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Juan Carlos Blanco highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 7/2/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
FanDuel’s Friday slate has all but the Padres-Phillies game on the ledger, giving us a massive player pool to work with. There are certainly some upper-tier arms in action, but as we’ll explore further, it isn’t absolutely necessary to spend all the way up to gain access to some strong fantasy upside.
At the same time, there are also some shaky pitchers taking the hill, including two at Coors Field that help to inform a pair of my batter suggestions. There are also a pair of potentially high-scoring games outside of that matchup that are also appealing for DFS purposes.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 7/2/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like DraftKings, and other sports.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Lance McCullers Jr. – at CLE ($9,600)
McCullers has six quality starts in the last nine outings, eclipsing 30 FD points in seven of those games, including a pair of 50-plus tallies. The righty has BAAs of .204 and .168 in opposite-handed and same-handed matchups, respectively, and he’s been at his best on the road with a 3-0 mark, 2.86 ERA and 12.1 K/9 across 28.1 innings. The Indians are a dangerous matchup for right-handers at home – they own a .296 average and .362 wOBA in that split over the last month – but McCullers has given up more than three runs only once in 11 starts and has given up two or fewer in nine of them.
Potential Alternate Play
Casey Mize – vs. CWS ($8,100)
Mize’s opposite number Friday, Lance Lynn, is certainly worthy of consideration, but he’ll run you $10K in salary. Meanwhile, Mize has been flashing similar upside, posting 28 to 51 FD points in 10 of his last 11 starts and churning out quality starts in nine of those outings. The young right-hander has enjoyed success versus the White Sox on two occasions during that span despite dropping both decisions, as he’s held Chicago bats to a collective .196 average over the 13 innings in that sample. The ChiSox, for all their big names, have been rather tame against righties on the road of late too, as evidenced by their 27.4 percent strikeout rate, .224 average and .291 wOBA in that split over the last month.
ALSO CONSIDER: JT Brubaker ($6,900)
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Salvador Perez - C/1B, vs. MIN ($3,100)
The Royals are an intriguing stack candidate overall Friday, and Perez is one of the bats that’s definitely worth contemplating including in either cash or GPP lineups. The veteran backstop is enjoying another strong season at the plate, as he’ll enter Friday with a .278 average and .814 OPS, along with 34 XBH and 48 RBI. Perez also gets a tasty matchup against veteran lefty J.A. Happ, who’s allowed a .308 average and .404 wOBA to right-handed hitters on the road. Meanwhile, Perez has trampled lefties, lighting up that handedness for a .329 average, 1.083 OPS, .450 wOBA and massive 187 wRC+ , and getting to Happ himself for a .391 average and four homers while striking out against him only three times across 23 career encounters.
Jose Altuve – 2B, at CLE ($4,100)
Altuve makes for an excellent right-handed bat to roll out in support of a McCullers win against young Indians lefty Sam Hentges, who’s been touched up in opposite-handed matchups for a .357 average, .433 wOBA and 2.1 HR/9 thus far this season. Altuve is enjoying a resurgent season and doing plenty of his damage against lefties, which he’s lit up for a .333 average, .907 OPS and .394 wOBA on the road while striking out at a minuscule 8.3 percent clip in that split. What’s more, Altuve just wrapped up an excellent month of June, during which he produced a .408 wOBA, .327 ISO and 10.0 wRAA largely on the strength of 10 homers across 129 plate appearances.
Ryan McMahon – 3B, vs. STL ($4,000)
As alluded to earlier, the runs could pile up Friday night Coors with a pair of suspect starters taking the mound. McMahon will get a crack at Johan Oviedo, whose collection of abysmal numbers includes a 5.2 BB/9, 5.51 xERA and 5.10 xFIP. He’s had his most trouble by far in opposite-handed matchups, allowing a .400 average, .473 wOBA and 7.75 xFIP to lefty bats on the road. For his part, McMahon has thrived in opposite-handed matchups in his home park, posting a .299 average, eight homers, a .399 wOBA and a .308 ISO in that split. When Oviedo exits, McMahon remains in a good spot, as Cardinals relievers have allowed a .271 average and .362 wOBA to lefty bats in the last month.
Elvis Andrus – SS, vs. BOS ($2,300)
Andrus’ .230 average and .569 OPS are reminders he still has plenty of room for improvement at the plate, but he’s in a potentially rewarding spot Friday. The veteran shortstop has admirably clawed himself out of an early-season hole, posting a solid .278 average and modest 14.4 percent strikeout rate over 26 June contests. He’s struggled mightily against left-handers this season, but his .146 BABIP against that handedness at home in 2021 and career .275 average against lefties suggest his issues are a real outlier. Friday, he faces a southpaw in Eduardo Rodriguez, who’s given up a .335 average, .389 wOBA, 1.72 WHIP and six homers to righty bats on the road, and who Andrus has enjoyed success against in the past in the form of a .444 average and just one strikeout in 11 career plate appearances.
ALSO CONSIDER: Carlos Santana ($3,300)
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Starling Marte – at ATL ($3,400)
Marte is in the midst of another strong season on a bad club, which has been an overarching theme of most of his career. The veteran outfielder owns a .300 average and .871 OPS, and he’s been excellent against lefties with a .306 average and .386 wOBA. He also owns a 41.7 percent hard-contact rate against that handedness on the road, and Atlanta starter Drew Smyly has allowed nine of his 15 homers on the season to right-handed hitters, leading to a .332 wOBA and 5.38 xFIP in that split. Marte also happens to be an excellent hitter against the four-seam fastball – Smyly’s signature offering this season – as the outfielder owns a .471 wOBA and 1.104 OPS against the power pitch.
Tyler O'Neill - at COL ($4,000)
O’Neill’s prodigious power should play very well at Coors, and the slugging outfielder will check into the contest with 15 homers and a .554 slugging percentage. O’Neill has been particularly dangerous in same-handed matchups on the road, touching up righties for a .289 average, eight homers, a .389 wOBA and a .309 ISO in that split. Rockies starter Chi Chi Gonzalez is a tailor-made matchup for fantasy purposes when it comes to O’Neill, as the veteran right-hander has been roughed up by same-handed hitters for a .277 average, .360 wOBA and 1.9 HR/9. Gonzalez has also had particular trouble keeping the ball in the park of late, as he gave up six homers on his way to a 7.71 ERA over 25.2 June innings.
J.D. Martinez – OF at OAK ($4,200)
Martinez comes into Friday wielding a scalding hot bat, as he’s homered in two straight and has scored 24.9 to 34.1 FD points in four of his last five games. Martinez has a whopping nine RBI over the entirety of that span, and Friday, he faces a vulnerable pitcher that could well facilitate more of the same. A’s starter Frankie Montas is just two starts removed from allowing eight earned runs over 5.2 innings to the Rangers, and he’s pitched to a 4.67 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 1.3 HR/9 in 54 home innings. Montas has also allowed a .290 average and .352 wOBA to righty bats at home, while Martinez has blasted righties on the road for a .387 wOBA, .326 ISO and .918 OPS.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jesse Winker ($4,000); Nick Castellanos ($4,000)
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