FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 25

Jul 24, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez (13) touches home after his three-run home run as Minnesota Twins catcher Juan Centeno (37) and Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (15) look on during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 25

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 7:00PM EST with 11 games of MLB action to review 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	255.7	$ 8,632	25%	75%	$ 3,296	7.30
5 Day	244.2	$ 8,417	24%	76%	$ 3,323	6.98
Prev Day	256.8	$ 6,600	19%	81%	$ 3,550	7.34

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 20, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani throws against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

Although we have an abbreviated slate on Monday night, we still have multiple high-end pitchers to target as well as a few enticing value plays for our FanDuel MLB rosters!

Anthony DeSclafani ($7,500) at San Francisco: Over the last month, no pitcher on Monday’s slate has averaged more points per start than the Reds hurler at 42.8 points. As Matt Rogers detailed in his latest FanDuel Economics column, DeSclafani provides the top value option on the board Monday evening.

Looking over DeScalfani’s game logs his last 6 starts, you are seeing a pitcher who has been extraordinarily consistent with scores of 39,45,39,36,51 and 45. Sifting through the opponents you can see that he is doing this against some of the top offenses in baseball as well – the Cubs, Nationals and Rangers.

DeSclafani does not have elite strikeout upside and is a slight road underdog, but his recent performance allows you to take a pitcher that will keep you in contention in DFS action and gives you salary relief to load up on big bats!

Braden Shipley ($5,700) at Milwaukee: The Diamondbacks are set to call up prized prospect, Braden Shipley for Monday’s start against Milwaukee and at only $5,700 he makes for a great GPP play!

Our minor league guru, Craig Bozic recently profiled Shipley in his pitching prospects article and with exceptional control exhibited in the minors it will be interesting to see how it translates to the majors.

The most intriguing part of this match-up is that the Brewers strike out more than any other team in MLB against RHP at a 26.2% clip which gives Shipley some intriguing upside at this bargain basement price.

Pitching Summary: After looking through this slate, and landing on DeSclafani and Shipley as my top targets, this is shaping up to me a tournament night for me on FanDuel and I will look to put the majority of my bankroll toward GPP play as a result. With the price points on both pitchers, we will be able to build high upside lineups to try to take down a large field tournament.

Next: Top Hitting Options

Mar 18, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Mark Trumbo (45) and second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) and third baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrate during the game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The Orioles defeat the Yankees 11-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Orioles RHB versus LHP Jorge de La Rosa: By dropping down in price at starting pitcher, we can target some of the top bats and targeting the Orioles hitters at home against LHP Jorge de La Rosa is the first place I intend to spend my budget!

de La Rosa struggles against RHB giving up a .310 average and .391 wOBA and the Orioles right handed bats have big time power that can capitalize on these splits.

Manny Machado ($4,000 & Mark Trumbo ($3,300) are both great GPP plays as they have the ability to put up monster numbers on any given night and with hot/humid temperatures on the East Coast, the ball could be flying out of Camden Yards on Monday night!

Astros RHB versus RHP Michael Pineda: The Astros are always a popular target against LHP, but I will look to them on Monday night against the right-hander Pineda who has actually exhibited reverse splits as he has given up a higher average, wOBA and more home runs to RHB than LHB.

Jose Altuve ($3,600) & George Springer ($3,500) have both been raking over the last week, averaging 16.9 and 13.5 points per game respectively. Altuve had a monster game on Sunday putting up 54.4 points and I will look to go back to the well at a very reasonable price point.

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup

Jul 24, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) celebrates with designated hitter George Springer (4) and shortstop Carlos Correa (1) after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-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:

More from FanSided

Catcher: Willson Contreras ($3,200)

First Base: Ryon Healy ($2,500) Healy is playing 3B everyday for Oakland and has exhibited big time power upside in the minor leagues. Healy is a great bargain play and gets you exposure to LHP Martin Perez & to the game with the highest over/under based off the initial lines

Second Base: Jose Altuve ($3,600)

Third Base: Manny Machado ($4,000)

Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts ($3,400)

Outfield: Mark Trumbo ($3,300)

Outfield: George Springer ($3,500)

Outfield: Michael Saunders ($4,000) Saunders gets a home match-up with RHP Colin Rea and gives us high upside exposure to the best LHB in the Jays lineup.

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!