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Austyn Varney

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 24, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, July 24, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Jacob deGrom @ San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park
Vegas O/U – 7.5

Jacob deGrom gets to face off with the San Diego Padres tonight. It should be easy work, especially in Petco Park. Petco Park is one of the 3 best pitcher ballparks in the game and deGrom is a guy that really benefits. He gives up a lot of flyouts, so extra space in the OF is going to help a ton. You then look at the match-up, which is perfect. The Padres are one of the worst teams in the league against righties (.299 wOBA) and don’t offer much in terms of upside. Wil Myers obviously solid, but everyone else is very up and down. deGrom has controlled games this year, which has always been one of his problems. He’s been solid against both sides of the plate with a .291 wOBA and also strikes out over 10 batters per 9 innings. The Padres hold an implied team total of just 3.30 and Vegas fully expect deGrom to handle these guys. deGrom is an extremely strong option in both cash games and tournaments.

Gerrit Cole @ San Francisco Giants
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas O/U – 8

Without having many solid options at pitcher tonight, Gerrit Cole is a great way to go. As we all know at this point, the Giants don’t have much of an offense. Against righties, they have no offense. They hold the leagues lowest wOBA at .290 and are on the way down. While the Giants used to be a team we avoided, the bottom of the order is now very bad. They strikeout a ton and don’t offer much power at AT&T Park. You then look at Gerrit Cole, who has been a solid pitcher his entire career. He’s always going to struggle a bit against lefties, but he makes it up with his effectiveness against right-handers. He strikes out 8 batters per 9 innings and walks just under 2. He’s priced down on both sites and makes for a very solid option in all formats.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Los Angeles Dodgers Vs. Bartolo Colon (Minnesota Twins)
Park – Dodger Stadium
Implied Total – 5.67

The Dodgers are one of my favorite offenses of the entire season tonight. Yes, all year long. Sure, Bartolo Colon isn’t the worst. He’ll probably last 3-5 innings and give up 4 or 5 runs. He is horrible against both righties and lefties and has given up a .352 wOBA. The Dodgers are one of the best offenses in the entire league and I think they end up bolstering Colon and the average Twins bullpen. The Dodgers have some real obvious bats to target in Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, who I would never leave off of a stack. You then get to the likes of Grandal and Utley, who are great values at the weaker 2 positions of the slate. If you’re looking to go contrarian, Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig have a ton of upside.

Main Stack – Corey Seager, Chase Utley, Cody Bellinger, Yasmani Grandal
Sneaky Stack – Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig

Miami Marlins @ Martin Perez (Texas Rangers)
Park – Globe Life Park in Arlington
Implied Total – 5.03

I absolutely love this stack if you’re paying up for pitcher. You can get your 2 expensive bats in Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna. They are 2 of the best options on the slate and are my 2 top choices for an HR. You can then also get Martin Prado and Tyler Moore, who are cost-effective righties that hit lefties extremely well. The Marlins will be moving into GLobe Life Park, which is a top 4 ballpark for power in the summer months. You can expect some HR’s to be hit here and the value options on the Marlins are solid. Martin Perez is a very average pitcher, but he struggles a ton with righties. So far in 2017, he’s allowed a .364 wOBA and 10 homers in just 80 innings of work. The Marlins may be a bit sneaky and they have as much upside as anyone on the slate.

Main Stack – Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Martin Prado, Tyler Moore
Sneaky Stack – Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Martin Prado

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 19, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 18, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Carlos Carrasco @ San Francisco Giants
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas O/U – 8.5

When you hear safety, Carlos Carrasco isn’t the first guy who comes to mind. While he is an inherently risky pitcher to a degree, these aren’t the rocky days of Carrasco’s past. He’s now striking out over 10 batters per 9 innings on a consistent basis, while walking just over 2. Carrasco has also posted a .294 combined wOBA and has held opposing hitters to a 21% line drive rate. Carrasco is still one of the top arms in the game and on a slate without a ton of pitching, you have to love him. He also faces the San Fran Giants, who are the absolute worst team in the league against righties, sitting at a .290 wOBA, When you combine that with the wide open AT&T Park, they struggle to score. While Carrasco will cost you, he could very well end up being worth every dollar.

Jacob DeGrom Vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Park – Citi Field
Vegas O/U – 8

This isn’t a slate where you want to pay down at pitcher. In fact, I doubt I pay down past $8k in any spot. If you feel the need to pivot off of Carrasco, Jacob DeGrom is a super elite option. He hosts the Cardinals in Citi Field and should be able to sit em down 1 by 1. deGrom has been his elite self in 2017, striking out 10.6 batters per 9 and holding them to a 3.25 xFIP. He’s been effective against both sides of the plate with a combined .291 wOBA in over 110 innings of work. While the Cardinals aren’t the worst team in the league like the Giants, they don’t offer much else. They have ranked 9th worst in terms of wOBA and haven’t shown much potential. Matt Carpenter is obviously very scary, but that’s really it. If you want to pivot off of Carrasco and don’t want to sacrifice upside, just move on over to deGrom.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Chicago Cubs @ R.A. Dickey (Atlanta Braves)
Park – SunTrust Park
Vegas O/U – 9.5

The Knuckleball that doesn’t knuckle. The 2017 story of R.A. Dickey. While I guess he’s just ringing his ancient career out for anything it’s worth, it’s time to hang them up. So far in ’17, he’s sported an astonishing 5.05 xFIP and a .277 BABIP. Splits-wise, he doesn’t really care. He’s posted s .340 wOBA against lefties and a .328 against righties, all the while giving up 15 homers in 100 innings of work. You then got their opponent in the Chicago. One of the best offenses in the league and they happen to be putting all together right now. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are the top 2 options and extremely safe is Dickey is off. After that, go crazy. Madden could mix up the lineup and you can really go anywhere from Willson Contreras to Ben Zobrist to Tommy La Stella. I don’t think there’s any reason to be picky against Dickey. In fact, this is one of my favorite spots of the season for the Cubs. Dickey strikes out just over 5 per 9 innings and drastically minimizes the Cubs 1 big hole. They’re projected to put up over 5 runs and I find it hard to believe they won’t get there.

