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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/7/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers! It's a full day of baseball from coast to coast, but we are focusing on the nine evening games for the featured slate. It all starts with Toronto and Baltimore bashing the ball around Camden Yards in what should be a high-scoring affair. Then, we finish the night with the Yankees being sleepless in Seattle, where they will take on the Mariners on a West Coast road trip. As for the weather, the only thing to watch out for is some wind. It's blowing in at Wrigley Field and out at Camden Yards. Both are good news for Zack Wheeler and the Blue Jays-Orioles game stack I am supporting tonight.
The loss of Corbin Burnes on the pitching slate stings quite a bit, but we will adjust and make do with what we have. Unfortunately, that's not a lot, in my opinion. Wheeler is far and away the best choice, and then everything gets a bit scary after that. Sean Manaea and Luis Garcia face off against each other, while Yusei Kikuchi sees the Yankees and Hyun-Jin Ryu goes to Baltimore. There are a couple of intriguing options outside those arms, but I'm locking Zack Wheeler into most of my lineups for the nine-game schedule.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/7/2021. 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
Zack Wheeler - P, PHI at CHC ($10,300)
I won't be messing around with my starting pitcher's on tonight's slate. That's why I'm heading straight to the top and nabbing Zack Wheeler. In the preseason, he was taken as the 30th pitcher off the board in season-long drafts. Well, now, he's scored the second-most DraftKings points among starters, trailing only Jacob deGrom. That, my friends, is how you win yourself some season-long leagues. However, this is a DFS article, so let's pivot back that way. Over his last 13 starts, Wheeler is touting a 1.59 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and has a 32.8 percent strikeout rate. The righty pitched into the seventh inning in 10 of those 13 starts and has quality starts in 11 of the 13 as well.
A newly minted All-Star, Wheeler, will see the Chicago Cubs tonight. Since June 1, the Cubbies have a 26.7 percent strikeout rate and a 90 wRC+ to RHP. However, the wind will be blowing in tonight at Wrigley Field, and the friendly confines should bring a friendly amount of fantasy points to continue Wheeler's fantastic 2021 campaign.
Chris Paddack - P, SD vs. WAS ($8,700)
When I recommended Chris Paddack, I had a little song and dance about how good he had been. That was before his tragic performance against the Diamondbacks a week and a half ago. However, he rebounded, and I'm buying back in against the Nationals. The right-handed hurler has scored 15 or more DraftKings points in four of his last five outings and shows improvements in the strikeouts department. He's got 33 Ks in his previous 26 1/3 innings and, despite a 5.13 ERA, is rocking a 2.58 xFIP in those five starts. Washington is a slightly above-average offense versus righties since June 1, and I'm interested to see if Paddack can pass this moderate test.
Other options: Luis Garcia vs. OAK ($9,600), Domingo German at SEA ($7,700), Antonio Senzatela at ARI ($6,600)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Curt Casali - C, SF vs. Johan Oviedo ($3,000)
Buster Posey (thumb) continues to sit, and it's providing Curt Casali with an opportunity in San Francisco. Giants manager Gabe Kapler said they hope to have Posey available to pinch-hit sometime in the series, and it has me leaning towards another Casali start on Wednesday. He's much more of a salary relief candidate than any part of a Giants stack, but he has been hitting the ball well in recent games. Since June 17, the backup catcher is 9-for-27 (.333) with six extra-base hits (two home runs) and seven RBI.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B, TOR at Matt Harvey ($5,900)
If you play in a home-run pool or something along those lines, there may not be a safer pick than Vlad Jr. in Camden Yards. First off: it's Camden Yards, second: he's facing Matt Harvey, third: the wind is blowing out, and fourth: he may be the best hitter on the planet right now. Through 83 games, the first-time All-Star is destroying baseballs like Joey Chestnuts demolishes hot dogs. Guerrero Jr. is slashing .336/.436/.678 with 67 runs, 28 home runs, and 71 RBI, and he's posted above a .600 slugging percentage in each month this season. The price tag is high, but so is the ceiling. Guerrero is my home-run call tonight, and he's going to break some contests wide open.
