Chris Durell, Author at Lineup Lab

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 29, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 29, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 29, 2017

The final weekend of the regular season is upon us and there are still some teams with tons of motivation as they fight for their playoff lives. For fantasy, we will want to focus on these situations for the most part, but don’t forget about the young players looking to make an impact as they play for a spot next season. Let’s jump right in and take a look at a few top pitchers and stacks for tonight.

Starting Pitchers

Zack Greinke
Opponent – @ KC
DraftKings – $11,300
FanDuel – $9,500

The last week of the season is a real challenge when selecting pitchers and there is no such thing as a “safe” play. I lean Greinke at the top as Strasburg was held to just 83 pitches in his last start. Greinke also comes with some risk as the Diamondbacks have locked up the top wildcard spot in the NL but at least you get a bit of a discount on both sites. Greinke is also coming off his worst start of the season but overall, is having a fantastic season all while pitching in a top 3 hitters park. He has given us a ton of upside with his highest K rate(9.57 K/9) since the 2011 season with an impressive 3.18 ERA and 3.34 xFIP. Although he has been better at home, you can’t ignore the park upgrade for him tonight in Kansas City facing a Royals team that ranks 24th in wOBA and 21st in wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching.

Dan Straily
Opponent – vs. ATL
DraftKings – $7,100
FanDuel – $7,400

The value play of the day is Dan Straily who will be at home Friday night facing a Braves team that has really stumbled down the stretch. They sit second to last in wOBA and wRC+ over the last 14 days and also sit in the bottom third of the league vs. right-handed pitching. For Straily, it has been a huge rebound after getting blown up for eight earned runs vs. the Phillies a couple weeks back. Since then, he has allowed just two earned runs over his last 11 innings pitched and flashed a ton of upside with 17 strikeouts. The only knock is that in those two starts he has allowed seven free passes but I am not too worried as he has been much better than that all season with 2.82 BB/9 rate. All things considered, he is in play in all formats with a low to mid $7K price tag on both sites.

Top Stack

Colorado Rockies vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu(LAD)

The Rockies are one of the teams fighting for their playoff lives as they try to hold off the Brewers for the second wildcard in the National League. Lucky for them they open the final regular season series at home in Coors which, once again, ranks as the top hitters park in the league. They will face Hyun-Jin Ryu who was removed from his last start after getting hit in the arm and with the Dodgers already locked into the playoffs, I don’t expect them to run him out there for a full start. In one sense, that is a good thing as he has been fairly consistent in the second half allowing more than two earned runs just twice. On the other hand, he has been prone to giving up home runs(16.8% HR/FB rate) and got destroyed in his last start in Coors in mid-May. Look for the Rockies to put forward their best effort with everything on the line in the final days of the season.

Top Hitters to Stack: Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, Trevor Story

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Matt Harvey(NYM)

Going a little off the board here with my second stack but it has more to do with the pitcher than the team he is facing. The Phillies have struggled to score runs all season but should be able to kick off their final series in style facing Matt Harvey. He returned to the Mets rotation at the start of September and has picked up right where he left off, pitching bad! In those four starts and one relief appearance, he has allowed a total of 24 earned runs in 18.1 innings(11.78 ERA) and has given up four home runs(18% HR/FB rate) while striking out just 10 and walking nine batters. If ever a time to jump on the Phillies, it would be tonight.

Top Hitters to Stack: Cesar Hernandez, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 28, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 28, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 28, 2017

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab.com

Sonny Gray
Opponent – vs. TB
DraftKings – $11,700
FanDuel – $9,200

With the Nationals likely to limit and not push Strasburg again tonight(85 pitches last outing), I turn to Sonny Gray as my top pitcher. The Yankees have clinched a birth in the playoffs but still have an outside shot at capturing the AL East with four games remaining. Sure, they will need some help from Red Sox opponents but all they can do is go out there and win. Gray has been very consistent for the pinstripers since joining them in August, recording a 3.12 ERA as he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in eight of his 10 starts. Gray has also posted his highest K/9 rate(8.46) since his rookie season and it gets a boost tonight vs. the Rays who strikeout nearly 25% of the time vs. right-handed pitching. He is safe in all formats.