Main Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, Willson Contreras
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber

Colorado Rockies vs. Clayton Richard (San Diego Padres)
Park – Coors Field!
Vegas O/U – 11.5

Yep, I went deep diving to find this one. All the way into Coors Field. In reality, it’s just hard to ignore any team who holds an implied team total close to 7. While it mostly has to do with the ballpark, Clayton Richard isn’t very good at all either. He’s a 33-year-old below average arm who has allowed a .395 wOBA to righties, while allowing an astonishing 14 homers in 80 innings. Remember, this is a guy who has the honor of pitching in Petco Park half the time. He now moves into hitters paradise and basically has no shot. Nolan Arenado is a stone cold lock if you’re stacking the Rockies and makes for one of the best one offs outside of that. Further, Mark Reynolds and Ian Desmond stand out. They both smash lefties and have a great shot of putting one over in Coors, Blackmon is a lefty, but hits them just fine and will go relatively overlooked. The Rockies are going to put up a lot of runs and while they are expensive, they’re worth it.

Main Stack – Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds, Ian Desmond, Charlie Blackmon
Sneaky Stack – Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Mark Reynolds, Ian Desmond

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 18, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Clayton Kershaw - Lineuplab

 

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Clayton Kershaw @ Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Vegas O/U – 8.5

Who else? When Kershaw takes the hill, you can expect him to lead this article. While Scherzer and Sale are making a solid case for that spot, Kershaw is still the best pitcher in baseball. He’s actually flown under the radar this year and it speaks to just how consistent and dominant he is. So far in 2017, Kershaw has struck out nearly 11 batters per 9 while walking just 1.5 per 9. Lefties are also having the best season of all-time against Kershaw, which obviously won’t last for long. The White Sox are a very easy team to face for a guy like Kershaw. Against lefties, they have been a bit fluky. With a team .343 BABIP, their surface numbers are sure to go down. They do K as much as any other team in the league, sitting at 23.1%. Guaranteed Rate Field is a better hitting park than Dodgers FIeld, but nothing too extreme. Kershaw is one of the best pitchers of all-time and if you can afford him, do it. If you need to pay down, let’s take a look at a guy facing one of the bottom offenses in the game.

Michael Clevinger @ San Francisco Giants
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas O/U – 8.5

I know, it’s tough to spend up for a guy we don’t know much about. With that being said, what we have seen from Clevinger has been very nice. He’s posted a .297 combined wOBA since the start of 2016 and hasn’t really had any big red flags. He strikes out over 1 batter per inning and has held opposing hitters to a very low 26% hard contact rate. While I’m not saying he’s some great pitcher, he can get it done in the right match-up. The San Francisco Giants have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league, sporting a league-low .290 team wOBA against righties. In AT&T Park, they have a very tough time putting together runs. The Giants hold the 2nd lowest implied team total on the slate and Clevinger should be a solid option in both cash games and tournaments.

 

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

New York Yankees @ Bartolo Colon (Minnesota Twins)
Park – Target Field
Vegas O/U – 10.5

Oh boy, I have no idea why the Twins are doing this to Bartolo. At 44 years old, there is no way he belongs in the majors. He shouldn’t even be in the minors. Colon has pitched 62 innings so far this year, sporting a .371 wOBA against lefties and a .423 wOBA against righties. He’s given up 11 homers and has allowed a 32.3% hard contact rate. What I’m basically saying is that he should mightily struggle. With Colon being worse against righties and a predominantly fastball pitcher, it’s pretty easy to know who we want to target. Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are 2 of my favorite plays on the slate and I would never think about leaving either of them off a Yankees stack. After those 2, you can really go anywhere.

Main Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Brett Gardner, Matt Holliday
Sneaky Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorious, Jacoby Ellsbury

Houston Astros vs. Sam Gaviglio (Seattle Mariners)
Park – Minute Maid Park
Vegas O/U – 9.5

Sam Gaviglio is not too good of a pitcher. So far in 2017, he’s allowed a .341 wOBA combined. He now moves into Houston to face one of the more lethal offenses in the game. Minute Maid Park is a great hitters-park for righties and I see no problem targeting them in both cash games and tournaments. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve are the 2 top options and they both hit righties god enough. Josh Reddick and George Springer will hold the 1 and 2 spot and both make very solid plays. McCann and Beltran fit better in GPPs, but I couldn’t blame you for using either in cash games. Gaviglio will only lst 4 or 5 innings and the Mariners bullpen isn’t very good. Target the Stros in both cash games and tournaments.
Main Stack – Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Beltran
Sneaky Stack – Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Brian McCann, Marwin Gonzalez

