We have 9 games to consider with tonight’s DFS MLB slate. The Rockies continue their Coors homestand and face a Rangers team that have been struggling a bit on offense. Let’s face it, I think they’re going to be okay the next couple days in Coors.
Thankfully, weather should not be a problem tonight, so there shouldn’t be any outside factors when constructing your lineup (outside of Coors).
Even with the shorter slate, we have a couple premium pitching options in Jose Fernandez and Johnny Cueto, although both aren’t exactly pitching at their best right now. Their recent hiccups have brought down their price on FanDuel, but they are still both very pricey on DraftKings.
As always, players in my Hitting Coach tables are organized from highest to lowest salary using FanDuel pricing. On top of that, I am going by FanDuel position eligibility (e.g. Trea Turner would be a shortstop rather than a second baseman/outfielder).
| CATCHER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jonathan Lucroy | TEX | R | COL | Tyler Anderson | 352 | 105 | 16 | 52 | 54 | 34 | 5 | .298 | .858 | .202 | .332 | .363 | 23.3% | 35.7% | 89.2% | $4,300 | $4,600 | $4,700 |
| Victor Martinez | DET | S | SEA | Hisashi Iwakuma | 380 | 114 | 19 | 44 | 64 | 33 | 0 | .300 | .849 | .192 | .315 | .358 | 24.6% | 40.2% | 91.7% | $3,200 | $4,000 | $4,800 |
| Yadier Molina | STL | R | CIN | Cody Reed | 352 | 96 | 3 | 38 | 31 | 32 | 3 | .273 | .713 | .102 | .301 | .313 | 20.9% | 32.1% | 90.5% | $2,900 | $3,100 | $4,450 |
| J.T. Realmuto | MIA | R | SF | Johnny Cueto | 353 | 111 | 5 | 42 | 31 | 19 | 10 | .314 | .770 | .105 | .368 | .334 | 19.8% | 30.0% | 90.6% | $2,200 | $3,700 | $5,000 |
Jonathan Lucroy is getting spoiled. He is getting opportunities at all of these hitter friendly parks after his trade to the Rangers. First Baltimore, than Houston, and now Coors. On top of that, he’s going to be in a very hitter-friendly park in Arlington.
Victor Martinez has batted .400/.471/.867 with two homers and six RBIs against Hisashi Iwakuma throughout his career.
Yadier Molina is practically a lock to get on base nowadays. He and the rest of the Cardinals face Cody Reed of the Reds, who has given up a HR/9 of 2.43 this season. That’s very, very bad.
J.T. Realmuto gets the price slash thanks to a meeting with Johnny Cueto. He is hating way too well against righties this season to ignore when he’s only $2200 on FanDuel. Don’t do it on DraftKings though.
| FIRST BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Miguel Cabrera | DET | R | SEA | Hisashi Iwakuma | 380 | 114 | 19 | 44 | 64 | 33 | 0 | .300 | .849 | .192 | .315 | .358 | 24.6% | 40.2% | 91.7% | $3,900 | $5,400 | $5,000 |
| Mark Reynolds | COL | R | TEX | Cole Hamels | 346 | 97 | 12 | 54 | 47 | 37 | 0 | .280 | .799 | .168 | .360 | .345 | 26.2% | 30.8% | 81.4% | $3,600 | $3,300 | $4,600 |
| Freddie Freeman | ATL | L | MIL | Kyle Davies | 414 | 116 | 19 | 57 | 46 | 49 | 4 | .280 | .875 | .229 | .358 | .365 | 29.4% | 40.0% | 77.5% | $3,200 | $4,900 | $4,850 |
| Joe Mauer | MIN | L | HOU | Collin McHugh | 414 | 116 | 19 | 57 | 46 | 49 | 4 | .280 | .875 | .229 | .358 | .365 | 29.4% | 40.0% | 77.5% | $3,200 | $5,200 | $4,300 |
Miguel Cabrera went 0-for-4 yesterday against the Mets to snap an incredible run that has really mirrored his MVP days. He’ll be looking forward to start up a new run tonight against Hisashi Iwakuma, who he has gone 4-for-10 (.400 AVG) against with a couple home runs.
