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WE ARE BACK! These are words that baseball fans have been waiting to hear for quite some time. After an opening night two-game slate, we've got 11 games to choose from on Friday night. Have fun playing around with the combinations but be sure to double-check the weather and starting lineups before finalizing your roster.
While I won't directly be breaking down the best stacks, it's good practice, especially in GPP contests, to stack 3-4 bats from a team that you feel most confident in since you're trying to build a lineup that can outscore thousands of people if said offense has a great night. It's obviously riskier to put all your eggs in one basket, but that's why it's a strong strategy for GPP games and not as necessary for cash games.
In this article, I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/24/2020. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. 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, contact me on Twitter @SamskiNYC.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Justin Verlander - P, HOU vs SEA ($11,400)
Verlander is the highest-priced pitcher on the slate, but he's also one of the best pitchers in the game. He finished 2019 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 12.11 K/9. That was good for 26.5 DraftKings points per game. He gets to open at home against a Mariners team that will likely start four players who have less than a year of Major League experience and a fifth (J.P. Crawford) who has barely over a year. In their entire lineup, the only proven hitter is Kyle Seager, so I expect Verlander to take advantage of the youth and inexperience of Seattle, racking up a good number of strikeouts and securing a win bonus to raise his floor.
Shane Bieber - P, CLE vs KC ($10,300)
If you want to save $1K, Bieber is another potential slate-topping arm. He lacks the strikeout upside of Verlander, finishing last year with 10.88 K/9, but he's clearly no slouch. His 15-4 record, 3.28 ERA, and 1.05 WHIP helped him to 22.9 DraftKings points per game last season, and he'll get a Royals team that will be without its second-best hitter since Hunter Dozier is on the COVID-IL. I like the Royals' lineup more than the Mariners' and think Jorge Soler, Whit Merrifield, Adalberto Mondesi, and Franchy Cordero are capable of putting some runs on the board, but they're also a team that loves to strikeout, which should help Bieber's floor.
Aaron Nola - P, PHI vs MIA ($9,100)
However, I might be avoiding both of the top arms and playing Aaron Nola as my SP1 in a lot of lineups. He had a bit of a down year in 2019, going 12-7 with a 3.87 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, even though he raised his K/9 to 10.19. He had control issues with his curveball, which is why his WHIP jumped from the 0.97 he registered in 2018, but he seems to have returned to form based on spring results. On top of that, he faces a wholly mediocre Marlins lineup led by Jonathan Villar and Brian Anderson. Given that pitchers are likely to be ahead of hitters since there have been so few live at-bats for hitters to get their timing back, I'm leaning towards saving the salary on pitching to get hitters who I feel more confident are ready to go.
Nathan Eovaldi - P, BOS vs BAL ($7,100)
Eovaldi is going to be super chalky but that shouldn't scare you away from him. Yes, he was brutal last year in 12 starts during an injury-shortened season, but I really think you need to throw 2019 out the window. He clearly wasn't healthy and was shifted around between the rotation and the bullpen when he was on the mound. The long offseason was helpful in keeping his arm fresh, and the splitter he added to his repertoire looked downright filthy in the spring. His 9.31 K/9 gives him solid strikeout potential against a mediocre Orioles lineup, and even though the Red Sox lost Mookie Betts, they still have the bats to put up runs and give Eovaldi the win bonus.
Other options: German Marquez (COL @ TEX) $8,600 and Ross Stripling (LAD vs SF) $7,900
DraftKings DFS Catchers
Christian Vazquez - C, BOS vs BAL ($4,700)
I don't usually pay up at catcher, but if you feel the need to, I'd go for Vazquez. The other top options are facing much better pitchers than Milone, and last year Vazquez averaged 7.1 DraftKings points per game, which is barely behind J.T. Realmuto's 8.2. Vazquez has always hit left-handers a little better than righties, finishing with a .285 average last season, and he's projected to his 6th in the Red Sox order, which would give him ample RBI opportunities behind J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers.
Salvador Perez - C, KC @ CLE ($3,700)
I know I just wrote Bieber up a few paragraphs ago, but Perez at $3,700 is simply too good a value to ignore. Perez is a consistently reliable hitter with a little bit of pop in his bat, but he's priced down around Ryan Lavarnway ($3,800) and Chance Sisco ($3,600) because he missed all of last season. Now fully healthy, Perez is a strong salary-saver at catcher.
