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

ByBrian Tulloch|
Jun 18, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; The American flag is hung over the center field wall prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; The American flag is hung over the center field wall prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
FanDuel MLB
Jun 18, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; The American flag is hung over the center field wall prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

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

Welcome to the Saturday Main 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.

Follow us on Twitter @FantasyCPR and on Facebook!

Saturday’s main schedule kicks off at 7:15PM EST with 8 games on the Main 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 PeriodScorePitcher SalaryPitcher %Hitter %Hitter $/PlayerValue
Season255.8$ 8,63125%75%$ 3,2967.31
5 Day256.0$ 7,95823%77%$ 3,3807.31
Prev Day243.3$ 9,45027%73%$ 3,1946.95

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 Main Slate?

FanDuel MLB
Jun 27, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross (41) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday night’s slate includes a rematch of last year’s NLCS as Jake Arrieta and the Cubs head to Citi Field to take on the New York Mets, but the question will be is Arrieta worth the $11.5k price tag in your FanDuel MLB rosters?

Joe Ross ($8,400) at home versus Cincinnati: Ross may not be the biggest name on the Saturday night slate, but he is the largest favorite (-210) and on a short slate, locking in the win is critical to our FanDuel success.

Ross has been a very steady contributor for the Nationals and fantasy players as he has put up at least 36 points in 5 of his last 7 starts. Ross has averaged 6 K’s per start over his last 5 starts and gets a match up against a Reds team that strikes out at a 23% clip.

Chad Kuhl ($6,100) at Oakland: Chad Kuhl will get his second career start in Oakland on Saturday night and makes an intriguing punt plat at only $6,100 on FanDuel.

After beating Clayton Kershaw in his debut by going 5 innings and striking out 5 batters for the win and 33 FanDuel points, Kuhl will look for a second straight victory.

At this bargain price point, hitting 5x value with a similar performance would allow you to target any lineup construction you want and I expect Kuhl will go completely overlooked.

Next: Who are the top offenses to target on Saturday night?

FanDuel MLB
Sep 21, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) celebrates his grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays with center fielder Mookie Betts (50), second baseman Dustin Pedroia (15) and right fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (R) during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Red Sox against LHP Hector Santiago: For the second straight day, the Red Sox are the top projected scoring lineup by 0.5 run and the right handed bats in the Sox lineup are all reasonably priced which allows for a great stacking opportunity.

Dustin Pedroia ($3,800) and Mookie Betts ($3,900) are great plays at the top of the Boston lineup, and Xander Bogaerts ($3,300) remains a lock and load play at this price point at a thin shortstop position.

Orioles RHB versus LHP James Paxton: The Orioles are a great offense to target against left handed pitching with a righty heavy lineup and a love pairing a dual stack of the Orioles and Red Sox on Saturday night.

Manny Machado ($3,800) has been red hot over the last two weeks, averaging over 14 points per game and Adam Jones ($3,400) has put up similar numbers, averaging 13.9 points over the same time period.

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup Saturday Main Slate

FanDuel MLB
Jun 27, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets first baseman James Loney (28) doubles during the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

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

Pitcher: Joe Ross ($8,400)

More from FanSided

  • Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud ($2,300)
  • First Base: James Loney ($2,800) Loney has been a revelation for the Mets at first base the last week with home runs in 2 of his last 3 games!
  • Second Base: Dustin Pedroia ($3,800) 
  • Third Base: Manny Machado ($3,500)
  • Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts ($3,300)
  • Outfield: Mookie Betts ($3,900)
  • Outfield: Adam Jones ($3,400)
  • Outfield: Mark Trumbo ($3,600)

    • 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!