Early MLB DraftKings Picks July 23: Is Lance McCullers The Best Option?

CHICAGO, IL – JULY 22: Jon Lester #34 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning on July 22, 2017 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For July 23

Ten of the 15 games are in the early DraftKings tournament. We have some good pitchers out there, but also a few underpriced gems. Which ones are which? Let’s check some stats!

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The money line yesterday afternoon was all the way down to 94.1. Jon Lester was great today, but the offense on my team didn’t back him up.

The winning lineup was a very pedestrian 140.5 DraftKings points. He used Lester and got homers from DeJong, Grichuk, and Wil Myers to help take the tournament down.

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

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JULY 7: Corey Dickerson #10 of the Tampa Bay Rays misses on a swing during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field on July 7, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett Jr./Getty Images) /

P: Lance McCullers Jr. ($10,400): McCullers was knocked around by the Mariners his last time out, but he has brutalized the Orioles in his career. Baltimore is hitting a pathetic .145 in 69 at bats against McCullers with two homers, five runs, and a whopping 29 strikeouts. Look for him to get back on track with what could be a dominant performance.

P: Jerad Eickhoff ($7,600): Eickhoff has struck out 16 batters in the last two starts. Today he faces a team that strikes out a lot in Milwaukee. The Brewers boast a lot of power, most of which is from the left side, and get to play in a hitter’s park. That said, his offense should be able to get some runs against Junior Guerra. Eickhoff’s chances at an implosion aren’t great due to the strikeout potential, which makes this risk a little easier to take.

C: Brian McCann ($3,600): Dylan Bundy was actually really good in his start against the Astros. However, that was last year, during his breakout season. This year Bundy has a 4.18 ERA. Not bad, right? When you look closer though you can see the trouble. Bundy’s ERA is 5.58 since the end of April and 7.18 over the last month. Something is wrong here, so take advantage and get some exposure today. As much as you can afford.

1B: Jose Abreu ($4,500): I really thought about stacking Royals again after the success last night, but Derek Holland‘s issues mostly stem from the long ball. Kaufmann Stadium is not conducive to power, and it wont be as hot in Kansas City today. I will stack against the weaker Travis Wood instead. Especially since the White Sox hammer left handed pitching. Oh, and Abreu is 4-5 with a walk, three doubles, and four runs scored against Wood in his career.

2B: Brad Miller ($3,400): Miller has a walk and a solo homer in three at bats against Tyson Ross. Ross has had a rough year so far, posting a 7.22 ERA in six starts. That ERA balloons to 8.16 on the road, which is where he will be today. The Rays have hit him well overall, so a stack could be in order.

3B: Josh Donaldson ($3,700): Lots of people are on Corey Kluber today, and I see why. However, the current Blue Jays are hitting only .244 off of him, but they have three homers and 15 RBI in only 90 at bats. I will take advantage of Donaldson’s low price since he is 6-16 with three walks, a homer, two runs scored, and five RBI against Kluber.

SS: Tim Anderson ($3,000): Anderson has not faced Travis Wood before, but I am locking him in if he leads off. Fortunately, Tyler Saladino is about the same price, so he can easily be subbed in if he draws the start over Anderson once again.

OF: George Springer ($5,500): Dylan Bundy is in the midst of an epically bad stretch. Unfortunately for him, Springer is raking right now. He is hitting .429 with two homers, two steals, and 11 RBI over his last ten games. This could be a huge day for Springer.

OF: Scooter Gennett ($4,100): I want some kind of exposure to Tom Koehler, and Gennett is priced right today. He is 4-11 with a triple, three runs scored, and two RBI against Koehler in his career. Koehler has also been shelled this year more than any other so far. He holds a 7.92 ERA on the season. If you can afford to stack Reds, it’s a great idea.

OF: Corey Dickerson ($4,100): Dickerson is 5-14 with a walk, a double, two solo homers, and three runs scored against Tyson Ross. I highlighted the struggles of Ross so far this year. I definitely want the Rays leadoff hitter today. The fact that he has hit Ross well in the past is just gravy.

Next: DraftKings Early Lineup 2

OAKLAND, CA – JULY 17: Jake Odorizzi #23 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on July 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

P: Jake Odorizzi ($8,700): There is a healthy amount of risk involved here since Odorizzi is not pitching as well as he did last season. However, the Rangers are only hitting .181 off of him in 72 at bats with three homers and just four runs to go with 13 strikeouts. This has been a low scoring series, but Odorizzi has been very inconsistent. I am taking risks all over this lineup though, so why not? There is still the strikeout potential, which helps mitigate some of the risk.

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P: Rafael Montero ($7,200): You need a strong stomach to take this risk. The A’s don’t strike out a ton, but they are without the DH slot. Montero has struggled at home, but he has still not given up a home run since May 17th, spanning 33 innings.

C: Jett Bandy ($2,400): Bandy destroyed AAA when he was sent down after the acquisition of Stephen Vogt. Let’s see if it translates to the majors when he fills in for Manny Pina this afternoon.

1B: Justin Bour ($4,900): Sal Romano has surrendered two homers at home in just seven innings pitched. Romano wont be in the game very long, but the Reds bullpen isn’t that great either. Bour should have plenty of cracks at that right field wall today.

2B: Dee Gordon ($4,000): Gordon is leading off for a team that could score a lot of runs today, and he is one of the faster players in the league. Count me in!

3B: Derek Dietrich ($3,500): Dietrich is back in the lineup again with Martin Prado landing on the disabled list once again. He isn’t always a good play, but Dietrich has a .330 average on the road this year, and is facing rookie Sal Romano, who posts a dismal 10.29 ERA at home. Stack Marlins today. They are a lot cheaper than the Astros or Coors Field.

SS: Trevor Story ($4,700): I am happy to see Ivan Nova pitching well in Pittsburgh, but the Rockies are hitting .388 against him with seven homers and 19 RBI in just 80 at bats. You couldn’t pay me to use Nova, and despite the fact that the Rockies will be heavily stacked, I want exposure here. Story is 2-5 with a walk, a double, and a RBI in his career against Nova, but he has been hot lately, which is why I am using him here.

OF: Charlie Blackmon ($5,800): Blackmon is 4-8 with a walk, two solo homers, and four runs scored against Nova in his career. I definitely want the leadoff hitter of a team that could score a lot of runs today, no matter what he costs.

OF: Giancarlo Stanton ($5,600): Don’t look now, but Stanton has 30 homers already. He has seven of those in the last ten games! He is destroying everything in sight right now, and Romano has been atrocious at home. A Marlin stack would just seem empty without Stanton. He feels like a must play for me today.

OF: Robbie Grossman ($3,200): Grossman is 5-10 with four walks, a double, two homers, three runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Matt Boyd. This is another game that could be high scoring considering Boyd’s struggles all over the place and Adalberto Mejia‘s struggles at home. There are so many good stack options today that this one may be one of the lower played ones. I want at least a little exposure, so I’m going with Grossman’s stellar past history.

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!