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Hello RotoBallers, I'm Dawn Tepper, and I'm thrilled to be covering for Jarod this week. In this edition of Players to Watch for the Week Ahead, we look toward July 22 to July 28, seeking potential DFS candidates, hot big names, and names you might not have noticed lately. The All-Star break has come and gone, and I know we are ready for the back nine of the MLB season!
Our previous article targeted Bobby Witt Jr., Brooks Lee, Spencer Steer, and Blake Snell, among others. I'm already looking to target Oriole bats versus the Marlins and Astro bats versus four lefty pitchers this week. Oh, and Kansas City bats at home!
I'm ready to dig in and will be looking for sneaky hitting matchups, pitchers whose numbers are starting to trend in the right direction, and maybe some of the usual suspects. Let's get going!
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Fantasy Baseball Players to Watch: Hitters
What I'm watching: He gets to face four lefty pitchers this week
As a team, the 'Stros have done very well against lefty pitchers this season. And in the last 30 days? Well. How about a 17.6% K rate, a .279/.327/.424 slash line, and a 113 wRC+? And who is leading this pack of righty hitters? Yainer Diaz, followed closely by Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve. Oh, and while Jake Meyers' slash line isn't anything to get excited about, he has hit as many home runs as the previously mentioned players in the last month: five. Consider this your sneaky DFS player of the week.
JAKE THE RAKE. So clutch! Meyers goes deep to right center for a critical go ahead HR in the 7th inning vs former Astro Ryne Stanek with the division lead on the line! He’s pumped up, the #Astros are ready. They’re here to make noise in the 2nd half pic.twitter.com/y4MTLkzO8i
— Maanav Gupta (@MGSportsTalk) July 21, 2024
What I'm watching: He faces six RHP next week, three of which are at Camden Yards
Yours truly is an O's fan and has been for a VERY long time. I'm not going to lie, this is an exciting time! Targeting Gunnar Henderson this week is a no-brainer given this season's stats. How about a .289/.375/.579 slash line and a .168 wRC+? "But Dawn," you ask, "what about the last 30 days versus righties at home?" I'm glad you asked! .432/.468/.705. I KNOW! Henderson won't be a sneaky pick but he's a hot pick. Build your DFS lineups around Henderson and find lower-owned players or pitchers elsewhere.
Gunnar Henderson does the best Scooby Doo impression you’ll ever hear. pic.twitter.com/MbT3amOgAS
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) July 16, 2024
What I'm watching: Six games next week at Kauffman Stadium versus five RHP
Vinnie had himself a month in June, slashing .348/.407/.696 with a 187 wRC+. For the month of July? .231/.231/.231. I'm going to go ahead and blame this on Mercury being in retrograde and assume he's going to get back on track. What does this make Vinnie? You got it. Another sneaky bat looking to get his numbers back on track.
Kauffman Stadium is currently ranked third for hitters amongst U.S. ballparks, especially for runs, doubles, and triples. Look for the lefty to it going next week while most likely being a lower-owned option in DFS contests.
Vinnie Pasquantino launches one way out. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/G3C7u6j82J
— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2024
What I'm watching: Versus righties overall in July: .513/.604/.1.05
Oakland is facing seven right-handed pitchers this week, three of whom it will face at home. How's Rooker doing at home versus righties this month? He's slashing .478/.556/.870. These stats are absolutely bonkers and he's showing no signs of slowing down. This definitely goes down as a "hot" recommendation.
He's currently priced on DraftKings at $5.3K, which could make him higher-owned, but that doesn't matter. Find another low-owned option and make Rooker your DFS building block for your Oakland stacks.
445 feet for Brent Rooker’s 22nd home run of the season 🚀 pic.twitter.com/DnpKtvxiqX
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 20, 2024
Key Matchups: Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks
Based on this week's hitter/pitcher matchups, here are the teams I will be focusing on for DFS:
- Houston Astros
- Oakland A's
- San Francisco Giants
- Kansas City Royals
- Baltimore Orioles
Fantasy Baseball Players to Watch: Starting Pitchers
What I'm watching: Can the lefty take down the Dodgers?
The left-hander facing the Dodgers could make him a low-owned pitcher next week. People will always think of the Dodgers as a power-hitting team (and they are) but they have several lefties in L.A. who could struggle against Valdez in Houston.
For the month of July versus left-handed pitchers, the Dodgers are slashing .233/.336/.408, down from .276/.344/.511. Not a huge difference but a downward trend to keep an eye on (and take advantage of when building DFS lineups this week).
What I'm watching: The White Sox haven't done well versus right-handed pitchers all year
So many pitchers to choose from versus Chicago, so little time. There are some obvious picks: Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi, among them. Who could be sneaky? Woo might not be super sneaky, but after a bumpy outing versus Houston earlier this month, folks could be hesitant to start him, even against that other Chicago team.
For the month of July, the White Sox are slashing .224/.285/.343 with a 77 wRC+. While that line is slightly up from their season slash line of .215/.270/.338, it's not by much. Roster Woo with confidence this week in your DFS lineups.
Bryan Woo, K'ing the Side in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/R4e49R6mzR
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 21, 2024
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