RADIO
Welcome to Tuesday baseball! We have a full slate of game on our hands and plenty to look at. With a game in Coors Field, we'll have to consider the salary of everyone and look at some cheap pitching. With that said, there are a lot of expensive arms worth considering on the slate and we'll have to decide which way to go. Let's get into it!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 7/2/2019. The picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
We also provide DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on Twitter @VarneyDFS.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Charlie Morton - TAM vs. BAL ($10,800)
It’s an interesting night at pitcher. I think most would prefer to pay up, but the bats on this slate are lethal and there are a lot of expensive offenses worth paying up for. The top three options (Bauer, Morton, Corbin) are all in play and a case can be made for each in tournaments. In cash games, the consistency of Morton and the quality of this Orioles offense makes it easy. The Rays let him exceed 100 pitches regularly and the Rays are huge favorites (-220) to win this game. Morton is extremely safe and where you should look if you’re comfortable with a few value bats.
Reynaldo Lopez - CHW vs. DET ($6,600)
There is no such thing as safe in this realm, but Reynaldo Lopez has as much upside as anyone on the slate and is under $7k. He’s facing the same squad he struck out 14 against a couple of months ago and will look to use them as a “get right” after struggling recently. The Tigers tank 29th in baseball against righties, ahead of just the Miami Marlins. They strikeout 26% of the time and Lopez K’s his opponents 29%. As long as he can keep his fastball in the zone, the Tigers will chase secondary pitches and let Lopez rack up the strikeouts once again. With so many pricey bats and a game in Coors, I’ll be looking towards Lopez in a lot of my tournaments.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
C/1B - Gary Sanchez - NYY @ NYM (Vargas) ($4,100)
FanDuel won't force you into rostering a catcher, but Gary Sanchez isn't a guy you'll ever feel forced to play. He's one of the premier power bats in all of baseball and has as high of upside as anyone on the slate. The Yankees' gauntlet of an offense is once again projected for 6+ runs and Jason Vargas may get hit by a train or subway. Sanchez has sported a .388 wOBA in '19 vs southpaws and will be hitting cleanup in between guys that will force Vargas to throw strikes. He's expensive, but doable if you're playing Lopez at P.
C/1B - Anthony Rizzo - CHC @ PIT (Musgrove) ($4,000)
The Pirates put up 18 runs last night, but I think the Cubs bounce back tonight and put some of their own runs up. Joe Musgrove isn't a terrible pitcher, but his struggles against lefties are well noted and this Cubs lineup is one of the most dangerous against righties. Rizzo is the best of all, possessing a .387 wOBA and 48% hard contact rate. PNC Park favors left-handed power and Rizzo is certainly a pull-hitter when it comes to the long ball. There won't be much attention paid to the Cubs tonight and Rizzo may fall in under 15% owned.
2B - Max Muncy - LAD vs. ARI (Clarke) ($3,700)
The Dodgers may be out of Coors Field, but they are too cheap tonight. Taylor Clarke is clearly one of the worst pitchers on the entire slate and FD has decided to mark all of these guys down. Muncy is only $3.7k and will be facing off with a guy who's allowed a 6.51 xFIP and .407 wOBA to lefties thus far. He walked nearly four batters per nine innings in the minors and has continued the trend in the majors, asking for trouble. The Dodgers are my favorite stack outside of Coors Field tonight.
3B - Justin Turner - LAD vs. ARI (Clarke) ($3,100)
We'll stay right in Chase Field, where home runs have been plentiful this year, ranking just behind Coors Field. While Taylor Clarke is certainly bad vs lefties, he's not much better against righties. On the season, a .356 wOBA and 5.56 xFIP vs right-handers is pretty terrible in itself. Justin Turner has been just as good against righties as he has been lefties since '18, holding a .366 wOBA. He has more power against right-handed pitching and will be protected by Bellinger and Muncy. The discount on FanDuel is too big to ignore for arguably the best offense in baseball against a gas can starter and a worse bullpen.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
OF - George Springer - HOU @ COL (Marquez) ($4,700)
At the high-end in the outfield, you have three elite options. Mike Trout is facing a fastball-throwing lefty and Cody Bellinger is part of the Dodgers offense I have already harped on so much. You then have George Springer, who we'll talk about. Bellinger and Springer will both be all over my lineups, but I thought I would concentrate Coors Field into the outfield. We could've highlighted a play at each position, but you don't need me to tell you that Coors Field has upside. The summer is officially here and we're seeing runs pour in across the league. Colorado has been no different. Springer and co. will face off with German Marquez tonight, who's given up a 5.41 xFIP in Coors Field this season. Springer has insane home run upside in Coors Field and I'd be petrified to fade him.
OF - Max Kepler - MIN @ OAK (Mengden) ($3,800)
We haven’t touched on the Twins up to this point, but they’re clearly one of the top offenses on the night. Stacked from 1-9, Daniel Mengden and his 5.41 xFIP will struggle. He’s bad against both sides of the plate but has held a 1.96 HR/9 vs lefties. Max Kepler is one of the best lefties in baseball in 2019 and has sported a .411 wOBA vs opposing right-handers. He’ll likely bat leadoff and is affordable on FD as a lock in all formats.
