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Happy Monday, RotoBallers! Due to the All-Star break, it's been a couple of weeks since we had a Monday slate on our plates. So it's great to kick it back off with 11 games in the featured contests. There's an earlier game at 6:40 pm Eastern between Miami and Cincinnati, but that doesn't make the cut on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Despite 11 games on the schedule, we are a bit light on aces. Max Fried headlines both sites and is especially tempting on FanDuel as the most likely pitcher to qualify for and snag a quality start against the Phillies. Elsewhere, Tony Gonsolin has a sublime matchup versus a weak-hitting Washington, and Sean Manaea will look to start the second half with a strong statement against Detroit.
As always, this article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Monday's main slate locks at 7:05 pm EST on 7/25/2022. The lineup will range from some elite, high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack! Here, you can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential. If anything else comes up, feel free to ask me a question on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Max Fried - P, ATL at PHI ($10,500 DraftKings; $10,500 FanDuel)
There's no denying Fried as the top pitcher among the 11-game slate. On the year, the Atlanta lefty is twirling a 2.64 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP with 109 strikeouts over 119 1/3 innings. Those surface numbers are backed up by a 2.95 ERA, 49.7 percent groundball rate, and 11.6 percent swinging strike rate.
While the lack of elite K numbers prevents him from joining the best of the best, he's right up there as one of the best at preventing hard contact and therefore runs. Philadelphia isn't the easiest matchup Fried could see to begin the week, but he held them to two runs over six innings with five strikeouts the last time he saw them on May 24th.
Jake Odorizzi - P, HOU at OAK ($7,800 DK; $9,400 FD)
Houston is smack bang in the middle of a stretch where they play 19 of 21 games against AL West opponents. Combine this with the All-Star break, and we have the scheduling quirk of Odorizzi facing Oakland for the third start in a row. His DK price keeps him in the SP2 range on Monday, but he's a fade for me on FD because it costs an extra $1,100 to get to Max Fried or $800 for Tony Gonsolin. I would much rather pay up for those aces or skip Odorizzi and move down the board on that site.
As for the Astros righty, it's been an up and down stretch since he returned from a two-month layoff. He had an (understandably) rough outing in his first start back but has bounced back in these two Oakland games. 12 strikeouts to one walk over 12 1/3 innings and 21.6 DK PPG have done wonders for Odorizzi's DFS prospects. The A's are in a rough stretch right now, and since June 1st, they've struck out 23.9 percent of the time versus RHPS and mustered a weak .210/.260/.341 slash line over their last 1100 plate appearances.
Also, consider - Tony Gonsolin, Sean Manaea, Corey Kluber, Jakob Junis, Noah Syndergaard
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Carlos Santana - 1B, SEA vs. Glen Otto ($3,200 DK; $2,600 FD)
To afford some of the picks I'm recommending later, we've got to find some value bats. Santana had a miserable time in Kansas City this year but seems to have found a fountain of youth on the Wild Card-contending Mariners.
Since he came over to the Pacific Northwest, the 36-year-old switch hitter has been hitting the ball much harder. He's raised his average exit velocity a couple of ticks, the launch is up from 13 to 17 degrees, and his Hard-Hit rate is sitting at 52.9 percent. He's a home run or bust type player as five of his previous six hits left the yard, but he's worth the chance at this price.
Brendan Rodgers - 2B, COL at Aaron Ashby ($4,400 DK; $3,100 FD)
Over his previous 10 games, Rodgers has 13 hits with three doubles, a home run, and seven RBI. During this four-game series, he's seeing the ball well in Milwaukee as he collected multi-hit efforts in Saturday and Sunday's contest. He's batting fifth for a Rockies lineup that's striking out less than 18.3 percent of the time against lefties and bashing them with a .779 OPS. The offense hasn't been a problem in this series, as these teams have combined for 43 runs over the first three games. With taxed bullpens, we could be in for another scoring bonanza tonight.
