MLB Grind Down: Sunday, July 3rd

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down will give you an in-depth analysis into the upcoming MLB schedule. This article will break down the numbers for every single game and give you analysis on which trends you can exploit. While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy baseball, there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, weather, and salaries.

The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. No sport has more variance than baseball. The best choice is not always the right choice but following the trends will win you money over time.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Cleveland at Toronto – 1:07 PM ET

Cleveland Toronto
clevelandmlb Corey Kluber torontomlb J.A. Happ
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CLE -125 8.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.304 15 25.2% 6.3% SP vs. Left 0.304 4 22.8% 6.2%
SP vs. Right 0.239 15 28.6% 3.9% SP vs. Right 0.308 25 18.6% 6.9%

Pitcher Grind Down

Corey Kluber
corey-kluber-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,500 Salary: $13,600
FPPG: 39.3 FPPG: 22.6
Pitcher Rating: 79.6 Pitcher Rank: 5
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 100.0 3.23 3.07 25.9% 4.2% 11.2% 45.1% 31.9% 21.6%
2016 16 98.5 3.36 3.50 25.2% 5.3% 11.9% 49.7% 31.6% 26.6%
2015 32 102.3 2.98 3.49 27.7% 5.1% 12.9% 42.4% 35.9% 27.0%

Corey Kluber: This is a tricky one as Kluber has been absolutely fantastic over his past two starts, racking up the strikeouts and pitching deep into games. He faces an offense that we typically do not want to mess with but also has a ton of right-handed bats which is something you look for in a Kluber start. With price considered, I would be a bit surprised to see him hold a high ownership, but I love him for tournaments today.

J.A. Happ
j.a.-happ-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,100 Salary: $7,700
FPPG: 31.4 FPPG: 15.3
Pitcher Rating: 51.1 Pitcher Rank: 21
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 95.7 4.59 4.63 17.9% 7.3% 8.7% 40.5% 37.8% 38.9%
2016 16 93.6 4.70 3.70 16.9% 7.6% 8.7% 43.0% 35.7% 32.4%
2015 31 91.6 3.82 3.61 21.1% 6.3% 8.1% 41.6% 34.1% 31.2%

J.A. Happ: His season appears to be headed in the wrong direction lately, and the runs are starting to pile up quickly. Not only that, but Happ is not a high-strikeout pitcher, and with a hard-hit percentage just under 40% over his last six starts, we can look elsewhere for secondary pitchers today.

Batter Grind Down

Cleveland

Indians: They had their win streak snapped by the Blue Jays yesterday, but it is hard to ignore how hot this Cleveland team has been during the span of a few weeks. This is a case where you can look at the overall numbers, and it does not necessarily represent them in current form. Francisco Lindor and Mike Napoli are two players in play just about anytime a lefty is on the mound, and that is no different today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Carlos Santana SWITCH 0.312 0.103 0.382 1B $4,000 1B $3,900
2 Jason Kipnis LEFT 0.293 0.120 0.355 2B $3,700 2B $3,600
3 Francisco Lindor SWITCH 0.370 0.173 0.402 SS $3,500 SS $3,700
4 Mike Napoli RIGHT 0.379 0.252 0.335 1B $3,300 1B $3,900
5 Jose Ramirez SWITCH 0.281 0.088 0.332 3B $3,400 3B/OF $3,600
6 Juan Uribe RIGHT 0.316 0.184 0.452 3B $2,700 3B $3,200
7 Lonnie Chisenhall LEFT 0.298 0.115 0.460 OF $2,900 OF $3,400
8 Yan Gomes RIGHT 0.280 0.132 0.317 C $2,600 C $2,200
9 Tyler Naquin LEFT 0.445 0.333 0.632 OF $3,800 OF $3,300
Team Averages 0.330 0.167 0.407

