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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on July 26th, 2019. Austyn Varney's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Welcome to Friday baseball on DraftKings! DK has gifted us with some huge tournaments tonight, including but not limited to the $11 Boss Level and $88 Medium 8's. There are 14 games on the slate, so the options are plentiful. There are six or seven pitchers you can make a case for in cash games and another four or five in tournaments. We'll focus on one pricey and one value option, as there are some bats to pay up for.
Vegas hasn't yet dropped most of the lines, but we're already looking at four teams with projected totals over five runs. The weather is hot across the country and the runs should pour in tonight. It'll be a case of finding pitcher safety and an offense that is consistently hitting. This is one of those slates where guys will produce and we will see a ton of fantasy points scored. Without a game in Coors Field, the ownership will be pretty spread out across the slate. You don't have to worry about being different in cash games or tourneys. There will be no common build tonight.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/26/19. 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
Zack Greinke - ARI @ MIA - $10,500
We have a huge 14 game slate on our hands and there are a few solid pitchers to choose from. Not as many as you may think on such a big slate, but ownership will at least be somewhat spread out. On the high end, Zack Greinke makes for a tremendous play in Miami. He not only gets a match-up with the worst hitting team in baseball (.279 wOBA), but it comes in the friendliest pitchers ballpark in the league. Greinke has posted a 3.61 xFIP while striking out 8.30 batters per nine and walking just over one. The Diamondbacks are also looking to trade Greinke, so they'll be willing to show off their asset for 100+ pitches. Greinke is the safest play on the slate in cash games.
Griffin Canning - LAA vs. BAL - $7,200
If you're looking to save at pitcher, you won't have much fun. There are a couple options that have upside, but Griffin Canning is the only guy I would be willing to trust in cash games. While he's struggled in a couple recent starts, they've been in tough match-ups and he's run into a ton of bad luck. He now draws the Orioles at home in Angels Stadium. Against righties, the Orioles rank 26th in baseball and strikeout 25% of the time. Canning himself has held onto a .311 wOBA against and has struck out 9.71 batters per nine innings. He's cheap on DraftKings and the only guy I have interest in if paying down.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - Brian McCann - ATL @ PHI (Arrieta) - $3,700
Catcher isn't pretty tonight, and Brian McCann is an affordable option in a solid match-up. He has a ton of home run upside and won't be very popular. Vegas thinks the braves beat up Jake Arrieta tonight, coming in with an run projection over five runs. McCann will be hitting behind the heart of the order and will have plenty of RBI opportunities. Arrieta isn't a bad pitcher, but a .347 wOBA against lefties is easy to target. He has allowed 11 homers in just 51 innings of work and has shown no promise of turning that around. McCann is a great play in all formats at catcher.
1B - Joc Pederson - LAD @ WAS (Sanchez) - $4,700
Anibal Sanchez has been one of the luckiest pitchers in the entire league. While he's holding onto a very solid 3.80 ERA, his xFIP is all the way up to 5.20. The regression is going to hit him hard and there's no better match-up for that to happen against than the Dodgers. There are one of the three most lethal lineups in baseball and give you no breaks from 1-9. Joc Pederson has sported a .387 wOBA against righties and has hit all 23 home runs against them. Nationals Park is an upgrade for power from Los Angeles and actually one of the most underrated hitting parks in baseball. Pederson is a great play in all formats and shouldn't be overly popular.
2B - Robinson Cano - NYM vs. PIT (Agrazal) - $3,900
I know we just touched on Anibal Sanchez and I mentioned how lucky he has been, but it's nothing compared to Dario Agrazal. His ERA is sitting next to Max Scherzer at 2.20, while his xFIP is AAA worthy at 6.14. He;s going t get demolished very soon and I think the Mets eject him before the fifth inning. He strikes out just three batters per nine innings and walks just as many. The ball is getting hit hard directly into gloves. It won't continue and we're going to see Agrazal give up a ton of runs very soon. The Mets are a great stack opportunity tonight.
3B - Kris Bryant - CHC @ MIL (Gonzalez) - $5,200
Gio Gonzalez keeps finding his way back into an MLB rotation and he's still not a bad pitcher. He's nowhere near the pitcher he was between 2012 and 2017, but he's still posted a decent 4.42 xFIP on the season. Against righties, he's given up a 5.12 xFIP and is striking out just six batters per nine. The Cubs are obviously a tough team to face and one that can put you away quickly. Against lefties, Kris Bryant has sported a ridiculous .463 wOBA and has hit seven home runs in just 70 at-bats.
SS - Francisco Lindor - CLE @ KC (Junis) - $4,700
Lindor was my favorite play of the slate last night and he lead the game off with a home run. He has another phenomenal match-up tonight against Jakob Junis, who has given up a .340 wOBA and 4.36 xFIP to lefties while allowing a ton of stolen bases. As for Lindor, he's far better against righties (.365 wOBA), hitting 13 of his 16 home runs against them and stealing 15 bases. The Indians are expected to score well over five runs tonight and Lindor is the top producer in the lineup. He's a solid option in all formats and shouldn't be ignored because of the fluky Junis good games.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Cody Bellinger - LAD @ WAS (Sanchez) - $5,600
If I have to choose an outfielder to pay up for, Cody Bellinger is the guy. We've already noted how lucky Anibal Sanchez has been, logging an ERA almost two full runs higher than his xFIP. Things are going to catch up to Sanchez before long and the Dodgers have quite a few bats that can do damage. Bellinger and his .450 wOBA against righties has 34 home runs on the year. The park is solid and the bullpen following Sanchez ranks 27th in wOBA against. Bellinger is expensive, but the top overall bat on the entire slate and well worth if you can afford him.
Shohei Ohtani - LAA vs. BAL (Wojciechowski) - $4,800
We have ignored the Angels up to this point, but they are another team that is worth considering stacking. Asher Wojciechowski has had a few solid outings, but he's sported a 5+ xFIP in the minors and has pitched way over his head through his first 23 innings. We'll see him struggle a lot more as he settles in and this match-up with the Angels is a tough on. Shohei Ohtani has sported a .379 wOBA against righties with a 48% hard contact rate and .259 ISO. He's a great pairing with Mike Trout if you can afford it, but a fine one off as well in any format. Ohtani has multi-HR upside every time he takes the field.
