June 17, 2017

JB's top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for 6/17/17. Expert MLB DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for FanDuel and DraftKings.

Welcome to the weekend, RotoBallers, and happy Father's Day to all you fellow padres out there! We are starting a new trend here at RotoBaller, combing all of our beautiful MLB DFS info for both FanDuel and DraftKings into one centralized article. There is no need for us to be divided! We are all the same MLB DFS addicts on the inside.

Today we have a sexy 16 game slate, thanks to a double-header between Cleveland and Minnesota. FanDuel splits the slate into a nine game early slate (no SFG-COL, CLE-MIN Part I, or CWS-TOR) starting at 4:05 ET, and a sad four game "main" slate starting at 8:10 ET. DraftKings wanted to be their own kind of stupid and split the slate into a 10 game early slate (no CWS-TOR or SEA-TEX) starting at 2:10 ET, and the same sad four game "main" slate. So if you want some exposure to Coors on FanDuel, play the All-Day contests. Likewise, if you want the BvP power of SEA vs Martin Perez on DraftKings, play the All-Day contests. Since the slates are so jumbled on both sites, I will try my best to make this as in-depth as possible, with great options for whichever confused slate you wind up playing today.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 6/17/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options, and of course, value plays. Now let's get rowdy. 

Top Offensive Stacks

Houston Astros vs Rick Porcello 

Drew Pomeranz may have quieted the hottest offense in the league last night, but even as a Sox fan, I am not expecting Rick Porcello to enjoy the same success tonight. The Astros own an .813 OPS over the last seven days, and an .821 OPS against RHP for the season. The reigning American League Cy Young winner has been extremely hittable this year,  giving up 41 XBH to go along with his 1.51 WHIP. If you are playing the lame four-game main slate tonight, you need to get as many hitters from this game that you can. Porcello has been literally equally as bad against hitters from both sides of the plate, .841 OPS a piece, so just take any Stros who can hit a RHP. My top four are: Jake Marisnick, Marwin Gonzalez, Carlos Correa, and George Springer.

Cincinnati Reds vs Hyun-Jin Ryu

I loveeeeeee playing the Reds when they play at home. Throwing a weak LHP into that lions den at a forecasted 90 degrees, makes it even sweeter. The Reds own an .803 OPS at Great American this season. Ryu has been pretty lackluster in his 10 starts this year, but the main stat I'm looking at today is that lefty on lefty split. He has allowed a .339/.408/.629 slash to fellow lefties, with five bombs in just 62 AB. The Reds have two LHB in particular who can mash a southpaw: Joey Votto and Scott Schebler. Add Adam Duvall, Zack Cozart, and/or Eugenio Suarez into the mix and you got a lethal anti-Coors stack today.

Colorado Rockies vs Matt Cain

Mediocre-to-bad pitcher in Coors, it ain't rocket science here. Cain has been bad on the road in general this season, and the Rockies of course mash at Coors to the tune of an .823 OPS. The veteran has managed to avoid the divisional rivals all season, up until this fateful day. I tend to lean on BvP for a guy that has been around as long as Cain, especially for in-division rivals with larger sample sizes. With that being said DJ LeMahieu, Mark Reynolds, Ian Desmond, and Charlie Blackmon are the top four guys today. Nolan Arenado surprisingly is only 4-24 (all four hits going for XBH, naturally) against Cain, and Carlos Gonazles is 8-54. Of course that one isn't so surprising considering the season he's having.

Milwaukee Brewers vs Dinelson Lamet

Lamet had himself two extremely impressive outings to start his career, but then has proceeded to get absolutely hammered in his two encore outings. In his last two starts, 8 IP combined, he has allowed 14 ER which has brought his ERA up to a shiny 8.50. Five of his six HR allowed have come off LHB, and he is allowing a 1.212 OPS to them as well. This automatically places two big-time Brew Crew bashers into my lineups: Eric Thames and Travis Shaw. Another play I like today is the out-of-nowhere Eric Sogard who is still defying all odds at the plate.

Top DFS Pitchers

Stephen Strasburg, WSH at NYM ($10,900 FD; $12,200 DK)

I don't LOVE Strasburg's match-up today, especially with the way Lugo looked in his return from the DL, but I feel safe enough to use him in cash games. Vegas has this game as the lowest implied run total of the day, and Mad Max breezed through this Mets offense last night. The last time Stras faced this team, he allowed three ER in seven innings, but only struck out two batters. However, in the month of June he's boasting a 12.5 K/9 which has helped DFS players turn a blind eye to the increase in long-balls. Bottom line- I like his floor in today's game, more than that of fellow ace Chris Archer.