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 17, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, July 17, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lance McCullers - Lineup lab

PITCHERS

Lance McCullers vs. Seattle Mariners
Park – Minute Maid Park
Vegas O/U – 9

This is a slate without much to love from the pitching spot, so we’ll take what we can get. McCullers is one of the clear top 2 options and he does have a pretty solid match-up with the Mariners. While they have solid numbers against righties, they rely on the production of 2-3 bats. McCullers has been extremely dynamic this season and has put himself in the conversation with some of the elite arms in baseball. McCullers has struck out close to 11 batters per 9 innings, while walking just 2.5. He’s posted a .273 combined wOBA and has been uber effective against both sides of the plate. Minute Maid Park is tougher on lefties and McCullers has pitched very nicely there with a sub 3.00 xFIP. While McCullers will cost you, it’s not like you have a solid alternative. He’s the top option in cash games and tournaments, but it’s close.

Jon Lester @ Atlanta Braves
Park – SunTrust Park
Vegas O/U – 9

Jon Lester is always a bit weird to roster. It’s usually because it’s tough to roster a pitcher who can’t throw to first base. Especially an elite one. While Lester has tightened down on the running game lately, he’s still far below average. With that being said, you can’t steal 1st base. Lester has dominated lefties to a .218 wOBA and the Braves only real speed threat, Ender Inciarte, happens to be a lefty. Lester is always going to be a bit risky, but he’s also very, very talented and can put up a big game anytime he takes the mound. If you want to pivot off of McCullers for whatever reason, Lester is perfect.

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Adrian Beltren - Lineup lab

OFFENSIVE STACKS

Texas Rangers @ Chris Tillman (Baltimore Orioles)
Park – Camden Yards
Vegas O/U – 10.5

You have to love the Texas Rangers tonight in both cash games and tournaments. Why? Chris Tillman. Once a guy who was looked at as a big prospect, Tillman has gone down the drain. He’s currently allowed a .410 wOBA to righties and a .440 to lefties, struggling to get anyone out. He welcomes the Rangers into Camden Yards, one of the best stadiums in all of the league for hitting. Masses and Choo are 2 lefty OF’ers who take righties and are elite options. Beltre and Lucroy are my 2 favorite righties and round out my cash game stack. After that, you can go anywhere. Joey Gall is an interesting bat as he can send 2 out on any given night without blinking.

Main Stack – Nomar Mazara, Shin-Soo Choo, Adrian Beltre, Jonathan Lucroy
Sneaky Stack – Nomar Mazara, Joey Gallo, Rougned Odor, Jonathan Lucroy

Kansas City Royals vs. Jordan Zimmerman (Minnesota Twins)
Park – Kauffman Stadium

When the Kansas City Royals are projected to put up nearly 5.5 runs in Kauffman Stadium, you know the pitcher is bad. Jordan Zimmerman was actually an established ace just a few years ago and boy has he fallen off a steep, jagged cliff. Zimmerman has sported a .375 wOBA against both righties and lefties, giving no preferential treatment. He’s just bad against everyone. While the Royals aren’t typically an explosive offense, they do have a lot of ways to go. Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas are my 2 favorites and I wouldn’t leave them off any stack. You can then go basically anywhere. Eric Hosmer and Sal Perez make for great tournament options, while Whit Merrifield and Jorge Bonifacio make a bit more sense in cash games.

Main Stack – Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Whit Merrified
Sneaky Stack – Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez, Brandon Moss

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup – July 5, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup for July 5th, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5 2017 - Alex Wood - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Alex Wood
Opponent – Vs. ARI
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas Favorite (LAD -220)
Vegas Total (8.5)

We saw Clayton Kershaw dominate these D-backs last night, going 7 innings, striking out 12 and grabbing the W. I’m by no means comparing the bottom-line talent of these 2, but Wood and Kershaw have a lot in common. They are both funky lefties with weird deliveries and dominant 5-pitch arsenals. Wood has picked up a lot from Kershaw and I’m sure the NL West foes are very appreciative. Wood is 26 years old and has been in the majors for 3 years, though never showing this type of consistency and production. He’s striking out over 10 batters per 9 innings and walking barely over 2. He’s been able to pinpoint his fastball and hold better command of his offspeed, which is his 2-strike out pitch. He’s holding a .220 wOBA against righties and a .217 against lefties. There is no reason to dislike this kid as a pitcher and I will argue that he is top 10 right now in the league. The match-up tonight with the Diamondbacks tonight is good, but not great. The D-backs hit lefties better as a team, but also lose Peralta and Lamb, who are big reasons for their overall success.The D-Backs also see a ballpark downgrade from Chase to Dodger Stadium, where the ball dies in the outfield. Wood is inherently risky to a degree, but still the safest on this slate and at his price, don’t be scared in any format.

Trevor Bauer
Opponent – Vs. SDP
Park – Progressive Field
Vegas Favorite (CLE -215)
Vegas Total (9.5)

Trevor Bauer is not a highly-valued DFS pitcher. He’s not going to dominate a good team and he’s never going to burst out as one of the league’s top pitchers. He is Trevor Bauer and you know the risk you get with that name. He will still walk his batters and go 3-2 a bunch of times. Giving up big innings after that is really the only way he gets lit up. He’s been pretty average against both lefties and righties, though a 2.96 xFIP against righties suggests positive regression going forward. He’s also striking out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings and holding batters to a dub 32% hard contact rate. He faces the Padres, who got absolutely obliterated by Corey Kluber last night. As a team, they hold a .301 wOBA against righties and strikeout at an astronomical 25.6% rate. Vegas only projects 2 teams to score under 4 tonight and that’s the Padres and Diamondbacks. If that turns out to be true, we’re certainly in a perfect position. Speaking of pricing, Bauer is pretty cheap. You can use that to your advantage on a slate that has some very nice and expensive offenses to choose from.

