FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 2 (Early)

Welcome to the Saturday Early 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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Saturday’s early schedule kicks off at 1:07PM EST with 7 games on the early FanDuel slate.

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	255.8	$ 8,631	25%	75%	$ 3,296	7.31
5 Day	256.0	$ 7,958	23%	77%	$ 3,380	7.31
Prev Day	243.3	$ 9,450	27%	73%	$ 3,194	6.95

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 Saturday's Early Slate?

With an abbreviated afternoon slate, it will be critical to nail down the top FanDuel SP when building your roster and with one of the best pitchers in baseball on the mound we have a great place to start!

Jose Fernandez ($12,000) at Atlanta: Over the last month Fernandez has been flat-out dominant, averaging 54 points per game which is 13 points higher than the next highest priced pitcher on the afternoon slate.

Fernandez gets a significant match up boost against one of the weakest hitting teams in baseball and has tremendous career numbers against the Braves, racking up a 2.15 ERA and 50 K’s in only 46 IP.

In his last 10 starts, Fernandez has exceed 60 points in half of those and I do not believe there is a single pitcher in the abbreviated slate who has the ability to match the Marlins ace.

Justin Verlander ($8,800) at Tampa Bay: If you are looking to spend down, locking in Verlander who is a slight road favorite, may be your best pivot option.

The Rays are a great match up for opposing right handers, racking up a 24.6%K rate, and as I write this I am watching Michael Fulmer mow through their lineup with double-digit strikeouts.

Verlander has averaged just north of 33 points per start over the last month and is a solid pivot play if you are looking to save salary in the early slate.

Pitching Summary: On a short slate, I cannot see a reason to fade Jose Fernandez with a match up against the Braves and am happy to pay the freight and let others try to play the pitching guessing game.

If you are playing multiple entries, then going to Justin Verlander is a decent play as I expect he will be able to rack up strikeouts and be well positioned for the win against the Rays.

Next: Top Offenses to target on Saturday afternoon

Toronto Blue Jays versus Cleveland: If you notice, I have not named the pitcher the Blue Jays will face and that is because the scheduled starter Trevor Bauer pitched 5 innings in a 19 winning win on Friday.

What this change allows for is savvy gamers to target the Blue Jays bats that may have been priced down to an impending match up with Bauer. As of Saturday morning the Blue Jays have still not announced a starting pitcher so keep an eye on the announcement as we can easily slot in many of the top Blue Jays bats.

Devon Travis ($2,800) and Troy Tulowitzki ($3,00) make for a great mini stack in the middle infield at these price points.

There are rumors the Indians may throw LHP Shawn Morimando which would immediately put Edwin Encarnacion ($3,900) and Josh Donaldson ($4,500) as must plays at home. This is potentially a great place to exploit as FanDuel is still showing Trevor Bauer as the starter and Toronto’s bats may go overlooked.

Hitting Summary: I love the idea of pairing an all out Blue Jays stack with Fernandez as that combination could have explosive upside. You know you love DFS when you are anxiously awaiting the starter pitcher announcement for the Indians!

Next: Early FanDuel MLB lineup

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

Pitcher: Jose Fernandez ($12,000)

More from FanSided

Catcher: Bryan Holaday ($2,000)

First Base: Edwin Encarnacion ($3,900)

Second Base: Devon Travis ($2,800)

Third Base: Josh Donaldson ($4,500) If a LHP is confirmed as the starter for the Indians, this is a must play even at this price point. I am happy to make budget plays elsewhere to fit him in at home against a lefty!

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki ($3,000)

Outfield: Desmond Jennings ($2,400)

Outfield: Mitch Moreland ($2,400)

Outfield: Tommy Pham ($2,000) In order to fit in Fernandez and a Blue Jays stack of elite hitters we will have to go cheap in the OF so today will be a key day to watch lineups to find the best fits in the OF between 2-2.4k.

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!