Marcus Stroman, TOR vs CWS ($9,300 FD; $10,100 DK)

Now we have the largest favorite in Vegas today, which I think is just unwarranted disrespect to Mike Pelfrey, especially after what this Southside offense did to poor Joe Biagini yesterday. Nevertheless, Marcus Stroman is a great cash play today and saves you a little extra dough for some bats. In my bold-predictions article I posted pre-season, I stated Stroman would lead the American League in ERA in 2017. Well, right now he is sitting at number eight with a 3.03. He has pitched very well in his last two starts, allowing only three ER over 13 IP while striking out 10. Aside from blasting Biagini, the White Sox have only hit a .702 OPS against RHP this season.

Chase Anderson, MIL vs SDP ($9,200 FD; $9,600 DK)

I was completely bummed to see Chase Anderson properly priced on both sites for today. But I guess he is no longer flying under the radar after flexing a 1.99 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 32 K over his last 31 2/3 innings. He has been especially good at Miller Park this year, with a lowly 1.69 ERA over 37 1/3 innings. We all know by now that it is always a sound strategy to pick on the Padres offense. They own a .697 OPS against RHP and a .675 OPS on the road in 2017, and strike out at a 28% rate. Anderson is my top GPP choice tonight thanks to what I see as a very high ceiling against this offense in front of his home crowd. Hopefully the Strasburg and Archer name-flair keeps his ownership percentages down to a respectable level.

Bargain Bin: Ivan Nova, PIT vs CHC ($8,200 FD; $7,100 DK); Zack Godley, ARI at PHI ($7,800 FD; $8,400 DK)

Top DFS Infielders

Yan Gomes - C, CLE at MIN ($2,500 FD; $2,900 DK)

Woo-wee, it's not often that the top player at a position in my cheat sheet ends up being so cheap on both sites, but here we are. The low price is deserved, considering Gomes's .231 BA and 93 wRC+. But today he gets not one, but two great match-ups in his double header at Minnesota. The first bout against Adam Wilk is the one I am most intrigued with, but an encore face-off with Adalberto Mejia works just as well. Versus southpaws on the road this season, Gomes owns a 1.214 OPS with a .381 ISO and 218 wRC+. It also just so-happens that both of the Twins young LHP today have been hit hard by RHP this year.

Edwin Encarnacion - 1B, CLE at MIN ($3,700 FD; $4,700 DK)

What do we have here, another Cleveland RHB that can mash southpaws and enjoys hitting on the road? Why certainly. In fact, E5 went deep just last night in Minnesota. The veteran is the proud owner of a 50.0 Hard% and 33.3 HR/FB% against LHP on the road this season, and makes for a fine play in either of the games today.

Yonder Alonso - 1B, OAK vs NYY ($3,400 FD; $3,900 DK)

Alonso has to be my favorite story of the 2017 season. The guy has been in the league since 2010 and never hit double digit HR over a full season. He has now 17 and it isn't even July yet. This launch angle voodoo magic is out of control! He has clobbered RHP, and 11 of those 17 bombs have come at the Oakland Coliseum. Today he faces a guy who probably wishes launch angle was never discovered, as Masahiro Tanaka owns a 6.07 ERA and has served up 18 HR already this year.

Jonathan Schoop - 2B, BAL vs STL ($3,500 FD; $4,400 DK)

The Orioles offense has been a disappointment up to this point in the season but Schoop is definitely pulling his weight, hitting .282 with 11 HR. At Camden Yards, his power stroke comes alive, as he owns a .550 SLG and .270 ISO at home in 2017. Adam Wainwright has been just as bad as he was last season, but has only surrendered one long-ball to RHB all year. This makes Schoop a better option in cash games rather than GPP today.

Jake Lamb - 3B, ARI at PHI ($4,100 FD; $5,200 DK)

The Diamondbacks offense has been less than stellar away from Chase Field this season, with the exception of Jake Lamb, who has proved that he can mash anywhere on this planet. Against RHP on the road, he has raked to the tune of a 45.2 Hard%, which will play nicely today against Jerad Eickhoff. Seven of Eickhoff's nine HR allowed this season have come off LHB, and he owns a 5.46 ERA at home. Pay up for Lamb today, especially over on FanDuel where he comes in at a slight discount.