Mark Reynolds, for whatever reason, is only $3300 on DraftKings. He has not hit for a good average against Hamels throughout Cole’s time in the NL, but he does have two homers in 19 at-bats.
Freddie Freeman has been anything but consistent over the last week, but he’s only $3200 on FanDuel, and matches up very well against Kyle Davies.
Joe Mauer, prior to his 0-for-3 performance on Sunday, had five straight multi-hit games where he went 14-for-22 (.634 AVG) with a homer, triple, six doubles, four walks, eight runs, and eight RBIs.
| SECOND BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jose Altuve | HOU | R | MIN | Tyler Duffey | 431 | 153 | 19 | 80 | 66 | 48 | 25 | .355 | .991 | .213 | .363 | .415 | 26.2% | 35.0% | 90.9% | $4,000 | $5,600 | $5,600 |
| Ian Kinsler | DET | R | SEA | Hisashi Iwakuma | 445 | 130 | 21 | 88 | 61 | 28 | 12 | .292 | .836 | .200 | .321 | .357 | 24.9% | 34.6% | 91.8% | $3,800 | $4,200 | $4,850 |
| Jonathan Schoop | BAL | R | OAK | Kendall Graveman | 414 | 118 | 17 | 59 | 59 | 13 | 1 | .285 | .798 | .198 | .327 | .339 | 19.6% | 27.9% | 83.1% | $2,900 | $3,400 | $4,650 |
| Devon Travis | TOR | R | TB | Jake Odorizzi | 221 | 65 | 10 | 35 | 31 | 14 | 3 | .294 | .828 | .199 | .337 | .353 | 17.4% | 29.5% | 91.8% | $2,700 | $4,000 | $4,750 |
Jose Altuve matches up as well as anyone can possibly matchup against Tyler Duffey. There’s a limited amount of trials, but he is 2-for-3 with two doubles against Tyler Duffey in their only other meeting.
Ian Kinsler has multi-hit games in five of his last six, and is 12-for-32 (.375 AVG) with three homers, lifetime, against Hisashi Iwakuma.
Jonathan Schoop has gone 3-for-4 (.750 AVG) in a couple games played against Kendall Graveman of the A’s.
Devon Travis is a great value and even more so considering he’s getting more opportunities in the leadoff spot. Over his last four games, he has been a solid 8-for-17 (.471 AVG) with three homers, four runs, and five RBIs.
| THIRD BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Nolan Arenado | COL | R | TEX | Cole Hamels | 421 | 117 | 27 | 78 | 82 | 45 | 2 | .278 | .895 | .268 | .271 | .373 | 16.2% | 36.9% | 91.6% | $4,200 | $4,700 | $6,000 |
| Adrian Beltre | TEX | R | COL | Tyler Anderson | 400 | 109 | 16 | 55 | 65 | 28 | 0 | .273 | .771 | .173 | .273 | .329 | 17.1% | 32.8% | 87.9% | $3,800 | $4,000 | $5,000 |
| Evan Longoria | TB | R | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 423 | 119 | 24 | 54 | 60 | 32 | 0 | .281 | .858 | .246 | .317 | .357 | 22.8% | 38.9% | 81.6% | $3,500 | $3,800 | $5,300 |
| Ryon Healy | OAK | R | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 72 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 0 | .250 | .715 | .194 | .283 | .303 | 19.6% | 29.8% | 89.7% | $2,500 | $2,300 | $3,600 |
Nolan Arenado, like clockwork, went 0-for-Everything when we played him in the Optimals on Saturday, and went Double Dong yesterday. It’s all good. Cole Hamels or not, Arenado is still at his best at Coors, and his price tag is a little cheaper than what it usually is.
Adrian Beltre loves facing southpaws, and he gets to face one in Tyler Anderson at Coors tonight. At only $4000 on DraftKings, you can expect him to be pretty chalky.
