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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on June 14th, 2019. Austyn Varney's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Welcome to Friday baseball! We have a loaded 15 game slate on our hands with more than enough to dive into at each position. We also have a game in Coors Field with two susceptible pitchers, so we can't just hone in on the expensive arms and relax. Gerrit Cole leads the charge on DraftKings at $11,900, followed by Scherzer and Giolito on the high end. We then have a bunch of middle of the road priced pitchers that have upside, but are mines in cash games. We then get to an $8,800 Andrew Heaney, who has a ton of upside and should be popular.
We also have a bunch of average arms to pick on. From the obvious bats in Coors Field to the lesser known Marlins against a lefty, runs will be scored tonight. Let's dive in and take a look at each position!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/14/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. 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, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @VarneyDFS.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Gerrit Cole HOU vs. TOR ($11,900)
With 15 games on the board, we have plenty of pitchers to look at. Starting off in the expensive tier, there are three pitchers priced over $11k. They all look viable, but Gerrit Cole is a clear step ahead. On the season, a 2.37 xFIP and 13.82 K/9 vs both sides of the plate. It simply doesn’t get better than that. This Blue Jays lineup has underwhelmed all season long, posting a .284 wOBA and 26% strikeout rate. The only team worse? The Miami Marlins. The Astros are huge -270 favorites and Cole is easily your safest arm on the slate. He’s going to cost you a pretty penny, but it’s worth it if you are comfortable with your lineup.
Andrew Heaney LAA @ TB ($8,800)
Andrew Heaney is far to cheap at $8.8k in this match-up. While the Rays are definitely a quality hitting team, they sport the leagues highest K rate against lefties at 28.5%. Heaney has been insanely good this year with a 2.47 xFIP and 15 K/9, and while he likely can’t keep that up, the upside is huge against a team that struggled making contact vs lefties. Heaney is by nature more risky, so definitely don’t consider him a safe play for your cash games.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - James McCann CWS vs. NYY (C.C. Sabathia) ($4,100)
James McCann is two things. A badass defensive catcher and an absolute slugger against lefties. We don't care much about his defensive skill, but he's pretty fun to watch from his pitch framing to his rocket of an arm. Against left-handers, McCann is a legitimate threat. He's sported a .400+ wOBA against them since 2016 and is sitting at a .444 wOBA with a 35% hard contact rate so far in 2019. C.C. Sabathia is also terrible against righties, allowing a .365 wOBA and 12 home runs in 41 innings of work. James McCann is a pretty easy play at catcher if you're looking for a middle of the road, safe play with some pop.
Paul Goldschmidt STL @ NYM (Steven Matz) ($3,900)
I'll take Paul Goldschmidt at $3,900 against a lefty every single day of the week and twice tonight. I have no idea why Goldy on a 6-game hit streak is so cheap, but he's hit 12 homers on the season and is still a .350+ wOBA hitter. Steven Matz is an average pitcher at this point, sporting a 4.00 xFIP and having some HR issues (1.72 HR/9). Goldschmidt is simply too cheap and helps you pay up in other spots on a 15 game slate. A few others I like at the position are Freddie Freeman, Eric Hosmer, and Jose Abreu.
2B - Starlin Castro MIA vs. PIT (Steven Brault) ($3,100)
I love the Marlins stack tonight if they're going to come in unowned. Yes, they are a terrible offense, but we know they're capable of putting up a bunch of runs and they're much better against left-handers. Steven Brault is a below average pitcher and has given up a 4.50 xFIP to righties. Starlin Castro is super cheap and is expected to be in the leadoff hole. He's only sporting a .320 wOBA this year, but has held a .362 wOBA in the past and has plenty of spontaneous power. If you like Gerrit Cole, a few of these Marlins are worthwhile against Brault and a below average bullpen.
3B - Manny Machado SDP @ COL (Jeff Hoffman) ($4,300)
You can pay up for Fernando Tatis Jr. if you'd like, but Machado is cheaper and you know he's going to start raking the ball sooner or later. In Coors Field, I don't want to just settle on Machado being the lesser play after just a month sample size. Jeff Hoffman has a straight fastball and his breaking ball doesn't break much in Coors Field. We know machado smashes the fastball and is just as good against righties (.345 wOBA). He's priced as the 16th most expensive SS and 10th most expensive 3B, so he should be very popular. If he's anywhere under 25% owned, you're getting a huge value on Manny Machado in Coors Field.
SS - Jorge Polanco MIN vs. KC (Brad Keller) ($5,000)
We haven't touched on the Twins yet, but they're solid options against Brad Keller at home in Minnesota. Keller isn't terrible and will eventually be good, but he's living on luck so far. With a .303 wOBA allowed and a 5.19 xFIP to lefties, there is a ton of impending doom coming for Brad Keller. In a hitters park against the team with the most major league home runs seems like a good place to start. The switch-hitting Polanco is better against righties, slashing a ridiculous .433 wOBA on the year. The Twins are pricey, but one of the offenses to consider if you like cheap pitching.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Hunter Renfroe SD @ COL (Jeff Hoffman) ($5,700)
Hunter Renfroe is the third most expensive outfielder on the slate, so I'm hoping his ownership is muted because of it. Renfroe is a beast and a guy that hits a ton of fly balls, so Coors Field will hypothetically boost his gamme like no other. He's already hit 18 home runs on the season and has posted a .381 wOBA on the year. He now gets to face Jeff Hoffman, who's been demolished by both sides of the plate and has huge homer issues. Renfroe is my pick for home run of the night and I expect him to stay in the 10-20% range.
Garrett Cooper MIA vs. PIT (Steven Brault) ($4,600)
Garrett Cooper has been raking of late and we should be paying attention when the Marlins hold a 4.5 projected run total. I already touched on Starlin Castro and my liking for the Marlins tonight, and Garrett Cooper is an even better hitter. He is somewhat pricey, but he's hit half of his six home runs in his last 10 games and if you've watched the Marlins, he looks like a pure hitter. Steven Brault is going to go five or six innings and give up four or five runs. In that case, the Marlins are great value and help open up the slate for you.
Yordan Alvarez HOU vs. TOR (Aaron Sanchez) ($4,400)
The Astros are firmly in play against Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez is a flyball pitcher who's always been vulnerable to the long ball. We all know Yordan Alvarez is a showman for the home run and what we've seen so far is no fluke. He's hit 25+ home runs in AAA so far and was great against major league pitching in spring. He's affordable on DraftKings and gives you as much upside as anyone. The rest of these Astros are in play as well, with Bregman and Brantley leading the charge. Good luck tonight!
