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Main DraftKings MLB picks July 18: Freeman isn’t free

By Mike Marteny

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 28: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves hits a home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at SunTrust Park on April 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 28: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves hits a home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at SunTrust Park on April 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – MAY 19: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros bats during the second inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox on May 19, 2019 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB daily notes:

I understand the allure of wanting to use Matt Boyd, but his 16.7 DraftKings point average in two starts against Cleveland has me steering clear. I need more than that for his salary. I’m not really going after him either, but Francisco Lindor has homered twice against Boyd. Jose Ramirez, Jordan Luplow, Carlos Santana, and Naquin have taken him deep as well. My pool will be limited to a couple of three man mini stacks of Ramirez, Lindor, and Luplow though.

If the Yankees game is on the slate, they have hit Charlie Morton hard. Gardner has three homers off of him. Edwin has two. Both Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks have homered off of him, but they are both hitting .143. DJ LeMahieu looks like a better option despite the lack of a homer.

I have no issues with taking a couple of shots at Dakota Hudson. Seven of the nine homers he has allowed are on the road. Just make sure it’s calculated. Scooter Gennett is still a nice cheap option. I’m also interested in Yasiel Puig and Jesse Winker if he leads off. Derek Dietrich is a solid option if he plays.

Julio Teheran’s numbers against Washington aren’t great, but Ryan Zimmerman is a big reason for that. Zimmerman has three homers and nine RBI against Teheran. The rest of the team has one homer and 12 RBI in 126 at bats. Matt Adams has the other homer. I would also consider Trea Turner or Juan Soto if you have some extra spending money.

UPDATE: the Braves are going with AAA starter Kyle Wright tonight. Zimmerman is no longer a top priority. Turner, Juan Soto, and Rendon are.

If you want to attack Mike Fiers, make sure you do it on the road. This could be the place to do it. C.J. Cron has three homers and six RBI against Fiers in 20 at bats. Sano has homered twice against Fiers as well. Nelson Cruz and Ehire Adrianza each have a homer off of Fiers as well. I will have quite a bit of exposure to all of them. Not Jorge Polanco though. Polanco is 0-12 against Fiers so far.

The Astros are hitting .417 in 24 at bats against Matt Harvey and it’s not going to get any better. Springer is the only guy to homer against Harvey so far, but there isn’t one single batter in this lineup that I would avoid. Jose Altuve, Springer, Brantley, and Yuli Gurriel are my favorites though. Go with whatever fits your budget.