DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Tuesday 7/2/19
Every day is unique for daily fantasy baseball, which is both a blessing and a challenge. Although we can’t simply plug and play our favorite studs day in and day out, each slate presents us with a chance for a new gem to vault us up the leaderboards.
Through the use of numberFire’s tools, we can better identify the players primed to succeed each day, making the process of filling out a lineup just that much easier. In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy looking team to put up some big point totals.
Which names stand out for today on the DraftKings main slate? Let’s check it out, starting with the pitchers.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitcher
Patrick Corbin ($11,100 on DraftKings): The Miami Marlins do not really strike out much against left-handed pitchers as their 20.9 percent strikeout rate sits down at 23rd overall. However, they do struggle offensively against southpaws with a horrendous .276 wOBA, which ranks 29th in the Majors. Patrick Corbin has put up a solid 27.2 percent strikeout rate this season with a very good 17.5 percent line-drive rate and a 3.97 SIERA, which ranks sixth on the slate. Corbin should be able to keep Miami quiet.
Matt Boyd ($10,100): It needs to be mentioned every time he pitches, but Matt Boyd is this years surprise ace. His 30.8 percent strikeout rate is the best on the slate, and although his 39.0 percent hard-hit rate could be troublesome, he isn't really getting "lucky". He has a .298 BABIP is almost exactly average, and his 3.72 ERA is actually worse than his slate-best 3.32 SIERA. He'll take on a Chicago White Sox team that has a 25.1 percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers, the ninth-highest in baseball.
Value Pitcher
Jack Flaherty ($7,600): While he hasn't really lived up to some of the preseason hype he was getting, Jack Flaherty has still been pretty solid. He has a 26.3 percent strikeout rate and a 4.06 SIERA, which could indicate a bit of positive regression coming given his 4.75 ERA. There are some major concerns with his 41.5 percent hard-hit rate and 25.4 percent line-drive rate, but a matchup against a Seattle Mariners team in sell-mode could provide a solid outcome. Seattle has the sixth-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers, at 24.8 percent, which provides some interesting upside for Flaherty, and his salary gives you a chance to load up on Coors.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
Charlie Blackmon ($5,900): Jose Urquidy will be making his Major Leaf debut tonight. Yes, he's about to make his debut in Coors Field -- how nice of the Houston Astros. Now, he has been pretty solid in Triple-A this season with a 3.67 xFIP and an elite 37.0 percent strikeout rate in 43.2 innings. The sample size is small, but there is some talent here. However, Charlie Blackmon has smashed right-handed pitching this season with a ridiculous .456 wOBA and .352 ISO in the split. In a game where there should be a lot of offense, Blackmon offers monster upside.
Yordan Alvarez ($5,100): With similarly elite numbers against right-handed pitchers, Astros rookie Yordan Alvarez has been unbelievable at the plate. He has put up a .424 wOBA and an unfathomable .400 ISO against righties this season, and he brings that elite power to the most hitter-friendly park in the Majors. Yordan does have a tough matchup against Colorado Rockies ace German Marquez. But considering Marquez's 39.0 percent hard-hit rate, there is considerable upside for Alvarez in this matchup.
Eric Thames ($4,800): Although he platoons with Jesus Aguilar, Eric Thames has been fantastic this season in his side of the split as he has dominated right-handed pitchers. He has put up a .383 wOBA and .276 ISO this season, which is encouraging given that he had a bit a of down year in 2018. He's going to take on Cincinnati Reds righty Tanner Roark, who has gotten a bit lucky this season by the looks of it. He has a sparkling 3.36 ERA, but he also carries a 4.40 SIERA, 36.6 percent hard-hit rate and 28.7 percent line-drive rate.
Value Hitters
J.T. Realmuto ($3,800): I know, I know, it's just two starts, but Dallas Keuchel hasn't looked very good for the Atlanta Braves. There is clearly some rust that Keuchel is shaking off in the Majors, but that is only a small part of why we are interested in J.T. Realmuto tonight. J.T. has been great against left-handed pitchers this season, putting up a .359 wOBA and .253 ISO, which is a rare thing to see from a catcher. Given the numbers, his price tag is pretty cheap, and he's worth looking at as a one-off or part of a Philadelphia Phillies stack.
Paul Goldschmidt ($3,600): Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Paul Goldschmidt used to be one of the most consistent and safest plays you could use. This season, he hasn't been as great, but she till has put up just a .352 wOBA and a .240 ISO against left-handed pitching. Comparing that to his 2018 .405 wOBA and .273 ISO against lefties, it's obvious that his numbers have taken a hit. However, Goldy will take on Seattle Mariners southpaw Wade LeBlanc, who has given up a 37.6 percent hard-hit rate and 41.2 percent fly-ball rate. Goldy could get back on track in this spot.
Jackie Bradley ($3,600): Jackie Bradley has been on fire lately, especially against right-handed pitching. Since June 1st, Bradley has put up a .391 wOBA and .226 ISO against righties, and he has an elite matchup against struggling Toronto Blue Jays righty Trent Thornton. Thornton has a horrendous 10.6 percent walk rate, and Bradley has a 13.5 walk rate against righties since June 1st. Thornton is also giving up a 38.0 percent hard-hit rate and a slate-worst 30.5 percent line-drive rate.
Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
