Greetings RotoBallers! So we got just one game on the slate tonight, meaning we got a Showdown game on Fanduel tonight between division rivals Red Sox and Yankees.

I'm going to be overly honest with you--I don't typically play MLB Showdowns on FanDuel. I don't like the fact that you can only choose hitters. It's not even that I necessarily want the pitchers in tonight's game (or other potential games). But it takes out a major element of DFS entries! And if I'm going to fade the pitchers, I surely want my competition to have the option of selecting them!

But I usually do the Thursday slate, and "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do". So here are my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel single game showdown on 7/15/2021. 

FanDuel MLB Showdown Lineup Picks 7/15

FanDuel DFS MVP

Gleyber Torres, SS NYY vs BOS ($5,500)

I rarely play MLB Showdowns on FanDuel. And even when I do, it's almost always GPPs for me. So there are absolutely safer picks to make in the MVP spot, but for tonight it's "go hard or go home". So for those wanting to play safe, I'd go with one of the Yankee big boppers or a big bat from the Red Sox.

But this is actually quite the shrewd pick. Eduardo Rodriguez is on the mound for the Red Sox. And we'll get to him more later, but of everyone in New York's probable line-up tonight, few have had more success against Rodriguez than Torres. In 19 ABs, he's hitting .368 against him with three round-trippers and 9 RBI. If Torres gets an RBI nearly for nearly every two ABs, he will be an absolute steal at $5500. And that's assuming all he does. And it gives us plenty of salary to use elsewhere as well!

FanDuel DFS Star

Xander Bogaerts , SS BOS @ NYY ($9,500)

And we are going straight to the top with our Star play. I like to have a high upside play and a high floor play for my top two spots. And Bogaerts certainly gives us the high floor. He's batting .321 and had a four-game hit streak going into the All-Star Break. With the left-handed Jordan Montgomery the expected pitcher tonight, I like the right-handed Bogaerts to do some damage tonight against Montgomery and his 4.16 ERA. Given the 1.5x bonus for the Star position, I would be shocked if Bogaerts doesn't give us at least half a dozen points tonight, although I'm expecting at least double-digits.

FanDuel DFS Utility

I'm really disappointed with FanDuel that as of publication time, they did not have Jarren Duran as an option. I know, he's probably not playing. But Red Sox Nation is absolutely ga-ga right now...

What a day for Red Sox Nation…

- Red Sox vs Yankees
- Jarren Duran MLB debut
- Tanner Houck back in the Majors
- Chris Sale 1st rehab assignment pic.twitter.com/REeBKkFSph

— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) July 15, 2021

Whatever. So who with $6,666 average to spend on each player, who am I rolling with?

Giancarlo Stanton, OF NYY vs BOS ($7,500)

The Yankees have not been good against right-handers this year. Fortunately, Rodriguez is a left-hander, and I really want a Yankee rocket launcher in this game. Rodriguez has been a bit unlucky this year with a BABIP of over .360, but he's given up his fair share of HRs. His HR/FB percentage is 15.7%

Enter Stanton and his .484 slugging average. He "only" has 15 HRs, but he costs $1500 less than Judge. I'd like to avoid having to start the eight or nine hitters tonight, so Stanton is the easy pick. Don't overthink this.

Gio Urshela, 3B NYY vs BOS ($5,000)

Urshela is simply the cheapest option that I still have confidence in getting a hit tonight. He's hitting a respectable .275 and he too has had success against ERod. He hasn't rocked him the way Torres has, but in 19 ABs, he has hit .316 against Rodriguez.

Alex Verdugo - OF, BOS @ NYY ($7,000)

I know I've featured three Yankess already, but I don't think the Bronx Bombers are going to run away with this. I like the Red Sox hitters too. Verdugo is the best hitter we can afford left, but he is still having a very solid season. He's batting .278 with nine HRs and four stolen bases. He also has a very under-the-radar 55 runs already. Grabbing Verdugo also leaves $500 unused which also differentiates our lineup as many showdown players like to use all of their salary.

Good luck with your entries!

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