DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Monday 6/25/18
Every day is unique for daily fantasy baseball, which is both a blessing and a challenge. Although we can’t simply plug and play our favorite studs day in and day out, each slate presents us with a chance for a new gem to vault us up the leaderboards.
Through the use of numberFire’s tools, we can better identify the players primed to succeed each day, making the process of filling out a lineup just that much easier. In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy looking team to put up some big point totals.
Which names stand out for today on the DraftKings main slate? Let’s check it out, starting with the pitchers.
Pitchers to Target
High-Priced Pitcher
Justin Verlander ($13,300 on DraftKings): Justin Verlander is the ace on the slate, and his price backs that up. He's got an elite and slate-high 32 percent strikeout rate and 0.78 WHIP. Additionally, his 26 percent hard-hit rate and 14.6 percent line-drive rate are top-two on the slate. He does give up deep fly-balls with a slate-worst 56.5 percent fly-ball rate along with a 202-foot average batted-ball distance, but if the Toronto Blue Jays struggle to hit the ball due to Verlander's strikeout ability, then it won't matter. Verlander is also the heaviest favorite on the night by a large margin at -229.
Blake Snell ($10,100): Blake Snell has been borderline matchup-proof this season. While he doesn't always put up an elite line, he has been solid against teams like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros. He's got a solid 27.3 percent strikeout rate along with a 1.06 WHIP and elite 85.8 mile-per-hour average exit velocity. Snell takes on the Washington Nationals. The Nats strike out only 21.4 percent of the team, which sits 21st overall, but their 92 wRC+ and 323 total runs scored put them in the bottom-10. Snell has big-time upside in any matchup, and he's a great GPP pivot off Verlander.
Low-Priced Pitcher
Joey Lucchesi ($7,500): Joey Lucchesi has pitched six innings only two times this season, and those were over two months ago. So there have been some issues as of late, but he has a solid 25 percent strikeout rate and more than one strikeout per inning (51 in 49) this campaign. His strikeout ability could be on display tonight as he takes on the Texas Rangers, who have a 25.1 percent strikeout rate, the fourth-worst in baseball. The Rangers have some power in their lineup, but their free-swinging ways could give Lucchesi some decent upside at this price.
Hitters to Target
High-Priced Hitters
Jose Ramirez ($5,500): Jose Ramirez is the most expensive hitter on the slate, but it does make sense as he is in an elite matchup. Ramirez has crushed right-handed pitching this season, putting up an elite .447 weighted on-base average (wOBA) and an insanely powerful .371 isolated power (ISO). He's got a matchup against St. Louis Cardinals right-hander John Gant, who has given up a horrific 48.1 percent hard-hit rate and an 89 mile-per-hour average exit velocity. While the other peripherals for Gant are decent, the matchup is an extremely difficult one.
Freddie Freeman ($5,400): Freddie Freeman has been dominant this season, putting up a stellar .327 average, .980 OPS, 15 home runs and 53 RBIs. However, he has struggled recently with just a .238 average and .765 OPS, which could lead to lower-than-it-should-be ownership in a great matchup. The Atlanta Braves' star first baseman has destroyed right-handed pitching this season, posting a .382 wOBA and .207 ISO in the split. He's facing Tyler Mahle, who has a brutal 41.5 percent hard-hit rate, 25.2 percent line-drive rate and 18.1 percent home run to fly-ball rate.
David Peralta ($4,900): As a left-handed hitter, it is not surprising that David Peralta has done most of his damage versus right-handed pitching. He's put up a .381 wOBA and .264 ISO against righties this season and gets a cupcake matchup against struggling Miami Marlins pitcher Dan Straily. Straily has put up an abysmal 5.01 xFIP and 1.50 WHIP to go along with a 49.6 percent hard-hit rate, 31.8 percent line-drive rate and 22 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate. Additionally, Straily's 89.4 mile-per-hour average exit velocity and 191-foot average batted-ball distance are among the worst on the slate.
Value Hitters
Derek Dietrich ($3,800): Derek Dietrich has been having a very productive year, hitting for a .302 average, .851 OPS and smashing 11 home runs. He's been even hotter as of late, recording a .410 average, 1.221 OPS and 3 home runs over his last 10 games. He's done more damage against right-handed pitching, picking up a solid .371 wOBA with a slightly underwhelming .190 ISO. He's taking on Shelby Miller, who will be making his first Major League start since undergoing Tommy John surgery 14 months ago.
Christian Villanueva ($3,800): Although it is just 74 plate appearances, Christian Villanueva has absolutely destroyed left-handed pitching. He has put up an eye-popping .495 wOBA and .500 ISO in the split. The power he brings against lefties is pretty insane. He'll see Cole Hamels, who has struggled a bit this season, giving up a 41.5 percent hard-hit rate, which has led to an 18.1 percent home-run-to-fly-ball rate. Additionally, Hamels' 1.38 wHIP and 4.16 xFIP are among the worst on the slate.
Yasmani Grandal ($3,800): Switch-hitter Yasmani Grandal has had much more success versus right-handed pitching this season. Against righties, he's hit a respectable .345 while showing some power with a .231 ISO. He's taking on Duane Underwood Jr., who will be making his Major League debut this evening for the Chicago Cubs. Underwood's numbers are pretty underwhelming in the minors, and the Dodgers will likely be a pretty popular stacking option today.
Ryan Sheppard is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Sheppard also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username donkshow_. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