 

MLB Fantasy Lineup July 5 2017 - Carlos Santana - Lineuplab

Offensive Stacks

Cleveland Indians Vs. San Diego Padres (Luis Perdomo)
Park – Progressive Field

Luis Perdomo is used to pitching in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, so this move into Progressive Field is something he surely isn’t looking forward to. He’ll face off with the Indians, who are one of the more lethal offenses in the game. The Indians are currently projected to put up 5.75 runs and trail just the Rockies in terms of implied team totals. Perdomo has struggled against lefties more so in 2017 (.380 wOBA), but flipped that in 2016 with a .355 wOBA against righties. His BABIP is slightly lower however, so we should start to see righties put up some numbers. The problem with the Indians is that they almost have too much to choose. Starting at 1B, you’ll have to pick between a and Edwin Encarnacion. It will come down to batting order on that one. Next, you move into Kipnis and Brantley, who are the safest of the bunch. They hit righties well and should be right at the top of that order. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez seems like they should be mainstays of the stack, but it’s just not a reality. Both FD and DK will cap you, forcing you to roster a max of 4 or 5 of these guys. All in all, the offense is not at all concentrated and you can;t be surprised to see production come from anywhere.

Main Stack – Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez
Sneaky Stack – Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Scott Feldman)
Park – Coors Field

I know, I’m getting a little too sneaky with this one. All jokes aside, the Rockies are projected to put up 6.33 runs and that’s not something you can ignore. They face off with Scott Feldman, who has gone through some weird times as a major leaguer. He’s bounced from to bad and back about 4 times, while sitting right in the middle right now. He’s allowed a .320 combined wOBA and hasn’t gotten blown up very often. However, I don’t think it’s going to last much longer. He has actually seen a severe dip in velocity and that may be why hitters are struggling. He held a .380 wOBA against leftie sin 2016 and I expect that number to return there by the time it’s said and done. As for the Rockies offense, they aren’t nearly as deep as the Indians, and especially with the injury to Desmond. Blackmon and CarGo are the 2 obvious ones and I don’t see stacking the Rockies without both. After that, Arenado and Reynolds are next. They are both safe and the 2 guys I would stick in my cash game stack with Blackmon and CarGo. Moving a bit lower in the order, keep an eye out for Raimel Tapia and Trevor Story. They both hold some very solid upside in this match-up and very well deserve a spot on some GPP’s. In terms of ownership, I think it will be relatively low for Coors Field. Take advantage.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds
Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 4, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 4, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Michael Fulmer - MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Michael Fulmer
Opponent – Vs. SFG
Park – Comerica Park
Vegas Favorite (DET -205)
Vegas Total (10)

On the early slate, the pitching options aren’t nearly as strong. We’ll touch on the late slate later, but we have a bunch of aces to choose from. The early slate is less fruitful, but we definitely have stronger options than last night. We’ll start with Michael Fulmer, who is facing the Giants at home in Comerica Park. Fulmer, at 24 years old, has been very impressive. He did come up as a big prospect, but nobody thought he would develop as fast as he has. He’s posted a .257 combined wOBA and his peripherals back it up. He’s striking out nearly 8 batters per 9 innings and walking just under 2. He’ll face off with the Giants today, who hold the lowest wOBA against righties in all of the league at just .280. Comerica Park is a very spacious one and while it’s not as big as AT&T Park, it still holds its own. The Tigers are a -205 favorite and face Matt Cain, so the win should be there as long as Fulmer is decent. All in all, pitching is pretty ugly on this early slate and Fulmer gives you some solid security.

Corey Kluber
Opponent – Vs. SDP
Park – Progressive Field
Vegas Favorite (CLE -305)
Vegas Total (8.5)

It basically comes down to Clayton Kershaw vs Corey Kluber in cash games on this main slate. They both have pretty solid match-ups and you obviously can’t go wrong either way. We’ll look at Kluber here, who is cheaper and has been exceptionally great this season. He’s sported a .227 wOBA against righties and a .293 against lefties, while striking out over 11 batters per 9 innings. Kluber looks to be back to the pitcher he was in 2014, when he was a top 3 pitcher. His hard contact rate, line drive rate, and pull % are all way down from last season, when he struggled a bit. The Indians are a crazy -305 favorite and the win is already almost in the bag. He faces the Padres, who we know all too well. They’ve ranked 3rd worst in the majors with a .301 wOBA and strikeout a ton at 25.6% hard contact rate. Progressive Field is rather average for hitting and Kluber has posted a wOBA under .250 there for many years. All in all, Kluber is going to have a good game and it just comes down to what the others do. Kershaw, Darvish, Price, and Hernandez are also on the slate and have as much upside as anyone. Kluber is coming in as the top option in terms of point per dollar, but don’t be afraid to go elsewhere.