Elite Plays – Francisco Lindor

Secondary Plays – Mike Napoli , Carlos Santana , Rajai Davis

Stackability – GPP

Toronto

Blue Jays: Toronto has really climbed up the offensive categories quickly with much of their lineup getting hot in June, but with Kluber on the mound, I have my worries about playing too many of them here today. Stick to the main targets we usually go with outside of a stack in Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion today as they provide the most upside.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ezequiel Carrera LEFT 0.307 0.102 0.323 OF $3,100 OF $2,400
2 Devon Travis RIGHT 0.378 0.211 0.520 2B $2,800 2B $3,000
3 Josh Donaldson RIGHT 0.391 0.265 0.510 3B $3,700 3B $4,100
4 Edwin Encarnacion RIGHT 0.387 0.278 0.495 1B $3,300 1B $3,800
5 Michael Saunders LEFT 0.355 0.206 0.338 OF $2,400 OF $3,100
6 Russell Martin RIGHT 0.308 0.176 0.349 C $2,500 C $2,300
7 Troy Tulowitzki RIGHT 0.324 0.187 0.394 SS $2,300 SS $3,000
8 Kevin Pillar RIGHT 0.308 0.139 0.321 OF $2,400 OF $2,400
9 Darwin Barney RIGHT 0.313 0.117 0.266 SS $2,400 2B/SS $2,000
Team Averages 0.341 0.187 0.391

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Josh Donaldson , Edwin Encarnacion , Devin Travis

Stackability – None

Chicago Cubs at NY Mets – 1:10 PM ET

Chicago Cubs NY Mets
cubsmlb Jon Lester nymetsmlb Noah Syndergaard
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CHC -120 6.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.268 5 28.3% 4.6% SP vs. Left 0.301 12 25.6% 5.6%
SP vs. Right 0.281 22 24.0% 6.1% SP vs. Right 0.247 12 31.6% 3.9%

Pitcher Grind Down

Jon Lester
jon-lester-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,600 Salary: $12,800
FPPG: 41.5 FPPG: 23.3
Pitcher Rating: 85.7 Pitcher Rank: 2
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 104.0 3.04 1.41 26.5% 4.2% 11.4% 55.1% 30.8% 23.0%
2016 16 101.3 3.49 2.03 25.0% 5.8% 10.2% 48.0% 33.6% 27.0%
2015 32 99.5 3.19 3.34 25.0% 5.7% 10.4% 48.9% 29.3% 29.0%

Jon Lester: There are some really good pitching options on the board today, and one of my favorites is Lester. He will be taking on a Mets squad that has really struggled against left-handed pitching on the season, and the production from the Cubs southpaw has been great. The biggest downside to pitching him on a win-dependent site is that the Mets are throwing Syndergaard, who has the ability to shut down this Chicago offense himself, putting that win bonus in jeopardy.

Noah Syndergaard
noah-syndergaard-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,200 Salary: $11,900
FPPG: 40.3 FPPG: 22.6
Pitcher Rating: 91.1 Pitcher Rank: 1
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 100.4 3.02 3.73 27.1% 4.5% 15.7% 50.0% 27.3% 30.8%
2016 15 95.3 2.55 2.49 30.7% 4.0% 15.1% 54.4% 25.3% 27.5%
2015 24 99.2 2.95 3.24 27.5% 5.1% 12.2% 46.5% 33.6% 24.6%

Noah Syndergaard: We have another tough decision here with Syndergaard, as he has looked a bit iffy in his past two starts, surrendering eight runs on fifteen hits in just nine innings. The strikeouts are still solid, but the frequency with which hitters are finding holes in his last two starts has me worried. With that said, he was still creating a high percentage of ground balls, and there is very high upside with strikeouts here, making him a top-tier option. Much like Lester, one of the biggest downsides on sites that value the win will be the fact that both of these offenses will likely struggle today.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago Cubs

Cubs: This Chicago team is going to strike out their fair share but also has the ability to get to just about any pitcher, making them a great fantasy team for tournaments on a routine basis. For today, much like the Blue Jays, I would stick to the core of Bryant and Rizzo as my main targets unless you are stacking them. For the price, there are better options out there, so do not go too crazy.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ben Zobrist SWITCH 0.345 0.168 0.300 2B $2,900 2B $3,300
2 Jason Heyward LEFT 0.335 0.141 0.274 OF $2,400 OF $2,700
3 Kris Bryant RIGHT 0.382 0.232 0.489 3B $4,100 3B/OF $4,900
4 Anthony Rizzo LEFT 0.400 0.271 0.561 1B $3,400 1B $3,900
5 Willson Contreras RIGHT 0.487 0.435 0.449 C $3,000 C/OF $3,200
6 Javier Baez RIGHT 0.281 0.142 0.390 SS $2,600 2B/3B $3,100
7 Addison Russell RIGHT 0.326 0.151 0.356 SS $2,200 SS $2,900
8 David Ross RIGHT 0.244 0.106 0.509 C $2,200 C $2,300
9 Jon Lester LEFT 0.085 0.013 0.126 P $10,600 P $12,800
Team Averages 0.321 0.184 0.384

