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Welcome to our new series covering RIVAL Fantasy picks for MLB! We will focus on two fantasy contest types offered on RIVAL - Challenges and FantasyBook (Over/Under).
Challenges are H2H matchups between two MLB players. You choose which one you think will score the most fantasy points, then place a bet to back it. If another user chooses the other player at any time before the contest, the bet is on! If your player scores more fantasy points, you win 1.8x your bet.
FantasyBook is more traditional over/under DFS prop picks - whether you think pitchers and hitters will score Over or Under the set lines, and choosing your amount. You can parlay multiple picks together to vastly increase the juice (ex: 3 picks = 5x your bet).
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!RIVAL Fantasy offers some of the industry's best and easiest-to-win MLB DFS games. There are no large-field tournaments filled with sharks where you have to get lucky to place. At RIVAL Fantasy, you're not playing against other people; you're just playing against the projections. Check here for the updated rules and scoring.
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RIVAL Challenge Picks
Francisco Lindor vs. Chris Taylor
Taylor has put up zero RIVAL fantasy points in four of his last six games, while Lindor has reached 18 RIVAL fantasy points in two of his last four games. Lindor gets a much easier matchup today as he gets Joey Wentz (6.45 ERA) to start, whereas Taylor and the Dodgers will be going up against Aaron Nola (4.46 ERA).
As stated above, the Mets get a pretty tasty matchup against the lefty Wentz, who holds a bloated ERA and middling batted-ball metrics. Noda came alive in April, but he's striking out far too often (35.3% K%), and Logan Gilbert is not a pitcher to actively target hitters against.
Max Scherzer vs. Andrew Heaney
While Heaney's date with the D-Backs is intriguing with how he has pitched lately, Scherzer gets a much more exploitable matchup against the lowly Tigers today. Detroit strikes out at the second-highest rate (30.3%) against left-handed pitchers.
RIVAL Over/Under Picks
Max Scherzer (OVER), Shane Bieber (OVER), Logan Gilbert (OVER)
All three stud pitchers go over their RIVAL fantasy point total today. Scherzer will be coming off his "sticky stuff" suspension guns a blazin,' which is great because he's facing one of the most exploitable offenses in baseball in the Tigers. Bieber, like Scherzer, hasn't been as sharp as many expected early on in the season, as he holds a 3.11 ERA (4.72 xERA) with middling advanced metrics and a startling 17.1% strikeout rate. However, a date with this version of the Yankees might be just what Bieber needs to get right. The Yanks are projected to score just 3.9 runs at home tonight without the services of Aaron Judge. Gilbert has been better than his 4.23 ERA (2.81 xERA) as he holds above-average advanced metrics and a useful 30.1% strikeout rate. That will be more than enough against an A's team that's threatening to be one of the worst in the history of baseball.
DJ LeMahieu (UNDER), Anthony Rizzo (UNDER), Lane Thomas (UNDER)
Shane Bieber and the Guardians' bullpen will get the job done against the Yankees today, who hold a low 3.9-run implied total at home. Lane Thomas projects to hit seventh in an awful Nationals lineup that's projecting for a slate-low 3.4 runs, and he holds an uninspiring .643 OPS with one homer and 11 RBI through 102 at-bats this season. Hard pass.
Play the MLB FantasyBook Over/Under and Challenges Contests Now on RIVAL Fantasy
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