FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 27

Jun 24, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Adam Lind (26) has sports drink and bubble gum dumped over his head by center fielder Leonys Martin (12) and right fielder Nelson Cruz (23) during an interview following his walk-off three-run homer against the St. Louis Cardinals at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated St. Louis, 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for July 27

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 action kicks off at 12:10PM EST with 6 games on the Early FanDuel slate and another 9 games starting at 7:05PM EST on the Main FanDuel MLB 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	255.7	$ 8,639	25%	75%	$ 3,295	7.31
5 Day	258.7	$ 7,917	23%	77%	$ 3,385	7.39
Prev Day	240.0	$ 9,600	27%	73%	$ 3,175	6.86

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 16, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy (38) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Initially I expected I would skip over the Early FanDuel slate however the 6 afternoon games provide for an interesting tournament layout with 3 elite hurlers on the mound. Stephen Strasburg and Carlos Carrasco lock horns against eachother which puts the win very much up for grabs and I will look to avoid these hurlers in what Vegas expects to be a Pick Em. Madison Bumgarner is the highest priced pitcher, but take a look at his game logs over the last 6 starts (5 games between 31-36 points) and ask yourself if you can get similar production for a much more frugal price!

Brandon McCarthy ($8,000) at home versus Tampa: As I alluded to, I intend to attack this early slate from a tournament perspective and will be avoiding the top priced pitchers as I believe some of the mid-priced pitchers will be able to approach similar point production and a better point per dollar play.

McCarthy has been phenomenal since returning from the DL, pitching to a 1.61 ERA over his first 22 innings pitched. McCarthy has struck out 8 batters in 2 of his 4 starts since he returned and continues to build arm strength and go longer/deeper into games which makes this an ideal time to jump on McCarthy at a reduced price.

I expect Marco Estrada ($8,600) to be a very popular pick as one of the largest home favorites and going up against a Padres team that strikes out at a 25% clip against RHP. I expect most gamers will opt to pay up for one of the three studs or drop down to Estrada so I am happy to play the fade here in large field tournaments and roll with McCarthy who I expect will be much lesser owned.

Next: Top Hitting Options - Early Slate

Jun 30, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (24) congratulates second baseman Ian Kinsler (3), third baseman Andrew Romine (17) and shortstop Jose Iglesias (1) as they score during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Detroit Tigers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 10-7. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Tigers versus LHP Eduardo Rodriguez in Fenway: The Tigers/Red Sox game will be one of the top places to target offense and with Michael Fullmer on the mound, I will pivot to the TIgers offense as my top stack against Eduardo Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has struggled to keep the ball in the yard this season against RHB surrendering 10 home runs in only 33 IP which is exactly the strength of the Tigers lineup and a place we should exploit.

Miguel Cabrera ($4,200) & Ian Kinsler($3,900) are both averaging over 10 ppg over the last week and step into an ideal match-up in Fenway where Rodriguez has given up 7 of his home runs in only 17 IP.

Blue Jays at home versus RHP Luis Perdomo: Another top spot for offense on this short early slate is in Toronto as the lethal Blue Jays lineup gets a home date with Perdomo and the Padres.

Melvin Upton Jr. ($3,100) will likely get his first start with his new team after being traded to the Jays on Tuesday and should make an immediate impact with his new team. For more on the fantasy implications of Upton to Toronto, take a look at our most recent article on what we can expect from the Blue Jays newest acquisition.

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Early Lineup

Jul 26, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Melvin Upton Jr. takes batting practice before a game against the San Diego Padres at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

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

Pitcher: Brandon McCarthy ($8,000)
Catcher: James McCann ($2,100)
First Base: Miguel Cabrera ($4,200)
Second Base: Ian Kinsler ($3,900)
Third Base: Justin Turner ($3,600) Turner is one of my favorite plays on Wednesday as he gets the platoon advantage against Matt Moore and has been red-hot lately, averaging 21.6 points per game over the last 7 days
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki ($2,900)
Outfield: Bryce Harper ($3,700) Targeting Harper at $3,700 and our next hitter at only $3,500, you have the opportunity to target two of the best bats in all of baseball at reasonable prices who have the ability to dominate any day they take the mound
Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton ($3,500) See Harper, Bryce
Outfield: Melvin Upton Jr. ($3,100)

Now that we have covered the Early slate, take a look at the next page to dive into the Main Slate on FanDuel!

Next: Top Pitching Options on Main Slate

Jul 16, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish (11) reacts to giving up a two RBI double to Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (not pictured) during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

The main slate is loaded with at least 5 legit options in between $8k-$9.6k which makes for a fantastic slate to play multiple entries but we want to plant our flag here and there is one hurler I am looking to target in particular in the main slate.

Yu Darvish ($9,600) at home versus Oakland: It has been two starts since Darvish returned from the DL, and Wednesday may be the last day we can get the Texas Rangers star for under $10k.

Darvish was exceptional in his last start, amassing 11 strike outs against the Royals and throwing 91 pitches which sets him up for this longest outing since his return. In the start before that, Darvish racked up 9 K’s against the Cubs, proving that the elite strikeout upside is still there which is exactly what we want in DFS.

The Rangers are the second largest favorite on the main slate (-172) which puts Darvish in line for the win and with his elite strikeout upside, makes for my top play in all formats.

Next: Top Hitting Options

Jul 15, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (right) and first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) celebrate after both scoring runs against the Texas Rangers in the sixth inning of a baseball game at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Cubs at home against RHP Anthony Ranaudo: Listen, this one is simple, the Cubs are at home and facing a AAA pitcher with minimal major league experience which sounds like a spot that the high-octane Cubs offense should capitalize on.

Dexter Fowler ($3,400) has averaged 13.4 points per game since his return atop the Cubs lineup and makes for a great play at a reasonable price point. Anthony Rizzo ($5,100) meanwhile sees his price skyrocket but there is no hitter on the slate who has the match-up upside of Rizzo and I expect gamers to be scared away by the inflated price point so it may actually be contrarian to pay up for Rizzo on Wednesday.

Willson Contreras ($3,100) & Kris Bryant ($4,700) represent a high upside addition to a full on Cubs stack and with the weather expected to be warm and sunny, it could be a day for the ball to fly out of Wrigley and we will want exposure to this game in all formats!

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Main Lineup

Jul 12, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; National League players from the Chicago Cubs on left Dexter Fowler , Ben Zobrist , Jake Arrieta , Addison Russell , Kris Bryant , Jon Lester and Anthony Rizzo before the 2016 MLB All Star Game at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

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

Pitcher:

More from FanSided

Catcher: Willson Contreras ($3,100)

First Base: Anthony Rizzo ($5,100)

Second Base: Jurickson Profar ($2,300) With Prince Fielder out indefinitely, Profar should continue to play everyday and makes for a great punt play in the dangerous Rangers lineup

Third Base: Kris Bryant ($4,700)

Shortstop: Asdrubal Cabrera ($2,200) Cabrera broke out of his prolonged slump Wednesday night and the depressed price point makes him an easy value play at SS

Outfield: Dexter Fowler ($3,400)

Outfield: Michael Conforto ($2,200) Another bargain play against Adam Wainwright, Conforto is batting .357 since he returned to the majors after his brief demotion

Outfield: Norichika Aoki ($2,200) Aoki has the platoon advantage against Gerrit Cole and will be batting atop the Mariners 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!

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