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Kris Bryant , Anthony Rizzo , Ben Zobrist

Stackability – None

NY Mets

Mets: Well, the Mets have been a huge disappointment on offense as a whole this season, and with Lester on the mound it is not likely they get things going today. I am not really a fan of too much here, but Yoenis Cespedes offers the most upside as the biggest threat from the right side of the plate.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Juan Lagares RIGHT 0.328 0.147 OF $2,200 OF $2,800
2 Neil Walker SWITCH 0.311 0.151 0.227 2B $2,700 2B $2,300
3 Yoenis Cespedes RIGHT 0.363 0.241 0.358 OF $3,300 OF $3,600
4 Asdrubal Cabrera SWITCH 0.325 0.139 0.321 SS $2,400 SS $3,100
5 James Loney LEFT 0.268 0.100 0.406 1B $2,700 1B $2,400
6 Wilmer Flores RIGHT 0.367 0.223 0.279 3B $2,000 3B $2,700
7 Brandon Nimmo LEFT 0.000 0.000 0.220 OF $2,300 OF $2,000
8 Travis D’Arnaud RIGHT 0.438 0.302 0.191 C $2,200 C $3,100
9 Noah Syndergaard RIGHT 0.129 0.000 0.000 P $10,200 P $11,900
Team Averages 0.281 0.145 0.250

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Yoenis Cespedes

Stackability – None

Detroit at Tampa Bay – 1:10 PM ET

Detroit Tampa Bay
detroitmlb Mike Pelfrey tampabaymlb Chris Archer
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
TB -147 8.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.376 12 11.0% 10.3% SP vs. Left 0.290 15 28.0% 8.0%
SP vs. Right 0.333 12 12.0% 3.6% SP vs. Right 0.298 21 28.7% 8.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Mike Pelfrey
mike-pelfrey-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $5,600 Salary: $4,000
FPPG: 16.3 FPPG: 6.0
Pitcher Rating: 28.2 Pitcher Rank: 29
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 107.4 5.17 5.13 8.0% 8.0% 4.7% 58.2% 23.8% 24.4%
2016 15 98.8 5.22 5.02 10.5% 8.2% 7.0% 51.8% 27.0% 30.5%
2015 30 88.8 4.59 4.26 12.0% 6.3% 5.6% 50.8% 26.4% 26.1%

Mike Pelfrey: Pelfrey continues to be a DFS punching bag, and that is not any different here today. You do not want any piece of him in your lineups and will want to have at least some exposure to the opposition as he is not striking out anyone, which leads to likely production for Tampa considering his SIERA north of five.

Chris Archer
chris-archer-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $9,000 Salary: $8,300
FPPG: 31.6 FPPG: 16.6
Pitcher Rating: 84.5 Pitcher Rank: 4
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 109.7 3.61 4.97 27.1% 8.4% 12.9% 45.2% 34.6% 34.0%
2016 17 101.7 3.81 4.76 26.9% 9.9% 11.5% 45.4% 33.6% 35.0%
2015 34 101.4 3.08 3.23 29.0% 7.6% 12.8% 46.1% 33.9% 32.2%

Chris Archer: You might think it is crazy that Archer would be ranked this highly today considering the Tigers offense has been hot lately, but we have a pitcher with tremendous upside at a great price point. The numbers suggest that Archer has been a little unlucky on the year, and on multiple pitcher sites specifically he makes sense where the price is down. Detroit is a team that strikes out at a high rate to right-handed pitching, giving us a buffer if he struggles early in the game, which has been his biggest issue on the season.

