With the Cubs on the road and thus no Friday afternoon matinee, we've got a true 15-game Main slate this evening. The slate may lack truly elite pitching options, but we have some solid ones to work with and a whole handful of offenses worth stacking.
Let's start with a look at Vegas, specifically, the implied run totals and notable moneyline favorites. As of this morning, the Rockies (no surprise) are atop the implied run total board at 6.5 runs, followed by the Mariners (5.7), the Red Sox (5.7), the Astros (5.3), White Sox (5.1), Yankees (5) and Rangers at 4.9. On the moneyline, the Astros lead the way at -245, followed by Boston (-190), Dodgers (-153) and the Cardinals at -149.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 7/13/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @kpLuch.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Madison Bumgarner - SP, vs OAK ($9,400)
While the 2018 Bumgarner may not closely resemble the one we are used to seeing, we know he's capable of dominance in a good setting. And, of course, everything is relative in the DFS world - he's the best pitcher on this slate (with the exception maybe of Noah Syndegaard, who I'm not touching today in his first start back from the DL) and he's in a very good pitching environment. It's a limited sample, but he's pitched roughly an even amount of innings at home and on the road - and his home numbers are drastically better. In San Francisco, he's allowed an opponent wOBA of just .246 to go with an ERA of 2.05. The 19% strikeout rate certainly isn't great, but he does have an 8.57 K/9 at home (compared to just 5.5 on the road) and he faces an Athletics team that not only has a 27% K rate against southpaws this season, but they also lose the designated hitter. The Atheltics have an implied run total of 3.5 runs, second lowest among the 30 teams in action tonight and the Giants are -140 favorites on the moneyline. He can be used in all formats.
Anibal Sanchez - SP, vs ARI ($7,300)
If you are looking for a cheaper tournament option with upside and can stomach the risk of using a guy in a good hitter's environment, Anibal Sanchez fits the bill tonight. He's a value at this price relative to what he can bring at/near his DFS ceiling (45+ points - a number he's achieved in two of his last five starts) and I would say the strikeout ceiling is pretty high in this game. The Arizona offense is improving, but their projected lineup tonight has the highest strikeout clip of any team (30%) and the .302 wOBA split isn't too scary either. Over his last two starts, he's been great at limiting hard contact (23%) and inducing ground balls (44%).
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Chris Iannetta - C, vs SEA ($3,100)
Among catchers, Iannetta is someone I love to target in a righty-righty matchup at home in Coors. He's always been a reverse splits guy and has been strong in that regard this season, posting a .388 wOBA and a .253 ISO. What makes this matchup even more enticing is the opposing pitcher, Christian Bergman. He's pitched just 6.1 innings this year, but a look at his career splits shows us he's struggled greatly in righty-righty situations, allowing a .406 wOBA and a .583 slugging percentage.
Jakob Bauers - 1B, at MIN ($3,100)
It feels a little strange not being overwhelmed with plenty of good first base options, but here we are. I like Bauers' value and upside here, as he gets a date with a pitcher that has allowed over a .350 wOBA and over a .500 slugging percentage to left-handed batters this season. Bauers has a .361 wOBA and a .205 ISO against righties in 2018 and has a 50% hard hit rate in his last 14 games.
Yoan Moncada - 2B, vs KCR ($3,300)
With the White Sox having one of the highest implied run totals and a pretty good offensive environment, you're going to want to get some exposure to the top half of their order. Moncada is at a value price and he has really good splits against right-handed pitching. Thus far in 2018, he's posted a .338 wOBA and a .211 ISO.
Nolan Arenado - 3B , vs SEA ($4,700)
Arenado's splits against lefties are certainly stronger than his marks against righties, but the numbers are still really impressive (.366 wOBA, .244 ISO) and this play is a lot about getting more righty-righty matchups to attack Bergman with. The Rockies currently have the highest implied run total on the board and I'd expect Arenado to be involved in a big way. He's posted a 47% hard hit rate in the past two weeks.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Shin-Soo Choo - OF, at BAL ($3,300)
The hot-hitting Choo is a really great value tonight in a good hitting environment against perhaps the worst pitcher on the slate in Alex Cobb. Choo has a ridiculously attractive batted ball profile over the past 10 days - 62% hard hit rate, 48% fly ball rate and an average batted ball distance of 272 feet - to go along with strong splits against right-handed pitching (.373 wOBA and a .219 ISO).
Eric Thames - OF, at PIT ($4,000)
The Brewers' left-handed bats at the top of the order - namely Thames and Christian Yelich - have big opportunity today against Pirates' right-hander Nick Kingham. This season, Kingham has surrendered a .350 wOBA and a .518 slugging percentage splits to batters digging in on the left side of the plate. And, of course, Thames has mashed righties well, posting a .371 wOBA and a .272 ISO. In the past week, his hard hit rate and line drive rate are 53% and 25%, respectively.