 

Offensive Stacks

Detroit Tigers Vs. San Francisco Giants (Matt Cain)
Park – Comerica Park

I’m going with 1 offense on the early slate and 1 on the main slate, starting with the Tigers. The Tigers will face off with the Giants, at home in Comerica Park. It is the middle of summer and if you’re wondering why it seems like every day-time game has a high O/U, that’s why. The country is hot and we’re no longer seeing 50-degree weather up north. This Tigers game is sitting at 10, though the Tigers are implied to score over 6 of those. They face off with Matt Cain, who is absolutely horrible. He may actually be one of the 3 worst pitchers in the entire league at this point. Cain has allowed a .358 wOBA to righties and a .368 to lefties. He’s barely striking out 5 batters per 9 innings and giving up an LD rate of nearly 26%. Cain is simply horrible right now and coming from AT&T Park, Comerica is a downgrade for him. The Tigers are the top offense on this early slate and I’ll make sure to have a ton of exposure. J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera both hit righties phenomenally and they are my 2 favorites. Ian Kinsler and Alex Avila are also pretty safe and should see 1/2 in the order. After those 4, you can go anywhere. V-Mart, Castellanos, and Upton are all in play and can be argued over Kinsler or Avila.

Main Stack – J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Alex Avila
Sneaky Stack – J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos, Victor Martinez

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Homer Bailey)
Park – Coors Field

Wow, the Rockies are currently holding an implied run total of 7.10. It’s the highest I remember seeing this year and I don’t think Vegas is wrong. Homer Bailey is coming into Coors Field. Yes, the Homer Bailey who gives up home runs for fun. The Homer Bailey who hasn’t pitched since 2014 and struggled for about 2 years before that. He’s only pitched a few innings over the last few years, but has looked all but good. The Reds management has now decided it would be wise to start him in Coors Field against the Rockies. With a 7 implied run total, there isn’t a player on this roster I would talk you off of. CarGo, Arenado, and Blackmon are obviously elite and in a class of their own within the lineup. LeMahieu and Reynolds come in next and both can be played in cash games. Tapia and Story are both great tournament plays and in cash games, I can’t blame you. The game is sitting at a 13 over/under and it looks to be getting bet up as of now. All in all, the Rockies are easily the top offense on the slate and while they may be popular, I have no reservations to go contrarian.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu
Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 3, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – July 3, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Aaron Nola - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Aaron Nola
Opponent – Vs. PIT
Park – Citizens Bank Park
Vegas Favorite (PHI -115)
Vegas Total (8.5)

Boy oh boy, pitching is absolutely terrible tonight. The Nationals play earlier in the day and you can just chalk Strasburg in if you’re playing that slate. On the main slate, the 3 most expensive options are Tanaka, Stroman, and Nola. Stroman and Tanaka face off with each other and I don’t like them against either offense. That leaves us with Aaron Nola on the “high-end”. He’s not that expensive, but relative to the slate, I guess he is. Nola is a huge prospect for the Phillies and a guy they can rely on as a solid pitcher for a long time. He started out 2017 a bit cold, but it was expected after an injury. He’s now back to the old Aaron Nola we know and he’s hit 50 FanDuel points in each of his last 2 starts. He’ll face off against the Pirates, a team that doesn’t offer too much against righties. They’ve ranked 22nd in the league with a .311 wOBA and 20% strikeout rate. They move into Citizens Bank Park, which is a pretty neutral park with all things considered. Nola is striking out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings and the Pirates offer plenty of K’s. I will say nobody on this slate is safe and I personally think cash games are a bit tough on this slate. Let’s take a look at a cheaper, though riskier option.

Jharel Cotton
Opponent – Vs. CWS
Park – Oakland Coliseum
Vegas Favorite (OAK -125)
Vegas Total (9)

I know, yikes. If you have someone better, let me know when they were added to the slate. The said reality of tonight is we have no pitching. It’s something we have to work with and we can take comfort in knowing everyone is going through the same struggle. We’re going to look at Jharel Cotton, who faces the White Sox at home in the Oakland Coliseum. The Coliseum is a bottom 3 park for hitting and the A’s entire pitching staff is terrific at taking advantage. As for Cotton, in particular, he’s not a great pitcher. His true peripherals suggest a wOBA around .332 and a very average K rate. He does, however, face the White Sox. The Sox have ranked 27th in baseball against righties and have trouble getting the ball out in their own hitter-friendly park. Cotton is super cheap on both sites and he won’t have to do much to come through. Even if he allows 2 or 3 runs, the White Sox strikeout nearly 25% of the time, so I assume he’ll pick up a healthy share of those. All in all, this slate is very ugly from a pitching point of view and I don’t think Cotton is any riskier than anyone else.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Mookie Bets - Lineuplab

Offensive Stacks

Boston Red Sox @ Texas Rangers (Martin Perez)
Park – Globe Life Park

The Red Sox have been in a lot of good spots lately, coming through in some and mightily disappointing in other. It’s also known as the nature of baseball. You never really know what can happen and at the end of the day, it can come down to the smallest factors. However, the Red Sox are once again in a great spot and we’ll go right back to the well. They move into Arlington and will hit in Globe Life Park, where fly balls go a far way. In summer, Globe Life has consistently ranked in the top 5 for hitting ballparks. They also face off with a classic DFS MLB pitcher, Martin Perez. Perez has sported a .356 wOBA against righties this year, but is actually getting a bit lucky. We can expect a wOBA around .380 at the end of the year and he’s also always struggled with the long ball (1.86 HR/9. righties seem to hit the ball out at a crazy rate and while the reason is a bit unknown, the proof is there in the numbers. Perez is a very boring lefty and he won’t intimidate a single batter from the get go. As for who to play on the Sox, they have a very strong 4 in Betts, Pedroia, Young, and Ramirez. That is easily my favorite stack, though I think Bogaerts is basically even with Pedroia. You can then go for a Jackie Bradley or Sam Travis, who hit lefties well and will see sub 10% ownership. The Red Sox aren’t implied to score as much as the team we’ll talk about next, but the upside is there and the ownership may not be. Fire away.