Batter Grind Down

Detroit

Tigers: The flip side of this game is that you can make an argument for the Tigers offense in this one as well. They have put up a bunch of runs lately and have the power to give you points in a hurry. With that said, I do not recommend over-extending on exposure here.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ian Kinsler RIGHT 0.335 0.148 0.227 2B $3,700 2B $4,100
2 Cameron Maybin RIGHT 0.307 0.081 0.339 OF $3,200 OF $4,000
3 Miguel Cabrera RIGHT 0.415 0.225 0.412 1B $4,100 1B $4,100
4 Victor Martinez SWITCH 0.302 0.151 0.369 C $3,200 1B $4,000
5 Nick Castellanos RIGHT 0.314 0.167 0.388 3B $3,800 3B $3,600
6 Justin Upton RIGHT 0.334 0.196 0.323 OF $2,200 OF $2,900
7 Steven Moya LEFT 0.372 0.269 0.501 OF $2,900 OF $2,500
8 Jarrod Saltalamacchia SWITCH 0.321 0.216 0.399 C $2,300 C $3,200
9 Jose Iglesias RIGHT 0.289 0.059 0.304 SS $2,600 SS $2,900
Team Averages 0.332 0.168 0.362

Elite Plays – Miguel Cabrera

Secondary Plays -Victor Martinez , Nick Castellanos , Steven Moya

Stackability – None

Tampa Bay

Rays: Tampa is typically an offense we look to get exposure to when they are facing a left-handed pitcher, but there is solid reason to like them here with Pelfrey on the mound for Detroit. Brad Miller continues to be one of my favorite players that nobody notices, and he has been producing at a solid clip lately. If you are looking for some more pop, Corey Dickerson is also in play here as a hitter who crushes right-handed pitching.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Logan Forsythe RIGHT 0.325 0.113 0.335 2B $3,400 2B $4,200
2 Brad Miller LEFT 0.339 0.193 0.421 SS $3,200 SS $4,600
3 Evan Longoria RIGHT 0.320 0.186 0.322 3B $3,600 3B $4,200
4 Logan Morrison LEFT 0.316 0.180 0.271 1B $3,100 1B $3,900
5 Brandon Guyer RIGHT 0.302 0.130 0.815 OF $3,000 OF $3,800
6 Corey Dickerson LEFT 0.350 0.280 0.245 OF $3,400 OF $3,700
7 Steven Souza RIGHT 0.317 0.175 OF $2,700 OF $3,900
8 Oswaldo Arcia LEFT 0.308 0.183 0.484 OF $2,500 OF $4,000
9 Hank Conger SWITCH 0.328 0.195 0.301 C $2,200 C $2,900
Team Averages 0.323 0.182 0.399

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Brad Miller , Evan Longoria , Corey Dickerson , Logan Forsythe

Stackability – GPP

Cincinnati at Washington – 1:35 PM ET

Editor’s Note: Stephen Strasburg is starting in place of Lucas Giolito on Sunday.

Cincinnati Washington
cincinnatimlb John Lamb washingtonmlb Lucas Giolito
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
WAS -150 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.395 4 21.8% 11.8% SP vs. Left 0.174 0 11.1% 11.1%
SP vs. Right 0.345 13 20.5% 8.5% SP vs. Right 0.138 0 0.0% 20.0%

Pitcher Grind Down

John Lamb
john-lamb-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $5,800 Salary: $5,700
FPPG: 20.1 FPPG: 9.6
Pitcher Rating: 41.3 Pitcher Rank: 25
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 98.8 4.60 3.09 18.9% 9.1% 7.8% 45.8% 33.3% 29.4%
2016 11 92.7 5.09 4.60 16.0% 9.8% 7.7% 43.0% 36.3% 33.9%
2015 10 91.2 3.56 5.80 26.4% 8.6% 10.6% 37.7% 40.6% 23.4%

John Lamb: He ended June on a high note, shutting down the Cubs offense and posting a respectable month overall. He is not nearly as bad as initially thought, and while the strikeouts are hit or miss, the potential is certainly there. With that said, this is a Nationals squad that has crushed lefties, and I would want to see a longer track record of success before I put him in my lineups. Outside of a flier team where you are fitting in high-priced bats, Lamb is not someone we want here.

Lucas Giolito
lucas-giolito-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,000 Salary: $7,400
FPPG: 15.0 FPPG: 9.2
Pitcher Rating: 71.5 Pitcher Rank: 10
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 1 45.0 6.75 0.00 7.1% 14.3% 4.4% 54.5% 36.4% 27.3%
2016 1 45.0 6.75 0.00 7.1% 14.3% 4.4% 54.5% 36.4% 27.3%

Stephen Strasburg: Coming off the DL with a back issue, Strasburg will take the mound for Washington today. This is a Cincinnati team that we can attack with pitching, but I have reservations about doing so with a pitcher thought to be injured as recently as last night. I have not seen anything about a pitch count here and believe he is a top option, but just understand there is risk involved.

