Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Early MLB Picks For July 4

CHICHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 01: A general view of fireworks during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 1, 2017 in Chichester, England. (Photo by James Bearne/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For July 4

Our country turns 241 years old today, so what better way to celebrate than with a full day of baseball? The Nationals and Mets square off at 11am eastern, so that one is out of the DraftKings tournaments, even the all day ones. We still have nine early games, but the marquee pitchers go at night. Can we go cheap during the day? Let’s see what we are working with here!

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I was unable to get my picks out yesterday because I was without internet for more than a day. CenturyLink claims the problem is fixed, so we will see.

These picks are based mostly on statistical analysis . If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: DraftKings Early Lineup

HOUSTON, TX – MAY 22: Michael Fulmer #32 of the Detroit Tigers pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 22, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

P: Michael Fulmer ($9,800): Fulmer has dominated the Royals and Padres his last two times out. The Giants may be even worse than both of them offensively. Fulmer’s home ERA is still above 4, but the Giants don’t really have anyone that can exploit that. Fulmer looks to be easily the best option on the early slate. Chris Archer racked up strikeouts, but he also allows a lot of runs and the Cubs are still a pretty scary team even if they are struggling right now.

P: Daniel Gossett ($5,500): Gossett dominated the White Sox in Chicago just ten days ago. He gave up two unearned runs in six innings while striking out five in the victory. He has a great chance at another win opposing Shields, and Gossett has a nice 2.70 home ERA compared to 6.91 on the road. Yes, that does include the gem in Chicago. This looks like a great spot to go cheap on pitching!

C: Gary Sanchez ($4,300): Sanchez is only 1-5 in his career against J.A. Happ, but that hit is a home run. Happ isn’t all that prone to the long ball, but the Yankees have some special right handed power on this team. And, well, we all know how small Yankee Stadium is.

1B: Justin Smoak ($4,900): Smoak is 7-22(.318) with a walk, two homers, three runs scored, and four RBI in his career against CC Sabathia. Sabathia has allowed seven runs in only 10.1 innings against the Blue Jays so far this season, so stacking them in a favorable hitting environment is not a bad idea.

2B: Ian Kinsler ($4,100): Do you know what time it is? It’s time to pick on Matt Cain again. He was marginally better in his last start, but Cain still has an atrocious 8.31 ERA on the road. Now he travels to an American League park that, though spacious, is still a downgrade from his home digs. And the Tigers will have the benefit of the DH. That’s all Cain needs is to face another guy that is paid to hit. Kinsler has actually faced Cain four previous times. He has a single, a steal, and a solo homer against him.

3B: Nick Castellanos ($3,800): Castellanos is hitting .385 in his last ten games, so it appears as though he is coming around. He hits the ball hard, but not always far. However, a guy that hits the ball hard against someone allowing as many hits as Cain is always a favorite to wind up on the favorable end of this matchup. Especially for this low of a price.

SS: Alcides Escobar ($3,900): Escobar is 7-19(.368) with a walk, three runs scored, five steals, and three RBI in his career against Felix Hernandez. There is nothing wrong with chasing some steals here against the aging ace of the Mariners. A Royals stack is a solid idea if you can stomach it.

OF: Khris Davis ($4,700): I don’t know that I trust a full on A’s stack, but if I were going to stack A’s against anyone, it would be the struggling James Shields. Davis is 3-5 with a walk, a double, a homer, three runs scored, and two RBI off of him so far.

OF: Matt Joyce ($3,500): Joyce is 3-10 with two walks, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI against Shields. All of Joyce’s ten homers this year have come against right handed pitching. Shields has surrendered at least one homer in all but one game this year.

OF: Aaron Judge ($5,500): Judge is 1-3 with a single and a pair of strikeouts against J.A. Happ, but Judge has drilled 18 homers in just 128 at bats at Yankee Stadium. Happ has also allowed nine home runs in only 42 career innings at Yankee Stadium. Don’t be surprised if Judge and Sanchez both hit one deep off of him.

Next: DraftKings Early Lineup 2

ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 23: Jimmy Nelson #52 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on June 23, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

P: Jimmy Nelson ($9,200): The Orioles have had a rough go of it lately. They were shut down by Bruce Suter yesterday afternoon. Nelson responded to his little hiccup in Atlanta with a very good performance in Cincinnati last week. He also owns a 2.64 ERA at Miller Park. This is a very favorable matchup for Nelson here. Facing Ubaldo is also pretty much an automatic win these days.

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P: Jameson Taillon ($8,500): Taillon has given up six runs in four starts since his return from the disabled list, and is starting to look like the dominant pitcher that all of us prospect watchers thought he would be. He doesn’t have elite strikeout numbers, but against a free swinging team like the Phillies, he could rack up more than usual. The Phillies touched him up a little last year, but considering how well Taillon has pitched lately, I will take that consideration over last year.

C: Stephen Vogt ($4,000): Vogt is only 1-6 in his career against Ubaldo Jimenez, but that hit was a two run homer. Vogt is 4-11 with two homers and five RBI so far in Milwaukee. He could be in for a nice game here considering Ubaldo’s hefty 6.48 ERA.

1B: Justin Bour ($4,300): Lance Lynn gave up four runs in five innings in his earlier start against the Marlins this year. Bour drove in three of those on one swing! He has cooled down a little, but not enough for me to consider not using him in a matchup like this.

2B: Ian Happ ($3,800): Happ is hitting .365 over the last two weeks. So even though he is facing Chris Archer, this could be a solid play. Happ has smacked ten home runs against right handed pitching, and Archer has allowed seven of his 11 to left handed batters this year. Happ is priced right for those of you that don’t want to go all-in with Rizzo’s price tag.

3B: Evan Longoria ($3,900): Longoria is 13-56(.232) against Jon Lester with a staggering 20 strikeouts. However, when he has hit the ball, he has done well. He has seven walks, three doubles, three homers, six runs scored, and eight RBI off of Lester. Lester has been a much better pitcher at Wrigley this year, but I could still see Longoria having a decent game here.

SS: Orlando Arcia ($3,400): Yes, Ubaldo did dominate the Blue Jays in his return to the rotation last week, but I still like my Brewers stack. Arcia hit .375 with four homers and four steals in June after a slow start to the season. He is still priced for us bargain shoppers here, and should be a steal at a relatively light position on the early slate.

OF: Ryan Braun ($4,500): Like Vogt, Braun only has one hit off of Ubaldo Jimenez though he has faced him five times. Braun’s hit was also a home run. The Brewers are a very dangerous offense. JImenez has given up 18 home runs already this year. Don’t be surprised if Braun and his mates add to it.

OF: Giancarlo Stanton ($4,300): Stanton is 4-14(.286) with two walks, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI in his career against Lance Lynn. He also gets a park upgrade. It is easier to smack one out of Busch Stadium than Marlins Park. Stanton could be a decent bargain today.

OF: Eric Thames ($4,000): Thames cooled off again after a brief surge in mid-June, but there is no denying his power. Thames did break an 11 game homerless drought on Sunday, so maybe this is the start of another little surge here. He was given the day off yesterday against Wade Miley. Look for him to be refreshed against Ublado today.

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have plenty of NFL stuff to get you ready for football!