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Happy Friday, RotoBallers! There are 14 games on tap for the beginning of the weekend, with some interstate showdowns and classic rivalries headlining the schedule. Things start on the East Coast, where the Nationals and Orioles battle it out. Then it continues in Texas between the Rangers and Astros before ending on the West Coast with contests between the Rockies and Dodgers and the Athletics and Mariners.
Fourteen games provide us with 28 starters to choose as the big points-getters of our DFS lineups. I've got my eye on Lucas Giolito, Zack Wheeler, and Jose Musgrove as my favorite big-name candidates. Meanwhile, there are some volatile but discounted opportunities with Kris Bubic against the Tigers and Zach Plesac versus the Rays. Even David Price is worth a look versus a Rockies team playing its first game of a road trip.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/23/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Lucas Giolito - P, CWS at MIL ($9,600)
Giolito is on a bit of a rollercoaster as the 2021 campaign rolls along. While his 3.90 ERA suggests it's been far from smooth sailing, he's still striking opponents out and is averaging 20.1 fantasy points per game. The righty is coming off a gem against the Astros, where he spun nine innings of one-run baseball with eight strikeouts.
Shutting down one of the best lineups in baseball is impressive enough, and now he gets an easier matchup against Milwaukee. The Brewers go down via strikeout 25.1 percent of the time and produce a .310 weighted On-Base Average when facing right-handed hurlers. Workload shouldn't be a concern when it comes to Giolito either because the 27-year old has thrown at least 102 pitches in eight of his previous 10 starts.
Frankie Montas - P, OAK at SEA ($8,700)
Montas is similar to Giolito in DFS because the results have been far from our highest hopes (4.33 ERA), but he's showing us often enough that the strikeouts are still there. It leaves us intrigued enough to roster him while taking on an attachable Mariners unit. Montas has seven strikeouts in six of his last 10 games and two straight. Funnily enough, he averages 24.7 FPPG when he reaches the seven-strikeouts threshold. He'll have a fantastic opportunity to get there again in Seattle. The Mariners whiff 26 percent of the time to righties, and they are 7 percent below league average in weighted Runs Created. With so many valuable arms above $9,000 tonight, I like Montas as a discount pivot play if it looks like his roster percent is lower than most.
Other options: Gerrit Cole at BOS ($10,000), Freddy Peralta vs. CWS ($9,900), Zach Plesac vs TB ($7,300)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Tyler Stephenson - C, CIN at Wade LeBlanc ($4,100)
Please bring me the lefty masher! I can't give up my love for Tyler Stephenson. When there's a lefty on the mound against Cincinnati, he's becoming an auto play for me because it helps far more than he hurts your lineups. Against southpaws in 2021, the catcher slashes .304/.364/.536 for a .900 OPS versus a .711 OPS against right-handers. His .378 wOBA, .232 ISO, and 135 wRC+ against lefties are all higher than those metrics when seeing righties as well. He's an easy plug-and-play tonight and is an essential piece of any Cincy stack you construct.
Rhys Hoskins - 1B, PHI at Max Fried ($5,300)
After a season-worst month in June, Hoskins is making up for lost time with a blistering July. In 16 games this month, Hoskins is rocking a .269/.418/.654 with 13 runs, 13 RBI, eight doubles, and four home runs. The's ball flys off his bat with absurd power, as illustrated by his .385 ISO. While I'm not necessarily targeting Max Fried, he's not a pitcher I'm afraid to go against. With his platoon advantage and red-hot form, I think Hoskins can add a fifth home run to his monthly total.
David Fletcher - 2B, LAA at J.A. Happ ($4,500)
For those out of the loop, Fletcher has returned to the leadoff role in Anaheim. There was a time where he was rooted to the bottom of this offense, but he's turning it around and turning it all the way up recently. Over his last 10 games, the second baseman sports a 1.145 OPS, which is way out of the norm for the slap hitter. His elevated OPS is due to a 10-game stretch with a .444 batting average, five doubles, and two long bombs. While this type of power surely won't last, it may have the chance against J.A. Happ. The veteran southpaw has allowed 15 home runs over his last nine starts and is more than likely to enable the power to binge against himself to continue.
Jeimer Candelario - 3B, DET at Kris Bubic ($4,500)
The Tigers are red hot, and I want some of the action. Candelario has been displaying his on-base skills all year, but he's added some pop over the last two weeks and is one of the reasons Detroit has won seven games on the trot. In his previous five games, the third baseman owns a .412/.500/.824 slash line thanks to two runs, four RBI, four doubles, and a home run. It's accumulated in 10.8 FPPG and placed Candelario right in the discussion as a discount play at third base tonight.
Gleyber Torres - SS, NYY at Eduardo Rodriguez ($3,200)
Gleyber Torres could be as cold as a flash-frozen Han Solo, and I would still play him tonight. Although, the $3,200 price tag seems a little crazy to me because he's batting fifth for the New York Yankees. I know this isn't your big brother's Yankees lineup, but they've still got some of the big guns on the card. Torres himself is even heating up with three home runs in the last five games, making him an even more appealing grab at such a low price tag.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Juan Soto - OF, WAS at Jorge Lopez ($5,600)
I think Juan Soto and Pete Alonso are putting the Home Run curse to bed this year. Since the second half kicked off, Soto kicked every opposing pitcher off the mound with his raw power. The outfielder is 12-for-23 (.522 batting average) with two doubles, five home runs, eight runs, and 12 RBI in only five games. It's absurd it only took him five games to do that much damage. Next, he goes to the Coors Field of the East Coast (Baltimore) to enact some more punishment on poor baseballs in Camden Yards.
Wil Myers - OF, SD at Zach Thompson ($4,300)
It feels like many guys turning things around found their way into my picks tonight, and I'll continue the trend with Wil Myers. While his season-long .792 OPS has left something to be desired, he's turning things around since the break and becoming an option in DFS again. Since the All-Star break, Myers has been hitting for power with two doubles and two home runs. The metrics back it up with a .400 ISO, .490 wOBA, and 213 wRC+. Similar to Gleyber Torres, it's never a bad idea to grab a piece of such an explosive offense. While Myers is more expensive than Torres, I'm a big fan of his current form, and I look forward to it continuing in Miami this weekend.
Robbie Grossman - OF, DET at Kris Bubic ($3,700)
I highlighted Grossman earlier this week after he is waking up for a mid-first half slump. He's registered a hit in 11 of his previous 13 games and hit one over the fence on five occasions. His .286/.444/.643 slash line is earned, and it would be great to see him continue these gains throughout the second half of the season. He and Candelario are two of my favorites in a Tigers mini-stack, taking advantage of a hittable Kris Bubic.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals (Kris Bubic, LHP)
- Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota Twins (J.A. Happ, LHP)
- Game stack: Texas Rangers (Kolby Allard, LHP) at Houston Astros (Jake Odorizzi, RHP)
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