DraftKings Early MLB Picks For July 7

There are only two afternoon games today, and this slate is not for the faint of heart. All of the pitchers would be below average under normal circumstances, but we have to find two of the four with the best chance to succeed. We need to hit on both to even have a chance at cashing unless they all four get roughed up, which is a possibility. What is this lineup going to look like? It’s kind of ugly, so look away now if you have a weak stomach!

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The money line yesterday afternoon was down a touch to 100.2 DraftKings points. My lineup was easily in the money thanks to hitting on both pitchers. I had a solid offensive day from everyone not named Brandon Crawford, but missed out on the big scorer of the day in Domingo Santana.

The winning lineup was a nice score of 183.25 on a short slate. He used the same pitching foundation that I did, but he won by stacking Brewers with Adam Duvall and Willson Contreras.

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!

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P: Nick Pivetta ($8,400): Well, there are no great options today. There aren’t even any good options. What we have a four arms, and every single one of them carry a healthy amount of risk. Pivetta has a solid 3.50 home ERA, but the kicker is he has struck out 25 batters in just 18 home innings. The Padres should only help that total. The thing we have to realize today is that none of the four are going to get through their day scoreless. What we are looking for is strikeout upside, and it appears that Pivetta has that. At home, anyway.

P: Clayton Richard ($7,900): Eddie Butler has pretty pronounced home/road splits, but I think I would rather use Richard because he’s playing the Phillies on the road. Richard has a 4.18 ERA in eight road games. While that is not great, it’s a lot better than his 5.80 home mark. Richard carries some strikeout potential against the young Phillies, which is a whole lot more than Butler, who only has 28 strikeouts in 47.1 innings pitched this year. Richard has a much better chance at a quality outing.

C: Francisco Cervelli ($2,700): Elias Diaz was in the lineup yesterday, so Cervelli should be back in there. He is the best option by far behind Willson Contreras, so I will take him at a discounted price against a pitcher that gave up four runs in five innings to the Pirates the first time he played them.

1B: Anthony Rizzo ($5,500): Trevor Williams wasn’t bad against the Cubs at home, but he wasn’t great either. The thing that has me targeting the big Cubs today is Williams’ 4.85 road ERA. Eddie Butler has a much better ERA at home, but that doesn’t mean I trust him either. It’s better to go with the pitchers of the two struggling offenses and stack the other game, for better or worse.

2B: Ian Happ ($5,000): Happ’s price finally hit the $5k mark today, but that is because all of the hitters are inflated. What fun is it if you can afford everyone you want? Happ is still worth the price though. He has averaged 9.8 DraftKings points per game over the last ten, and 10.3 per game against the Pirates this year.

3B: Cory Spangenberg ($3,500): Spangenberg picked up 36 DraftKIngs points in the series with Cleveland, and seems to be finally heating up this year. He has a puncher’s chance at getting some points against a rookie pitcher, even if the Padres offense continues to be less than great.

SS: Jordy Mercer ($3,800): Mercer carries less value now that he is out of the leadoff spot, but he gets the nod here because shortstop is paper thin. Unless you want to take a shot on Addison Russell, Mercer seems like the good pick, especially against a pitcher that pitches to contact.

OF: Andrew McCutchen ($5,400): Exorbitant prices are tied to hitters today, and the four pitching options who would all be right around $6000 on normal day. McCutchen is a career .314 hitter at Wrigley Field with nine homers and 38 RBI in 68 games. He is going to get some points today. The only question is how many?

OF: Adam Frazier ($4,000): Frazier might lead off. He might not. The Pirates lineup shuffle continues. Right now it’s Josh Harrison leading off. At any rate, Frazier will be near the top of the order against the pitcher most likely to lay an egg this afternoon. That’s good enough for me!

OF: Gregory Polanco ($3,800): Polanco is way too talented to be this cheap. I have no problem gambling with him on a short slate. He hit a home run yesterday, so maybe he is finally getting going. He may be the best value play around today as most everyone else is overpriced.

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!

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