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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/15/21. Brian Entrekin's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have a 14-game main slate on tap tonight, and there are many ways to build. There are a good amount of aces taking the bump as well as some nice value arms. There are some obvious options when it comes to bats, but still, some nice, sneakier options to use to stack up tonight. The picks in the article will attempt to give some not-so-obvious picks, well outside of Franco. If you would like the full slate rundown with all the stacks and more, listen to MLB DFS Quick Hits.
The slate starts with which pitchers to build around. There are ten of the 28 pitchers on tonight's slate that are priced over $9K. It just means there are a whole lot of aces on tonight's slate. Narrowing things down to a few aces and a few punt plays, all listed below is where I will start my building tonight. I will be passing on Cole and Scherzer, and we will see just how crazy that is when the night is over. Houston will likely be the popular stack tonight, but do not worry as there are many ways to go, especially some nice late-night hammers. It's going to be a fun slate. This article and Quick Hits will get you ready to build those winning lineups.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/22/2021. 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, contact me on Twitter @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Freddy Peralta - P, MIL at AZ ($10,000)
Peralta has been nothing short of outstanding this season, and he should continue that tonight in the desert. He will take on the DBacks for the second time this season, and that first time went swimmingly as Peralta threw 7.1 innings while allowing one run and striking out nine. Over his last start, he has been a fantasy machine, pitching at least six innings in five of seven games, allowing two earned runs or less in every start, and struck out at least six in each start. Over the last month, the DBacks are striking out nearly 27% of the time versus RHP with a .085 ISO and 64 wRC+. Peralta has one of the best matchups on the slate tonight and will be one of my top pitching options. A reason I am willing to save a few dollars and not use Gerrit Cole or Max Scherzer tonight.
Lucas Giolito - P, CWS at PIT ($9,400)
Remember that early morning start where Giolito got shelled by the Red Sox? Yep, that was a beauty, but like the pro that Gio is, he has bounced back in a big way. Gio has made ten starts since the blow-up and has thrown at least six innings in eight of the ten starts and allowed three earned runs or less in seven of the ten starts. More importantly for the DK scoring is that Gio has struck out seven or more in seven of those starts. Gio is looking more and more like the Gio we expected coming into the season and gets a Pirates team he can take advantage of tonight. Over the last month, Torrens the Pirates are striking out 22% of the time versus RHP with a .225 average and an 87 wRC+. Gio makes for a great pay-up option tonight, just behind Peralta for me.
Other Options: Zack Wheeler (PHI vs WAS) $10,200, Tarik Skubal (DET vs STL) $6,600, Ross Stripling (TOR at MIA) $5,700
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Luis Torrens - C, SEA vs. Kyle Freeland ($2,300)
Torrens has begun playing near every day behind the plate for the Mariners, and he has thrived. Torrens has hit safely in four of his last five starts, with multiple hits in three of those games. Torrens is flexing the muscle with four extra-base hits in those five games, including three home runs. Torrens is spanking the ball so much he has a .625 ISO and a 1.534 OPS over this five-game hot streak. He should stay hot tonight versus Kyle Freeland, who has allowed five earned runs of more and nine home runs over this last three starts. Freeland has also allowed a ton of power to RHH in his career, and so far this season, he is allowing a .725 SLG and 3.4 HR/9 to RHH. So stack up your value Mariners, and do not forget to play Torrens as your catcher. Torrens is also a one-off candidate and cash option tonight.
Jared Walsh - 1B, LAA vs. Anthony DeSclafani ($5,000)
Many have not noticed just how hot Walsh is at the plate, thanks to the legendary run that Shohei Ohtani has been on. So I am here to inform you to get some Walsh in your lineups. Feel free to stack with Ohtani and others, but do not forget Walsh. Over his last nine games, he has hits in seven games, including nine extra-base hits, five of which are home runs. Walsh has a .487 ISO with a 189 wRC+ over the last nine games, and his quality of contact checks out with a 28% barrel rate and 52% hard-hit rate. Walsh is absolutely locked in right now. He gets a tough matchup versus DeSclafani tonight, who has recovered nicely since his 10 run outing versus the Dodgers. However, there is a way to attack Disco, and that is with LHH as they are slugging.419 this season while also hitting 1.7 HR/9. The Angels could be a sneaky late-night stack tonight, and that should start with Walsh and Ohtani.
