DraftKings Early MLB Picks July 4: Is Nola worth the price?

OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 06: Flags representing the Oakland Athletics in the parking lot blow in the wind prior to the start of the game between the Texas Rangers and Athletics on Opening Day at O.co Coliseum on April 6, 2015 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks July 4: Is Nola worth the price?

Happy Independence Day out there! Make sure you are safe in your celebrations, and be courteous to your neighbors. We have a pretty even split today. There are seven games in both the early and main tournaments, with the Nats and Red Sox starting earlier than everyone else. That is available in all day and showdown modes. We have some good pitchers during the day, but the middle tier is very thin. Should we buy two aces or chance it with a bargain pitcher? Let’s check it out!

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There are slight shower chances in Philly and New York again, but even if they do show up, it isn’t anything that’s going to cancel a game. They should move on rather quickly.

There is a stiff 14 mph wind blowing out to right on Oakland, but that’s normal.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. We have plenty of writers on here who give you relevant information no matter which site you play on!

For you first time players, if you would like $20 in free DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

BOSTON, MA – MAY 14: Sean Manaea #55 of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park on May 14, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Aaron Nola ($13,100): Nola has been good everywhere this year, but he has been especially dominant at home. Nola has a 1.77 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in eight home starts. Oh, and he hasn’t lost there either. The Orioles are loaded with free swinging righties. Nola’s price is this high for a reason, and with as weak as most of the pitching is today, it makes sense to pay for a certified ace.

Sean Manaea ($12,100): Manaea gets that massive inflation for pithing against the Padres. I get it. However, I don’t like it in his situation. Most of San Diego’s power is from the right side. Manaea will rack up enough strikeouts to mitigate most of the damage, but if San Diego gets hot with those power bats, this could be ugly. There is more risk than I would like when shelling out a fifth of my budget for a pitcher.

Jose Berrios ($11,800): I never thought that I would consider this price a bargain, but it could be. Berrios has not been very good on the road, but this game was a low scoring affair yesterday. It could be here again today as well. The strikeout potential on Berrios is just as high as Nola, and the park is a little less of a hitter’s paradise. Still, there is risk involved with all of that left handed power for the Brewers.

Middle Tier:

Garrett Richards ($8,000): Richards did pick up 17.1 DraftKings points on the Mariners earlier this year, but this is his first start off of the DL. Richards did not look good in his rehab start, and there is still a chance that the Angels turn to Jaime Barria instead. I think this is too much risk, however, due to the lack of viable options in this tier, Richards at least deserves consideration. His numbers on the season earn him that.

Bargain Pitchers:

Yefry Ramirez ($5,200): Ramirez has only pitched 9.1 innings in two appearances this year, but they were against Boston and Seattle. He gave up three runs in those appearances, so there is some potential here, even against a solid Phillies lineup. Against Seattle, Ramirez needed just 52 pitches to get through five innings. He has been a starter at AAA Norfolk, so he shouldn’t face any limits here. The bottom tier is pretty barren today as well, so we are going to have to gamble somewhere. Ramirez and his 2.89 ERA and 0..96 WHIP against good opponents is not a terrible spot.

Eric Lauer ($5,000): I understand that Oakland is a solid hitting team, but there is no reason for Lauer to be the lowest priced pitcher on the slate. He put up 24.5 DraftKings points against Oakland earlier this season. Lauer doesn’t strike out a lot of batters, but he has allowed no more than three earned runs in a game since May 28th. He is solid enough to roll out there, especially with a weak middle tier. NOTE: There are rumblings that Luis Perdomo ($4,000) is starting over Lauer. If so, I’m not a fan, but he did pitch well in his only road start, and is just $4,000.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: Didi Gregorius #18 of the New York Yankees celebrates with teammate Giancarlo Stanton #27 after Gregorius drove them both home with a home run in the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 16, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

New York Yankees vs. Julio Teheran:

The Yankees are only hitting .198 against Teheran, but they have four homers and 10 runs in 81 at bats, so there is upside here. Stanton has three of those homers. Didi Gregorius has the other. Judge, Torres, and Andujar have never faced Teheran before. Teheran has been mostly average this year. Average at Yankee Stadium is a very bad thing for a pitcher.

Minnesota Twins vs. Chase Anderson:

There is risk involved here since sometimes the Twins just fall flat on their faces. However, Anderson has struggled to a 5.29 ERA in nine home starts this year. Brian Dozier, Rosario, and Eduardo Escobar are all worth a look. Robbie Grossman, Max Kepler, and Joe Mauer are all worth a look on the cheap.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Mike Leake:

The Angels are hitting .305 with three homers and 13 RBI off of Leake in 128 at bats. That’s not horrible for Leake, but with the amount of balls put in play by a hot team, this could get ugly for Leake and the Mariners. Trout, Upton, and Andrelton Simmons have all homered off of Leake so far. Luis Valbuena is 10-26, but only has one RBI to show for it. Pujols and Kole Calhoun are available on the cheap, and both are solid options.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 09: Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates hitting a solo home run in the second inning with Odubel Herrera #37 during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I find it hard to stack against Sabathia with the way he is pitching right now, but this Atlanta lineup is too good not to get a few runs off of him. Markakis is 21-71(.296) with a homer and nine RBI against CC. Kurt Suzuki has really pounded Sabathia. Suzuki is 11-39(.282) with four homers and ten RBI. Acuna and Albies could be worth a look as well. Swanson is decent if you need to go cheap.

Ramirez isn’t going to pitch a shutout. I still like Odubel Herrera and Rhys Hoskins here. Nick Williams as a punt play makes sense as well.

Paying top dollar for hitters against Berrios usually isn’t a good idea, but Eric Thames has been as hot as anyone over the last two weeks. Brad Miller could be worth a look as well for the power potential, and he is very cheap.

Regardless of whether its Richards or Barria toeing the rubber in Seattle, I want Nelson Cruz in there. If it is the lefty Barria, Haniger, Segura, and even Mike Zunino are worth a look. If it’s Richards, sign me up for Kyle Seager with Cruz.

Francisco Liriano has been decent at Wrigley Field in his career and decent against the current Cubs. However, Javier Baez is definitely worth a look. I also like Almora and Addison Russell as cheaper plays with the platoon advantage.

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Middle Tier:

I have no idea who is opening for the Rays today, nor do I care. I want Justin Bour out there. I don’t want to be heavily invested in Marlins, but Dietrich and Brian Anderson are decent options as well.

Okay, so the Padres right handed power is not longer so cheap. Not with Wil Myers back. Villanueva and Hunter Renfroe are still reasonably priced for what they are capable of. I also like Margot if he leads off.

The Rays hitters have been awful on the road. About the only ones I’m interested in are Matt Duffy and Wilson Ramos, but there is a good chance that Ramos doesn’t play in the day game after a night game.

Bargain Shoppers:

Jose Quintana has been terrible at Wrigley (6.00 ERA) and the Tigers have a lot of cheap right handed bats. Mikie Mahtook and JaCoby Jones have both homered off of Quintana. So has Castellanos if you have some extra money. Jose Iglesias is another good, cheap option.

I really like Chad Pinder as a cheap option against Eric Lauer. If you are looking to spend more, Piscotty and Khris Davis are worth a look as well. If Perdomo starts, Oakland is worth a stack here. He has a 8.36 ERA in four starts this year, lasting just 14 innings.

Next: DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdowns

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