Main Stack – Chris Young, Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia
Sneaky Stack – Chris Young, Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr.

Colorado Rockies Vs. Cincinnati Reds (Luis Castillo)
Park – Coors Field

I know, sneaky. I just couldn’t ignore the 6.88 implied run total coming out of Colorado. If you’re somehow unfamiliar and have been living under a rock for 20 years, Coors Field is a crazy boost for the offense(s). You will rarely see an over/under below 11 and tonight is included at 12. The ball flies in the air and also doesn;t break much from the hand, which leaves guys with a fastball and slider. When you’re leaning on 2 pitches in Coors Field, good luck. Luis Castillo is not ready for the majors and lets alone Coors Field. He’s struggled against both sides of the plate and didn’t show any extreme splits in the minor leagues. We do have some interesting injury news with the Rockies, so watch out. Both CarGo and Ian Desmond are questionable, so keep an eye out on Twitter and prepare accordingly. Charlie Blackmon is the easy choice and a guy you have to include in a Rockies stack. after that, go anywhere. LeMahieu, Arenado, and Reynolds are all in the top of the order and make a lot of sense in cash games. Whoever plays out of Cargo/Desmond is in play in both formats as well, as I doubt either return under 100%. Trevor Story has a ridiculous amount of upside and I’ll definitely have him in my tournament stacks. All in all, the Rockies are projected to put up 7 runs and if it happens, you can’t go wrong.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, D.J. LeMahieu, Ian Desmond / Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado
Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, Raimel Tapia, Mark Reynolds

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 28, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 28, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Daily Fantasy Baseball - Stephen Strasburg - Lineuplab

Starting Pitchers

Stephen Strasburg
Opponent – Vs. CHC
Park – Nationals Park
Vegas Favorite (WAS -167)
Vegas Total (8.5)

We had Max Scherzer in this spot yesterday, facing off with the same Cubs team in the same park. He ended up going 6 quality innings and striking out six, but was pulled after just 93 pitches. Dusty Baker and crew will now send Strasburg out there in hopes of keeping this Cubs lineup under control. Strasburg has slipped up a bit as of late, but is having his best season to date as a whole. He’s sporting a .280 wOBA to both sides of the plate and is striking out nearly 11 batters per 9 innings. Strasburg has moved up into that elite category and row that he’s pitching well against lefties, doesn’t have the main spot to attack. Let’s not ignore the obvious, however. This Cubs team is very good and they can score 10 runs against anyone. With that being said, there very cold and I highly doubt Stephen Strasburg is the arm to wake them up. With that being said, Strasburg does hold more risk than most number 1 pitchers on a slate. The problem with that is there is nobody safe pitching tonight. Stras is as safe as you can get and that’s really not saying much against the Cubbies.

Ivan Nova
Opponent – Vs. TAM
Park – PNC Park
Vegas Favorite (PIT -133)
Vegas Total (8.5)

I don;t know if Ivan Nova is looked at as a good pitcher or not, but he is. Nova is a really good pitcher and he has been since going to the Pirates. HE’s been very consistent this season and is definitely one of the safer options in terms of point per dollar. Nova does still struggle against lefties but gets a great match-up for that. The Rays will have a max of 2 or 3 lefties in the lineup and Nova should be able to work around them. He strikes out about 7 righties per 9 innings and has held them to a .265 wOBA. Nova has also been dominant in PNC Park, posting a .253 wOBA in nearly 50 innings of work. The Tampa Bay Rays are one of my favorite teams to target, as they hold a league-high K rate of 25.5%. They give up strikeouts to the worst of them and have been known to show upside to pitchers that once didn’t have any. Nova is pretty cheap across the industry and a guy I love for his price in all formats. PNC Park is very friendly for pitchers and is basically death to right-handed hitting.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Daily Fantasy Baseball - Hanley Ramirez - Lineuplab

Offensive Stacks

Boston Red Sox Vs. Minnesota Twins (Adalberto Mejia)
Park – Fenway Park

The Red Sox are a team we loved last night and it certainly paid off. They beat up Hector Santiago and ended up putting up a ton of runs. They now run into Adalberto Mejia, who is probably worse than Santiago. Mejia has allowed a .351 wOBA to lefties a .364 to righties. He’s been absolutely horrible in every start and hasn’t shown any signs of getting better. He has similar HR problem as Santiago as well, allowing 7 homers in just over 30 innings. Mejia is simply below average and is no match for a Red Sox squad that is hitting the way they are. When looking at who to target, it will all depend on Hanley. If he’s back in the order, he’s a must in a stack. He murders lefties and along with Chris Young, have to be in your Sox stack. You then get into Bogaerts, Pedroia, and Betts. hey are all tremendous options and can be interchanged at any point. After those 5 (Hanley, Young, Betts, Pedroia, Bogaerts), there is a steep downfall.You can target the bottom of the order, but just know you’re truly winging it. The top of the order is elite and you should certainly look to gain exposure in both cash and tournaments.