Sean Manaea
Opponent – @ TEX
DraftKings – $6,200
FanDuel – $6,500

Consistency is not a word we will use with Manaea who enters tonight with a 4.56 ERA but considering the price and smaller slate, he is in play as a SP2 on DraftKings. His splits are pretty glaring as right-handed bats have had their way with him(.351 wOBA) while he has shut down lefties(.262 wOBA). That is good news for tonight as the Rangers are likely to have three or four lefties in the lineup(Odor, Choo, Mazara, Gallo). The Rangers have also been terrible down the stretch ranking dead last in wOBA(.244) and wRC+(42) over the last 14 days with a crazy 31% K rate. There is definitely some risk here but the price is in a great spot that allows you to pair him with Gray and load up on bats tonight.

Top Stack

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab.com

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Edwin Jackson(WSH)

The top stack of the night comes from a team that has been out of the playoff picture for some time now. That hasn’t stopped them from closing out the season strong as they sit with a .351 wOBA and 114 wRC+ over the last seven days. It should be no problem for them to add to those numbers tonight as they get the best matchup on the board facing Edwin Jackson who has been a complete dumpster fire, for lack of a better term. He has made four starts since the calendar turned to September, giving up 22 earned runs in 16 innings including multiple home runs in each game. The best part is that the Pirates do not come with premium prices in a premium matchup.

Top Hitters to Stack: Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, David Freese, Adam Frazier

Also Consider: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kyle Hendricks(CHC), New York Yankees vs. Jacob Faria(TB)

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 4

NFL Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 28, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 4

Week 4 in the 2017 NFL season is upon us and I am very excited to bring you a new weekly article looking at the DraftKings Pick’Em games. I will be breaking down each Tier and who is likely to be the chalk and who makes a nice pivot to separate yourself in the large field contests. When projecting ownership for fantasy, my main source is always FanShareSports. They track all relevant articles as well as social media mentions and put it all together in an easy to view “Most Tagged List” with sentiment ratings. It’s a great way to determine who is chalk and who will most likely be low owned. This week DraftKings has changed up their slate designations giving us just two Pick’Em slates. I will be looking only at the Sunday Early Only this week. With all that said, let’s jump right into the article.

Ezekiel Elliott - DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

TIER 1

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The first tier has three elite wide receivers and looking at FanShareSports, it appears that A.J. Green is going to be the chalk here. He currently leads all wideouts in tags with 16 and is one of just two at the moment with double-digit start calls. It makes sense as Green gets the best matchup of the three facing the Browns who rank 13th in DraftKings points allowed per game to wideouts(32.3). In comparison, Antonio Brown has nine tags(7 start) and Julio Jones has seven tags(1 start). While Julio holds the Q tag this week, he is my top pivot in tier one. He has seen his targets increase each week and is the only receiver in this group on home field.

TIER 2

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

We get three elite running backs in tier two and the tags are fairly close at this point between Bell(14), McCoy(12), and Elliott(10). Gameflow is huge for running backs and looking at the Vegas lines, Ezekiel Elliot has the edge as the Cowboys are currently -6 at home to the Rams while McCoy and Bills are eight-point dogs. Bell and the Steelers are small -2.5 favorites on the road but the total is only 42. Looking at the matchups, Elliott and McCoy get the slight edge over bell as the Rams rank 30th and the Falcons 29th in DraftKings points allowed to running backs while the Ravens rank 18th. Elliott would be my top choice followed by Bell who has torched the Ravens for 100+ yards and a touchdown in two of their last three meetings. He has also received 20 targets in those three games with an additional touchdown scored.

