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The All-Star break has come and gone, so it's time to start thinking playoffs! Trades, divisional series, and magic numbers are soon to come. That means MLB DFS is at its best, and there's no better time to win some cash.
With just two early games on Thursday, a seven-game main slate awaits us on Thursday evening. There are really only two pitchers that I feel safe about using, but there is a third that I believe has the potential to make some risky DFS players some money tonight. We also have an interesting stack of a weaker lineup in Colorado. Let's get to it.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/7/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from high-priced to low-priced options and identify options who will out-perform their expectations, including sleepers and value plays on DraftKings.
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DFS Lineup Stacks to Target on DraftKings
Chicago White Sox vs. Mike Pelfrey
The righty veteran, Pelfrey is getting shelled to the tune of a 4.95 ERA this season. He also has just 46 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. So, the White Sox should be able to make plenty of solid contact in this contest. The affordable Melky Cabrera is the easy foundation after his big game yesterday. He's been some sort of locked in this season, and I'm done pretending he's a bad hitter. Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson will be less owned, but they have plenty of upside here too. Adam Eaton and Todd Frazier will fall somewhere in the middle, but they also could have a big hand in this offensive output. Take your pick here.
Atlanta Braves vs. Chad Bettis
Bettis has not been able to keep the ball in the Coors Field yard like a few of his fellow pitchers have so far this season. The right-handed starter is also allowing a .301 batting average against this year, so we can target him with even the worst of offenses. Freddie Freeman homered on Wednesday, and he's bound to repeat in this spot. If you are daring enough to stack the Braves, players like A.J. Pierzynski, Nick Markakis, and Chase d'Arnaud may very well find success alongside Freeman in Colorado's hitter's paradise.
Also Consider - Colorado Rockies vs. Mike Foltynewicz
DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings
Adam Wainwright, STL vs. SD - $10,400
The Padres are at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to wOBA vs. RHP. Wainwright has been stellar lately, logging almost 93 DK points in his last three starts combined. The lack of other surefire options makes Waino nearly a must play in cash games. In GPPs, he still may be necessary in order to win, but the risky roster constructor might try to leave him out in hopes for an unlikely poor performance.
Matt Moore, TB at OAK - $7,600
Moore managed to come away from his last two starts at Boston and against Baltimore while only allowing two earned runs each. The matchup gets much easier in Oakland, and he'll need to miss some bats if he wants to increase his trade stock before the deadline. Moore is even more of a fly ball pitcher this year, so the big park in Oakland should work to his advantage. Moore is fine for cash or GPP contests today.
Francisco Liriano, PIT vs. MIL - $6,800
As a Pirates fan, I've been as frustrated as anyone about how Liriano has performed this season. An inflated walk rate (even more so than his normally inflated one) makes him impossible to trust in cash games. However, the strikeout upside still remains, and the Brewers are a team that swings and misses fairly often. This is truly a roll of the dice here, but I can see a universe in which Liriano goes seven innings with 10 or more strikeouts. That plus the enormous savings might be enough to beat out Wainwright owners in GPPs.
DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings
Catcher (C)
A.J. Pierzynski, ATL at COL - $3,200
A lefty catcher batting against Chad Bettis at Coors Field under $3,500? Yes please. Of course, there is always the chance he goes 0-for-4, but the home run upside makes him playable in all formats.
Francisco Cervelli, PIT vs. MIL - $3,100
For those feeling less risky, Cervelli is a much better on base guy. He's also hit the ball hard and often in his first two games back from the DL. Assuming he's in the starting lineup, Cervelli is a safe cash play with gap power to help his GPP upside.
First Base (1B)
Freddie Freeman, ATL at COL - $5,000
Jose Abreu, CWS vs. DET - $4,100
This one depends on how much money you are spending elsewhere and which stack you want to put stake in. Both players will likely be in the middle of their team's production, and it's a toss up as to which one has more value. Freeman seems just a tad bit safer for a heftier price.
Second Base (2B)
Brian Dozier, MIN at BOS - $3,300
Second base is ugly on Thursday. I couldn't find a player that really stood out to me, so I'll likely be defaulting to Dozier. This price seems too low for a guy who has hit three home runs in the last week and goes up against a knuckleballer who has struggled to miss bats lately.
Shortstop (SS)
Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs. MIN - $4,300
This is a fine price for a great contact hitter in the middle of the most potent lineup in the league. Bogaerts has sneaky power to all fields to give some GPP upside too.
Brad Miller, TB at OAK - $4,200
Miller has plenty of upside against Sonny Gray, and his ownership will likely be lower. Take your pick here if you're not going with Tim Anderson in a CWS stack.
Third Base (3B)
Nolan Arenado, COL vs. ATL - $5,100
This is my stud to pay up for if at all possible, and all I had to to from last week was adjust his opponent and price. Arenado is one of the best hitters in the game, and Folty is bound to make some mistakes.
Todd Frazier, CWS vs. DET
Frazier has Arenado like upside in terms of power numbers (he's homered in three straight games), but he goes 0-for-4 too often for me to trust him in cash games. As part of a stack or simply a GPP home run guy, Frazier's hot bat is a fine choice.
DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings
Stephen Piscotty, STL vs. SD - $4,500
Piscotty is turning into a great young hitter, and he has four multi-hit games in his last eight contests. The home run upside is certainly there too against Andrew Cashner.
Giancarlo Stanton, MIA at PHI - $4,600
Speaking of home run upside, this price is still too low for the amount of damage that Stanton can do on any given night. Eickhoff is a solid pitcher, but we haven't seen a Stanton Bomb since the great showing in the Home Run Derby. I feel one or two coming tonight.
Adam Eaton, CWS vs. DET - $4,300
Nick Markakis, ATL at COL - $3,900
Melky Cabrera, CWS vs. DET - $3,600
All three of these outfielders are fine for their prices whether your adding them to stacks or plugging them into a cash lineup. There is plenty of upside with each, and their matchups provide a seemingly safe floor on Thursday.
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