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After getting our collective feet wet and heads whirling Friday from a slate that had late pitching changes, last-minute IL inclusions, and a whole lot of offense (looking at you Twins and Red Sox) we get to dive immediately back in with the rare Saturday afternoon main slate today.
For the most part, pitchers were kept on a leash during Opening Day. That meant that across the league, middle relief corps were exposed and hitters were tasked with facing a stingy opposing starter on just two occasions. That trend is one to keep an eye on as we move forward during the tenuous early period of the 2020 sprint season.
In this article, I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 7/25/2020. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news and projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like DraftKings, and other sports too.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Yu Darvish - CHC v. MIL ($9,300)
Darvish is slated to be the highest-priced starter on the DraftKings side, but his price tag is much more friendly on FanDuel. While it’s tough to say that owners could go wrong with Mike Clevinger (vs. Kansas City) or Luis Castillo (vs. Detroit), Darvish entered the abbreviated 2020 season as one of the favorites to lead the league in strikeouts. His first matchup is against a Brewers squad that looked hapless against Kyle Hendricks on Opening Day, paving the way for the possibility of even more strikeouts to be had.
Lance McCullers Jr. - HOU v. SEA ($8,000)
While there will be trepidation over Saturday being McCullers’ first regular-season start since 2018, his matchup against a Mariners lineup that appears to be lacking in many categories could yield itself to a strikeout-friendly showing. McCullers went over 70 pitches in his final intrasquad tuneup, which could peg him around the 5-6-inning mark against Seattle. He has the same high-strikeout tendencies as many of the top-priced pitchers, while also having the benefit of the Houston offense at his back, in addition to entering the game as a hefty favorite on the Moneyline.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B, TOR @ TB ($3,000)
With a pile of options at the catcher/first base slot Saturday, Guerrero has the highest upside of any player at his price point. Despite having odd reverse splits from his 2019 stint, Guerrero hammered the ball to the tune of a .303 batting average and .865 OPS on the road. There are choices aplenty here, but consider the uber-talented youngster here.
Mike Moustakas - 2B, CIN v. DET ($3,200)
Very few players had as dominating as a performance on Opening Day as Moustakas, who mashed his first Cincinnati home run en route to a 4-RBI performance. That production came against a stingy left-hander in Matthew Boyd. Now? He gets to face Ivan Nova at Great American Ball Park, a combination that mirrors a chemistry experiment bound to go sideways.
Josh Donaldson - 3B, MIN @ CWS ($3,000)
Getting paws to nearly anyone on the Twins’ offense on a nightly basis is going to be a form of exercise in it’s own right. On Saturday, give Donaldson a peek if you’re looking to keep the price tag down to spend up elsewhere. The former AL MVP walked twice in his Minnesota debut and will now face his teammate from last season, Dallas Keuchel. Donaldson has taken the southpaw deep before and for those owners not including a stack at third, his price makes him a considerable commodity.
Bo Bichette - SS, TOR @ TB ($3,000)
Another victim of the price discrepancy conundrum, Bichette is vastly underpriced on FanDuel. After collecting a hit and scoring a run on Opening Day, he’ll face Rays left-hander Ryan Yarbrough in his second game. In an admittedly small sample size last season, Bichette bludgeoned lefties to the tune of a .368/.413/.667 slash line. If you’re also rolling Guerrero out there, Bichette could make for a dynamic short stack, even with the surplus of legitimate shortstop options available.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Shogo Akiyama - OF, CIN v. DET ($2,700)
Despite being out of the starting lineup on Opening Day due to matchups, Akiyama entered his first big league game and roped an RBI single. He is expected to hold down the left-field job from the leadoff spot in the order against right-handers to begin the year and Saturday figures to mark his first official start. Matching up against Nova, who yielded an MLB-high 225 hits last season figures well for owners who are eyeing Akiyama as an on-base target with some serious Cincinnati thump behind him.
Khris Davis - OF, OAK v. LAA ($2,700)
As is usually the case with Davis, this pick boasts exponential boom/bust potential. But factor in that Angels starter Dylan Bundy gives up a pile of home runs (an MLB-high 41 in 2018, 29 in ‘19) and the power-laden Davis seems like a worthy snag. The struggles from last season are well documented -- and well worth considering -- but at a price tag that is light, Davis is worth a look for those owners who have a spot in GPP lineups.
Andrew Benintendi - OF, BOS v. BAL ($2,700)
This one is rather self-explanatory: Boston’s offense went wild Friday, they’re in line to go wild again Saturday, so take the guys getting the most at-bats, right? Enter: Benintendi. Red Sox stacks will be rampant against Orioles right-hander Alex Cobb, but the low-priced Benintendi will have the advantage of batting leadoff with J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, and Xander Bogaerts hitting behind him should he get on. Stack or no stack, Benintendi’s low price tag can be exploited this early in the year.
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