TIER 3

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

Tier three expands to five players with a mix of running backs and wideouts. As of Wednesday afternoon, Devonta Freeman leads all five players with 14 tags (8 start) with fellow running backs Todd Gurley(9 tags, 4 for start) and Christian McCaffrey(9 tags, 7 for start) right behind. Of the three backs, Freeman has, by far, the worst matchup as the Bills rank 3rd overall in DraftKings points allowed. Gurley faces the Cowboys who rank 24th and McCaffrey gets the best matchup vs. the Pats who rank 31st through three games. While McCaffrey is seeing split carries with Jonathan Stewart, he has been heavily involved in the passing game with 23 targets which trails only the Bears Tarik Cohen. Bot wideouts make great pivots as they sit fourth and fifth in tags in this tier. Diggs has seven tags and has been terrific this season with two games over 90 yards receiving, both with two touchdowns. Cooks would be my deep pivot play as he has seen just three tags so far and appears to have built some chemistry with Tom Brady(caught game-winning TD last Sunday) after catching just five balls on 11 targets in the first two weeks.

TIER 4

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

Tier four gives us a mix of each non-quarterback position and so far this week is very chalky. Each player besides Dez Bryant has seen double-digit tags on FanShare with DeAndre Hopkins leading the way with 10 start calls. He faces a Titans team that ranks 29th in DraftKings points allowed per game to wideouts and leads everyone in the NFL with 12.3 targets per game. Both Cook and Fournetter have nice matchups as well as both the Jets(26th) and Lions(25th) rank near the bottom of the league in DraftKings points per game allowed to running backs. I will be fading Gronk this week in both salary cap contests and pick’em as he draws one of the worst matchups for tight ends as the Panthers rank 3rd overall in DraftKings points per game to the tight end position.

TIER 5

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The first of two quarterback tiers gives us some interesting options. Andy Dalton and Dak Prescott are the only two that have seen double-digit tags on FanShare so far with Dalton having the best matchup of the two as the Browns rank 25th in DraftKings points per game allowed to quarterbacks. Cam Newton is having a rough start to the season after offseason surgery but gets the best matchup on paper this Sunday as the Pats rank dead last in DK points per game allowed to quarterbacks. If you are looking to completely separate yourself in the large tournaments I would consider Matthew Stafford who has just one tag right now as he faces a tough Vikings defense on the road. He does, however, lead all five of these QB’s with an average of 19.6 Dk points per game.

TIER 6

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The second tier of quarterbacks includes a bunch of young guys and the veteran Super Bowl Champ, Joe Flacco. The most popular choice will definitely be rookie Deshaun Watson who nearly took down Bill Belichick and the Pats in Gillette Stadium last week. He only attempted 31 passes but threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns while also using his legs running eight times for 41 yards. While the Pats rank dead last vs. QB’s so far, the Titans aren’t far behind ranking 29th, allowing 22.7 DK points per game. I have no problem eating the chalk here in this tier. I will be fading Bortles simply due to the fact he is the only one of the QB’s that is a favorite this week which takes away from his projected pass attempts. I will also be fading Flacco who has only thrown for 300+ yards vs. the Steelers once in his last nine games. My secondary option in this tier would be Deshone Kizer who has attempted 30+ passe sin each of his first three games (47 last game) and like Watson, uses his legs effectively with 17 rushes for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

TIER 7

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

Tier seven is lead in a big way by Joe Mixon of the Bengals who is expected to see a bigger role this week. If I had to guess, I would expect Mixon to be about 40% or more owned in this tier as he is the only player to see double-digit tags(18) thus far and sits third overall which includes all positions. The Bengals are also road favorites which helps the game flow but the matchup is not in his favor as the Browns rank 10th in DK points allowed to running backs. The Patriots wideouts also face a tough matchup as the Panthers rank 6th in DK points allowed to WR’s but they do have Tom Brady throwing to them and if I had to choose one it would be Chris Hogan who has much more upside as a deep threat. Adam Thielen and Golden Tate face off in Minnesota this week and I would lean Thielen as Tate will likely draw shadow coverage from Xavier Rhodes who has shut everyone down this season

TIER 8

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The final tier has two tight ends this week and I will be avoiding both as the position has been very inconsistent this season. We also get a choice between two of the Patriot running backs and game-flow makes the decision easy for me this week. The Patriots are currently nine-point favorites at home and projected to score around 28-30 points. That works into Mike Gillislee’s favor as he is the pounder of the two and gets the goaline work. Of the four wideouts, I lean Rishard Matthews who is averaging eight targets per week and has scored a touchdown in nine of his last 15 games.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 22, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 22, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 22, 2017

Welcome back to the second last Friday in daily fantasy baseball as far as the regular season goes. Tonight we have a full 15 game slate with some nice pitching options across the board combined with some teams in great matchups that make excellent stacks. Let’s jump right into the picks.

