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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on June 28th, 2019. Austyn Varney's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Welcome to Friday baseball on DraftKings! We have a huge 14-game slate on our hands with a ton to dig through. It's hot in Coors Field, so we'll start there. We saw close to 20 runs last night and nobody would be surprised to be a repeat tonight. With that said, those bats are expensive. We'll have to find some value elsewhere and look at some cheaper offenses that may put up some runs.
There are plenty of offenses to look at and there's a good chance a few of them will match the Dodgers. We just have to dig in deep and find those bats. The Astros against Tommy Milone have upside, so do the Brewers against a volatile Acher. Let's dive in and find some overlooked bats on DK.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/28/19. 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
Cole Hamels - CHC @ CIN (Gray) - $9,900
There is no clear way to go at pitcher tonight. Cole Hamels has been phenomenal this season and draws a favorable matchup even while pitching at Great American Ballpark. Against left-handed pitching, the Reds rank 20th in baseball with a .309 wOBA and strikeout 21% of the time. Hamels has dominated both sides of the plate, allowing a .277 combined wOBA while striking out nine batters per nine innings. The Cubs are -190 favorites. Hamels is a lot cheaper than deGrom and Berrios and has a similar floor in cash games.
Merrill Kelly - ARI @ SF (Anderson) - $9,100
Merrill Kelly isn't a name many in baseball know, but he's been great this season and it isn't a fluke. He's certainly pitching a bit over his head, but he's not walking many batters and if you've watched his games, you can tell he's the real deal. The Diamondbacks are willing to let him go seven or eight innings and this Giants team is one that can be taken advantage of by anyone. We saw Alex Young make his debut last night at 25 years old and dice them up. He faced this same Giants team in hitter-friendly Chase Field a week ago and struck out nine Giants. He'll now enter the best pitching ballpark in baseball and is a great SP2 in your cash games. In tournaments, I love Chris Archer and Michael Wacha.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - Yasmani Grandal - MIL vs. PIT (Archer) - $4,900
Chris Archer is nowhere near the pitcher he used to be. So far in 2019, his xFIP is up to 4.57 and he's allowed a .355 combined wOBA. He's allowed 18 home runs in just 65 innings of work and now heads into Miller Park to face off with the Brewers. They've hit the third most home runs in baseball and are lethal against right-handed pitching. Grandal has led off against righties over the last couple games and he's been phenomenal (.380 wOBA) against righties. The Brewers are going to be a popular offense and atcher is always one of the weaker positions. Grandal is an easy fill in all formats.
1B - Paul Goldschmidt - STL @ SD (Lauer) - $4,000
Paul Goldschmidt is simply too cheap here. I don't think the Cardinals are the best team on the slate here, but Goldy against an average lefty is something you shouldn't ignore. the wOBA and ERA looks nice on Lauer, but his xFIP is sitting at 4.89 and he's given up seven warning track floyouts. Something has to give. Goldschmidt has held on to a .388 wOBA against lefties and is the heartbeat of this order against southpaws. I like the Cards as a stack tonight on DK, seeing you can combo them with the Dodgers and fit some decent pitching. A cheap Goldy against a porous lefty is never a bad idea.
2B - Jose Altuve - HOU vs. SEA (Milone) - $3,900
The Astros are one of the top offenses of the night. They're also a bit too cheap here on DraftKings. With all eyes on Coors Field, I see the Astros finally getting to Tommy Milone tonight. He's actually been pretty decent this season with a high K rate, but every peripheral is pointing to him living on luck. Milone has allowed a .250 wOBA with a 5+ xFIP. The regression monster is coming for ol' Tommy Milone. Jose Altuve, one of the league's best hitters against lefties in baseball, is just $3.9k. He's sported a .400+ wOBA since the start of '18 and has hit 22 home runs against left-handers. He's an easy play for me at second base in all formats.
3B - Anthony Rendon - WAS @ DET (Norris) - $5,200
Anthony Rendon is a guy I roster every single night he faces a lefty. Over the last two seasons, Rendon has sported a .419 wOBA against southpaws and is clearly one of the best hitters in the entire league. He's certainly expensive and I think it keeps the masses away with bats to pay up for in Colorado. Daniel Norris is a bad lefty, but he usually stays in the game for at least six or seven innings. It should give Rendon two or three at-bats against a subpar lefty that gives up home runs. Rendon is my pick for home run of the night. Outside of Coors Field of course. Turner and Arenado are surely in play as well.
SS - Alex Bregman - HOU vs. SEA (Milone) - $5,200
We already touched on Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman is in a similar spot. The Houston Astros are expected to put up five plus runs an Bregman is the best bat in the lineup. He's held onto a .378 wOBA and 45% hard contact rate against southpaws. I don't expect many eyes to be on the Astros tonight and they should have a huge game. The Mariners bullpen is also weak and gives up the third most home runs in baseball on the road. Bregman is expensive, but has as much upside as anyone on the slate and will be under 10% owned.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Cody Bellinger - LAD @ COL (Senzatela) - $6,000
I know this is obvious, but I thought this would be a good spot to mention the Dodgers. In hot Coors Field, they are all in play. I just didn’t want to fill this entire article with Dodgers and Rockies bats. Antonio Senzatela has been disastrous this season, allowing a .404 wOBA to lefties and a 5.77 xFIP. They both get worse in Coors Field. We saw the Dodgers hit seven home runs last night and nobody would be shocked to see a repeat performance. Bellinger is expensive, but you don’t have to play him. You can pair Pederson and Verdugo or Taylor and save some funds.
Jordan Luplow - CLE @ BAL (Means) - $4,700
I know this seems expensive for Jordan Luplow, but he hits cleanup against lefties and it's for good reason. Since the start of the season, he's sported a .458 wOBA against lefties. Yes, you read that correctly. He's hit eight home runs in 39 games and all of his peripherals line up. John Means is an average lefty that has given up the long ball and doesn't last long into games. Luplow is affordable on both sites and you can play him across the board.
Kyle Schwarber - CHC @ CIN (Gray) - $4,100
We haven’t touched on the Cubs yet, but they’re worth mentioning against Sonny Gray. He’s been pretty good actually this year, but his numbers tell us that he’s pitching way over his head. We all know how tough this Cubbies lineup can be to face, and the Reds play in a fantastic hitters park. Schwarber has picked it up lately and has upped his wOBA to .344 since the start of May. He’s affordable on DraftKings and makes sense in all formats assuming he’s hitting leadoff. Good luck tonight and feel free to hit me up on Twitter with any questions!