Batter Grind Down

Cincinnati

Reds: It is basically the same story we see with the Reds every game. Joey Votto , Jay Bruce , and Adam Duvall provide the most fantasy relevance from this squad and will be the only two players you want to target. With Strasburg on the mound, a complete fade is not out of the question.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Zack Cozart RIGHT 0.318 0.183 0.326 SS $3,900 SS $3,500
2 Joey Votto LEFT 0.409 0.232 0.371 1B $3,200 1B $4,300
3 Brandon Phillips RIGHT 0.306 0.112 0.215 2B $3,000 2B $2,900
4 Jay Bruce LEFT 0.338 0.260 0.343 OF $3,900 OF $3,900
5 Adam Duvall RIGHT 0.364 0.349 0.351 OF $3,300 OF $4,500
6 Eugenio Suarez RIGHT 0.301 0.156 0.324 3B $2,800 3B $3,500
7 Billy Hamilton SWITCH 0.258 0.064 0.257 OF $3,100 OF $3,400
8 Tucker Barnhart SWITCH 0.295 0.092 0.361 C $2,700 C $2,600
9 John Lamb LEFT 0.135 0.050 0.000 P $5,800 P $5,700
Team Averages 0.303 0.166 0.283

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Joey Votto , Jay Bruce , Adam Duvall

Stackability – None

Washington

Nationals: Washington owns the highest ISO in the league against left-handed pitching, which should have alarms sounding for you with Lamb on the hill for Cincy. This is a team we want to have exposure to today, and although the pricing will be difficult to stack too many players, a guy like Jayson Werth needs to be a top-tier consideration.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Michael Taylor RIGHT 0.310 0.180 0.383 OF $2,900 OF $4,200
2 Jayson Werth RIGHT 0.400 0.287 0.351 OF $3,400 OF $4,200
3 Bryce Harper LEFT 0.398 0.236 0.386 OF $4,200 OF $4,400
4 Daniel Murphy LEFT 0.311 0.126 0.383 2B $4,000 2B $4,200
5 Wilson Ramos RIGHT 0.282 0.151 0.406 C $3,600 C $4,400
6 Anthony Rendon RIGHT 0.351 0.093 0.325 3B $2,800 3B $3,900
7 Ryan Zimmerman RIGHT 0.378 0.300 0.224 1B $3,000 1B $4,200
8 Danny Espinosa SWITCH 0.336 0.216 0.420 SS $3,400 SS $4,400
9 Lucas Giolito RIGHT 0.000 P $7,000 P $7,400
Team Averages 0.346 0.199 0.320

Elite Plays – Jayson Werth

Secondary Plays – Bryce Harper , Michael Taylor , Wilson Ramos , Ryan Zimmerman

Stackability – Cash / GPP

Kansas City at Philadelphia – 1:35 PM ET

Kansas City Philadelphia
kansascitymlb Yordano Ventura philadelphiamlb Vince Velasquez
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
PHI -120 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.327 15 20.9% 10.2% SP vs. Left 0.289 7 25.8% 9.9%
SP vs. Right 0.299 10 20.0% 7.9% SP vs. Right 0.326 6 28.8% 7.0%

Pitcher Grind Down

Yordano Ventura
yordano-ventura-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,100 Salary: $6,900
FPPG: 24.9 FPPG: 11.4
Pitcher Rating: 61.6 Pitcher Rank: 15
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 89.6 3.68 4.66 20.2% 4.8% 9.6% 52.7% 26.4% 35.2%
2016 15 94.3 5.02 5.00 16.8% 10.4% 7.9% 47.0% 35.1% 30.4%
2015 28 94.7 3.69 4.08 22.5% 8.4% 10.4% 52.2% 27.2% 29.8%

Yordano Ventura: Ventura has been a bit of a mess all season long for the Royals, but there are some signs of life in him more recently that give me hope in this game today. He got roughed up in his first start back from suspension, but looking at the two starts before that we see a guy who shows promise. The most important thing in my mind is the walks were limited and this is a Phillies team I have no problems attacking specifically on multiple pitcher sites today.