Starting Pitchers

Zack Greinke - MLB Lineup Picks - Lineuplab
Zack Greinke
Opponent – vs. MIA
DraftKings – $12,100
FanDuel – $10,100

Friday night gives us a few more options than last night and it starts with Zack Greinke. As I have said many times this season, don’t worry about the park factor with Greinke as he has been lights out at home this season with a 2.33 ERA while limiting opponents to a low .196 average and .250 wOBA. He has also seen an uptick in strikeouts with a 10.23 K/9 rate at home vs. a 8.7 K/9 on the road. The matchup presents a bit of risk going up against Giancarlo Stanton and the Marlins but Greinke comes in red hot holding opponents to two or fewer earned runs in five straight starts. Roll him out in all formats tonight.

Michael Wacha
Opponent – @ PIT
DraftKings – $8,200
FanDuel – $8,200

For a value SP2 on DraftKings or GPP value on FanDuel I will be turning to Michael Wacha. He doesn’t flash a ton of upside but has posted a career-high 8.5 K/9 rate(not counting rookie season with 9 starts) in 2017. He has also been consistent lately holding opponents to three or fewer earned runs in four straight starts lowering his xFIP below 4.00 for the season. The one thing that makes or break his value is the control but if he can limit the free passes tonight should be able to hit or exceed value. He faces a struggling Pirates team that ranks 27th in wOBA and wRC+ over the last 14 days while walking a league-low 5.4% of the time.

Top Stack

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Adam Conley(MIA)

The Diamondbacks enter Friday night’s action with the highest implied run total of any team and while they will be the chalk, have a near elite matchup. First of all, down the stretch it is important to target teams who are playing for something and the D-Backs hit on that narrative as they look to hold off the Rockies and Brewers in the NL Wildcard. They get a great matchup tonight vs. Adam Conley who has struggled to a 5.20 ERA and 5.38 xFIP this season and has given up nine home runs over his last six starts and 17 for the season(13.3% HR/FB rate and 38% hard contact). While the D-Backs have been slightly worse this season vs. southpaws don’t be fooled as they still have a ton of upside bats at the top of the lineup.

Top Hitters to Stack: Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, J.D. Martinez, Chris Iannetta

Also Consider: Atlanta Braves vs. Ben Lively(PHI), Minnesota Twins vs. Daniel Norris(DET), New York Yankees vs. Marco Estrada(TOR)
Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 21, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 20, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 21, 2017

Welcome back for another exciting Thursday in daily fantasy baseball. With two early games today, we will turn our attention to the nine-game main slate that starts at 7:05 p.m. Et tonight.

Starting Pitchers

Dallas Keuchel
Opponent – vs. CWS
DraftKings – $11,300
FanDuel – $8,900

I really don’t love either of the two top-tier pitchers on the main slate tonight but side with Keuchel for a couple reasons. He has the edge over Carlos Martinez in ERA(2.96), xFIP(3.43), Ground Ball Rate(66%) and Hard Contact against(24.4%). He doesn’t have the strikeout upside of CarMart but gets to toss in the best pitchers park in the big leagues and faces a team in the White Sox who rank in the bottom third of the league in runs scored this season. All things considered, it’s Keuchel in cash games all the way tonight but I like the pivot to Carlos Martinez in GPP’s.

Tyler Anderson
Opponent – @ SD
DraftKings – $7,500
FanDuel – $6,400

If you are looking for a value pitcher to pair with CarMart or Keuchel consider Tyler Anderson who is back from a knee injury and looking good. He made has made a four-inning relief appearance and a six-inning start so far and has allowed just three hits and zero earned runs while striking out seven and walking just two. He showed us K per inning stuff early in the season and no better spot to back to that than against the Padres who strikeout 25.1% vs. left-handed pitching.

