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Happy Independence Day, Rotoballers! I hope everyone reading this article gets a chance to spend time with friends and family throughout the day. Then (if you're so inclined) sprinkle in a little nighttime baseball to round out your holiday Monday.
There are games all over the map on Monday as the earliest matchup begins at 11:05 am Eastern between the Marlins and Nationals. However, today's article will only cover games in the featured contests on both sites. DraftKings and FanDuel have seven games on their schedules, but DK starts at 6:40 pm ET and has the second game of the Guardians-Tigers doubleheader. Meanwhile, FD opts to use the Giants-Diamondbacks game as their seventh game and excludes the Guardians-Tigers AL Central battle.
This article has daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 7/4/2022, Main Slate at 6:10 pm and 6:40 pm Eastern Time. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut!
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Today's MLB Weather Outlook
The only thing I can see with a slight concern is the Cardinals-Braves game with a 25 percent chance of precipitation. They should still be able to get that game in though.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Alek Manoah - P, TOR at OAK ($9,300 DraftKings; $11,000 FanDuel)
Manoah comes in as the most expensive arm on both sites and for good reason. Over 15 starts, the 24-year-old is 9-2, with a 2.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and averages 21.1 DraftKings Points Per Game. The 22.7 percent strikeout rate leaves a little room for improvement, but there's really not a lot to complain about with Toronto's towering right-hander. Plus, he's facing an Athletics lineup that's striking out 23.5 percent of the time with a .206/.262/.315 slash line versus RHPs since May 1. On DraftKings, Manoah is the runaway SP1 on the slate.
Carlos Rodon - P, SF at ARI ($10,900 FD) - FanDuel only
Rodon challenges Manoah for the title of SP1 on FanDuel because the dominant lefty has shown a return to the early-season form that made him so electric in our DFS lineups. Over his previous four starts, the San Fran southpaw is 3-0 with 30 strikeouts over 27 innings, and he's bagged the bonus quality starts points in each outing. However, over the last two months, Arizona's 98 wRC+ tells us they are a below-average team against left-handed hurlers and gives Rodon a matchup with a team that doesn't do much damage. Couple that with their 23.8 percent K rate to southpaws, and the 29-year-old becomes a fantastic option to anchor your lineup on FanDuel.
Taijuan Walker - P, NYM at CIN ($8,800 DK; $8,900 FD)
Johnny Cueto is priced above Taijuan Walker on FanDuel so that automatically makes Walker my favorite value on that site for Independence Day. $8,800 on DraftKings isn't bad either, and I can see myself building a lineup with Manoah/Walker as a pitching-heavy entry later today. Over the last month, Walker's strikeout rate has spiked to 27.3 percent, his walk rate is down to 6.1 percent, and he's producing more ground balls, fewer fly balls, and getting softer contact. These are all things we love to see from pitchers! Add in Cincy's pedestrian .698 OPS versus RHPs over the last two months and 23.1 percent K rate, and we've got an SP1 priced as a high-end SP2 on our hands for Monday's contest.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Cavan Biggio - 1B/2B, TOR at Cole Irvin ($3,200 DK; $2,800 FD)
The Blue Jays infielder is slowly earning his way back into a full-time role. He started five of six games for Toronto (including the last game against a lefty), and is doing some interesting things at the plate.
Okay, then: Cavan Biggio's 13% barrel is almost 2x career his average, and he's not sacrificing contact (78% 2022 vs. 77% career).
— Jordan in Finland (Fantasy Baseball Oligarch) (@RosenJordanBlum) July 3, 2022
It may only be a matter of time before Biggio finds himself further up the Blue Jays lineup, but for now he's worth a look as a wraparound stack option with two of Springer/Bichette/Vladdy Jr.
Santiago Espinal - 2B, TOR at Cole Irvin ($3,800 DK; $2,300 FD)
I never bought into Espinal when he was red-hot, but I'm willing to buy the dip with his pricing on both sites for today's contests. On June 28, he was $4,800 on DK, and all he's done since then is record five multi-hit efforts in eight games while adding two doubles, a home run, and five RBI. Yet, he's lost $1,000 in salary. I'll take the discount and easily play him versus Cole Irvin's 5.40 xERA, 12.1 percent HR/FB rate, and 41.7 percent Hard Hit rate allowed.
Jose Ramirez - 3B, CLE at Alex Faedo ($5,000 DK) - DraftKings only
The Guardians gave their All-World third baseman a day off on Sunday, so I have no worries about Jose Ramirez playing both games of the doubleheader versus Detroit. While I don't put any stock in batter versus team stat lines, I do want to take the opportunity to point out Ramirez is destroying Detroit every chance he gets in 2022. In five games against his AL Central rival, Ramirez slashes .294/.429/.882 with two triples, two home runs, eight RBI, four runs, and two steals.
Tim Anderson - SS, CWS vs. Dylan Bundy ($4,400 DK; $3,300 FD)
Shortstop is so top-heavy on DraftKings that a $4,400 Tim Anderson is the ninth most expensive option at the position. I am not a Dylan Bundy believer and will happily go against him anytime I see him on a slate. Anderson collected eight hits, five runs and smacked a double during last week's West Coast road trip. The White Sox snagged an impressive sweep over the Giants this weekend as they look to finally kick start their season. Any offensive momentum will immediately benefit TA at the top of the lineup.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Starling Marte - OF, NYM at Hunter Green ($5,000 DK; $3,700 FD)
The Mets take a trip to Cincinnati for July 4th, and it's lining up to be an explosive series for Starling Marte. The Mets center fielder has recently found his power stroke, and tonight gets to play in a fantastic, home run-yielding venue versus a pitcher who can't stop allowing home runs. Over his last five games, Marte's smacked two doubles and two home runs with four RBI. New York is in a bit of an offensive slump and could use a big day to ignite their offense. Warm weather plus a small ballpark sounds like a great recipe to me, and it pushes me towards Marte as a premium-bat option.
Mookie Betts - OF, LAD vs. Kyle Freeland ($4,300 DK; $3,600 FD)
There's not a ton to think about here. Mookie Betts is usually a $5,300 hitter on DK, so we are taking these savings as an upside play, and it should allow us to cram another stud bat or upgrade our SP2 on this seven-game slate. Betts returned to the Dodgers on Sunday and promptly went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, two walks, and 18 DK points.
Michael Harris - OF, ATL vs. Dakota Hudson ($3,200 DK; $3,200 FD)
You don't see a lot of hitters with the same price on DraftKings and FanDuel that often, so Harris comes in as a big value on DK. Yes, batting ninth isn't great for DFS purposes, but the rookie is still recording some handy numbers for our lineups. Over 34 games, Harris has a .855 OPS with 14 extra-base hits (five homers), 22 runs, 19 RBI, and five steals. Also, it's never a bad spot to have Ronald Acuna and contract-year superhero Dansby Swanson batting right behind you when the lineup turns over.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics (Cole Irvin, LHP)
- There are enough discount options scattered up and down the Blue Jays lineup to make this work. Biggio, Espinal, or even Matt Chapman teamed with one of their bigger bats at the top should give you enough exposure to one of the best offenses in the league.
New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds (Hunter Greene, RHP)
- Hunter Greene allowed five home runs in his last two starts at Great American Ball Park. I would favor any offense to hit a couple off him tonight. The Mets have enough talent at the top to do some severe damage on the scoreboard.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (Johnny Cueto, RHP)
- Cueto's been a nice story, but I'm not sure how many more chapters this book has. Over the last two months, Minnesota is clobbering RHP with a .181 ISO and .334 wOBA. It's not the cheapest stack on the board, but it could come in with a low roster percentage.
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