DraftKings DFS First Baseman
Carlos Santana - 1B, CLE vs KC ($4,600)
If I'm playing the match-ups against Danny Duffy, then I'm going to roster Carlos Santana. In 36 at-bats versus Duffy, Santana is hitting .444 with 3 HR. It's not a large sample size, but I like knowing Santana will come into the game confident against the left-hander, and I like that he will be hitting right-handed since he hit .324 off of lefties last year compared to .280 against righties. Hitting in the middle of a lineup I think is going to put up big numbers makes me bullish on Santana on this slate. Also, as a general note, if hitters are struggling with timing then it will be easier to adjust to a pitcher who throws a limited variety of pitches and doesn't rely on speed change for success. Duffy is essentially a two-pitch pitcher, throwing his fastball 44.2% of the time and a slider 26.3%. That means Indians hitters will likely have a much easier job finding their timing in their first outing than say the Rangers against German Marquez, who has four pitches he throwing over 17% of the time.
Max Muncy, 1B/2B LAD vs SF ($4,500)
I also like Muncy given that his match-up against Jeff Samardzija is better than the one many of the other top 1B options will get. The Shark had a strong bounceback year in 2019, but in his career, he's given up a .254 average and .449 SLG to left-handed hitters. The Dodgers lineup is perhaps the best in baseball, so I expect them to put up runs, and Muncy hitting at the top of the order gives him a chance to score a few runs and potentially drive in Betts as well, which allows him to rack up points in a few different ways.
Michael Chavis - 1B, BOS vs BAL ($3,000)
If you feel like paying down at 1B, Chavis makes for an intriguing option. He's likely going to start at 1B for Boston against lefties and showed a fantasy-friendly skillset last year with 18 HRs in 95 games for the Red Sox. His 7.4 DraftKings points per game are certainly appealing at such a low price point. He has a lot of swing and miss to his game, so I'm not locking him in despite the price, but I would feel comfortable slotting him in there if it allowed me to get some stud hitters elsewhere.
DraftKings DFS Second Baseman
Jose Altuve- 2B, HOU vs SEA ($5,000)
I prefer to pay down at 2B based on the options on today's slate, but if you want to spend up, I think Altuve is your safest bet. The diminutive second baseman found his power stroke again last year, hitting 31 HRs to go along with his .298 average en route to 9.6 DraftKings points per game. While Marco Gonzales has looked good in the spring, I have no faith in his ability to keep the Astros off the scoreboard, so Altuve's position near the top of that lineup should give him a solid floor, even if he no longer has 30 steal upside.
Cesar Hernandez, 2B CLE vs KC ($3,800)
Cesar Hernandez will be leading off for the Indians, which gives him tremendous value since, as I mentioned, I think they'll be among the highest-scoring teams on the slate. A switch-hitter, Hernandez has a career .290 average against left-handed pitchers as a right-handed hitter, which gives me confidence that he can get on base ahead of a potent middle of the order. He still has enough speed to chip in a potential stolen base and record even more value at his depressed cost.
Jose Peraza - 2B/SS, BOS vs BAL ($2,700)
Yes, there are a lot of Red Sox mentioned in this article, but this is still a strong offense taking on a weak arm. Peraza is the biggest longshot here, but he's been named the Red Sox starting second baseman and, is in the running to be the leadoff hitter against lefties. Despite his inconsistent career results, he has hit .297 off of left-handed pitching, which is enough to interest me if he's hitting atop the order. He's revamped his swing in the offseason and has elite speed, which gives him another path to contributing to your squad at a bargain-basement price.
DraftKings DFS Third Baseman
Alex Bregman, 3B, HOU vs SEA ($5,300)
Bregman tied Rafael Devers as the second highest-scoring third baseman last year at 10.2 DraftKings points per game. He'll hit in the middle of the order against Marco Gonzales, who he's 8-for-17 against in his career. I expect Bregman to be at the center of a few rallies which should lead to a comfortable amount of fantasy points. With pitchers likely not being stretched out yet, the Astros should also get three to four innings against a Mariners bullpen that is in a bit of disarray right now. All of that just bumps Bregman's value up a little more.
Jose Ramirez - 3B, CLE vs KC ($5,200)
If you're looking to pivot from Bregman, you can take a shot on Ramirez whose ownership may be limited by a poor start to 2019, which led to only 8.8 DraftKings points per game last year. He has power from both sides of the plate and will hit second for the Indians this season. If we think they're going to put up runs against Duffy, then Ramirez should be involved in a few rallies and his speed gives him a chance to put up even more points on the basepaths.