Kyle Seager - 3B, SEA at TEX ($3,400 FD; $3,800 DK)

The ultimate BvP play for today's slate, Seager has absolutely owned Martin Perez throughout his career. He is 16-35 with a double and four HR against the southpaw. If you pay up for a pitcher today and are looking for a mid-price safety net in the infield, big Seager is your man. Perez has allowed seven of his eight HR in the ballpark at Arlington this season.

Francisco Lindor - SS, CLE at MIN ($3,400 FD; $4,200 DK)

Lindor has certainly cooled off after his sizzling start to the 2017 season, as his BA has now dropped to .258. But luckily for us, he owns a much healthier .295 BA versus LHP. With the hot mess that the Twins are sending to the mound today, Lindor is an extremely safe bet for FP and is a great play in cash games. But considering he hasn't left the yard in the month of June, I'd prefer any of the shortstops mentioned in the stacks portion for GPPs.

Bargain Bin: Marwin Gonzalez - 1B/OF, HOU vs BOS ($3,200 FD; $4,200 DK); Jed Lowrie - 2B, OAK vs NYY ($2,800 FD; $3,700 DK)

Top DFS Outfielders

Eric Young Jr. - OF, LAA vs KC ($3,400 FD; $4,000 DK)

Eric Young has been a pleasant surprise for the Angels as they try to survive life without Mike Trout. In fact, he was absent from the lineup yesterday and the Angels just about get no-hit by Ian Kennedy. In just 58 AB this season, he has hit three HR and swiped six bases. This level of play isn't going to last obviously, but right now is the perfect time to take advantage of his 1.000 OPS against RHP as he squares off with Jake Junis who is allowing a .977 OPS to LHB through 17 1/3 IP this season.

Andrew Benintendi - OF, BOS at HOU ($3,600 FD; $5,100 DK)

Benintendo64 has broken out of his late May slump and is finding himself hitting in the heart of the Red Sox lineup once again. He has nine hits in his last seven games, and today faces a struggling RHP on the road- which falls right in Benny's wheelhouse. Against RHP away from Fenway this season, he owns a 40.2 Hard% and a 51.9 FB%, which is a tasty recipe for a bomb tonight. His opponent, David Paulino, has allowed a 1.078 OPS to LHB and owns a 6.59 ERA through his first three starts. Despite the match-up, I don't see myself paying that steep price tag on DraftKings today.

Nelson Cruz - OF, SEA at TEX ($4,300 FD; $5,000 DK)

This is the obvious second piece to that BvP nightmare facing Martin Perez today. For his career, Cruz is 7-15 with three HR and a double against Perez. As I mentioned before, Perez has not been fond of the park in Arlington this season. Beware of the chalk here.

Khris Davis - OF, OAK vs NYY ($3,800 FD; $4,000 DK)

K Davis has already hit 16 HR off RHP this season, and owns a BA that is 40 points higher at home than on the road. As we saw previously, Tanaka is serving up bombs, and has been slightly worse against RHB (.901 OPS). The price on DraftKings is too good to ignore today.

Trey Mancini - 1B/OF, BAL vs STL ($3,100 FD; $4,300 DK)

This kid is going to make the fans in Baltimore completely forget who Chris Davis is by the time he returns from the disabled list. Mancini now owns a .303 BA for the season to go along with 11 HR, and has scored over 20 FP (FanDuel) in three of his last five contests- including last night. Mancini carries a .998 OPS and 166 wRC+ splits (versus RHP at home) into the match-up with Waino, and is a safe bet to exceed value. You especially need to take advantage on FanDuel today.

Cody Bellinger - OF, LAD at CIN ($3,900 FD; $5,000 DK)

There is Aaron Judge and there is Cody Bellinger, and then there is the rest of the MLB right now. Managers are going to have to start a new style of shift against Bellinger, adding two outfielders in the bleachers. He is a fantastic GPP play almost every night, and today is no exception opposing Asher Wojciechowski. Bellinger took Wojcasdfkwfdi deep exactly one week ago, and will likely keep the tradition going today.

Bargain Bin: Dan Robertson - OF, CLE at MIN ($2,800 FD; $2,700 DK); Derek Fisher - OF, HOU vs BOS ($2,200 FD; $3,300 DK); Seth Smith - OF, BAL vs STL ($3,000 FD; $3,800 DK); Ben Gamel - OF, SEA at TEX ($3,300 FD; $3,900 DK)

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