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With games spread all throughout the day, we’re going to offer up some plays from both slates. With that said, we’ll focus mainly on the night slate, as we have a hefty 12-game schedule ahead of us.
In terms of weather, it looks like we're in the clear!
Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @Bartilottajoel
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Caleb Smith, MIA vs. KC ($7,400)
Smith has been struggling recently but he has too much upside to be priced this cheaply. We’re still talking about a pitcher with a posting a 1.14 WHIP and 28.2 percent K rate. What’s most impressive is his home numbers, with Smith generating a 3.50 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 10,4 K/9 rate at Marlins Park this season, the best pitcher’s park in baseball. All of that makes him hard to fade against a bad AL lineup without their DH, with the Royals ranked 27th in runs scored, 25th in OBP, 21st in xwOBA, 27th in OPS and 23rd in wOBA.
Andrew Heaney, LAA at CWS ($8,800)
Heaney has quietly developed into one of the best strikeout pitchers in the league and that makes it tough to avoid in a matchup like this. Let’s begin with that opponent, with the White Sox ranked 25th in K rate, 28th in runs scored, 26th in OPS, 25th in xwOBA and 24th in wOBA. That’s huge for a guy who’s rolling like Heaney, with the southpaw totaling a 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 rate over his last seven starts.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Josh Bell – 1B, PIT vs. STL ($4,000)
With two value pitchers, we’re going to offer up some studs in the infield. We’ll start that build with Bell, as he’s really been turning things around recently. Over his last 12 fixtures, Bell has a .429 OBP, .652 SLG and 1.081 OPS. That’s the All-Star that we saw at the beginning of the year and it appears he’s back to full health. Getting to face Adam Wainwright might be the best part of this play though, with Waino allowing left-handed bats to post a .389 OBP, .372 wOBA and a .898 OPS against him this season,
Jose Altuve – 2B, HOU vs. SEA ($4,200)
Altuve is easily the best second base option on the board. The reason for that is because he gets the platoon advantage against Yusei Kikcuhi, who’s pitching to a 5.36 ERA and 1.47 WHIP this season. That’s horrifying against Altuve, as he’s got a .392 AVG, .773 SLG and 1.212 OPS against left-handers so far this season. That doesn’t even take into consideration that Altuve is hitting .350 over his last 48 games en route to a 1.046 OPS.
Kris Bryant – 3B, CHC at MIL ($4,200)
Splits are a major trend in this article and no one is quite as special as KB with the platoon advantage in their favor. Dating back to last season, Bryant has a .338 AVG, .427 OBP, .690 SLG and 1.127 OPS against left-handed pitching. That’s a huge sample size for such absurd numbers and it definitely puts him in play against a pitcher like Gio Gonzalez. The Brewers lefty has really been struggling with his control recently, pitching to a 7.02 ERA and 1.98 WHIP over his last four starts.
Paul DeJong – SS, STL at PIT ($3,400)
DeJong has quietly developed into one of the best shortstops in baseball and it’s hard to overlook his power potential. His 26 homers tell you everything you need to know, with DeJong providing a .459 SLG and .786 OPS so far this season. His power stroke is at full blast right now too, hitting seven homers over his last 23 games. Getting the platoon advantage against Steven Brault is simply the icing on the cake, with the southpaw pitching to a 5.03 xFIP and 1.40 WHIP this season.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
J.D. Martinez, BOS vs. NYY ($4,200)
Martinez is one of the best pure hitters in baseball and he’s hard to fade anytime he faces a left-hander. So far this season, J.D, is generating a .405 AVG, .486 OBP, .897 SLG and 1.383 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Much of that has come recently, with Martinez accruing a .448 OBP, .731 SLG and 1.178 OPS over his last 40 fixtures. All of that is bad news for J.A. Happ and his 5.34 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.
Joc Pederson, LAD vs. SF ($3,900)
Don’t look now but Pederson is one of the hottest hitters in the league. While it’s a small sample size, Joc has five homers over his last four games and seven dingers over his last 11 games in total. What makes him enticing here is that he’ll bat leadoff against a righty. So far this season, Pederson has all 32 of his homers against right-handers en route to a .348 OBP, .572 SLG and .920 OPS. Tyler Beede is certainly not a pitcher we’re worried about either, with the Giants righty pitching to a 5.61 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.
Philip Ervin, CIN vs. ARI ($2,400)
Now that we got a bunch of studs for you to pick from, let’s cap things off with a value bat. Ervin is just that, as it’s hard to understand why he remains so cheap in such a fantastic situation. Let’s start with the matchup, as he gets the platoon advantage against Alex Young and his 4.78 xFIP. Ervin has just obliterated left-handed pitching throughout the year, accumulating a .365 AVG, .667 SLG and 1.087 OPS with the platoon advantage.
