 24th among qualified hitters in July and performs significantly better at home than the road. In 35 games at PNC Park, the outfielder slashes .305/.391/.537 with 13 extra-base hits compared to a .616 OPS and six extra-base hits outside Pittsburgh. Vince Velasquez is a pitcher to target on days like these, and the Pirates will put up a couple of crooked numbers on tonight's scoreboard.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers (Kolby Allard, LHP)
- Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks (Zac Gallen, RHP)
- Sneaky stack: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Minnesota Twins (Especially if Berrios gets traded)
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