Austin Riley - 3B, ATL at Ranger Suarez ($5,800 DK; $4,100 FD)
He's expensive, but there's not a more 'must-have' bat on Monday's schedule than Austin Riley. Since the calendar flipped to July, the third baseman has launched his team into the NL East race and himself into the MVP discussion. Over the last 20 games, Riley's smashed seven doubles and 10 home runs to produce 20 RBI. This was all while compiling an eye-popping 1.337 OPS, .576 wOBA, and .474 ISO. In even better news, the NL All-Star has a 1.135 OPS versus southpaws this season and should have a big day against Phillies lefty Ranger Suarez.
Willy Adames - SS, MIL vs. Kyle Freeland ($5,100 DK; $3,800 FD)
The pricing on DK has left us in a tricky spot at shortstop because there are eight options priced at $5,000 or higher. Of those eight, Adames is my favorite due to the righty-lefty matchup, the fact this series with Colorado is producing runs left and right, and that he's on quite a tear himself.
In July, the Brewers shortstop is rocking a .826 OPS with 15 runs, three doubles, five long balls, and 12 RBI through 18 games. At the position, the 26-year-old ranks second in ISO (.257) and fourth in wOBA (.358) despite a .273 BABIP in July. Hitting second in this Milwaukee lineup can only bring good things for Willy, and he's worthy of a premium bat spot in your Monday lineups.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Shohei Ohtani - 1B/OF, LAA at Zack Greinke ($5,900 DK; $3,900 FD)
I've watched The Big Short multiple times, so I think I'm doing this correctly when I say I'm buying the dip on Ohtani. For the first time since June 21, the two-way phenom is priced below $6,000. Funnily enough, that game was also against the Kansas City Royals, and he punished them with three hits, two home runs, and eight RBI. Yes, please!
Leody Taveras - OF, TEX at Chris Flexen ($3,500 DK; $3,100 FD)
Taveras entered the All-Star break with eight extra-base hits in the final seven games and has come out the other side just as hot. Okay, maybe not as hot as before the break, but two doubles and two multi-hit games will stay in play for DFS purposes. Taveras' opponent, Chris Flexen, may have a 3.79 ERA on the year, but the underlying numbers tell a different story.
The Mariners' RHP sports a 4.96 SIERA, doesn't strike people out, allows many free passes, and gives up a lot of hard contact. He's walking a 162-game tight rope at this point, and any start could spell the beginning of the end of his good fortune. Texas may not be the matchup where that begins to run out, but I still like Taveras as a one-off, home run-chasing punt if you need to find some value in the outfield.
Gavin Lux - 2B/OF, LAD vs. Paolo Espino ($3,500 DK; $2,600 FD)
With a righty on the mound for Washington, Lux can expect a higher slot in the Dodgers lineup to start the week. In the previous two games against RHPS, Dave Roberts has had the former top prospect in the fifth and sixth spot, respectively. In 2022, Lux has been that post-hype sleeper in season-long fantasy baseball leagues, and he's also been a fantastic DFS asset.
Tonight, at his price point, I'm incredibly interested in grabbing a lot of Lux. Coming out of the All-Star break, the 24-year-old has a double, a triple, and a multi-hit effort to add to his already stellar July. In 18 games this month, Lux is slashing .308/.419/.577 with nine runs, nine RBI, and seven extra-base hits.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Houston Astros at Adam Oller, OAK
- Yordan Alvarez, OF ($6,300 DK; $4,300 FD)
- Jose Altuve, 2B ($5,000 DK; $4,100 FD)
- Kyle Tucker, OF ($4,800 DK; $3,700 FD)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Paolo Espino, WSH
- Freddie Freeman, 1B ($6,200 DK; $4,200 FD)
- Max Muncy, 3B ($4,000 DK; $2,400 FD)
- Cody Bellinger, OF ($3,600 DK; $2,800 FD)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Kyle Freeland, COL
- Andrew McCutchen, OF ($4,500 DK; $3,000 FD)
- Hunter Renfroe, OF ($4,100 DK; $3,400 FD)
- Tyrone Taylor, OF ($3,100 DK; $2,400 FD)
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