RADIO
Welcome to Friday baseball! We have a solid 14 game slate on our hands with a ton of pitching options to consider. From a way too cheap Jacob deGrom to Kershaw in AT&T, to Cole against the Orioles. Your options are plentiful and we'll dive in to take a look. We also have some terrible pitching on our hands and some offenses that can take advantage. Let's dive in!
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/7/19. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too.
If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter @VarneyDFS.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw LAD @ SF ($11,200)
All three of Cole, Soroka, and Kershaw are very much in play. they all face weak offenses and are expected to have solid nights. We're going with the cheapest of the bunch in Kershaw, but I won't blame you for targeting any of these guys. Kershaw has been his HOF self this year, posting a 3.25 xFIP and 8.3 xFIP. He'll now go into one of the friendliest pitching environments in baseball, AT&T Park, to face off with the Giants. They're one of the worst teams in the league against lefties, ranking dead last with a .269 team wOBA and 24.3% strikeout rate. Even worse than the Miami Marlins. Kershaw is extremely safe tonight and can be deployed in all formats as your SP1.
Jacob deGrom NYM vs. COL ($9,400)
Jacob deGrom should be priced right next to those three elite pitchers. He’s just as good and has as good of a match-up as any of them. The Rockies are deadly at home, but rank just 28th in baseball against righties on the road with a .274 team wOBA. deGrom left last game with a cramp, but it was just precautionary. He’s fine for this game and has been over 100 pitches just as often as any pitcher on this slate. He’ striking out 10+ batters per nine innings and has beat up both lefties and righties. He’s way too cheap on DK and is going to be a very popular SP2.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
1B - David Freese LAD @ SF ($4,400)
It feels weird to recommend David Freese in 2019, but he's been more than dominant this season. He's smashing both righties and lefties to a .400+ wOBA and his peripherals don't suggest much regression. Sure, a .340 BABIP is slightly high, but Freese is legitimately hitting the ball and hasn't been living on luck. He now gets a match-up against Drew Pomeranz, who struggles to get righties out. So far in '19, he's given up nine home runs in 30 innings on his way to a .435 wOBA allowed. The Dodgers right-handers are in play tonight and you can stack with the lefties as well if you think Pomeranz is out of there early. The Giants bullpen is full of subpar right-handers.
2B - Nicky Lopez KC vs. CWS ($3,400)
You're going to have to pay down in at least a couple spots, and second base is looking like one of the best positions to do so. Sure, Moustakas is worth considering and there are a few others with upside, but they're expensive and I'd rather spend at other positions. Nicky Lopez doesn't have much upside, but he's hitting leadoff for a team that's expected to put up nearly five runs. Ivan Nova is on the downside of his career and the Royals should do early damage. Lopez is affordable on DK at just $3.4k and helps everything fit nicely at 2B.
3B - Anthony Rendon WAS @ SD ($5,800)
Anthony Rendon against a lefty isn’t something you want to miss out on. When that lefty has given up a .400+ wOBA to opposing right-handlers, its a risky fade in any format. He’s been one of the best hitters in baseball against lefties for a few years now and is consistently over a .400 wOBA. He’s insanely expensive and I’m hoping it keeps his ownership down below 10%.
SS - Elvis Andrus TEX vs. OAK ($4,700)
We haven't touched on the Rangers just yet, but they deserve attention facing off with Brett Anderson. Anderson, a southpaw, has struck out just 4.64 batters per nine innings and has sported a 5.25 xFIP. He's been super lucky against right-handers with a .269 BABIP, so things are going to get even worse for Anderson. Andrus is solid against both lefties and righties and will be hitting third against a porous lefty and a weak bullpen. The Rangers are a great team stack and won't be paid much attention to.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Mike Trout LAA vs. SEA ($5,600)
When Mike Trout is facing a lefty that isn't one of the best in baseball, he's the top outfielder. He faces off with Marco Gonzales tonight, who was rocked for 10 runs in just four innings by this same Angels team five nights ago. Trout smacked a home run against him then and he'll look for an encore tonight. On the season, a .400+ wOBA against lefties and peripherals to back it up. He's not the most expensive outfielder for whatever reason and shouldn't be more than 25% owned. Take advantage.
Bryce Harper PHI vs. CIN ($4,700)
Tyler Mahle isn't a hard pitcher to figure out. At this point, he's an arm that dominates right-handers and can barely get a lefty out. On the season, lefties have demolished Mahle with a .373 wOBA and seven home runs in just 25 innings of work. A 2.21 HR/9 and 44.1% hard ontact rate allowed to left-handers is a dangerous recipe when Bryce Harper is in the box. Harper has as much HR potential as anyone on the slate and is priced $1K cheaper than the high-end OF'ers.
Nelson Cruz MIN @ DET ($3,700)
It's hard to ignore Nelson Cruz when he's $3,700 on DraftKings and facing a left-hander. Since 2018, he's sported a .385 wOBA against them and has as much power as anyone. Matt Boyd is a huge strikeout pitcher, but he's given up all eight of his homers to righties and has outpitched his peripherals. I'm not a fan of stacking this Twins squad, but a one-off discounted Nelson Cruz seems like a great plan. Good luck tonight!
