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Kevin Luchansky highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 7/25/18, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
It feels like forever since we've had a solid Early Only slate on a Wednesday, and so the MLB scheduling gods have finally graced us with one. Unfortunately, the Main slate is not as meaty, but we can work with it. FanDuel has split it up such that there are eight games in the Early Only and four in the Main. I'll list my favorite plays from each below.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 7/25/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on Twitter @kpLuch.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Danny Duffy - SP, vs DET ($8,800) - Early Only
At the start of the season, I really believed this would be a year we could pick on Ol' Duffy by stacking against him, but he's really surprised me. So much so that he's my top pitcher for this early slate. He's been an above-average starter and his performance has picked up a tick of late as well. He's crushed value in four of his last five starts, eclipsing 40 FanDuel points in each. His price tag has crept up a bit, but his implied total in just 30 points and thats a number I think he can surpass against a team with a 25% K rate and just a .292 wOBA split against southpaws this season. Detroit has only 4.2 implied run total - that's a bit higher than what we normally target, but it's the third lowest number right now among the 16 teams taking the field during the day. Helping to build the case for Duffy is the fact that his hard hit rate and fly ball rate over his last pair of starts is 28% and 38%, respectively.
Tyler Skaggs - SP, vs CWS ($9,300) - Main
The pitching options on the Main slate aren't thrilling, but I do like the spot Skaggs is in from a run prevention and strikeout upside standpoint. He's sporting a strong 3.67 SIERA this season with a 24.7% K rate and a HR/9 allowed of just 0.69. Working in his favor he'll be pitching in the spacious confines of his home park and he faces a White Sox team that isn't strong offensively at all - their run projection is a paltry 3.4. Chicago's projected lineup tomorrow has a 26% K rate against southpaws this season to go with a pretty medicore (and below average for this slate) .310 wOBA split. Skaggs and the Angels are also the biggest moneyline favorites of the evening at -221. He can be used in all formats.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Steve Pearce - 1B, at BAL ($3,600) - Main
Pearce has had a pretty impressive run thus far in a Red Sox uniform and he'll look to continue the trend tonight in Baltimore. He's normally someone I love targeting against lefties, but he has been improved against righties and sports a .341 wOBA and a .191 ISO. What makes this spot more attractive is Dylan Bundy's tendencies to give up home runs - he's allowed 2.19 HR/9 to right-handed batters this season.
Rougned Odor - 2B, vs OAK ($3,600) - Main
I'm going to keep riding the Odor train as he's really picked up his game of late and draws another good matchup. During his hot run, he's also been hitting much higher in the order which certainly adds to his appeal, as does the fact that the Oakland bullpen has had a really heavy workload the past two days in the Texas heat. Odor sports a .311 wOBA split and a .183 ISO mark against righties in 2018.
Matt Carpenter - 3B, at CIN ($4,400) - Early Only
Carpenter is my top graded infield choice for the early slate, which isn't saying a ton seeing as to how hot he's been and due to the fact that most of the traditional "top" infielders in this slate are either in mediocre spots or priced too high. Sal Romano has talent, that's for sure, but he's prone to blow ups and struggles with lefty hitters especially. Carpenter not only has a really high floor due to the .396 wOBA split, but a high ceiling as well with his .276 ISO.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Steven Souza - OF, at CHC ($2,800) - Early Only
Souza is finally starting to hit well and opposing starter Jon Lester has been really knocked around in 19.1 innings in July (7.78 ERA, .440 wOBA allowed), which grabs my interest in Souza as a tournament option. That interest is further piqued by his low price, the park upgrade and due to the feeling he will likely be owned at a very small percentage. Souza is sporting a .396 wOBA split against lefties this season and has a 40% hard hit rate in his last seven starts this month.
Christian Yelich - OF, vs WAS ($4,200) - Early Only
Yelich has been running pretty hot as well and he draws a solid matchup this afternoon against Tanner Roark. Roark had been a dependable arm for much of the season, but he has been roughed up pretty badly in June and July, posting an ERA over 6 in June and over 9 in July (small sample in July). Yelich has posted a 42% hard hit rate over his last eight games and owns a .382 wOBA split against right-handed pitching this season.
Justin Upton - OF, vs CWS ($3,600) - Main
Pretty excited about getting cleanup hitter exposure - against James Shields, no less - at this price tag. Upton has a really strong 54% hard hit rate in his last 11 games with a stunning average exit velocity of 98 miles per hour. He also has pretty attractive splits against right-handed pitching this seaosn, highlighted by a .351 wOBA and a .230 ISO.
Kole Calhoun - OF, vs CWS ($2,900) - Main
Calhoun is a really nice value here - especially for those paying up at pitcher that might have trouble finding value otherwise. His batted ball data in the past 10 days is really impressive and a major improvement from where he was earlier in the year, with a 52% hard hit rate in this span. He also has a .182 ISO that is .160 points higher than his mark against southpaws.
