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Happy Monday, RotoBallers! After a busy week of baseball after the All-Star break, things are calming down a bit. There are seven games on the DraftKings featured slate due to a Mets-Braves doubleheader. It means our first game with throw its first pitch at 7:05 pm Eastern between the Nationals and Phillies, and the slate runs through to some late-night West Coast baseball at 10:10 pm ET between the Astros and Mariners.
On a slate this small, I look around at the pitching talent, and there's not a lot of guaranteed returns on the board. Sure, there are exciting options in the middle tier (looking at you, German Marquez), but I don't think I'll be leaving anything to chance. Therefore, I can see many of my lineups consisting of two high-priced arms and trusting myself to find some value among the bats.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/26/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Luis Garcia - P, HOU at SEA ($10,400)
I wasn't joking when I said I'll be taking some high-priced pitching as I leap to the top of the slate and grab Luis Garcia versus the Mariners. Garcia has come out of seemingly nowhere this season and held a permanent spot in the Houston rotation. Some people are worried about his workload, but we should leave those concerns to the season-long fantasy baseball players. Right now, Garcia is providing 20 plus fantasy points every fifth day.
The righty has thrown at least six innings in six of his last nine starts, and when he reaches that mark, he averages 26 fantasy points per game. For the season, Garcia sports a 3.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 28.5 percent strikeout rate. Going against a Seattle time with a 26.2 percent K rate to righties since May 1 makes this a match made in heaven for Garcia and DFS players alike.
Shohei Ohtani - P, LAA vs. COL ($9,200)
You can make a lot of money if you roster the home pitcher anytime the Rockies take a road trip. However, when it's Shohei Ohtani on the mound, he's a smash play. Colorado owns a .299 weighted On-Base Average and a 71 weighted Runs Created plus metric against righties over the last two months. Hard-hitting analysis alert: they are not good. Regardless of the opponent, Ohtani is a brilliant play, but he should be able to rack up the fantasy points versus a Rockies unit that doesn't pose a significant amount of damage.
Other options: Kyle Hendricks vs. CIN ($9,700), German Marquez at LAA ($8,400), Michael Pineda vs. DET ($6,900)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Salvador Perez - C, KC vs. Dallas Keuchel ($5,200)
Frankly, Salvador Perez has been phenomenal this season. In 97 games, the veteran backstop is slashing .279/.309/.505 with 45 runs, 17 doubles, 23 home runs, and 62 RBI. He's even stepped it up a notch over the last couple of weeks with a .910 OPS and averaging 10.1 FPPG. Yes, he's expensive, but he's hit safely in eight of his previous nine outings and either has an extra-base hit or multiple hits in six of those eight. Lock. Him. In.
Luis Torrens - 1B, SEA vs. Luis Garcia ($3,600)
I recommended Garcia as an SP1 pitcher for tonight's slate, but that doesn't eliminate me from looking for leverage against a highly-rostered arm. Torrens is on a torrid pace in July for the Mariners as they begin to believe a Wildcard spot is within their grasp. The swing and miss aspect of his game has been evident this month (29.5 percent), but so has the power. His .327 ISO in July places him 16th among 174 qualified hitters, and at just $3,600 for some tremendous leverage on the field, I will have a lineup or two with Torrens at first.
Jonathan India - 2B, CIN at Kyle Hendricks ($4,200)
I feel like I missed the boat on Jonathan India's absurd OBP trend. It's like listening to a band and loving them as soon as they hit the mainstream radio. However, hopefully, the India gatekeepers will let be hop on the bandwagon for the time being because it is quite a remarkable stretch of baseball from the rookie.
India is walking so much this season that his OBP (.404) and slugging percentage (.419) are dangerously close to each other. Still, over the last 10 games, he's bopped two home runs to show there is some power in his profile. His on-base ability gives him a safe floor for DFS, and with the wind blowing slightly out at Wrigley, there's a chance we could see another power boost for India.
Yoan Moncada - 3B, CWS at Mike Minor ($4,500)
Moncada has come out of the All-Star break firing on all cylinders, and today, he's get's teammate Eloy Jimenez back to join the party. Since the break, the third baseman slashes .294/.333/.647 with three doubles, three home runs, five runs, and five RBI. He's right in the heart of this run-happy White Sox offense, and, right now, there's no reason he shouldn't be considered in DFS every day ending in 'y'.
Trea Turner - SS, WAS at Spencer Howard ($6,100)
Recommending the most expensive pitcher and the most expensive shortstop isn't exactly going out on a limb for my DraftKings picks article, but sometimes rolling with the great players will garner great results. Right now, Turner is locked in. He's got four multi-hit efforts in his last six contests and is averaging 10.0 FPPG over his last 10 games. Playing in Philadelphia gives him a boost in the power categories, and with Joe Ross and Spencer Howard on the mound, I expect this to be a high-scoring matchup, with Trea Turner being one of many to benefit.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Kike Hernandez - 2B/OF, BOS vs. Thomas Hatch ($4,100)
I mentioned Luis Torrens' .327 ISO above as the 16th best in the league this month. Hernandez has a .377 ISO, and it comes as tied for the third-best ISO in July. The Red Sox outfielder has 13 runs, six homers, and 14 RBI over his last 16 games and is sporting a 1.045 OPS. In addition, the walk rate is up to 14.3 percent, and the strikeout rate is at a bottom-of-the-barrel 11.9 percent in July. Oh, and I forgot to mention he's batting leadoff *swoon*.
Kyle Tucker - OF, HOU at Darren McCaughan ($3,400)
Who has two thumbs and is tied for third with a .377 ISO in July with Kike Hernandez? This guy right here: Kyle Tucker. The Astros outfielder is the poster child for bad BABIP luck in 2021, but the ship has turned in the right direction more recently, and he's making the most of it. The former top prospect is slashing .302/.339/.679 with eight runs, five home runs, 10 RBI, and four stolen bases in July.
Eloy Jimenez - OF, CWS at Mike Minor ($2,500)
These opportunities don't come around often where we can exploit the salary prices because of the new toy. Of course, it happens with rookies, but established ballplayers usually cost a pretty penny. However, with Eloy Jimenez returning for the White Sox, I'm willing to take the chance on a significant bang return for the slugger at $2,500, especially with my strategy of going big at starting pitcher.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners (Darren McCaughan, RHP)
- Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals (Mike Minor, LHP)
- Game stack: Toronto Blue Jays (Thoms Hatch, RHP) at Boston Red Sox (Nick Pivetta, RHP)
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