Main Stack – Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Chris Young
Sneaky Stack – Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Chris Young, Xander Bogaerts

Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles (Wade Miley)
Park – Rogers Centre

The Blue Jays heavily disappointed a lot of people last night, which will hopefully work in our favor tonight with dropped ownerships. The Jays did have a great match-up yesterday, but it was against a righty, who they’re worse against. Tonight comes a lefty in the form of Wade Miley. Miley isn’t tough to figure out. He has posted a .350 wOBA against righties in back to back years and at 30 years old, he isn’t changing. Miley also gave up 22 home runs against righties in 2016, which is pretty nuts. He does play his home games at Camden Yards, though the Rogers Centre is still a hitter park in its own right. On to this Jays order, it’s pretty simple. Against a lefty, Donaldson is in 150% of my Jays stacks. You then get Jose Bautista, who I can’t see leaving out, though I get it in tournaments. Tulowitzki and Martin are also great and fill positions that aren’t too great. All in all, the Jays have a lot of upside against lefties and I’ll make sure I have a few stacks put together.

Main Stack – Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Jose Bautista, Justin Smoak
Sneaky Stack – Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Troy Tulowitzki

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 27, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 27, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

Starting Pitchers

Max Scherzer
Opponent – Vs. CHC
Park – Nationals Park
Vegas Favorite (SEA -175)
Vegas Total (7.5)

Hey, I’m all for giving Clayton Kershaw the title of the best pitcher in baseball. We just might need to re-open the application process because Max Scherzer has something to say. He’s been absolutely fantastic this season, sporting a .289 wOBA against lefties and a crazy .168 against righties. He’s striking out over 12 batters per 9 innings, which is more than enough upside, even at his elevated price tag. Scherzer is match-up proof and when at home, I’m willing to almost ignore the match-up. The Cubs aren’t a good match-up, no matter the numbers people will throw at you. This is the Cubs and they’ll be battling with the Nats for the NL Championship. Expect Scherzer to take this game very seriously and for him to be stretched out to around 110 pitches if all is going well. Nationals Park is slighted towards pitching and Scherzer has held a .254 combined wOBA there. In cash games, Scherzer is always going to be the king. With that being said, you can also fade him on a slate with some other top options that have contending upside.

James Paxton
Opponent – Vs. PHI
Park – Safeco Field
Vegas Favorite (SF -120)
Vegas Total (8.5)

James Paxton is making his 4th start after returning from the DL, which did put him in a little bit of a rut. He struggled for 2 starts, but got on his right foot last week and struck out 9 batters. Paxton has an insane amount of upside, as shown by almost all of his starts at the beginning of the season. He’s held crazy numbers against both righties and lefties, combined with a 10.33 K/9. I’m not sure what the general perception of Paxton is, but he’s elite. He’s going to be one of the top SP’s in the game and in Safeco Field, he’s basically unhittable. Sure, he might get a little wild for an innings and let Franco or Joseph square one up. I don’t think, however, that the Phillies will be able to string together consistent runs. The Phillies are obviously one of the worst teams in baseball and get even worse with the move to Safeco Field. They hold a 22% K rate and Paxton will probably get them closer to 25 or 26%. Don’t shy away in either cash games or tournaments.

Offensive Stacks

Boston Red Sox Vs. Minnesota Twins (Hector Santiago L)
Park – Fenway Park

Hector Santiago is making his first start since coming off of the DL. For whatever reason, the Twins are throwing him in the fire of Fenway Park. Vegas currently has the Red Sox over 6 runs and are fully expecting a Hector Santiago meltdown. I don’t know why you wouldn’t. Santiago has been bad for 2 seasons, but not in a conventional way. He won’t typically get hit up for 7 runs and 12 hits. His struggles come in the form of the long ball. Santiago allowed 26 homers to righties in each of the last 2 season, which is simply insane. This Red Sox team is very lethal and the thought of Hanley facing this guy is great. You then work into Mookie Betts and Chris Young, who stand out as elite bats in the OF. Bogaerts and Pedroia are another 2 who will find themselves at the top of the order and make sense for both and tourneys. As a whole, this Red Sox team should be one that’s pretty easy to stack. You have 6 or 7 guys with talent and you should be able to find a combo that works if you’re putting forth the effort. The Red Sox are in one of their best spots all season.

Main Stack – Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Chris Young

Sneaky Stack – Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Chris Young, Xander Bogaerts

Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles (Kevin Gausman R)
Park – Rogers Centre

There has been a step fall for Kevin Gausman. Once a guy who was known for his upside and potential, he’s now trying to get his way out of the 4th innings. Gausman has been atrocious against everyone, but a .418 wOBA against righties is something that stands way out. He’s always been worse against righties, but it looks like he’s gotten even worse. The Blue Jays lineup is full of righties and at home, they rake. Gausman has also given up 14 home runs in just 70 innings of work. Plain and simple, horrible. Looking towards the Jays lineup, it’s pretty concentrated. Donaldson and Bautista are my 2 musts if you’re stacking the Jays, with Russell Martin a close 3rd. Smoak, Morales, and Tulowitzki all have a ton of upside, but by no means are on the same level as Donaldson or Joey Bats.