Vince Velasquez
vincent-velasquez-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,500 Salary: $8,900
FPPG: 33.6 FPPG: 18.4
Pitcher Rating: 85.5 Pitcher Rank: 3
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 3 60.0 3.00 1.86 32.5% 7.5% 12.8% 37.5% 37.5% 33.3%
2016 13 85.5 3.43 3.38 29.0% 8.0% 11.7% 35.7% 42.1% 27.8%
2015 7 139.4 3.74 4.37 25.1% 9.1% 10.5% 31.3% 46.7% 27.3%

Vincent Velasquez: We saw a flash of that early season Velasquez in his first start back from the DL against the Diamondbacks, and the pricing seems almost too good to pass up completely on Velasquez today. With a higher strikeout rate, he can afford to give up a run or two against this pesky Royals squad, and as secondary pitchers go, Velasquez is one of my favorites on the day. With a weak offense behind him, there is more risk in a win-dependent site, but overall he makes for a fantastic play today.

Batter Grind Down

Kansas City

Royals: This Kansas City team is not all that impressive offensively, and with a couple of injuries to key components, it poses even less of a threat here. Kendrys Morales is the lone bat that I trust at this point as he is on fire at the plate. Even the often consistent Eric Hosmer has looked lost recently, making them a team you can avoid for the most part.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Alex Gordon LEFT 0.332 0.164 0.272 OF $2,800 OF $2,900
2 Whit Merrifield RIGHT 0.312 0.120 0.285 2B $3,200 2B/OF $3,300
3 Kendrys Morales SWITCH 0.352 0.212 0.598 1B $3,900 1B $4,800
4 Eric Hosmer LEFT 0.380 0.183 0.305 1B $3,800 1B $3,800
5 Salvador Perez RIGHT 0.342 0.203 0.321 C $3,500 C $3,100
6 Cheslor Cuthbert RIGHT 0.305 0.138 0.339 3B $2,300 3B $3,200
7 Alcides Escobar RIGHT 0.267 0.060 0.357 SS $2,900 SS $3,300
8 Jarrod Dyson LEFT 0.301 0.113 0.427 OF $2,200 OF $3,100
9 Yordano Ventura RIGHT 0.000 0.000 P $8,100 P $6,900
Team Averages 0.288 0.133 0.363

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Kendrys Morales , Eric Hosmer

Stackability – None

Philadelphia

Phillies: The Phillies are just not a good team overall but have a couple pieces that you can attack with if you are feeling frisky. Maikel Franco has been one of their better hitters over the past year or so now and does provide some power potential in the heart of the order. Outside of that, we are hoping one of the top two guys get on base and steal, which is less of a threat here with Perez likely behind the plate.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Odubel Herrera LEFT 0.355 0.140 0.323 OF $4,000 OF $4,800
2 Peter Bourjos RIGHT 0.277 0.143 0.519 OF $2,500 OF $3,300
3 Cody Asche LEFT 0.310 0.169 0.345 OF $2,700 OF $2,900
4 Maikel Franco RIGHT 0.340 0.200 0.310 3B $3,300 3B $4,000
5 Tommy Joseph RIGHT 0.237 0.216 0.193 1B $2,900 1B $3,200
6 Cameron Rupp RIGHT 0.291 0.148 0.433 C $3,200 C $3,300
7 Freddy Galvis SWITCH 0.293 0.126 0.285 SS $2,400 SS $3,400
8 Cesar Hernandez SWITCH 0.300 0.089 0.380 2B $2,300 2B $3,200
9 Vince Velasquez RIGHT 0.238 0.000 0.622 P $8,500 P $8,900
Team Averages 0.293 0.137 0.379

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Maikel Franco , Odubel Herrera

Stackability – None


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About the Author

louiescards
Andrew Cook (louiescards)

Andrew “LouiesCards” Cook is a DFS veteran who has been playing since 2009. You will see him grinding MLB, NBA, and NFL with a main focus on DraftKings. Over the years he has held several roles at RotoGrinders helping write articles and features, both in-front and behind-the-scenes. Andrew was able to throw the first pitch out at a St. Louis Cardinals game, courtesy of DraftKings. You can follow Andrew on twitter @louiescards