July 9, 2017

JB's top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for 7/9/17. Expert MLB DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for FanDuel and DraftKings.

Welcome to another baseball-filled Sunday, RotoBallers. There is nothing better than a beautiful 10 game day slate to cap off your weekend. Today's pitching match-ups are star-studded with the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber, Yu Darvish, Chris Archer, David Price, Masahiro Tanaka, and Jon Lester. The weather looks absolutely perfect across the board. It truly is a perfect day for some DFS. Since 2/3 of the action is occurring on the main slate in typical Sunday fashion, I will be focusing all my picks for this slate. I am sorry Kershaw and Kluber, but you will have to wait.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 7/9/17. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @RowdyRotoJB.

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider

Steven Matz at STL (DK - $8,100, FD - $8,900)

Matz has been fantastic since returning from the disabled list, and now owns a stellar 2.12 ERA through five starts in 2017. Four of those starts have come on the road, in which he carries a 2-0 record with a 1.33 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while holding opponents to a .533 OPS. The Cardinals rank 25th in runs against LHP this season, and have never faced the Mets southpaw. Despite the high floor in today's match-up, Matz owns just a 5.8 K/9 which severely caps his FP potential. He makes for a great cash option today, or as a safe SP2 on DK.

Jimmy Nelson at NYY (DK - $9,500, FD - $9,300)

Over the last 30 days, Jimmy Nelson has been a top 10 SP rocking a 2.82 xFIP and a 10.96 K/9. He has recorded double-digit strikeouts in four of his last eight starts, and has earned a QS in six. Facing the Yankees in Yankee Stadium may turn off most buyers, but that will only drop his ownership percentages and make winning dough that much easier. Over the last seven days, the Yankees are hitting just .227 while striking out at a 31.4% rate. Aaron Judge alone will make me weary of starting Nelson in cash games today, but GPP lines should begin right here.

Brad Peacock at TOR (DK - $9,400, FD - $8,100)

Cue ESPN's 30 for 30 music..... What if I told you that the Condor was not the highest strikeout bird over the last 30 days, but it was in fact the Peacock? That's right, over the last month Brad Peacock owns a higher K/9 than Chris Sale. His 12.2 mark sits third highest among starters, right behind Robbie Ray and Corey Kluber. Sure he also comes with a 6.7 BB/9, but lucky for him the Blue Jays are sporting just a .695 OPS over the last week. The pretty bird has some ugly career numbers against the active blue birds, so hopefully he too will have a minimal ownership percentage. Having the number one offense in the league behind him is just another asset Peacock possesses, which makes him my second favorite GPP play today.

DFS Infielders to Consider

Catcher (C)

Wilson Ramos, TB vs. BOS (DK - $3,500, FD - $2,800)

I think it's safe to say Ramos is fully back to health. Through just eight games since returning from his torn ACL from last season, Ramos already has three bombs and two doubles. One of those HR even came off Chris Sale. As you can imagine, he is seeing LHP very well so far in his small sample.  David Price's fondness of staying in the strike zone all day fares well for Ramos to get a pitch to put in the stands today.

First Base (1B)

Jose Abreu, CWS at COL (DK - $4,600, FD - $4,400)

I am typically not a fan of paying the Coors Field premium, but if you want a piece of the high altitude action, Abreu is a great route. 14 of his 16 HR this season have come on the road, and he still owns an OPS over 1.000 (1.131) against southpaws halfway through the season. Kyle Freeland is the not-so-proud owner of the highest xFIP over the last 30 days of any pitcher on the board for the main slate, and is striking out just 3.7 batters per nine innings during that stretch.

Matt Adams, ATL at WSH (DK - $3,700, FD - $2,900)

If you are unwilling or unable to pay up for Abreu today, Big City is a fantastic option to give you some salary cap wiggle room. Coming off a 13 run shellacking of the Nats and Stephen Strasburg yesterday, the Braves are looking to feast off Joe Ross today. Adams pitched in a three-run jack to yesterday's party, and continues to smash RHP. For his career, Adams is 4-7 with a double against Ross.

Second Base (2B)

Rougned Odor, TEX vs LAA (DK - $4,700, FD - $3,600)

The Rangers offense is scorching-hot right now, and anytime J.C. Ramirez is on the mound, I immediately look at the opposing left handed hitters. For the season, Ramirez is allowing a .944 OPS to the left side of the plate. So obviously we come to Odor, who seems to be rounding into 2016 form as he's hitting .467/.529/1.067 with three HR over the last seven days.

