FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 18

Jul 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) waits on deck during the second inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 18

Welcome to the Monday 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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Monday’s action kicks off at 7:05PM EST with 11 games on the Main slate 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:

Time Period	Score	Pitcher Salary	Pitcher %	Hitter %	Hitter $/Player	Value
Season	255.9	$ 8,635	25%	75%	$ 3,296	7.31
5 Day	260.6	$ 9,257	26%	74%	$ 3,218	7.45
Prev Day	243.7	$ 8,100	23%	77%	$ 3,363	6.96

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.

Jul 8, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) toss the rosin bag during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

After a fascinating first weekend of baseball after the All-Star Break, we return to a “one slate” day on FanDuel with 11 games on the main Monday slate with multiple aces on the hill including a match up with Jon Lester and Steven Matz as the Mets and Cubs take the field in Wrigley.

Jose Fernandez ($12,000) at Philadelphia: The top priced pitcher on Monday’s slate gets a fantastic match-up in Philadelphia against a weak Phillies lineup and is an overwhelming favorite (-200) to pick up the important FanDuel win!

Fernandez leads all of baseball with an astronomical 36.6% K rate and faces a Phillies team that strikes out 24% of the time against RHP, which is 4th in all of MLB.

Fernandez has been a strikeout machine this season with double digit strikeouts in 6 of his 17 games (35%). Facing a Phillies team that is 2nd to last in baseball in runs per game, this has the potential to be a monster outing for the Marlins star!

Pitching Strategy: On an abbreviated slate of 11 games (10 if you exclude the pitchers in Coors), locking in the top pitcher is critical and not only does Fernandez have the safest floor but he also has unmatched upside which makes him my top play in all formats. With a game in Coors field, gamers may try to get savings at SP so they can load up on the Coors bats but as you will see, I believe we can get a lineup that allows you to get Jose Fernandez and elite Coors exposure!

Next: Top Hitting Spots on Monday night!

Jul 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of the sunset in the sixth inning of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Not only do we get the chance to roster one of the best pitchers in all of baseball on Monday night but we also have the opportunity to target the hitting haven that is Coors Field!

Nolan Arenado ($4,600) & Trevor Story ($3,900) against LHP Drew Smyly: With an initial over/under of 12.5 runs, the Rockies and Rays have by far the highest implied run totals of any team on Monday night’s slate. Similar to my strategy on pitching, fading the best spot for hitting on an abbreviated slate seems like a dangerous play and I want to ensure I have as much exposure as I can get to this game.

With a LHP on the mound and a home game, Arenado becomes an absolute lock and load play in any format and I expect a Fernandez/Arenado pairing will be far lower owned than it should be due to their increased price points. On an 11 game slate, pairing the top pitcher and top hitter is my preferred “foundation” and I am happy to find value in other spots to make this roster construction work.

Pairing Arenado with Story makes for a high upside mini-stack and considering Smyly’s stats show his biggest weakness is facing RHB on the road (10 of his 20 home runs allowed in that scenario), this makes for a great spot to get exposure to what will be a no doubt high scoring affair.

Tommy Pham ($2,700) against LHP Christian Friedrich: If you want to pay up for SP and Coors bats you will no doubt need some bargain hitters and OF Tommy Pham is one of my favorite plays to employ in DFS lately.

Pham finds himself frequently batting in the lead-off spot for the Cardinals and has put up 60 points in his last two games. Assuming he is back in the lead-off spot, Pham makes for a great value play Monday night.

Next: Top FanDuel MLB lineup

Jul 15, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Thomas Pham (28) celebrates after hitting his second home run of the game off of Miami Marlins relief pitcher David Phelps (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. The Marlins won 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

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

Pitcher: Jose Fernandez ($12,000)

More from FanSided

Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud ($2,100) After getting the day off on Sunday, Travis should be back in the lineup Monday against LHP Jon Lester

First Base: Jose Abreu ($2,800) Abreu gets to face a LHP in Wade LeBlanc and sits at a great bargain price that could be paid off with one swing of the bat!

Second Base: Jose Peraza ($2,200)

Third Base: Nolan Arenado ($4,600)

Shortstop: Trevor Story ($3,900)

Outfield: Justin Upton ($2,300) Hard to believe Upton has fallen this far but at this price point and with a match up against Ricky Nolasco, this may be a spot to get right for the highly skilled Upton

Outfield: Mitch Moreland ($2,300) The Rangers return to AL ball and Moreland should get back in the lineup against RHP Nick Tropeano

Outfield: Tommy Pham ($2,700) Wham Bham, thank you Pham!

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!