FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 6 (Early)

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 6 (Early)

Welcome to the Wednesday 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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Wednesday’s slate is split into two with the early slate kicking off at 1:05PM EST with 6 games of MLB action to choose from when building your FanDuel MLB rosters!

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:

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 Wednesday's Early Slate?

Wednesday’s MLB schedule gives us the chance to play multiple slates with a 6 game afternoon slate including potential weather concerns in Chicago as thunderstorms are expected throughout the afternoon.

Jacob deGrom ($10,300) at home versus Miami: deGrom is the highest priced pitcher on the afternoon slate and comes into the games as one of the largest favorites of any pitcher on the board.

deGrom has continued to improve as the season progresses with back to back 40+ point outings and has averaged just under 8 k’s per game over his last 8 starts.

deGrom over his career is a dominant day game pitcher as over 25 starts, deGrom has pitched to a 1.68 ERA and a .190 BAA.

Bud Norris ($7,100) at home versus Baltimore: Over the last month, the best pitcher from a points per game perspective is none other than Bud Norris, as he has averaged 42.8 points per game which would equate to 6x value at this price point.

Norris has been tremendous in his last two starts averaging 55 points per start with 8 strikeouts per outing. Frankly the more I dug into the pitching options on this slate, the more shocked I was to see the numbers Norris has been putting up and he makes for a tremendous tournament option at this price point.

Pitching Summary: After looking through the pitching options, I am inclined to approach the early slate with two rosters so that I can lock in the “safety” of deGrom and the tournament upside in Norris. I expect Norris will be under owned as the casual fan may overlook him against the Orioles, but his recent performance dictates that he should be highly considered in GPP entries.

Next: Where should we look for hitting Wednesday afternoon?

With an afternoon game in Wrigley Field against the suspect staff of the Reds, the Cubs make for one of the best stacking options but keep in mind that the early weather reports indicate thunderstorms may impact the area throughout the afternoon which means there is potential weather risk if looking towards the Cubs hitters.

Mets against LHP Justin Nicolino: The Mets bats have gotten hot as the calendar turned to July and recently named All-Star Yoenis Cespedes ($3,500) continues to rake and sits at a price that makes him an almost must play for me on this short slate. In 4 of his last 5 games, Cespedes has eclipsed the 20 point mark and with a 9 game hitting streak in tact he makes for a top play on the afternoon slate.

Neil Walker ($2,500) and Wilmer Flores ($2,100) make for great value plays as both should be in the lineup on Wednesday and hitting in the meat of the order which allows you to stack around Cespedes.

Orioles against RHP Bud Norris: I know I just told you to play Norris so why would I look to target hitters against him? First, I would love to target the Cubs but the weather is a risk and surprisingly Anthony DeSclafani has held the Cubs hitters in check, including Anthony Rizzo who is only 1 for 17 against him.

Chris Davis ($3,400) and Manny Machado ($4,100) are both averaging double-digit points in the last two weeks and make for a high upside mini-stack that may be overlooked on Wednesday afternoon. Including Hyun Soo Kim at $2,600 at the top of the order is an easy way to get exposure to the Orioles offense which is one of the best boom or bust options in DFS.

Hitting Summary: I expect the Cubs will be a popular choice but the weather risk and their history against DeSclafani give us the ability to play a bit of a “fade game” and target a variety of other high octane offenses.

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Early Lineup

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

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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!