RADIO
Welcome to Thursday baseball on FanDuel! The baseball gods have split the day in half and we have two solid slates to look at. We'll focus on the main slate starting at 7:05, but the early slate is interesting as well. On the main slate, there are plenty of tournaments to look at. No matter your price point, you can find a huge tournament styled for your needs.
There are plenty of options on the slate, even though we're looking at just six games on the board. The best pitcher in baseball is on the slate, so you'll surely want to consider paying up. There is enough value elsewhere, but we also have a cheap pitcher that will allow you to pay all the way up for bats. Let's dive in head first!
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 @DFSVarney
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Gerrit Cole - HOU @ CLE - $11,700
Gerrit Cole is in a tier all by himself this season. I went in assuming he would line up with Scherzer, but he’s been even better. He heads all qualified starters with both a 13.28 K/9 and. 2.69 xFIP. It doesn’t get any better that that. He’s gone seven or more innings in five of the last six games and hasn’t gone less than five all year. The Indians are a good offense, but Cole can shut down anyone. He’s the top pitcher on the slate and I’ll do everything I can to jam him in.
Max Fried - ATL vs. CIN - $7,500
After Cole, there isn’t much to love. Kershaw is way too expensive and you can just find an extra $300 to move up to Cole. If you are looking to save money at P, Max Fried should be serviceable. It’s about all you can say on this slate, where every team not named the Padres or Indians is expected to put up runs. The Braves are -180 favorites and Max Fried has shown some consistency. The Reds are middle of the road against lefties and K 24% of the time. Fried does have the ability to give up some runs, but he’s the best bet under $10k in cash games.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
C/1B - Tyler White - LAD vs. SDP (Lucchesi) - $2,500
There are obviously ways to pay up at first base, but you don't need me to know Freddie Freeman or Paul Goldschmidt is a good play. We'll instead look towards Tyler White, who's extremely cheap and has been hitting right after Cody Bellinger. Tyler White has always been a platoon specialist and has sported a .381 wOBA vs left-handers since 2017. The Dodgers are expected to put up close to six runs and while Lucchesi isn't bad, this lineup is just so lethal. Against righties, Luchessi holds a 4.49 xFIP and has HR issues. I you're looking for some value at 1B, Tyler White is a great option.
2B - Ozzie Albies - ATL vs. CIN (Desclafani) - $3,400
You always prefer Ozzie Albies vs a lefty, but he's still sported a .331 wOBA against righties and has hit nine of his 15 home runs from the left side. Tonight, the Braves face off with Anthony Desclafani. He's been pretty good of late, but is still the same pitcher he's always been. Against lefties, he's allowed a .385 wOBA and 13 home runs in under 50 innings of work. The Braves lefties are more than in play tonight and make for a great cash game or tournament stack. Albies is affordable and will always have the platoon advantage.
3B - Eugenio Suarez - CIN @ ATL (Fried) - $3,700
I know I mentioned Max Fried, but I also noted that he could very well give up some runs and he’s simply a lesser of evils for a cheap pitcher. His main foe tonight will be Eugenio Suarez and his .431 wOBA against southpaws. He now moves into hot Atlanta and should be able to drive the ball with ease. I will always deploy Suarez against a lefty and very rarely has it hurt me. Suarez is affordable and waking up very happy seeing a lefty on the hill.
SS - Bo Bichette -TOR @ BAL (Wojciechowski) - $2,700
Asher Wojciechowski has had two brilliant starts in a row, but it’s not for real. He’s never held a K/9 over nine in the minors and has sported an xFIP (4.61) a whole run higher than his ERA. The Blue Jays aren’t a team that busts down any doors vs righties, but Bo Bichette is great as a one-off. He’s hit righties just as good as lefties in the minors and has added SB upside against them. FanDuel has yet to price Bichette up and he’s in play in all formats until he’s up there with the elites at the position.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Mookie Betts - BOS vs. TBR (McKay) - $4,300
Brendan McKay is a good pitcher by any means, but going into Fenway Park in the middle of summertime is about as tough as it gets. McKay has sported a .295 wOBA, but his xFIP suggest his ER should be around 3.50. The Red Sox rank 4th against southpaws at home and Mookie Betts is a big reason why. On the season, a .392 wOBA backed up by any peripheral you can find. He's seeing the ball as well as he ever has and makes for my favorite expensive outfielder on the board. I'm hoping McKay will keep a few off of him.
Tyler O'Neill - STL vs. CHC (Lester) - $2,300
JOn Lester can always shut down an offense, but he's also inclined to give up four or five early runs. If he doesn't have his fastball, this right-handed heavy Cardinal offense will do damage. Tyler O'Neill has been better against lefties (.338 wOBA) and has been better at home. He's pimped a .3882 wOBA over the last month vs lefties and seems to be a completely different hitter since July 1st. He''s close to minimum-priced on FanDuel and makes for a great value in all formats.
