FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 24

Jun 21, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar (11) catches a fly ball for an out during the fourth inning in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 24

Welcome to the Friday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy baseball column focused on providing analysis and insights into the top FanDuel MLB lineups. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

FanSided and Fantasy CPR have you covered – For additional FanDuel MLB analysis, take a look at Matt Rogers FanDuel Economics column or Mike Marteny who provides Draft Kings MLB Picks analysis giving you the most in depth DFS coverage for tonight’s baseball slate.

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Friday’s FanDuel MLB schedule includes 15 games which kick off at 7:05PM EST and gives gamers all day to prepare their lineups for action!

I will continue to track winning Tournament lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Time Period	Score	Pitcher Salary	Pitcher %	Hitter %	Hitter $/Player	Value
Season	255.9	$ 8,665	25%	75%	$ 3,292	7.31
5 Day	265.1	$ 9,229	26%	74%	$ 3,221	7.57
Prev Day	254.3	$ 8,100	23%	77%	$ 3,363	7.27

Now on to the picks…For more DFS Strategy insights, check out my latest article to help take your game to the next level! I highly recommend gamers track their game performance across the various types of games they play – GPP’s, Cash, Multipliers etc – as this simple exercise will help teach you more about profitable roster construction than you can imagine.

Jun 19, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jake Peavy (22) reacts at the end of the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

After a light Thursday of action, we return to a loaded Friday night with many of the games best on the mound including Max Scherzer and David Price. The debate for gamers on Friday night will be how to balance the choice and price point of your starting pitcher while getting exposure to a game in Coors Field with an initial Over/Under of 11 runs.

Jake Peavy ($7,100) at home versus Philadelphia: The fact that I am leading with Peavy likely tells you that I want to get max exposure to the game in Colorado, but this is by no means a punt play as Peavy has rebounded very nicely over the last month and provided very solid value.

Over the last 2 weeks, Peavy has averaged 39 points per start which would deliver 5.5x value from a point per dollar perspective. Add in the fact that Peavy is the largest favorite on the mound (-230) and we have a pitcher that we utilize to maximize our salary cap on FanDuel.

Masahiro Tanaka ($9,500) at home versus Minnesota: Tanaka takes the mound against the Twins on Friday night and finds himself as the second highest favorite on the slate (-229). Tanaka also gets a match-up against a Twins team he beat his last start out, putting up 48 FanDuel points while pitching 8 innings and striking out 5 batters in a win.

Pitching Summary: If you want to pay up for Max Scherzer ($11,900) at Milwaukee, considering the fact he has averaged 53 points per start over the last 2 weeks, I certainly cannot blame you. However, the price point will prohibit the kind of exposure you can get to Coors Field and as such, pivoting down to Peavy or Tanaka gives you not only a highly favored pitcher in a good match-up but significant cost savings to pay up for bats.

Next: Who are the top stacks on Friday?

Jun 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) hits an RBI single in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

RHP Archie Bradley and LHP Tyler Anderson have the unfortunate task of pitching Friday in Coors Field and with an over/under at 11 runs, this is a game we will want max exposure to when creating our FanDuel MLB lineups.

Arizona RHB versus LHP Tyler Anderson: Unlike Thursday night, this game in Coors sets up perfectly from a platoon perspective as the Diamonbacks are loaded with right handed bats that should feast on the young Rockies southpaw.

Paul Goldschmidt ($4,900) has crushed LHP throughout his career with a batting average north of .330 and with a match-up in Coors even at this price point, you should do whatever it takes to fit in the Diamondbacks star at first base.

Yasmany Tomas ($3,800) has had significant success against LHP so far this season, with 6 home runs in 69 at bats while notching a .333 batting average. Tomas has multi-homerun upside sits at a price point that you can afford as a one-off play even if you choose to pay up at SP.

Welington Castillo ($3,600) will be the top catching option again with the platoon advantage and keep an eye on the lineup announcement as Phil Gosselin ($2,800) typically is in the lineup against LHP and has started 8 games in the 2 hole in the lineup already this year which would make his value skyrocket!

Colorado Rockies LHP versus Archie Bradley: With the two top Rockies bats, Charlie Blackmon ($4,300) and Carlos Gonzalez ($4,100) getting the platoon advantage against Bradley, both hitters make for top tier plays in any format. Bradley has been tough on right handed batters throughout the season which puts many of the righty bats as strict tournament plays on Friday night.

Hitting Summary: Keep it simple and stack away in Coors.

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup

Apr 12, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) and right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) and shortstop Trevor Story (27) and third baseman Mark Reynolds (12) and right fielder Gerardo Parra (8) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) during the national anthem before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Below you will find my initial lineup for Friday’s FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.

Pitcher:

More from FanSided

Catcher: Welington Castillo ($3,600)

First Base: Paul Goldschmidt ($4,900)

Second Base: Phil Gosselin ($2,800)

Third Base: Ramiro Pena ($2,200) Pena has 2 hits in 3 straight games and has averaged 13.4 points per game over his last 3, making him a terrific punt play

Shortstop: Marco Hernandez ($2,100) Insert punt play SS once lineups lock. Hernandez got the start on Thursday for the Red Sox and if he gets another crack would make an easy plug and play.

Outfield: Yasmany Tomas ($3,800)

Outfield: Charlie Blackmon ($4,300)

Outfield: Carlos Gonzalez ($4,100)

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Best of luck tonight gamer’s! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups!