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Thunder Dan Palyo highlights the top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for the afternoon slate on 7/31/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
The final day of July brings us yet another split slate of MLB baseball. After one of the craziest deadline days in recent memory yesterday, we should get to see a lot of elite players in new uniforms today and all those moves should make for some compelling pennant races and playoff series.
While most of our MLB DFS coverage here at RotoBaller is geared towards the main slate, I wanted to give you some of my favorite pitchers and bats for these early games that will help you cash in tournaments and cash game contests. I'll highlight my favorite pitching options here first and then give you some hitters at each price tier to consider as well as my favorite teams to stack up! You can read our DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the main slate and FanDuel DFS lineup picks for the main slate as well.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the DraftKings and FanDuel slates beginning at 4:05 PM on 7/31/2021. 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 MLB DFS lineup picks for the main slate here, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
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MLB DFS Pitchers
Nathan Eovaldi @ TBR ($9,500 FD, $8,200 DK)
It's a weird little slate for pitching because there are no slam-dunk plays (pardon the basketball terminology) but also not that many gas cans either. You could make a case for most of these pitchers to some extent, but I am going to cross off Greinke and Wood in the Houston-San Fran game based on the tough matchup that both offenses present those starters.
Tampa has been heating up offensively but Eovaldi has been pitching incredibly well in his own right, striking out six or more in five straight games and allowing two runs or fewer in four of those five starts. He's my favorite option today at his price point (way too cheap on DK) and I don't even mind paying all the way up for him on FanDuel.
Domingo German @ MIA ($8,000 FD, $6,500 DK)
German is a guy we couldn't touch for much of the season but he may have found something recently as he is coming off a 10-strikeout performance against Boston in his last start and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. That performance will be fresh in everyone's mind today and coupled with the good matchup here against Miami - who traded away their biggest power bat Adam Duvall yesterday and their best overall hitter, Starling Marte a few days ago - he could end up being a popular play. I'm more inclined to use him as my SP2 on DK than risk him reverting back into his inconsistent self as my only pitcher on FD.
Others to consider: John Means @ DET
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MLB DFS "Bats Worth Paying For"
Matt Olson – 1B, OAK @ LAA ($4,100 FD, $5,600 DK)
Oakland gets a nice matchup here against Jaime Barria, who is making is making another start for the Angels today. He recovered after giving up two early homers in his last start to pitch seven decent innings, but I am not fooled. He's still a guy with a poor track record in his career, especially against lefties and Olson carries a .352 wOBA and .252 ISO against RHP since 2020.
Kike Hernandez – 2B/SS/OF, BOS @ TBR ($3,300 FD, $4,600 DK)
The Boston leadoff man actually ranks second on the team in ISO against lefties (behind Dalbec) and is having his best season in the power department with 14 dingers this year. Yarbrough is no slouch and has the ability to pitch well, mixing his cutter and changeup effectively, but he can also get hit hard if he doesn't locate his pitches. I'm not endorsing a full Boston stack, but Hernandez, Renfroe, and Dalbec definitely stand out for me here.
Trey Mancini – 1B/OF, BAL @ DET ($3,400 FD, $5,000 DK)
Matt Manning is showing some pretty serious reverse splits so far in his brief career in the bigs, with righties piling up a .436 wOBA and .273 ISO against him. Mancini hits RHP just fine and has power to all fields. I love using him as a one-off or as a key piece of an Orioles stack.
MLB DFS Values
Jed Lowrie – 2B/3B, OAK @ LAA ($2,700 FD, $3,900 DK)
Lowrie isn't your typical cleanup hitter with only 11 homers on the season but is a great cash game play in DFS almost every night as a switch-hitter who usually finds his way on base and manages to score or drive in a run or two. You can play him at second or third base on FD, allowing you the versatility to get in the other players you want in your lineup.
Austin Hays – OF, BAL @ DET ($2,500 FD, $3,000 DK)
I mentioned the reverse splits for Manning earlier, which draws me to Hays here at a really affordable price. His splits against righties aren't great, but he does have some pop in his bat with 10 dingers this year and a nice spot in the lineup in the two-hole, between Mullins and Mancini. If you prefer Santander, the switch hitter, I am on board with him here, too.
Aledmys Diaz – 2B/3B/OF, DET vs. CHW ($2,200 FD, $2000 DK)
The super-utility man is back in the lineup for Houston after nearly two months off with an injury and he's picked right back up where he left off, going 6-15 with a homer and five RBI in three games since re-entering the lineup. He's facing a southpaw in Alex Wood and is a guy who has always hit lefties well. The bottom of the Houston order provides some serious value on this slate and his multi-position eligibility on DK makes him extra valuable.
MLB DFS Hitter Stacks
Oakland Athletics vs. Jaime Barria
Oakland added Starling Marte from Miami before the deadline and now has a pretty potent top of the order with Canha-Marte-Olson-Lowrie-Laureano. Matt Chapman is another power bat that hits a little further down the lineup, Mitch Moreland is a lefty with power who should start today, and Sean Murphy hits for power, too.
Baltimore Orioles vs. Matt Manning
I want to attack Manning, who hasn't been impressive at all in his limited starts in the big leagues. He's not striking anyone out and allowing too many baserunners as his WHIP is all the way up to 1.42. We can attack Manning with some confidence that we will see the Detroit bullpen for a good chunk of this game, too, as he's only gone beyond five innings once in his first seven big-league starts. Mullins-Hays-Mancini-Santander-Stewart is a very affordable five-man stack on DK, pick your four favorites for FanDuel.
Other recommended stacks: Detroit Tigers vs. John Means
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