Jose Altuve - 2B, HOU vs. Sean Manaea ($4,900)
BUY THE DIP! For the first time since June 10, Jose Altuve costs less than $5,000. And in the 22 games, since it last occurred, the perennial All-Star is slashing .262/.390/.583 with 21 runs, eight home runs, and 19 RBI. Admittedly, he's been struggling a bit in recent games, but it's foolish to let a talent like Altuve slide below this threshold and not use it to your benefit. I think the Astros are set to bombard Manaea on Wednesday night, and with Altuve at the top of the lineup, there will be plenty of chances to accrue fantasy points.
Cavan Biggio - 3B, TOR at Matt Harvey ($3,900)
Biggio returned from the IL on June 11, and he's been getting far better results since his return. His .490 slugging percentage and .880 OPS are far above his season-long numbers, but it's the advanced stats that give us further hope the young third baseman is turning things around. Six of his nine barrels this season have come in the 21 games since his return. Plus, he owns a 45.1 percent hard-hit rate compared to his season-long 35.1 percent. Biggio is batting sixth regularly for the Blue Jays, and he has the chance to put it all together for a massive day against Matt Harvey in Baltimore.
Brandon Crawford - SS, SF vs. Johan Oviedo ($5,200)
Every time the Brandon Crawford hype machine gets a little quiet, he has a stretch to turn the volume all the way back up. The lefty-swinging shortstop has been phenomenal this year. He is turning back the clock and providing a career year during this San Francisco resurgence. Through 75 games, Crawford is sporting a .896 OPS with 17 home runs and 55 RBI and is clearly a deserving All-Star.
Plus, he's seeing the ball exceptionally well at the moment. The 34-year old has three three-hit games in his last four starts with a double and a triple. The Giants should feast on Oviedo in the Bay Area on Wednesday, and the runs and RBI will be heading Crawford's way sooner rather than later if he keeps hitting as he has all year long.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Tommy Edman - 2B/OF, STL vs. Alex Wood ($4,500)
Edman went through a mid-season slump in June, but he's turning it around, and the results are improving as the calendar changes to July. Before Tuesday's contest, Edman was on a seven-game hit streak with four multi-hit efforts to accompany six runs, three extra-base hits, four RBI, and three steals. He's hitting fifth in the St. Louis lineup these days but is still an all-around contributor for DFS purposes. While the Cardinals lineup doesn't excel versus left-handed pitching, they aren't a weak lineup either. Alex Wood has allowed four earned runs or more in four of his last seven outings, so there's a solid chance St. Louis can get to him and put some crooked numbers on the scoreboard. While Edman wouldn't be the catalyst for those, he could be a beneficiary and provide those sought-after DFS points at second base or outfield.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - OF, TOR at Matt Harvey ($3,900)
I'm trying to grab as many pieces of this game as possible. Last night's series opener was 7-5 in favor of the Orioles, and I expect a similar amount of runs scored in tonight's matchup, especially from the Toronto side. Gurriel hit a home run last night, his tenth of the campaign, and his $3,900 salary has me intrigued with building a low-cost Blue Jays stack.
The outfielder's season-long line is anchored by a poor couple of months to begin the year. However, since June 1, Gurriel has improved in almost every statistical category. In the last 27 games, Yuli's younger brother is slashing .280/.302/.500 with a .220 ISO and is 12 percent better than the league average hitter. He already hit a home run on Tuesday, and it wouldn't be shocking to add another round-tripper to his account against Matt Harvey.
Anthony Santander - OF, BAL vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu ($2,400)
I've talked up the Toronto side of this game a bunch already, and it's time to give the Orioles some love. While Hyun-Jin Ryu is a more significant challenge than facing Matt Harvey, the southpaw has shown a tendency to have blowup games when things aren't going right. He's allowed eight earned runs and two home runs while only striking out five in his last two outings.
That brings us to Anthony Santander because the righty-bat is showing more power and could be a perfect home-run hunting punt play on Wednesday. He hit one last night in a 7-5 win, and he now has three extra-base hits and six RBI in his previous five games. An Orioles stack is relatively cheap on tonight's slate, and getting Santander in the lineup should offer some excellent leverage over the rest of the field if you're looking to differentiate your lineups.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics (Sean Manaea, LHP)
- San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Johan Oviedo, RHP)
- Game stack: Toronto Blue Jays (Hyun-Jin Ryu, LHP) at Baltimore Orioles (Matt Harvey, RHP)
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