Tony Kemp - 2B/OF, OAK at Jordan Lyles ($3,200)
No, this is not a value article, but I am still writing up Kemp as he is a great value, piece of an A's stack, and cash gameplay tonight. The A's mixed it up last night and hit Kemp lead off with Mark Canha hitting second. Kemp went 2-5 with a stolen base in the lead-off spot and should thrive if that continues. He has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games with a .219 ISO and an amazing 22% walk rate. Kemp is the perfect lead-off bat as he gets on base a ton, can steal bags, and score a ton of runs. He is always affordable and should be a target for your builds tonight.
Wander Franco - SS, TB vs. Eduardo Rodriguez ($2,000)
The time has come for MLB's top prospect to make his debut. Franco will join the Rays on Tuesday and should be starting versus ERod. I am not one that usually runs to play with the shiny new toy every time, but two things. First, he is just this darn good, so playing him should pay off over time. Second, DK priced him at the minimum, which is just ludicrous. If he were priced in the higher $2K range or into the $3K range, there would be some thought into just watching his game. Franco's hit skills are legit. So far this season, he is hitting .315 with seven home runs and five stolen bases over his first 39 games at Triple-A. He faces ERod tonight, which has allowed four earned runs or more in six of his last seven starts. He is also allowing RHH to hit .300 this season with a .498 SLG. Wander will be super chalky tonight, so be careful there, but he is just that good, and once he gets really comfortable, he should thrive at the MLB level. Enjoy some WANDERVISION tonight.
Manny Machado - 3B, SD vs. Clayton Kershaw ($4,400)
Most did not want to play Padres' bats versus Urias last night, and most will not want to fade Kershaw either, which makes the Padres a great contrarian angle tonight. Machado would be a major piece of that stack. He brings a seven-game hitting streak into tonight's game, where he has hit .440. Machado has collected six extra-base hits, including two home runs, and has also stolen two bases. On the season, Machado has flexed his muscles versus LHP with a .471 SLG and .255 ISO. He has had some nice career success versus Kershaw and will look to continue that at a very reasonable price tonight. Do not forget the Padres when you are looking to be contrarian tonight.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Starling Marte - OF, MIA vs. Ross Stripling ($4,000)
This is just your daily reminder that Marte is one of the best hitters in baseball, one of the most consistent players in baseball, and is once again priced too cheap. Over the last two weeks, Marte is hitting .354 with two home runs and six stolen bases. In addition, he has scored 15 runs while walking 14% of the time and only striking out 10% of the time. Marte racks up fantasy points in so many ways, making him a daily cash lock and a solid GPP play. Tonight he faces Stripling, who has been good of late but shows some nice reverse splits. The reverse splits have been over his whole career, but this season Stripling is allowing RHH to hit .293 with a .521 ISO and 2.1 HR/9. The Marlins are always a sneaky stack, but when stacking, do not forget those RHH.
Michael Brantley - OF, HOU at Jorge Lopez ($3,900)
While most talk about Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Yordan Alvarez, they usually forget about the Astros hottest hitter, Brantley. Since Brantley returned from the IL, he has hit safely in 10 of 12 games, good for a .511 average. Brantley has nine extra-base hits, 11 runs, and 14 RBI over the 12 game stretch. His plate discipline is great as he is also walking 11.1% of the time while striking out only 7.4%. Brantley has been an offensive machine and wracks up DK points like they are going out of style. Tonight he faces Lopez, who is allowing LHH to slug .481 while allowing 2 HR/9. Lock Brantley into your cash game lineups and a part of Astros' stacks.
Akil Badd00 - OF, DET vs Johan Oviedo ($2,300)
Baddoo started the season crushing it, then hit a rookie roadblock. Well, it appears Baddoo is snapping out of it as he brings a seven-game hitting streak into tonight's game. He is hitting .391 over the stretch with two extra-base hits and two stolen bases. The power we saw early in the season has not been showing up often, but his plate discipline has become legendary. Over the hitting streak, Baddoo is walking 17.9% of the time while only striking out 7.1% of the time. If we do want to dig deeper, Baddoo has the highest OBP out of any hitter with at least 100 plate appearances since May 1. Baddoo has been producing quality fantasy days of late yet stays dirt cheap. He faces Oviedo tonight, allowing LHH to hit .292 with a .486 SLG while walking 11.1%. Baddoo is cash viable tonight, and if looking into a value Tigers' stack, don't forget the talented rookie.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Houston Astros (Jorge Lopez, RHP)
- Oakland Athletics (Jordan Lyles, RHP)
- Seattle Mariners (Kyle Freeland, LHP)
- Sneaky Stacks- Miami Marlins (Ross Stripling, RHP) and Detroit Tigers (Johan Oviedo, RHP)
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