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The top early-slate daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on July 15, 2023. Mike's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Most of the MLB action is in prime time this Saturday. It has been a while since that happened. We only have four games for the early slate and one of them has a serious rain threat. That said, we still have some good pitching on here. I won't complain!
This article contains my picks for the four-game early slate on July 15, 2023, for DraftKings and FanDuel slates, which lock at 1:05 PM ET. Still, the sites can't help but keep it weird. The Texas/Cleveland tilt is not on FD, but the first game of the Rays/Royals is. That one is absent on DK. Oh, and keep an eye on Wrigley. Early reports have rain in and around Chicago for most of the day.
The lineup picks 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. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Blake Snell, SD at PHI ($8,200 DK, $11,200 FD)
I usually just go in order, but just because DK had a brain fart doesn't mean I have to. I'd pay five figures on DK for Snellzilla today. For starters, he has allowed just four earned runs combined over his last nine starts spanning 53 innings. For those of you counting at home, that's a 0.68 ERA for a span of nearly two months! On top of that, Snell has 84 strikeouts in that span with 72 of those in the last seven starts.
Wait...there's more. I know I sound like Ron Popeil, but all of this is true. Snell's whiff rate against the Phillies is also very high. Take a look at this!
I can't think of one reason not to use Snell regardless of price. Ownership is going to be extremely high, but I also think a fade is a bad idea. We can get different elsewhere.
Kevin Gausman, TOR vs. ARI ($9,500 DK, $11,000 FD)
We have no Tyler Glasnow on DK and Snell's underpricing makes Gausman a viable option there. On FD, Glasnow at $10,000 makes a strong tournament play with Snell significantly more expensive.
Back to Gausman, He has only allowed nine runs over his last five starts after imploding against the Twins on June 11. He has 36 strikeouts in 29 innings since that start against the Twins as well. I wouldn't use him over Snell, but I think there are enough value plays to put them both in on DK.
Others to consider: James Paxton ($8,600 DK, $10,600 FD) at CHC; Andrew Heaney ($6,200 DK) vs. CLE
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Triston Casas - 1B, BOS at CHC ($2,600 DK, $2,700 FD)
I honestly don't plan on going after Stroman, but it will be nice hitting weather at Wrigley if they play this game. It also doesn't hurt that many Boston bats are cheap compared to the others on this slate. Casas is the value we need. He entered the break with a two-hit game and came out of it with one. Three of those four hits were for extra bases, including a homer at the Friendly Confines last night. Casas is too cheap on both sites.
Corey Seager - SS, TEX vs. CLE ($6,300 DK)
I do wish we had Maikel Garcia on the cheap on DK, but he makes a fine substitution on FD. On DK, it's hard to find something that I'm comfortable with. Seager fits the bill, but he is really expensive. It's hard to argue that he isn't worth it. Seager is hitting .405 with three homers, six RBI, and 11 runs scored over the last ten games. Honorable mention goes to Amed Rosario, who is my go-to if I can't afford Seager.
Jose Ramirez - 3B, CLE at TEX ($5,800 DK)
I don't like the price on Ramirez, but he did extend his hitting streak to six games in the loss to Texas last night. He is also 3-for-4 in his career against Andrew Heaney with a pair of homers. If I have the cash on DK, I'm running Ramirez. If not, it's an easy enough pivot to the red-hot Manny Machado. He is my 3B of choice on FD.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Adam Duvall - OF, BOS at CHC ($4,500 DK, $3,100 FD)
I'm really liking the price break for Duvall on FD. With the pricing of pitching and the absence of Heaney, we need any break we can get. Duvall homered going into the break and coming out of it, extending his hitting streak (and RBI streak) to five games. It doesn't hurt that Duvall is 3-for-7 in his career against Marcus Stroman with a homer. If this game plays, I will have shares of Duvall, more heavily on FD.
Jarren Duran - OF, BOS at CHC ($3,700 DK, $3,100 FD)
...and here I am going after Stroman again. Duran is white-hot right now, hitting .500 over the last ten games with seven doubles, two triples, two homers, six RBI, two steals, and 12 runs scored. He could be double this price and I would still consider using him. 17 hits in the last ten games is an elite number, especially considering 11 of those have gone for extra bases.
Trent Grisham - OF, SD at PHI ($2,600 DK, $2,700 FD)
I spent a lot at other positions and on pitching, so I need another cheap outfielder. Grisham has a modest four-game hitting streak going with three doubles, a pair of RBI, two runs scored, and a steal. It's not pretty, but at this point, we're just looking for some cheap points.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Texas Rangers vs. Gavin Williams
Williams has had four solid starts in the majors, but three of those came against offenses in the bottom five of the majors. The Braves touched him for four runs. Not a bad start by any means, but Texas leads the majors in scoring at nearly six runs per game. This is a dangerous spot for Williams.
Now that we have that covered, I won't be full-stacking any team. I can make a case for using every pitcher on the slate on DK, so this feels like a slate to pick and choose. Stacking the Rays on FD is the only truly good full-stack option of the early slate.
Also consider: San Diego Padres vs. Taijuan Walker
Taijuan Walker has had reverse splits throughout his career, but they are particularly nasty this year. Right-handers are hitting 44 points higher against him even though he allows more homers to lefties. Unfortunately, the Padres we want are expensive. Machado is my favorite, followed by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto. Having Grisham as a salary saver feels like a good spot too.
Sneaky stack: Boston Red Sox vs. Marcus Stroman
Stroman has allowed 15 runs (12 earned) over 14 innings in his last three starts. His overall numbers are still really good, but the recent performance is concerning. The cheap bats of Boston help make everything fit. To get different here you will have to pay up for Rafael Devers or Masataka Yoshida.
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