Top Stacks

Colorado Rockies vs. Clayton Richard(SD)

This could be one of those situations where we can get the Rockies much less owned than if they were at home. Overall, they have been a bottom third offense on the road but have won six of their last 10 away from Coors and also carry the narrative of fighting for their lives trying to hold on to the NL Wildcard. The one split that does lean their way is their hitting vs. lefties with a .342 wOBA and .191 ISO on the season. They are led by Nolan Arenado who leads the league against southpaws with a crazy .536 wOBA, 223 wRC+, and .438 ISO. Tonight they face Clayton Richard who hasn’t been the worst pitcher in baseball this season(3.84 xFIP) but doesn’t strike anyone out(6.6 K/9) and gives up the long ball(19.75 HR/FB rate). He also struggles much more against right-handed batters giving up a .373 wOBA and 37% hard contact(.315/25% to LH).

Top Hitters to Stack: Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon

Minnesota Twins vs. Jordan Zimmermann(DET)

Jordan Zimmerman is back after sitting out for over two weeks with neck pain. That means it’s once again time to load up on whoever he is pitching against. Zimmermann has really fallen off in 2017 with a 6.18 ERA, 5.49 xFIP, and is striking out less than six batters per nine. On top of that, he is giving up 38.9% hard contact and over a home run per start. Tonight he faces a Twins team that sits near the top of the league offensively over the last 14 days with a .351 wOBA and sit tied with 25 home runs in that time(.225 ISO).

Top Hitters to Stack: Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar, Joe Mauer

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 15, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 14, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 14, 2017

Starting Pitchers

Chris Sale Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks Lineuplab

Chris Sale
Opponent – @ TB
DraftKings – $13,100
FanDuel – $

The top option on Friday night is the AL Cy Young candidate Chris Sale. It is neck and neck between he and Corey Kluber and add the fact the Red Sox are trying to hold off the Yankees in the AL East and we should see the A game from Sale tonight. He has only struckout out double digit batters once in his last five starts but still holds an elite 12.8 K/9 rate(1st) and 14.9% swinging strike rate(4th) on the season. He now faces a Rays team that strikes out(26.1%) more than any other team in the league vs. left-handed pitching. He has also faced the Rays five other times this season going 4-1 with 57 strikeouts. Build around Sale in all formats tonight.

Charlie Morton
Opponent – vs. SEA
DraftKings – $8,100
FanDuel – $

The thing here is that Morton has seen his price drop to its lowest point(DraftKings) since right after the All Star break. That is great news considering the upside he provides with a 10.3 K/9 rate and 11% swinging strike rate. The risk with Morton is the walks(3.37 BB/9) that lead to a high pitch count and lack of innings. This is more of a burden on FanDuel where you need six innings and three or fewer earned runs allowed for a Quality Start. Roll him out with confidence on DraftKings in all formats as an SP2.

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Colorado Rockies - Lineuplab.com

Colorado Rockies vs. Clayton Richard(SD)

Anytime the the Rockies are at home vs. a lefty they should be at the top of your list of teams to stack. They have the second best wOBA(.344) and third best ISO(.194) this season vs. southpaws and we all know about the advantage hitting in Coors Field Tonight. Tonight they get a plus matchup vs. Clayton Richard who has flashed with some nice starts this season but has been prone to giving up the long ball with a 20.4% HR/FB rate. He has struggled the most vs. right-handed bats giving up a .372 wOBA and 36.7% hard contact rate.

Top Hitters to Stack: Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon

Oakland Athletics vs. Mark Leiter Jr.(PHI)

The A’s have a ton going their way tonight starting with the fact they have been one of the hottest teams in the league lately. Over the last 14 days, they hold a .377 wOBA and 138 wRC+ and are tied for third with 22 home runs in that time. On top of that, they have been a top 10 team vs. right-handed pitching and face a pitcher in Mark Leiter who is also prone to giving up home runs(20.3% HR/FB) and has given up four in his last two games.

