RADIO
Ace pitchers are abundant on this Thursday slate regardless of whether you are playing the main slate or the afternoon only slate. On sites that require two starting pitchers, it will be imperative to find batters who are a value and possess high upside.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/29/2017. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options, and of course, value plays.
If you want to contact me, send me a message on Twitter at @DanMarcus3.
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DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider
Corey Kluber - P, vs TEX (DK - $12,600, FD - $11,200)
It’s hard to ever claim there is a better pitching option than Clayton Kershaw, but on Thursday, that will be the case in regards to Corey Kluber. Over the course of the season, Kluber has posted a higher K-BB% than Kershaw and has allowed far fewer home runs per nine innings. Specific to Thursday’s slate, the Angels, Kershaw's matchup, aren’t a scary offense in terms of runs scored but they strike out at just a 19% clip against left-handed pitching. In comparison, the Rangers strike out 24% of the time against right-handed pitching, which means Kluber should have no problem continuing to rack up strikeouts. With the matchup working in his favor and a lower price tag, Kluber is the top play of the Thursday slate.
J.A. Happ - P, vs TAM (DK - $8,700, FD - $8,400)
J.A. Happ has continued his strikeout surge this season as he has posted a career-best 26.1% rate. That will serve him well on Thursday as the Orioles strike out at a 25.8% clip and have posted just a 90 wRC+ against left-handed pitching this season. Thus, track record and matchup favor Happ on Thursday and make him a decent option if you are looking to pay down.
DFS Infielders to Consider
Travis d'Arnaud - C, @MIA (DK - $3,700, FD - $2,700)
Travis d’Arnaud is swinging a hot bat over his past seven games, as he has posted a .571 slugging percentage. Things have been trending up for d’Arnuad over the past couple months as well, as he has posted a 38% hard contact rate. Jose Urena’s surface numbers don’t illustrate his vulnerability to opposing hitters, but he has just a 5.7 K-BB% and is relying on a .245 BABIP to keep his ERA in check.
Marwin Gonzalez - 1B, vs OAK (DK - $3,900, FD - $3,100)
Marwin Gonzalez hasn’t gotten the attention that Justin Smoak or Yonder Alonso have gotten over the course of the season, but he has been equally impressive. Take advantage of his price tag in a solid matchup on Thursday.
Jose Pirela - 2B, vs. ATL (DK - $3,600, FD - $2,800)
Jose Pirela isn’t a player to rely on the rest of the season, but he continues to produce in the short term. The Padres are giving him a chance to prove himself as well, as he is currently batting second in the lineup. Meanwhile, Jaime Garcia hasn’t exhibited splits in his surface numbers, but he has just a 5.3% K-BB% against right-handed hitters and has a 4.53 xFIP against them on the season. Without a daunting matchup, Pirela has shown enough upside of late to make him worth his cost.
Jake Lamb - 3B, vs. STL (DK - $5,000, FD - $3,700)
Jake Lamb is a great place to pay up on Thursday’s slate as he has too much working in his favor to pass up. Lance Lynn has surrendered a .827 OPS to left-handed hitters, has been far worse pitching on the road than at home, and Chase Field continues to be favorable for offense in general.
Jose Peraza - SS, vs. MIL (DK - $3,100, FD - $2,100)
Playing Jose Peraza takes a bit of a leap of faith, especially considering Jimmy Nelson’s strong pitching this season. One thing that Nelson hasn’t been able to reign in, however, is runners on the basepaths as he has allowed eight stolen bases this season (tied for 9th most in the league) and runners have had an 80% success stolen base rate against him. The Reds should be well aware of this, so if Peraza can get on base he is likely to be taking off.
DFS Outfielders to Consider
Yasiel Puig - OF, @ LAA (DK - $3,500, FD - $2,400)
Seeing Yasiel Puig priced at this level is strange given that he has a .990 OPS in the month of June and a 1.233 OPS over the past week. Puig continues to bat towards the bottom of the Dodgers’ lineup which does limit his counting stat upside, but that is somewhat mitigated by having a DH in their lineup for this series. J.C. Ramirez has been effective this season but Puig is a great value on Thursday’s slate.
Tommy Pham - OF, @ ARI (DK - $3,300, FD - $3,000)
Tommy Pham benefits from a shift in park as he finds himself in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league. In addition, he will face a left-handed pitcher in Patrick Corbin, and he has posted a .913 OPS against lefties this season. Meanwhile, Corbin has managed to patch together solid starts this season but has allowed .371 wOBA and has posted a 4.59 xFIP to opposing right-handed batters this season.
Ryan Braun - OF, @ CLE (DK - $4,600, FD - $4,000)
Ryan Braun announced that he is back and healthy on Wednesday by smashing a home run to the opposite field. Braun has had success against Homer Bailey, Thursday’s starter, in the past as he has posted a .970 OPS in 37 career at-bats against him. While playing him solely on that would be a mistake, context is also in Braun’s favor given the home run friendly nature of Great American Ballpark and a warm temperature at game time.
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