DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (7/2/21): MLB DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/2/21. Mike Marteny's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.

The Phillies had the audacity to start an hour earlier than everyone else, so DraftKings punished their transgressions by leaving them off the slate. We still have 14 games to choose from four of the six pitchers over $9,000 are facing each other, which is going to make for an interesting slate.

Rain is going to be a problem in Buffalo. The only other rain spot could be New York City, but right now it looks like that will play. Keep an eye on those two games. A lot of the high humidity is gone, leaving the best hitting conditions in Phoenix and Denver. We also have a nice 12 mph breeze out to left in Detroit. The wind is mild everywhere else with humidity at levels where your lungs don't sweat when you breathe.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/2/2021. 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

Max Scherzer - WAS vs. LAD ($10,500)

I don't really care for the matchup, but Scherzer put up a solid 19.1 DraftKings points against the Dodgers earlier this year. My reasoning for Max here is simple: he's the only one that strikes out enough batters tonight to keep his score high enough to have a shot at a takedown. That 19.1 against the Dodgers was his second-lowest total on the season. He's not having those starts where he gets hit this year. Toronto was the only team that touched him for more than three runs, and that was in Dunedin. We can forgive him for that transgression.

Kyle Gibson - TEX at SEA ($7,800)

The other shoe will drop for Gibson at some point, right? RIGHT? I'm not so sure anymore. Gibson hasn't allowed more than two runs in a game since May 4 and hasn't allowed more than three runs in a game since his opening start. He carries a brilliant 2.00 ERA and 1.01 WHIP to go with a 6-0 record. He's simply not leaking points anywhere. His expected OBA and ERA are both in the 80th percentile of the league. The 4.4% barrel percentage is in the 88th percentile. Some team will likely get to him, but I highly doubt that it's this young Seattle team. He's inducing weak contact across the board with the lowest walk rate of his career. It's time to say that he's earned his stats.

Other Options: Lance McCullers Jr. ($9,400), Adrian Houser ($8,300), Logan Gilbert ($6,600)

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DraftKings DFS Infielders

Salvador Perez - C, KC vs. MIN ($5,100)

This is a lot to pay for a catcher, but you can't say that he's not worth it. he showed signs of breaking out of his slump with a four-hit game against Boston on Saturday. The real reason for using Perez here is that he is 9-23(.391) with four homers, five runs scored, and seven RBI in his career against J.A. Happ. The whole Royals lineup has crushed Happ in the past, so I'll be heavy on Royals. Salvy is the one that really stands out though.

C.J. Cron - 1B, COL vs. STL ($4,900)

Cron has hit nine of his 11 homers this season at Coors Field and driven in 26 of his 31 runs there. Those splits are staggering, especially considering he has only played three more home games than road games this year. As you may expect, the average splits are just as egregious. Cron is hitting .289 in Coors compared to just .207 on the road and has averaged more than double the DraftKings points per home game than road game. He hit three homers in Coors Field last week. Let's see what he can do on the return trip.

Jace Peterson - 2B/OF, MIL at PIT ($3,400)

Peterson is a nice way to get some value on this slate. He has 83 DraftKings points over the last six games and spends the weekend facing a terrible Pirates pitching staff. Peterson has six RBI in his last four games alone to go with a pair of steals. Power isn't really his game, but those steals, RBI, and runs scored can add up quickly. He also has eight hits and six runs scored over the past four games. Ride this hot streak!

Josh Fuentes - 1B/3B, COL vs. STL ($3,500)

I view Fuentes largely the same as Cron. Both of their prices are depressed against a bad pitcher because the overall numbers aren't all that good. Fuentes has even worse home/road splits than Cron. He is hitting .310 with six of his seven homers and 28 of his 31 RBI at Coors in 39 games. In 36 road games, Fuentes is hitting .134 with a homer and three RBI in 36 games. Play him at home when he's this cheap!

Paul DeJong - SS, STL at COL ($3,400)

This has been a rough season for DeJong. After all, he is hitting just .166 on the season. However, he is 5-13 with two homers and five RBI in the last six games. It's always good to be getting hot just in time to travel to Coors Field. His price is deservedly low, so if you want to spend up at pitching and are looking for power on the cheap, DeJong could provide some nice value.
 

DraftKings DFS Outfielders

Ronald Acuna Jr. - OF, ATL vs. MIA ($6,300)

We have to watch this one since Acuna was a late scratch last night with a sore back. More accurately, it was a case of deGromitis. It happens to the best of them. Acuna will have a much better go of it tonight. He is 7-18(.389) in his career against Pablo Lopez with two homers, two steals, seven runs scored, and three RBI. Acuna has cooled off some lately, but he still has four homers and a steal in his last nine games. We can work with that. He is also averaging 17.9 DraftKings points per game in 7 games against Miami this year.

Nick Castellanos - OF, CIN vs. CHC ($4,900)

Castellanos cooled off a bit earlier in the month, but he's back at it again. He is hitting .378 with three homers and 16 RBI in the last ten games. Two of those homers and ten of those RBI are in the last four games alone! It's a good bet for this hot streak to keep going. Castellanos is 4-7 with a homer, three runs, and two RBI in his career against Alec Mills.

Myles Straw - OF, HOU at CLE ($3,000)

I know. You're looking to get some pieces of the Houston offense against Cleveland rookie Sam Hentges, but they're just so damn expensive! Straw can help alleviate that. He is hitting .361 with a homer, eight walks, seven runs scored, four RBI, and three steals in the last ten games. Oh, and he has struck out just three times in ten games. Straw is a cheap piece of a very potent offense that has been on base at least once in all but one game in the last two weeks.

DraftKings DFS Stacks

• Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins game stack
• Cincinnati Reds vs. Alec Mills
• Houston Astros vs. Sam Hentges
• St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chi Chi Gonzalez
• Sneaky Stack: Atlanta Braves vs. Pablo Lopez

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