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There are an even 10 games on the slate tonight, and while there are a number of ways we can go, I'd recommend taking one of two high-end starting pitchers and building your lineups around them. There are some high-end stacks to consider in the Dodgers and Reds, but the Rays and Royals are also in some really juicy spots. Let's dig in.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 7/24/2021. You can see our DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineup pick for the early slate here as well.
Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game / GPP Anchor Play:
Corbin Burnes - MIL vs. CWS ($11,200)
Burnes put up 71 FD points in his last outing against the Reds. He got there with 8 and 1/3 shutout innings and 12 strikeouts and while a repeat isn't likely to be in the cards, he has the highest chance of putting up the top pitching score on tonight's slate. He has some insane metrics that include a lofty strikeout rate (37.2%), very low contact rates (3.3% barrel %, 28.4% hard-hit %), and a sweet 2.16 ERA (1.82 xERA). Simply put, he has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB, despite his mediocre 5-4 record. The White Sox represent a tough matchup, but that may just keep people off of Burnes when they shouldn't be. They do strike out 25.8% of the time against RHP and have a low implied total of 3.4 runs tonight. He's well worth the pay up here.
Alternate Play(s)
Carlos Rodon - CWS vs. MIL ($10,800)
The other side of this matchup is also very intriguing as Rodon has been spectacular all season. He holds a high 36.6% strikeout rate and his sparkling 2.14 ERA is backed up by his 2.30 xERA, and ranks in the 96th percentile in xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG as well. The most intriguing reason for the pivot to Rodon would be the better matchup that the Brewers represent. The Brew Crew strike out at the ninth-highest rate (26.4%) against LHP, and they have a few guys (Hiura, Yelich, Adames) who strikeout over 28% of the time against southpaws. They also only hold a 3.7-run implied total.
Others: Jose Berrios vs. LAA ($8,400), Luis Castillo vs. STL ($8,600),
GPP Dart-Throw
Tony Gonsolin - LAD vs. COL ($6,500)
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Carlos Santana - 1B, KCR vs. DET ($2,900)
Casey Mize is certainly a pitcher we can attack today, and Santana lines up perfectly to do some damage against him. He has a .181 ISO (.222 xISO) and .334 wOBA (.359 xwOBA) against RHP this season, and he has 13 of his 16 homers against RHP as well. Mize has weak rates across the board, but he has been especially weak against LHH with a 4.76 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 12 homers allowed over just 45 and 1/3 innings.
Zach McKinstry - 2B, LAD vs. COL ($2,200)
McKinstry is a very cheap option in a loaded Dodgers lineup, and he's a great guy to get to if you're going to deploy one of those high-priced hurlers as a core of your lineup. Obviously, he also works as a piece of the high-upside Dodgers stack as he should hit in the sixth slot on a team with a high 5.1-run implied total. He has some nice power potential (seven total home runs, .166 xISO vs. RHP) for a player this cheap, and he fills a position that's not exactly loaded with value.
Josh Donaldson - 3B, MIN vs. LAA ($3,000)
Donaldson is having an underappreciated season as he's in the 92nd-percentile or better in average exit velocity, hard hit rate, xwOBA, xSLG, barrel rate, and walk rate. He has 15 bombs on the year, and he hits LHP much better as he holds a high .920 OPS, .384 wOBA, and .253 ISO (.266 xISO) against southpaws. Sandoval is a fine pitcher, but he gave up four earned runs (with two homers) to the Mariners last time out and he struggles to keep RHH off the bases with a 1.48 WHIP.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Whit Merrifield - 2B/OF, KCR vs. DET ($3,400)
Merrifield really hasn't been overly impressive in any category other than limiting his strikeouts this season, but he's in a superb spot to provide value at his price tonight. He can be used as a one-off, but he works better in a sneaky (ish) Royals' stack that could give Mize (and the atrocious Tigers bullpen) major trouble today.
Jesse Winker - OF, CIN vs. STL ($3,600)
It doesn't feel likely that opposing pitcher Jake Woodford lasts too long - this is his second start after serving as a reliever in 17 appearances this season. He holds a 4.06 ERA (5.09 xERA), but the big appeal here is his 5.27 ERA and four homers allowed over just 13 and 2/3 innings against LHH. Winker will get at least one shot against him, but the Cardinals relief staff provide even more reason to be on Winker and the rest of the Reds today. Their bullpen ranks last in the bigs with a 5.06 xFIP, and their 4.35 FIP and 4.42 ERA aren't a whole lot better.
Nelson Cruz - OF, TBR vs. CLE ($3,700)
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a bomb, a walk, and two runs scored in his first game as a Ray, and I think he has a great chance at another huge game here tonight. He's more of a lefty-masher, but he does have 14 of his 20 homers and a .246 ISO (.216 xISO) against RHP this season. Meijia has a 7.53 ERA and holds awful metrics across the board, and he's allowing an insane .651 SLG on his main pitch (the sinker) this season. Coincidentally, Cruz's best pitch to hit has absolutely been the sinker this season. He's hitting .333 with a .549 SLG, .422 wOBA, and 58.1% hard hit rate against the pitch this season.
Meijia has been even worse against LHH (9.16 ERA. 1.71 WHIP), so get to some Austin Meadows (at a cheaper price than Cruz) as well.
FanDuel DFS Stacks
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Jake Woodford
- Kansas City Royals vs. Casey Mize
- Tampa Bay Rays vs. J.C. Meijia
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kyle Freeland
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