RADIO
Mike Schwarzenbach highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 7/21/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
Welcome to another Wednesday night of FanDuel picks! If you're like me, you probably threw up in your mouth a little bit looking at the pitching options tonight. Robbie Ray ($10,600) is the most expensive arm on the slate and while he's had an outstanding bounce-back season, that Blue Jays/Red Sox game has the highest over/under on the slate at 10.5 runs. It'll be another high-scoring night throughout the Majors.
Speaking of high scoring, in New York the Phillies will deploy a bullpen game against the Yankees who will send former Oriole Asher Wojciechowski to the mound. Yes, the Yankees have reached the Baltimore castoff portion of their pitching staff. As of this writing, Vegas doesn't have an over/under on this game but it should be astronomical and there are plenty of low-priced, value bats to be had in that game. In total, we've got a nice sized eight-game slate so let's jump right in.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 7/21/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Julio Urias - LAD vs SFG ($9,100)
At some point this season, the Dodgers will try and manage Urias' workload as his 112 innings are already double what he pitched in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Today should not be that day as L.A. is locked in a heated division race and they need Urias to give them innings versus their arch-rivals and division-leading San Francisco Giants. Urias is the best pitcher on the board and reasonably priced as he carries the fourth-highest salary. The 24-year-old lefty owns a 12-3 record in 19 starts while pitching to a 3.78 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and has 122 strikeouts against only 24 walks.
A look under the hood backs up his success as he's sporting a 3.57 SIERA, a 26.8 percent strikeout rate, and ranks sixth among all qualified starters with a healthy 31.6 CSW%. The Giants are a tough matchup, but given the pitching options available tonight, we can't be picky. San Francisco is middle-of-the-pack versus lefties as they rank 12th in wOBA versus southpaws and Urias did whiff 10 Giants in a start on May 23, so there is a path to success for him tonight.
GPP Potential Alternate Play
Erick Fedde - WAS vs MIA ($6,500)
If you played DFS last Friday, you probably remember the Padres hanging 24 runs on the Nationals making it basically impossible to cash in tournaments without some exposure to the San Diego offense. Erick Fedde started that game for the Nats and allowed six runs and was pulled in the second inning. Now, in his next start, he finds himself recommended in this column as baseball remains a weird and fickle game.
We may be tempted to overreact to that clunker, but let's take a step back and evaluate Fedde's whole season. His 5.32 ERA is ugly, but his 4.44 xFIP and 4.84 SIERA imply he's been a tad unlucky. He's not a huge strikeout pitcher, but Fedde does have a 20.8 percent K-rate which represents an eight percent improvement from last year. He's had some good starts and is facing a Marlins lineup that ranks sixth in strikeout rate versus RHP and 27th in wOBA versus RHP. They are a great matchup to attack and if Fedde can avoid walks, he should easily return value at this low price.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Paul Goldschmidt - 1B STL vs CHC ($3,900)
Quietly, few players are wielding the lumber quite like Goldschmidt this season as the veteran slugger just keeps raking despite the rest of the St. Louis lineup underachieving this season. Goldy ranks near the top of the league in most batted-ball metrics including a 93 MPH average exit velocity, a 54 percent hard-hit rate, and a .545 expected slugging. He's got plenty of history versus Kyle Hendricks who is a contact pitcher meaning Goldschmidt should have a few chances to do damage. On nights like this, I want to jam as many bats as I can into my lineup that have slate-breaking upside. Goldschmidt certainly qualifies.
Rougned Odor - 2B NYY vs PHI ($2,700)
Odor has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Yankees as Yankee Stadium seems tailor-made for his left-handed swing. Odor is only batting .225 this season but he's slugging .438 with all 10 of his homers going out to right field thanks to the short porch in his home ballpark. The Phillies are deploying a bullpen game and Odor should bat third for a Yankee lineup with a big implied run total.
Didi Gregorius - SS PHI at NYY ($2,700)
Sir Didi took an 0-for-5 in his return to Yankee Stadium but had two hard-hit balls that went for outs and also struck out on a very questionable called-third strike to end the game. He's been swinging a hot bat including homering on Sunday and, like Odor, is a middle-infielder that has a perfect left-handed swing for Yankee Stadium. This game should see tons of runs and using the lefties Odor and Gregorius at middle infield saves plenty of our budget that we'll need in the outfield.
Josh Harrison - 3B/2B WAS vs MIA ($2,800)
Harrison is riding a five-game hit-streak in which he has six extra-base hits. None of those are homers, however, but it's only a matter of time as he's scalding the ball right now batting fifth for a Nationals lineup that has come to life since the All-Star break. He's a great value play as a one-off, or paired with the big stars in the Nats' lineup. Stars like...
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Juan Soto - OF WAS vs MIA ($4,400)
Juan Soto was one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy during the first half but it seems a light went on during the All-Star break as Soto is a man possessed right now. He's got five homers and 12 RBI in five games since the break as he's crushing the ball to the tune of a 96.2 MPH average exit velocity. Soto mentioned participating in the Home Run Derby may help him find his power stroke and he's backed up that statement with his play in the second half.
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI at NYY ($3,900)
Noticing a theme here? Tonight we're chasing homers and guys with huge-game potential. Harper may be in a better spot than anyone on the slate as a lefty batter versus the righty Wojciechowski in the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium. I don't need to tell you Harper is amazing and Wojciechowski is not right? Pay-up for Harper in this one.
Travis Jankowski - OF PHI at NYY ($2,300)
Jankowski has been a godsend to the Phillies as they've dealt with tons of outfield injuries and the 30-year-old journeyman has filled in admirably at all three outfield positions. Lately, he's been starting every day in center field and has earned his playing time slashing .360/.458/.480 across 34 games. Obviously, Jankowski will not maintain that pace but he's swinging a good bat and offers cheap exposure to the Phillies lineup in New York.
Good luck with your entries!
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