Top Hitters to Stack: Matt Olson, Matt Joyce, Jed Lowrie, Marcus Semien

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 14, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 13, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 14, 2017

Starting Pitchers

Luke Weaver
Opponent – vs. CIN
DraftKings – $10,900
FanDuel – $

On the early slate, I make the case for paying right up for Angels youngster Luke Weaver. His salary has reached a season high and for good reason. He has been dominant, to say the least, through six starts with a 2.16 ERA, 2.77 xFIP, and elite 11.23 K/9 rate. He has allowed more than two earned runs in a start just once and has shown some nice control walking under 2.5 batters per nine. Today he faces a Reds team that ranks mid pack when lookign at runs scored but have struggled down the stretch ranking 24th in wOBA(.295), 25th in wRC+(78) over the past 14 days while striking out 20.9% of the time. Today’s early set of games looks a lot like a GPP only slate and Weaver makes a very high upside play to center your lineup around.

Brad Peacock
Opponent – @ LAA
DraftKings – $10,100
FanDuel – $

The main slate is not much better when looking at the pitchers and like the early slate, has a GPP only feel to it. In this situation with limited “safe” options I tend to lean on the pitcher with the most upside and tonight that is Brad Peacock. In his first full season since 2014, he has been terrific with a 3.05 ERA, 3.56 xFIP, and elite 11.74 K/9 rate. Looking at the game logs, he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his last 14 games. The only issue with Peacock is the high walk rate(3.99 BB/9) that pushes his pitch count up fast. This makes him more of a risk on FanDuel where quality starts are a factor.

Top Stacks

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Amir Garrett(CIN)

This recommendation has much more to do with the pitcher than the offense. Amir Garrett made his return to the Reds rotation last Friday and looked just as awful as he did before he was sent down June. He allowed four earned runs(3 HR) over five innings which pushed his ERA up to 7.39 for the season and he has now given up 22 home runs in 13 starts giving him a horrific 28.9% HR/FB rate. The Cardinals have been a middle of the road offense this season when looking at run scoring but have been a tick better against left-handed pitching with a .330 wOBA(11th) and 103 wRC+(9th) and .192 ISO(4th). Take advantage of the elite matchup and cheaper prices on the Cards players.

Top Hitters to Stack: Thomas Pham, Jose Martinez, Paul Dejong, Harrison Bader

Houston Astros vs. Ricky Nolasco(LAA)

The Astros have been streaky down the stretch but still own the league’s top offense when looking at runs scored. They also lead the way when looking at production vs. right handed pitching with a .350 wOBA, 121 wRC+, and .200 ISO on the season. Tonight they face a struggling Rocky Nolasco who has allowed 11 earned runs over his last three starts pushing his ERA up to 5.19 for the season. He has also had issues keeping the ball in the park with a 17.8% HR/FB rate while giving up 37.3% hard contact overall. For the most part, you will also want to target the Astros righties as Nolasco gives up a whopping .393 wOBA to them(.333 vs. LH).

Top Hitters to Stack: George Springer, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 11, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 11, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 11, 2017

Welcome back for another exciting day of daily fantasy baseball. I hope everyone safely navigated through the first NFL/MLB Sunday as it was a crazy one. Tonight we have a smaller eight-game slate but again we get a nice selection of ace pitchers at the top and some teams in great spots offensively. Let’s jump in and take a look at a couple pitching options and some stacks.

Starting Pitchers

Zack Greinke
Opponent – vs. COL
DraftKings – $11,800
FanDuel – $9,300

Don’t let the fact that Chase Field is a Top 3 hitters park get in the way of your decision making tonight. Zack Greinke has been much better at home this season with an ERA(2.31) over a run and a half lower at Chase Field. In fact, he has not allowed an opponent to score more than three earned runs on him since mid-May and he ended up winning that game and striking out eight Mets. The strikeouts have been down lately(20 last 4 games) but he has also only allowed four total earned runs over his last three starts. Tonight he faces a Rockies team who understandably has been much better at home but rank right near the bottom in wOBA(.302) and wRC+(82) on the road this season. Greinke is considerably cheaper than Carrasco on both sites and is in play in all formats.