Javier Baez, CHC vs PIT (DK - $3,300, FD - $2,700)

Normally I save the Baez plays for match-ups with LHP, but his BvP stats against Jameson Taillon are quite intriguing. I am not a huge proponent of BvP, especially sample sizes less than about 20 PA, but 5-7 with two doubles and a HR obviously tells us that there is something about Taillon's pitches that he just loves.

Shortstop (SS)

Jose Reyes, NYM vs STL (DK - $3,500, FD - $2,400)

I think Reyes is waking up from his early season hibernation. Over the last two weeks, he is slashing .387/.429/.774 with two HR, four doubles, and a triple. His OPS on the road this season is over 200 points higher than at home and Lance Lynn is allowing an .840 OPS to LHB, while only earning one QS in his last eight tries.

Eduardo Escobar, MIN vs BAL (DK - $4,000, FD - $3,000)

Like Reyes, Escobar has been red-hot coming into today's juicy match-up. Over the last month he is hitting .344 with four bombs, and has been hitting in some very favorable spots in the Twins lineup. Against Ubaldo Jimenez for his career, Escobar is 4-9 with three doubles. For the season, Jimenez is allowing a 1.047 OPS to LHB. Be careful though, you never know when Cy-Young version of Ubaldo will show up.

Third Base (3B)

Manny Machado, BAL at MIN (DK - $4,300, FD - $3,000)

The Orioles will be popular picks today going up against Kyle Gibson and all his awfulness, so if you are in a cash game it'd be wise to go with Machado at the hot corner. His price on FanDuel is highway robbery. He is a very popular second half rebound pick in the industry considering he is hitting a career high 39.0 Hard% and his ISO is right on par with what we saw the past two seasons. But the rebounding might have already started, as he has launched three bombs over the last week. So take advantage of the low prices while you still can, and enjoy the Kyle Gibson effect.

Freddie Freeman, ATL at WSH (DK - $4,600, FD - $3,600)

Speaking of taking advantage of prices, this series with Washington will probably be one of the last times you see Freeman in the 3K range on FD and 4K on DK. Oh and if you didn't notice, he's a third baseman now.... Freeman picked up right where he left off before going on the disabled list back in May, and has really given the Nats fits this week. He has massed over 68 FP (FanDuel) in the first three games of this series, while facing the likes of Gio Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg. Today he feasts on the poor soul of Joe Ross who he has already taken deep in just five AB against.

DFS Outfielders to Consider

Curtis Granderson, NYM at STL (DK - $4,200, FD - $3,500)

Jose Reyes isn't the only Mets hitter who has come alive at the plate. Grandy has absolutely been on fire. In fact, no outfielder owns a higher ISO over the last 30 days (.456) and his 214 wRC+ over that span is tied with George Springer for third best among OF. He also possesses one of the largest Home/Away splits you'll see, hitting a .984 OPS on the road this season compared to only .642 at home.

Max Kepler, MIN vs BAL (DK - $4,100, FD - $3,000)

My other anti-Jimenez pick today is the kid out of Berlin. He has cemented himself into the heart of the Twins lineup, and has hit .300 with a .518 SLG against RHP this season. He has also hit much better at Target Field. Come on, bad-Ubaldo!

Melky Cabrera, CWS at COL (DK - $4,500, FD - $4,300)

My other Coors Field exposure pick is who I believe to be one of the most underrated players in 2017. Melky is hitting .290 with 10 HR on the season. But more impressively he has scored 48 runs and knocked in 51 RBI. Since we're practically at the halfway point, it's pretty simple to visualize the run totals pace this man is on with very little buzz. For his career Melky owns a 1.141 OPS through 16 games at Coors.

Matt Kemp, ATL at WSH (DK - $3,100, FD - $2,700)

The prices on these Braves hitters are just disrespectful and today's match-up falls right into Kemps wheelhouse. Despite playing his home games in the league's newest hitter friendly ballpark, Kemp has done the large majority of his damage on the road this season. Against RHP on the road, he has hit 8 of his 12 HR, with a 144 wRC+ and .264 ISO. That presents a whole lot of potential value on both sites today.

Nomar Mazara, TEX vs LAA (DK - $4,400, FD - $3,200)

Just the obligatory LHB versus J.C. Ramirez pick here. The prices on FanDuel make rostering just about every single Rangers hitter an easy choice lately, but among the lefties on the roster none have enjoyed hitting in Arlington more than Mazara this season. The young star is slashing .299/.376/.503 with seven HR at home, and is one day removed from a monster 41.1 FP (FanDuel) performance against the Halos.

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