Daily Fantasy Baseball: Early FanDuel Picks For July 2

Jun 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

There are only four afternoon games today, which makes the pickings kind of slim in FanDuel again. That said, today marks the return of Matt Moore, Jose Fernandez, and Matt Cain from lengthy absences. Are any of them worth using? Let’s find out!

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science.

Here are my early FanDuel picks for July 2:

Pitcher:

Best Bet:

Corey Kluber, Indians ($11,00): His miserable April is a distant memory. Kluber has struck out 21 Rays in 67 at bats. They have only taken him deep once and driven in six runs while sporting a .239 average. Kluber is the best bet of the day.

Honorable Mention:

Jacob deGrom, Mets ($11,000): deGrom doesn’t have much of a history against the Cubs, but what he does have looks good. The Cubs are hitting only .207 off of him in 29 at bats, but they have walked five times while only striking out eight. They have also homered off of him twice. I am tempted to use Matt Moore at the bargain price of $6,600 in his return because the Indians only 10 hits in 50 at bats off of him. I just don’t trust him after such a long layoff. I would use him in standard baseball leagues, but not in daily ones.

Stay Away:

Francisco Liriano, Pirates ($9,700): Liriano has not had a lot of success against the current Tigers lineup. They are hitting .293 with 6 homers and 22 RBI off of him in 150 at bats. Who are the ones who have lit him up the most? Well, you will just have to read further and see!

Catcher:

Best Bet:

Victor Martinez, Tigers ($3,400): V-Mart likes hitting off of Liriano. He is 13 for 28 (.464) with four walks, six doubles, a home run, and seven RBI in his career off of Liriano. This is someone worth spending for today, especially since there is very little chance of the Tigers sitting him since he is the DH anyway instead of the catcher.

Honorable Mention:

The only other catchers that even have a hit off of today’s opponents are Alex Avila of the Tigers and Travis d’Arnaud of the Mets. Both of them are on the DL. Spend for V-Mart, or take a chance on someone without a history such as Miguel Montero or Francisco Cervelli.

Next: Who Are The Best Infield Options?

Jun 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria (3) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

First Base:

Best Bet:

Miguel Cabrera, Tigers ($5,300): Miggy has actually struggled a little bit off of Liriano, hitting “only” .257 (9 for 35). However, he has walked eight times, doubled three times, homered twice, and driven in seven. That still makes him the best bet because of all of those crooked numbers.

Honorable Mention:

Anthony Rizzo, Cubs ($3,900): Rizzo is struggling lately, but he has managed to do pretty well off of deGrom. He is 2 for 6 with a solo home run off of the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. Maybe it’s time to give him a shot in FanDuel again.

Second Base:

Best Bet:

Addison Russell, Cubs ($2,200): What was that about small sample sizes? Yeah, they reign supreme at second base today. Russell is 1 for 2 with an RBI single off of deGrom, giving him the top billing. The only thing I can tell you is to stay away from Ian Kinsler, who is 3 for 20 lifetime off of Francisco Liriano.

Honorable Mention:

Jason Kipnis, Indians ($4,500): Kipnis is 1 for 5 with a walk and a RBI off of Matt Moore. He is here because of the potential for Matt Moore to have some rust after a 16 month layoff.

Shortstop:

Best Bet:

Mike Aviles, Indians ($2,200): Avlies hasn’t had the most consistent of playing time since the call up of Francisco Lindor, but he is versatile enough to crack the lineup at five different positions. I expect to see him in there in some capacity considering he is 3 for 10 with a walk and a solo home run off of Matt Moore in his career.

Honorable Mention:

Wilmer Flores, Mets ($2,200): Flores is still the everyday shortstop for the Mets because of his bat. He is 2 for 5 in his career off of Jake Arrieta, so there is a good chance that he will get on base at least once today.

Third Base:

Best Bet:

Evan Longoria, Rays ($2,900): Longoria is 4 for 10 with a walk, a homer, and three RBI off of Corey Kluber in his career. This seems like a solid matchup if you don’t want to spend on the next guy.

Honorable Mention:

Kris Bryant, Cubs ($3,500): Bryant has only faced deGrom three times, but you can say he has won the matchup so far. deGrom struck him out once. Bryant retaliated with a walk and a two run homer. Advantage: Bryant.

Next: Who Are The Best OF's?

Jun 24, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Mets right fielder Curis Granderson (3) hits a home run during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Outfield:

Best Bets:

Curtis Granderson, Mets ($3,400): Granderson has the most experience off of Jake Arrieta, and he has done a lot with it. Granderson is 9 for 26 (.346) with three walks, a double, a triple, three home runs, and eight RBI off of the Cubs ace. Granted, most of that damage was done when Arrieta was in Baltimore and Granderson was a Yankee, but the history is there.

J.D. Martinez, Tigers ($4,200): Martinez has actually fared well against the lefty Liriano. Martinez is 2 for 5 with a walk and a two run home run off of him. He is worth using if you have extra money lying around.

Rajai Davis, Tigers ($2,900): Davis is heating up since taking most of the struggling Anthony Gose‘s playing time. He is poised for a good day since he is 7 for 23 with a walk, three doubles, a homer, and two RBI off of Liriano. Davis should be started with confidence today.

Honorable Mention:

David DeJesus, Rays ($2,200): DeJesus doesn’t always crack the lineup anymore, but he should today. He is 4 for 12 with three doubles and two RBI in his career off of Corey Kluber. He could get you some points at a bargain price today.

Ichiro Suzuki, Marlins ($2,200): Ichiro is finding more playing time with the injury to Giancarlo Stanton. His 2 for 4 record against Matt Cain suggests that he could be a nice source of cheap points this afternoon.