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Mike Schwarzenbach highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 7/7/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
Our Wednesday slate got a bit shorter with the Mets and Brewers getting rained out on Tuesday so they will play two on Wednesday and thus, fall off the main slate on FanDuel. It's a shame too, as that takes Corbin Burnes off the slate and leaves the pitching options very thin, especially at the top.
That means there should be bats aplenty on this slate starting with the Blue Jays at Baltimore where they'll face the combustible Matt Harvey in one of baseball's best hitting environments. Toronto is mightily expensive, however, and the field will be all over them in this matchup. They're a fine play in cash games, but to take down a GPP we may need to get more creative.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 7/7/2021. 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 check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Zack Wheeler - PHI at CHC ($11,200)
Wheeler is $1,500 more expensive than the next-highest pitcher and is worth every penny based on his strong first half of the season. Wheeler is sporting a crisp 2.05 ERA through 114 innings and has solid peripheral numbers to back it up like a 2.28 FIP and a 2.35 xERA. He's got 139 strikeouts against just 25 walks this season while putting up a career-best 31 percent strikeout rate.
Long story short, this ain't your dad's Zach Wheeler. The right-hander has morphed into a legitimate ace this season and gets a great matchup at the Cubs. Wrigley Field is a good hitter venue yes, but the team that calls it home has not been this season, especially against right-handed pitching. The Cubs lineup has a collective .868 OPS versus righties (22nd) and their 26.8 percent strikeout rate versus RHP is the highest in baseball. There is some concern for rain over Wrigley Field, so check the weather before lock, but if Wheeler is on the mound tonight he's far and away the best pitching option, even at this price.
GPP Potential Alternate Play
Domingo German - NYY at SEA ($6,500)
Want to pay-up for Blue Jay bats? Then we need to make some sacrifices on the mound. Fortunately, there's Domingo German taking the field in Seattle tonight sporting a very affordable price tag on FanDuel. German has had an up-and-down season thus far, with more downs than ups lately as he's been chased before the fifth inning in three straight starts.
That's obviously not ideal, but at these prices, we're going to have to absorb some risk. German does have six games this season with six strikeouts and he should be able to navigate a bad Mariners lineup that has the fourth highest strikeout rate versus righties. German has no floor and is not a strong play in cash games, but if he's on tonight we've seen worse pitchers post big scores versus Seattle and if he hangs in there for 5-6 innings with six strikeouts he'll easily return value at this price.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Rhys Hoskins - 1B PHI at CHC ($3,500)
Rhys Hoskins is one of the streakiest hitters in baseball and it appears he's back on the upswing after posting two homers and five hits in his last three games. Hoskins is making great contact as he's got a 14.2 percent barrel rate and a 47 percent hard-hit rate. He'll have that platoon advantage versus Alec Mills who has allowed a .310 batting average to lefties so far this season.
Jake Cronenworth - 1B/2B SD vs WAS ($3,100)
Cronenworth has settled into the three-hole in a loaded Padres lineup and is way too cheap at $3,100. He's averaging 10.3 FD points per game this season, but has been even better than that lately as he's eclipsed 16 points in 10 of his last 17 games. Cronenworth is one of the best contact hitters in the game (13.8% K-rate) and he has decent power as well based on his 12 homers and .464 slugging percentage. Patrick Corbin isn't scaring anyone these days, Cronenworth is a great option as a one-off (who's eligible at two positions) or an essential piece of a Friars stack.
Gavin Lux - 2B/SS LAD at MIA ($2,300)
This is a bet on talent. Lux was one of the top prospects in the Dodgers organization but hasn't lived up to expectations this season slashing just .238/.318/.364. However, he has been playing every day and the Dodgers lineup has a huge implied run total versus a Marlins bullpen game. If we want to pay for other expensive players then we need value and Lux provides it at a bargain bin price.
Justin Turner - 3B LAD at MIA ($3,100)
Another Dodger bat priced too low versus the Marlins' bullpen. Turner is heating up with nine hits in his last five games while posting his usual, elite plate-discipline metrics. All of the L.A. bats are in play tonight, but Turner and Lux offer the best value to fit in an ace like Wheeler, or try and combo the Dodgers/Blue Jays lineups who both have implied run totals near six.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF PHI at CHC ($3,800)
The stats that applied to Hoskins above apply to Harper down here. Mills is a mediocre-at-best righty and Harper is swinging a hot stick from the left side of the plate. After Mills, Philly will see a gassed Cubs bullpen that has pitched a ton of innings lately including over seven innings last night as the Phillies hung 15 on Chicago. Harper has slate-breaking upside at under $4K. Like with Wheeler, just be sure to check the weather before lock.
Ryan Mountcastle - OF/1B BAL vs TOR ($2,900)
Let's wrap up with some underpriced Orioles, shall we? The Baltimore/Toronto game should see some offensive fireworks, but while the field chases the Jays and their whopping 6.2 implied run total, the other side of this game is in play as well. Blue Jays starter Hyun-Jin Ryu hasn't been good this season as his strikeout rate is down six percent from last year and his fly-ball rate is up five percent, not a good combo in Camden Yards. As for Mountcastle himself, he's been hitting the ball well, but not getting the results quite yet. Tonight could be the night
Austin Hays - OF BAL vs TOR ($2,700)
I love counter-stacking the TOR/BAL game and some fantasy managers could be off the O's because of Ryu who has some name recognition as a good pitcher. As we detailed above, he's been off his game lately which makes Baltimore a sneaky stack on a night where there should be plenty of runs scored. Hays is a switch-hitter who has struggled mightily batting lefty this year but as a righty, he's slashing .362/.389/.623. Get Hays in there versus the lefty Ryu.
Good luck with your entries!
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