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We have a busy Thursday this week with 11 games starting at varying times of the day. The early slates are a mess between DraftKings and FanDuel, but at least we have a uniform slate for the nightcap.
This article contains my picks for the five-game late slate on June 29, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 7:07 PM ET. We have to keep an eye on the weather in Chicago and Denver, but as of now, it looks like both games will be safe enough. That means we have a Coors Field matchup on a small slate. Yikes!
The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Max Scherzer, NYM vs. MIL ($11,000 DK, $9,700 FD)
The last two starts have been vintage Max. He has allowed only three runs in 14 innings while striking out 16. That's more like it! Both sites have noticed as he has seen a marked increase on both of them, but he is a much better value on FanDuel. Some of it is because of the smaller slate. Some of it is because Max looks back. Both of those starts were road starts against Philly and Houston.
The road has not been kind to Scherzer this year. He has a 4.38 road ERA compared to 2.95 at home. One of those road starts was a forgettable one against these same Brewers in Milwaukee back in April. I'll use Max at home since he has been better at home and the tables have turned quite a bit since then. The Brewers are hitting a miserable .215 in June after hitting .244 in April.
Kyle Hendricks, CHC vs. PHI ($7,100 DK, $8,000 FD)
Having to go cheaper on a pitcher because Coors Field is on a slate is a tough task. Tonight proves that. Why else would I have a guy that doesn't strike anyone out and has an ERA two full runs higher at home as a recommendation? Those of you contrarian types can try to run with rookie Emmet Sheehan in Coors against the cold Rockies, but Hendricks is by far the safer option.
He has three straight wins and has allowed just three earned runs in those three starts. That's good enough on a slate like this. Hendricks may not be missing bats, but he has 31 ground-ball outs in those three games. If hitters aren't elevating against him, they can't get it into the Wrigley Jet Stream.
Others to consider: Taijuan Walker ($8,800 DK, $9,500 FD) at CHC
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Brendan Donovan - 1B/2B(DK) - 2B(FD), STL vs. HOU ($3,400 DK, $2,600 FD)
I could be boring and just list players from Coors, but what fun is that? We're supposed to find ways to get different, right? We need to take a look at guys performing well without the aid of Coors which can usually be had at a discount and lower ownership.
Donovan is one of those guys. The Cardinals have used Donovan in the leadoff slot against right-handed pitching looking for a spark with some success. Donovan is hitting .359 with a pair of homers, eight RBI, and seven runs scored in the last ten games. The Cardinals and Astros accounted for the same number of runs as the Dodgers and Rockies did last night at a fraction of the cost.
Mookie Betts - 2B/OF(DK) - 2B/SS/OF(FD), LAD at COL ($6,300 DK, $4,400 FD)
Betts has notched a homer and a steal in the same game in two out of the last three games. He also has three homers and seven RBI over the last five games. The cherry on top of this is that Mookie gets to lead off against a tomato can in Coors – the same tomato can that got pulverized by the Angels in their historic 25-run game on Saturday. Chase Anderson, we hardly knew you. We'll know you after this for all the wrong reasons.
Francisco Lindor - SS, NYM vs. MIL ($4,500 DK, $3,400 FD)
Lindor saw his modest six-game hitting streak come to an end last night, but he has still reached base in 15 straight, hitting four homers, scoring 10 runs, and driving in 13 while swiping three bases. Lindor's overall numbers are the season are still rather ugly, but he has turned a corner lately, slashing .314/.419/.735 with a 1.154 OPS in the last ten games. Looking at that, he almost feels cheap.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Joc Pederson - OF, SF at TOR ($4,700 DK, $3,600 FD)
Joc has started to pick it back up a little of late. He has faced Chris Bassitt six times in his career and come away with four hits. Two of those are homers and another one is a double. Bassitt has struggled lately after a strong start to the season. He has allowed 17 runs in just 11 2/3 innings over his last three starts combined. I'll take Joc against a struggling Bassitt to get away from Coors a bit.
Christian Yelich - OF, MIL at NYM ($4,200 DK, $3,300 FD)
The boost to Scherzer's price also comes with a discount to those batting against him. Maybe all players shouldn't get that discount. Yelich is 11-for-37 (.297) in his career against Scherzer with three homers thanks to the 95.5 mph average exit velocity. Yelich is one of the few guys that not only hits Scherzer hard, but he hits him well. He is also hitting a cool .351 over the last ten games, which can't hurt either.
Jordan Walker - OF, STL vs. HOU ($3,100 DK, $3,000 FD)
The rookie has quietly put together a 16-game hitting streak. I say quietly because the Cardinals are still struggling as a whole and because Walker only has three homers and eight RBI during the streak. I'll take the sure points at this price on DK, especially when trying to cram in Dodgers. Just don't expect much besides a hit.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chase Anderson
Remember the good old days(last week) when Anderson had a sparkling ERA of just under 3 at home? That all disappeared when he allowed nine runs while only recording eight outs against the Angels in his last start. Anderson allowed three homers in that game and has now allowed multiple home runs in four of his last five starts.
We can afford Mookie and Freddie Freeman by going after the cheap lefties like David Peralta and Jason Heyward. A Dodgers stack doesn't have to break the bank. That's going to result in roster rates north of 50%, but so long as you use pieces from the other games that few do, you still have a chance at a big payday.
Also consider: Houston Astros vs. Adam Wainwright
Wainwright got destroyed by the Cubs in London, but he hadn't been pitching that well before then either. The 41-year-old Wainwright has allowed at least three runs in every one of his nine starts this year. That blow-up against the Cubs was expected if you pay attention to his Statcast page, and the correction isn't quite done. His xERA is still nearly a third of a run higher than his 6.56 mark on the season.
As for the Astros to use, come for the lefties like Kyle Tucker and Bligh Madris and stay for the power of Corey Julks, Alex Bregman, and Chas McCormick.
Sneaky stack: San Francisco Giants vs. Chris Bassitt
Bassitt's ERA is 13.12 over his last three starts. That's not going to sit well against a patient team like the Giants that can throw several lefties at him.
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