Main Stack – Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Jose Bautista, Justin Smoak

Sneaky Stack – Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Troy Tuowitzki

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 26, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today – June 26, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fantasy Lineup Today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Chris Sale - Lineup Lab

Starting Pitchers

Chris Sale
Opponent – Vs. MIN
Park – Fenway Park
Vegas Favorite (BOS -193)
Vegas Total (8.5)

When Chris Sale is pitching you can certainly expect to find him in this spot. He is always going to be the top pitcher on the slate and I actually thought he would be more expensive tonight. That’s not to say he’s cheap, still forcing you to pay down in numerous spots to afford him. The problem is you don’t really have a strong alternative. Sure, there are some talented guys on the slate. There is nobody who compares to Chris Sale in Fenway Park. Sale has been absolutely dominant to start this ’17 campaign, posting a combined wOBA of .242. He’s also striking out 12.2 batters per 9 innings, which is very telling in itself. His peripherals suggest, if anything, he’s actually just getting a bit unlucky. The point is Chris Sale is amazing and he’s going to have some insane games on the season. This could certainly be one, facing off with the Twins at home in Fenway. The Twins offense is slightly scary, but hot too bad. Miguel Sano and Brian Dozier are the only 2 real worry spots, albeit very real ones On a side note, I actually don’t hate rostering either one of the guys in large-field tournaments. Getting back to this match-up, the Twins leave a lot to be desired. They strikeout 22% of the time against lefties and have a few guys who have simply no shot against Sale. Kepler, Polanco, Grossman, and Castro have all struck out over 25% of the time against lefties and have absolutely no chance against Sale. If you want to play cash games on this slate, I would advise finding a way to fit Sale. He’s the clear top options and makes for the top player in both formats.

 

Jeff Samardzija
Opponent – Vs. COL
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas Favorite (SF -120)
Vegas Total (8.5)

After Sale, we see a pretty steep fall to the number 2. There are definitely a lot of ways you can go here, but I ended up on Jeff Samardzija. Jeff “Shark” Samardzija is a guy who will consistently put up solid games, though he’ll rarely step out of that comfort zone and wow. He has a very safe match-up tonight, facing the Rockies porous offense in AT&T Park. A lot of people have the perception that the Rockies are an elite offense. If you put 25 of these MLB offenses in Coors Field for half of their games, they would be better. The Rockies ranked 26th in terms of wOBA in 2016 on the road and can’t get away from it at AT&T Park. It has ben in the bottom 3 for hitting for many years in a row now and against righties, good luck. Samardzija has held a .302 wOBA against righties, so the likes of Arenado, Reynolds, and LeMahieu should be held down at the top of the order. CarGo and Blackmon are the 2 obvious trouble pieces and it may come down to whether or not he can avoid them. When looking at the other options you have to choose from, I’ll take Samardzija in AT&T Park. Some may also make an argument for his counterpart in German Marquez, which I don’t hate, but only in tournaments.

MLB Fantasy Lineup Today - Cody Bellinger - Lineup Lab

Offensive Stacks

Los Angeles Dodgers Vs. Los Angeles Angels (Ricky Nolasco R)
Park – Dodger Stadium

The Dodgers are a pretty easy offense to love tonight. For god’s sake, they face Ricky Nolasco. Ricky Nolasco was a pitcher who used to stifle offenses, but that was about 50 years ago. He’s now posting a .390 wOBA against righties and a .360 against lefties. He moves into Dodger Stadium, which is actually a slight upgrade from Angels Stadium. The Dodgers are obviously one of the more lethal offenses in all of the league, possessing bats from both side of the plate that rakes righties. We start off with Babe Ruth. I mean Cody Bellinger. Bellinger and Corey Seager have been ridiculous against righties this season and look to be the future of this franchise. They will both remain in every Dodgers stack I create. You then work into Justin Turner, who is very safe as well. As a righty, he swings it better against opposing righties, which plays into Nolasco and his reverse splits. Once you get past Turner, you can go a ton of different ways, wait for the lineup to come out and take your pick.

Main Stack – Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Logan Forsythe/Chase Utley (leadoff)

Sneaky Stack – Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig

New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox (Dylan Holmberg L)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

The Yankees offense is another pretty obvious one on this slate. This slate is a bit odd, with only a few games and a few offenses that stand far above the rest. Even if the Yankees do end up being popular, I see the merit in going here. They are raking what seems like every night and I certainly don’t see Dylan Holmberg slowing that down. Holmberg has been decent in hos own right, but not really. A .220 BABIP throws absolutely every number out of the window. The regression monster is going to come and it’s probably going to come tonight. Gary Sanchez may seem like the obvious choice, but he’s actually better against lefties. That’s not to say I’ll be avoiding him. I just think he sees an inflated ownership tag. Aaron Judge is my favorite of the bunch with Aaron Hicks emerging next, both holding a .400+ wOBA against lefties. You then get into Starlin Castro and Matt Holliday, who are very safe and have HR upside as well. After that, you don’t have a lot with this team. You know where to look and who to target. Guaranteed Rate Field is a + park for hitting and the righties should have a better time here than they do at home in Yankee Stadium. All in all, the Yankees are one of the top offenses on the day and you will want to make sure you get exposure one way or another.

Main Stack – Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Starlin Castro, Matt Holliday

Sneaky Stack – Aaron Judge, Matt Holliday, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks