FanDuel MLB Daily Fantasy Picks 7/18/19
Contents
MLB DFS is a high variance game, but one of the more fun fantasy sports to play. Cash games you want to find consistent high floor pitchers, and the same goes for hitters. Tournaments you want to find lower owned bats and pitchers that carry huge upside. This article will point you in the direction of both.
Pitchers
Trevor Bauer ($10,800) – There are a few ways to go on the mound tonight, but as we saw last night, the Tigers present some serious upside to right-handed hitters. Cleveland come in as -207 favorites, and the Tigers sit with an implied total right at 3.5. We can count on Bauer to go deep into pitch count, and his 27% strikeout rate is what we are after here. Detroit’s projected lineup has a combined .311 wOBA, .155 ISO, and 24.1% strikeout rate. Great spot for Bauer, and there are plenty of cheap bats to fill around him.
Cash Hitters
Marwin Gonzalez ($2,800) – Looking to go on the cheaper side with some hitters, Marwin Gonzalez is nice exposure to the Twins for a cheap price. He faces Mike Fiers tonight, who looks better than what he is. He has a 4.85 xFIP, a 15% strikeout rate, and allows a 40% flyball rate. Gonzalez comes in still dragging his first two months stats with him, but as we have known his recent stride has been a lot better. Gonzalez is a cheap outfield option to consider.
Yasmani Grandal ($3,000) – I know technically we don’t have to roster a catcher, but Yasmani Grandal is a cheap three hole hitter with upside. He has a .375 wOBA and .250 ISO against right-handed pitching this season. His hard-contact rate is up over 45% and he faces a pitcher with no real strikeout potential. Merrill Kelly is allowing a 45% hard-contact rate to left-handed hitters this season. Sneaky good spot for Grandal, and I like the other Brewers too if you can fit them int your lineups.
Tommy Edman ($2,500) – With Matt Carpenter out, we got a cheap third base option. Tommy Edman has a .211 ISO off right-handers in a small sample size, with a 47% hard-contact rate. I don’t mind taking a flier on him in a good ballpark to free up some cash. Especially with Tanner Roark on the mound. Roark has struggled against lefties, allowing a .419 wOBA and .247 ISO. This isn’t much news if you have been playing, as lefties against Roark have generally been a way to go.
Tournament Hitters
Joey Votto ($3,100) – This spot was going to go to Derek Dietrich, but he was HBP last game and could be out today after leaving the game. If he is in, he is the guy. However, Joey Votto is a strong option in all formats, despite being listed under tournament bats. Dakota Hudson has been pitching better of late, but has some severe splits. Lefties are tagging him for a 45% hard-contact rate, .398 wOBA, and .231 ISO. Votto is a solid bat to consider in this spot, and won’t break the bank either.
Keston Hiura (3,600) – Merrill Kelly is allowing a .202 ISO to right-handers with a 41% hard-contact rate. Keston Hiura continues to crush at the major league level, but does have that 31% strikeout rate too. Kelly doesn’t miss a ton of bats, and Hiura is sitting with a .415 wOBA and .296 ISO off right-handers in a small 2019 sample size. I am hoping the price scares some people away or at least people pay up elsewhere.
