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This is one of the more straight forward Saturday MLB slates in a while. We only have three early games and two teams that had the audacity to start an hour earlier than everyone else. That leaves a ten-game main Saturday slate, which is the largest in some time. Hopefully we don't have all of the shenanigans with the pitchers that we did last night. As of now, most of these look safe, but after last night, who knows?
Rain is going to be a problem in D.C. for most of the scheduled game time. If it plays, they will have decent hitting weather, but as of right now, things look sketchy. Rain will be less of an issue in New York and Atlanta with showers popping in the area. The games should be fine, but make sure to check closer to game time. There is a low risk of a thunderstorm popping up in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati as well, but it should be a delay and then finish in both scenarios. We don't have any helpful winds, but humidity in Cincinnati and New York look favorable for hitters.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/17/2021. 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.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Yusei Kikuchi - SEA vs.LAA ($8,900)
We can forgive Kikuchi for his hiccup against the Yankees just before the break. Prior to that, Kikuchi had at least 23 DraftKings points in four straight starts. The Angels were held in check by Chris Flexen last night. You would think Kikuchi, who is ninth in the A.L. in ERA, can deliver a solid outing as well. I'm not enamored with any of the high-priced guys on this slate. After witnessing the league-wide home run derby last night, I want to spend big on bats tonight as well.
Max Fried - ATL vs. TB ($7,800)
Fried has stumbled a bit, allowing nine earned runs in his two July starts to Miami and Pittsburgh of all teams. At least we should get him at low ownership! Most of the damage in the Pittsburgh game was the bullpen allowing all three inherited runners to score. Fried has pitched much better at home this year, posting a 3.63 ERA in eight starts at SunTrust Park. The Rays come in missing their DH in the N.L. Park. I like Fried's chances here, considering how well he has pitched at home.
Other Options: Anthony DeSclafani ($9,400), Alex Cobb ($8,200), Luis Castillo ($7,500)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Jonathan Lucroy - C, ATL vs. TB ($3,000)
The Braves sent the struggling William Contreras down to Gwinnett and brought back the veteran Lucroy. He was alternating starts with Kevan Smith prior to the break. Assuming that still holds true, we should see Lucroy tonight against lefty Josh Fleming. Lucroy has one hit in five tries with three walks, a run scored, and a RBI so far with Atlanta. He's a nice, cheap way to get a piece of a good offense. If Smith starts instead, not to worry. He's just $2,500.
Trey Mancini - 1B, BAL at KC ($4,700)
Boom Boom Mancini put on quite a show at the Home Run Derby over the break. He returned with a RBI last night. Mancini hasn't been held without a point in DFS in his last 11 games. He is starting to heat up and has the benefit of facing one of the worst bullpens in the majors this weekend. There are a lot of high-priced first basemen out there. I'm going to save a little and attack a bad pitching staff.
Leury Garcia - 2B, CWS vs. HOU ($4,100)
This hot streak wont last forever. Garcia is hitting .364 with two of his three homers on the season, six runs scored, and 11 RBI in the last ten games. We do have reason to believe that it may keep going just a bit longer. He has only faced Jake Odorizzi nine times, but he has five hits and three runs scored against him. Expecting homers out of Garcia is out of line, but he can score some runs in that White Sox lineup.
Justin Turner - 3B, LAD at COL ($5,800)
Since we're on the subject of hot streaks, Turner is hitting .417 with three homers, seven runs scored, and 10 RBI in the month of July so far. On top of that, Turner is hitting .455 against Rockies pitching this year with two homers, seven runs scored, and nine RBI in just six games. He is averaging an absurd 15.3 DraftKings points per game against Colorado this year no matter where he plays them. They can't throw a pitcher out there that can stop him.
Fernando Tatis Jr. - SS, SD at WAS ($6,000)
The Padres came out of the break by scoring three touchdowns and a field goal at RFK Stadium last night. Tatis scored three of those 24 runs (BUM!) and drove in a couple more. He even stole a base. Even though he didn't get in on the Home Run Derby across baseball, he'll get his chance tonight against a guy that has given up six homers in his last four starts.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Mookie Betts - OF, LAD at COL ($5,900)
Yeah, there's some high-priced bats on here, but that's why we didn't pay for the upper tier of pitching. Mookie has eight hits in 12 at bats over his last three games with nine runs scored, two homers, and six RBI. This hot streak only includes one Coors game, and it was his worst of the three. The break didn't slow him down at all.
Tommy Pham - OF, SD at WAS ($3,900)
Pham stole home in the first inning last night, and things just snowballed from there. When the dust cleared, Pham had four hits, scored five runs, hit a homer, and drove in two to go with his steal of home. I'm not naive enough to think he or any of his teammates can replicate that big of a game, but his is another superb matchup against Corbin and a beleaguered bullpen.
Wil Myers - OF, SD at WAS ($3,200)
Myers came out of the break with a homer last night. If this game plays, it is going to have among the best hitting conditions of the night. That's a good thing since Myers is hitting .323 against Patrick Corbin in 31 career at-bats with a homer, six walks, three RBI, and nine runs scored. This may not be the offensive explosion that it was last night, but I wouldn't rule it out either with two struggling former All-Star lefties on the hill.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kyle Freeland
- San Diego Padres vs. Patrick Corbin
- Chicago White Sox vs. Jake Odorizzi
- Sneaky Stack: Kansas City Royals vs. former teammate Jorge Lopez
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