This Thursday is heavy during the afternoon with a couple of leftovers for the night. So scant is the night slate that we here at RotoBaller are just concentrating on the afternoon slate today.
This article contains my picks for the seven-game main slate on Thursday, July 20, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 12:20 PM ET. Rain could be an issue in Philly, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati today. Keep an eye on those games before lock. As of now, I am writing as if they will play.
The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Blake Snell, SD at TOR ($9,000 DK, $10,600 FD)
There's no way I'm paying the extra money for Strider on DraftKings. Not with Snell pitching like he is. Snellzilla has a microscopic 0.62 ERA over 58 innings in his last ten starts. Ten starts! He has a staggering 91 strikeouts in that span and a 0.97 WHIP. Every one of his numbers is glowing right now. He is showing no signs of slowing down either. Snell hasn't even allowed a run in the entire month of July (16 innings). He's not up to Orel Hershiser status just yet, but I'm going to keep taking the 20+ points Snell has given in every start since May 25. He could be $2,000 more and I would still pay for him on DK.
Alex Cobb, SF at CIN ($7,400 DK, $8,800 FD)
Cobb is a guy that excels at keeping the ball on the ground, so Great American Small Park isn't nearly as intimidating for him. He has a 1.38 ERA in two career starts there. We don't play Cobb for the strikeouts, but he has averaged 8.6 K/9 this season, one full strikeout higher than his career average. The first-time All-Star at the age of 35 has only allowed five earned runs over his last four games spanning 21 innings. He should be in line for another strong start tonight.
Others to consider: Spencer Strider ($12,600 DK, $11,400 FD) vs. ARI; Corbin Burnes ($8,500 DK, $9,300 FD) at PHI
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Wilmer Flores - 1B/3B(DK) - 1B/2B/3B(FD), SF at CIN ($3,100 DK, $2.700 FD)
Flores has been on a tear since the break. He is 9-for-21 in those six games with three homers and six RBI...all coming at Great American Small Park. Andrew Abbott's luck is still exceptional (.214 BABIP, 95.1% strand rate), but it is starting to normalize a bit. Abbott's current numbers simply aren't sustainable with a 3.02 BB/9 and 1.51 HR/9 rate. His numbers are due for a dip soon, and who better to help him than someone as hot as Wilmer?
Whit Merrifield - 2B/OF, TOR vs. SD ($4,100 DK, $3,000 FD)
I'm certainly not advocating going after Snell right now, but if you're inclined to take risks in large-field GPPs, this is an interesting one. Merrifield has actually had some success against Snell in his career. Whit is 5-for-9 against Snell with two doubles and a homer off of him. On top of that, Whit has six hits, five runs scored, a homer, and four RBI in five games since the break. He's hot enough to consider this to get different in your lineups.
Austin Riley - 3B, ATL vs. ARI ($5,300 DK, $3,400 FD)
Riley has had a big series already with three homers and eight RBI in just two games. I don't usually go after Zac Gallen, but Riley is 3-for-7 in his career against Gallen with a double and a homer. I can make an exception here.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Luis Robert Jr. - OF, CWS at NYM ($5,900 DK, $4,000 FD)
Robert has seven hits over the last four games with two homers, six RBI, and a steal. On top of that, he is clobbering lefties this year. Robert is hitting an impressive .338 against southpaws this year with six homers in 87 at-bats. The Mets are throwing the corpse of former White Sox star Jose Quintana out there. What could possibly go wrong?
Kyle Schwarber - OF, PHI vs. MIL ($4,500 DK, $3,500 FD)
Don't mind me. I'm just here for the homers. Schwarber has four homers and 10 RBI already since the break and he mashes cutters and curves. 75% of the offerings from Burnes are either cutters or curveballs. Schwarber's chance at a bomb today is better than usual.
Max Kepler - OF, MIN at SEA ($2,600 DK, $2,700 FD)
Injuries have derailed a promising start to Kepler's career, but he is still good for a hot streak here and there. He's in the middle of one of those right now. Kepler has a hit in all six games since the All-Star break with nine hits in that span. He has two homers and six RBI in the three games in Seattle alone! George Kirby was smashed by the Tigers coming out of the break and the Twins have scored 22 runs in the three games in Seattle so far. Give me a bunch of Kepler at this price!
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
New York Mets vs. Michael Kopech
Kopech didn't even survive the first inning against the Braves coming out of the break, allowing four runs and four walks while recording just two outs. In fact, Kopech hasn't gone five innings in over a month (June 10). I expect ownership to be higher on the other side of this against Quintana making his 2023 debut because of all the right-handed power that the Sox have, but Quintana was stellar in 2022. I'm not lining up to go after him, especially with a hot-and-cold Sox team...sometimes in the same game.
Stacking the Mutts is not for the faint of heart, especially with Pete Alonso mired in a horrible slump. It hasn't been a short slump either. Alonso hit .152 in 18 June games and has been even worse in July, hitting .114 in 13 games. You might get a homer out of Alonso, but I'll be stacking guys that are actually hitting the ball like Brett Baty, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha, and Francisco Lindor. If that's out best stack option, you know it's a day to fill a lineup with mini-stacks.
Also consider: Minnesota Twins vs. George Kirby
Kirby was excellent for about a month until the Tigers thumped him coming out of the break. This is a tentative stack, only since the Twins remembered they have had bats in their hands since they arrived in Seattle. I will have one Twins stack just in case they go off. Kepler and Alex Kirilloff are way too cheap for the way they have been hitting. That will be my mini-stack in most lineups. Just avoid the slumping Byron Buxton in this one. Kirby has been far worse against lefties this season.
Sneaky Stack: San Francisco Giants vs. Andrew Abbott
I keep going after Abbott because in one of these games, he is going to have a half-dozen hung on him. He lives far too dangerously to have this kind of success at a park that he calls home. The Brewers hung six on him in Milwaukee before the break and slammed two homers off of him coming out of the break in Cincy. The Giants are going to stack this lineup with righties. Flores and Austin Slater stand out. J.D. Davis is a must-play if he's in the lineup.
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