Brandon Woodruff
Opponent – vs. PIT
DraftKings – $7,100
FanDuel – $6,700

On a smaller eight game slate, the options are somewhat limited on the value side of things and it will be very important to get this right as we have two high-end pitchers on the mound. Jason Hammel makes a nice GPP play who has been up and down but I lean rookie Brandon Woodruff who has had a sparkling start to his Major League career. He has now made four starts and allowed just four earned runs with two quality starts, the second being his most recent start where he went seven innings striking out eight Nats in the process. He gets an even better matchup this time around vs. a struggling Pirates team that ranks 27th in wOBA(.295) and 29th in wRC+(78) over the last 14 days and have seen their K rate(22.9%) go way up vs. their season long number(19.4%). He makes a top SP2 play on DraftKings and a low-end GPP play on FanDuel if you are planning on loading up on bats.

Top Stacks

Cleveland Indians vs. Myles Jaye(DET)

No better place to start Monday night than with the hottest team in the league. The Indians have now won 18 straight and haven’t lost since August 23rd and during that stretch have scored an average of 6.7 runs per game. They now sit just two games away from tying the 2002 “Moneyball” Oakland Athletics for longest win streak. If that isn’t enough, they also get a nice matchup vs. rookie Myles Jaye who is making his first major league start. In two long relief appearances(5.2 IP), he has not allowed an earned run but has also not struck anyone out. He also seen a big falloff from AA to AAA in both his K rate and xFIP so I am not at all confident he will be able to handle major-league hitters, better yet, the hottest team in the league. If he last only a few innings that is also good news for the Indians as the Tigers have the worst bullpen ERA(5.25) of any team.

Top Hitters to Stack: Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Steven Brault(PIT)

The Indians will definitely be the chalk tonight and if you are looking for an ownership pivot, consider the Brew Crew. They do strike out a ton but hit lefties for power(.170 ISO) and come in winners of three straight including a 15-2 route of the Cubs where they got nine runs off two lefty pitchers. They now face struggling youngster Steven Brault who struck out zero and gave up three earned runs in his first start and four earned runs in a relief appearance before that. Not only will the Brewers be lower owned tonight but they are also cheaper making it much easier to stack with one of the top pitchers.

Top Hitters to Stack: Ryan Braun, Domingo Santana, Hernan Perez, Travis Shaw

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 8, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 7, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 8, 2017

Welcome back for another night of daily fantasy baseball. Thursday brings us a smaller eight-game slate but is not short on elite pitching or top bats in great spots. Let’s dig in and take a look at a couple of the top pitchers and stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Max Scherzer - Lineuplab
Max Scherzer
Opponent – vs. PHI
Park – Nationals Park(Neutral)

Scherzer will be back on the mound after leaving early last Saturday’s game when he was hit in the calf muscle with a line drive. He played catch and Tuesday and was pain-free after a bullpen session on Wednesday so there is no need to worry about it at this point. That is good news as he has been elite all season with a 2.19 ERA, 12.1 K/9 rate and crazy 15.7% swinging strike rate. Scherzer also gets a top matchup vs. the Phillies who rank near the bottom in almost all offensive categories vs. right-handed pitching including wOBA(.311), wRC+(89), and K rate(23.7%). Roll him out with confidence in all formats.

Luke Weaver
Opponent – vs. PIT
Park – Busch Stadium(Pitchers Park)

Kid’s got game. In nine appearances(8 starts) last season, Weaver showed his huge upside with an 11.2 K/9 rate but struggled to keep the ball down and in the park(30.7% GB rate). In eight appearances(5 starts) this season, he has shown the same upside(11.3 K/9) but has seen his ERA drop over three runs and it has to with him now generating over 50% ground balls. This makes him a near elite DFS option in the right matchups and he gets that tonight as the Pirates have actually ranked worse than the aforementioned Phillies. He makes an excellent SP2 option on DraftKings or GPP option on FanDuel if you are loading up on bats.