Matt Chapman - 3B, OAK vs LAA ($4,100)
If you want to pay down a bit at 3B, I like Chapman against a banged-up Andrew Heaney. Heaney was dealing with some back stiffness over the weekend and, as we've seen time and time again, back injuries don't simply go away. Even if Heaney is able to throw relatively well, I can't see the Angels pushing him too deep into the game coming off of an injury, which means more innings for their very mediocre bullpen. Considering the Oakland Coliseum is friendly to right-handed power, I like Chapman's chances to get on the board with a big game early in the season.
DraftKings DFS Shortstop
Francisco Lindor - SS, CLE vs KC ($5,000)
Oh, look, another Indians hitter. Lindor was the fourth highest-scoring SS in the league last year with 9.7 DraftKings points per game. He's hit better against left-handed pitching during his career and comes into this game hitting a solid 7-for-24 with 2 HR in his career against Duffy. I want exposure to this Indians offense on Friday, and Lindor is their best hitter, so he's not a bad place to start.
Xander Bogaerts, SS, BOS vs BAL ($4,900)
One of those shortstops who finished with more points per game than Lindor was Bogey, who finished with 9.9 DraftKings points per game. The 27-year-old found his power stroke last year and has always hit left-handers better than righties. What's more, if we're judging by the last two tune-up games, he seems slated to hit clean-up for the Red Sox, which should give him tremendous RBI potential in a showdown against Tommy Milone.
Marcus Semien - SS, OAK vs LAA ($4,300)
See Matt Chapman write up above. Semien is another SS who found the power stroke last year, and as a noted grinder, I trust the work he put in led to real changes and not just a random spike in power.
Didi Gregorius - SS, PHI vs MIA ($3,800)
Didi is my preferred low-cost option if you want to pay down at shortstop. I know Sandy Alcantara has shown tantalizing upside, but he's an erratic and unproven arm going up against a strong offense. Even in an injury-plagued year last year, Didi showed strong power, and hitting sixth in the Phillies order will give him more opportunities for RBIs. Since most starting pitchers aren't going to be pushed in their first start of the year, even if Alcantara throws well, the Marlins bullpen is going to have to pitch a few innings in this game, and that could be a big-time boon for the Phillies offense.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Cody Bellinger - OF, LAD vs SF ($5,300) and Mookie Betts - OF, LAD vs SF ($5,200)
Bellinger is the third highest-scoring hitter on the entire slate with 10.6 DraftKings points per game, and Mookie isn't far behind at 10.3. They will be facing the worst starting pitcher of any of the high-priced options in Samardzija. I'd rather attack him than go after hitters facing Frankie Montas, Kyle Hendricks, or Lucas Giolito. Plus, the Dodgers will be the only hitters facing a bullpen that will have already used pitchers the night before. That means they will get at-bats against the Giants' weaker bullpen arms in addition to a starting pitcher who has had home run issues in the past. I'm not playing both of these bats, but I'll likely pick my poison and roster one of them.
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI vs MIA ($5,00)
If I can't fit in two of the highest-priced outfielders (I also like George Springer tomorrow) then I'll save a couple of hundred bucks and roster Harper. His 35 HR and 15 SB give him multiple mays to contribute, and we've already covered that I think the Phillies are going to put up runs against Alcantara and the Marlins bullpen. He's 6-for-12 in limited at-bats against the Marlins' right-hander and is one of my favorite bets for a home run on the slate.
J.D. Martinez - OF, BOS vs BAL ($4,800)
If I'm playing Boston bats against Tommy Milone, I'm damn sure not going to sit their best right-handed power hitter. Martinez had 19 HRs in 80 games against left-handers last year, to go along with a ridiculous .404 average, 1.381 OPS, and .481 ISO. I might start my lineups by plugging in J.D. and then just build around him.
Jordan Luplow - OF, CLE vs KC ($4,100)
The Indians are facing a left-hander which means that Jordan Luplow deserves strong consideration for your lineup. For his career, he has destroyed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .635 SLG, 1.020 OPS, and .359 ISO. Last year, he hit .320 off of lefties with 14 HR, .742 SLG, and 1.181 OPS. He may only get two at-bats against the left-handed Duffy, but he is liable to do serious damage in those at-bats.
Other Options: Franmil Reyes - OF, CLE vs KC ($4,400) Khris Davis - OF, OAK vs LAA ($4,000) Kevin Pillar - OF, BOS vs BAL ($3,900)
DraftKings DFS Stacks
For tonight's slate, my two favorite stacks are a still-potent Red Sox lineup taking on Tommy Milone and a strong Cleveland lineup (in particular the right-handed batters and switch hitters) at home against historically mercurial Danny Duffy.
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