FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 28
Welcome to the Tuesday 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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Tuesday’s games start off at 7:05PM EST with 15 games on the main slate of FanDuel MLB 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 | 254.8 | $ 8,667 | 25% | 75% | $ 3,292 | 7.28 |
| 5 Day | 242.9 | $ 9,071 | 26% | 74% | $ 3,241 | 6.94 |
| Prev Day | 247.5 | $ 10,900 | 31% | 69% | $ 3,013 | 7.07 |
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.
Next: Who are the top pitching options on Tuesday's Slate?
Tuesday night presents a full slate of MLB action with a variety of top end aces in action but with another slug fest expected in Coors Field, the question will be whether to spend big at pitcher or not.
Jon Lester ($11,100) at Cincinnati: The top priced pitcher on Tuesday’s slate, sitting only a few hundred dollars above Corey Kluber and Zack Greinke, Jon Lester makes an interesting argument for spending up at SP on Tuesday.
Over the last month, Lester is averaging 52.2 points per start which is 10.4 points higher than the next closest pitcher on the slate over that time period.
Lester is also the largest favorite of any on the board Tuesday night and the fact that he has outperformed his competition by 20% over the last month gives you the potential for a significant advantage at the key roster position on FanDuel.
With a game in Coors, many may opt to drop down and avoid Lester and using Monday night as a comparison, Jake Arrieta was only 11% owned in the large field single entry tournament I played in. Considering that was on a slate half the size, it is possible we could see Lester’s ownership in the single digits which gives us intriguing tournament appeal.
Yordano Ventura ($7,900) at home versus St. Louis: Ventura will return from his suspension on Tuesday with a home tilt with the Cardinals and it is important to remember how effective Ventura was prior to the suspension.
In his last two games, Ventura put up 53 points per start which would exceed 6.7x value at this price point.
Ventura had been incredibly effective prior to his suspension, allowing only 2 ER in 19 IP (0.93 ERA) with an 18:2 strikeout to walk ratio in his 3 June starts excluding the Baltimore brawl.
Ventura is a slight home favorite and with the “NA” designation on FanDuel, it may lead gamers to skip over him if they are unaware his suspension is lifted as of Tuesday.
Pitching Summary: I expect to build two completely different rosters on Tuesday night, one with Lester in a Coors Field fade and another with Ventura to allow me the ability to stack in Coors Field.
We often talk about position scarcity in fantasy football, arguing how valuable Rob Gronkowski is at TE as nobody else comes close to his performance. Lester is in a similar daily spot on Tuesday as his 20% premium over the competition allows for a strategic advantage against the competition.
Ventura makes for a great tournament option and sits at a price point that allows you to get easy exposure to Colorado and Toronto.
Next: Who are the top stacks on Tuesday
Another night in Coors Field and another over/under at 12.5 runs to open which makes the game in Colorado a clear top stack in all formats.
Blue Jays against Eddie Butler: Eddie Butler has been an absolute mess this season, moving in between the rotation and the bullpen and giving up a .300+ average to hitters from both sides of the plate which makes the Blue Jays a clear top spot for offense.
One of the benefits of the Blue Jays offense is that you can grab the top of their order for under $4k as Devon Travis ($3,700) and Ezequiel Carrera ($3,800) will likely be batting 1-2 in the order and make for a great stack atop the Jays order.
Troy Tulowitzki ($3,800) is also at a reasonable price point and the Monday value play that surprised us all, Christian Adames ($3,200) has seen his price increase $800 over night, which makes paying slightly more for Tulo an easy decision in Coors.
Mariners RHB versus Jonathan Niese in Seattle: Any time a left hander faces the Mariners, the 1-2 punch of Nelson Cruz ($3,900) and Franklin Gutierrez ($3,300) makes for a great mini-stack. With a game in Colorado this game may be overlooked and both players have price points that easily fit in as part of a Coors stack
Hitting Summary: Start building with the Blue Jays bats against Eddie Butler and watch the Rockies lineup to see which right-handed bats are in the lineup against J.A. Happ as players like Mark Reynolds, Ryan Raburn and Brandon Barnes could provide a cheap alternative stack with the platoon edge.
Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup
Below you will find my initial lineup for Tuesday’s Main FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.
Pitcher:More from FanSided
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- Patriots backup plan for DeAndre Hopkins is a shot in the dark
- Raiders: Saquon Barkley’s new contract may have screwed over Josh Jacobs
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!