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Jose Ramirez - Lineup Lab
Hard to fade the hottest team in baseball when looking at DFS from a stacking perspective. They picked up their 14th straight win on Wednesday (writing this before Thurs night game) and during that streak have scored an average of 6.9 runs per game. Three players (Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor) have hit 5+ home runs in the last 14 days and four players (add Roberto Perez) have double-digit RBI. They crush left-handed pitching and get a plus matchup vs. a weaker one in Wade Miley who has posted a 4.91 ERA, 4.56 xFIP, and a 17.5% HR/FB rate this season.

For value tonight, I will be leaning on the New York Mets who despite all the injuries have ranked in the upper half of the league in wOBA/wRC+ over the last 14 days. They don’t have the most talented roster which will leave them low owed and they also get a great matchup. Amir Garrett will be taking the ball for the Reds after being recalled on Tuesday. Before his demotion in late June, he was an absolute gas can with a 7.41 ERA and 27.5% HR/FB rate over 12 starts.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 7, 2017

MLB Daily Fantasy Picks

by Chris Durell on September 7, 2017 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for September 7, 2017

Starting Pitchers

Lineuplab - DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber
Opponent – @CWS
Park – Gauranteed Rate Field(Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (CLE -250)
Vegas Total (7.5)

The decision at the top tonight is clearly between Corey Kluber and Clayton Kershaw. For me, it’s easy as Kershaw is likely to be on a pitch count still as the Dodgers have no reason to risk their ace with an 11.5 game lead in the National League West. I mean, sure Kershaw looked good in his last start but for the price it is hard to justify a 20%-30% decrease in innings pitched. For Kluber, his dominance continues as he has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in four straight and 12 of his last 15 starts. He already elite K upside(11.85 K/9 & 15.8% swinging strike rate) gets a boost tonight facing one of the worst offenses in baseball in the White Sox. They rank 27th overall in runs scored and 28th in wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitchers. For those of you looking at the game logs, he has faced the White Sox three times this year and despite giving up seven earned runs has struck out 29 White Sox batters. Load up in all formats.

Tyler Mahle
Opponent – @ NYM
Park – Citi Field(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (CIN -110)
Vegas Total (9.0)

If you are planning on using Kluber or Kershaw or even Lester on a short slate, you are going to need to take a risk with your SP2. Enter rookie Tyler Mahle of the Reds who isn’t going to give us a ton of upside with strikeouts but can provide just enough value at his low price to make him a top SP2 tonight. He has faced the Pirates in both of his starts and after getting into some trouble with four walks and three earned runs the first time around, he looked better in the second start allowing just five hits, no earned runs and most importantly he didn’t walk anyone. He now faces a Braves team that sits in the bottom third in runs scored overall and wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching. If he can once again keep the walks down I can see him going 5+ innings and more than that helps us get some top bats in our lineups with an elite arm.

Top Stacks

Lineuplab.com - DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Francisco Lindor

From a stacking perspective tonight, there are some hot teams that are in fantastic spots and it starts with the Cleveland Indians. They have been the hottest team in the league over the last 14 days(going into Weds night) winning 13 straight games and have led the league in wOBA(.400), wRC+(150), ISO(.249), and runs scored(94). They face off against Carlos Rodon who has been better lately allowing more than two earned runs just once in his last seven starts but continues to walk too many(4.02 BB/9) and has only struck out more than four once in his last five starts. I tend to lean the way of the hot team over the over performing pitcher. My top hitters are Francisco Lindor, Edwin, Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, and Carlos Santana.

The other hot team in a great spot tonight is the Minnesota Twins. They aren’t too far off the Indians over the last two weeks with the 7th best wOBA(.343), 8th best wRC+(111), and 5th best ISO(.218). They will face newly acquired Sam Gaviglio who has been awful for the Mariners all season making 11 starts with a 4.62 ERA, 4.99 xFIP and has given up at least one home run in 10 of those starts. The only knock on this stack is the park as Kauffman Stadium is a Top 10 pitchers park but the price and possible ownership gap between them and the Indians make it worth the risk.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions as lineup lock approaches please contact me via Twitter (@Jager_Bombs9)