Evan Longoria has homered in back-to-back games and he has been “en fuego” against the knuckleball throughout his career. Love his value on DraftKings. Another option at this price point is Manny Machado, who hit a “few” home runs yesterday.
Ryon Healy has done a great job this season against the fastball. Pretty typical for a young kid like Healy, but the good news for him is that he’s certainly going to see plenty of fastballs against the fireballer, Kevin Gausman. By the way, there’s a ton of options at third base tonight, because Pedro Alvarez, across the diamond, is also an incredibly good option.
| SHORTSTOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jonathan Villar | MIL | S | ATL | Rob Whalen | 396 | 121 | 8 | 58 | 40 | 55 | 41 | .306 | .836 | .141 | .411 | .363 | 22.3% | 35.0% | 85.0% | $4,400 | $5,100 | $5,000 |
| Zack Cozart | CIN | R | STL | Michael Wacha | 376 | 100 | 15 | 56 | 41 | 27 | 3 | .266 | .773 | .191 | .282 | .327 | 21.6% | 32.0% | 91.6% | $3,200 | $3,400 | $4,900 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | TOR | R | TB | Jake Odorizzi | 307 | 75 | 18 | 36 | 53 | 27 | 1 | .244 | .768 | .212 | .259 | .327 | 15.1% | 36.1% | 84.6% | $3,000 | $3,700 | $5,200 |
| Orlando Arcia | MIL | R | ATL | Rob Whalen | 16 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .188 | .465 | .000 | .231 | .223 | 25.0% | 38.5% | 83.3% | $2,100 | $3,500 | $3,600 |
Jonathan Villar, no secret, is one of my favorite players to roster in DFS. He racks up points like it’s nobody’s business. Over his last five games, he’s 11-for-20 (.550 AVG) with a homer, four doubles, six walks, four stolen bases, and seven runs scored.
Zack Cozart is a sensational 10-for-20 (.500 AVG) with a triple, two doubles, three runs, and just one strikeout throughout his career against Michael Wacha.
Troy Tulowitzki is rarely everyone’s favorite play, but he’s been consistent in recent weeks, and is only $3000 on FanDuel.
Orlando Arcia, sadly, is shortstop eligible, just like Jonathan Villar, which roughs up the Brewers stack. He is of the Villar mold though and he’s at half of JV’s price.
| OUTFIELD | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Ian Desmond | TEX | R | COL | Tyler Anderson | 433 | 127 | 20 | 75 | 65 | 32 | 17 | .293 | .844 | .206 | .361 | .358 | 20.4% | 32.9% | 82.5% | $4,200 | $4,800 | $5,400 |
| Ryan Braun | MIL | R | ATL | Rob Whalen | 339 | 110 | 18 | 55 | 56 | 34 | 13 | .324 | .935 | .221 | .350 | .393 | 20.6% | 33.8% | 90.5% | $4,200 | $5,500 | $5,100 |
| George Springer | HOU | R | MIN | Tyler Duffey | 438 | 111 | 22 | 76 | 60 | 58 | 7 | .253 | .807 | .203 | .296 | .348 | 17.6% | 32.8% | 81.4% | $4,000 | $4,200 | $5,450 |
| Stephen Piscotty | STL | R | CIN | Cody Reed | 396 | 111 | 15 | 61 | 60 | 36 | 4 | .280 | .816 | .187 | .320 | .352 | 18.2% | 33.0% | 85.8% | $3,500 | $4,400 | $4,800 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | MIA | R | SF | Johnny Cueto | 359 | 87 | 23 | 50 | 63 | 43 | 0 | .242 | .819 | .248 | .303 | .347 | 17.1% | 41.5% | 81.1% | $3,400 | $3,800 | $6,000 |
| Miguel Sano | MIN | R | HOU | Collin McHugh | 293 | 72 | 16 | 40 | 43 | 42 | 1 | .246 | .798 | .212 | .348 | .343 | 23.2% | 41.8% | 78.5% | $3,300 | $3,900 | $4,700 |
| Michael Saunders | TOR | L | TB | Jake Odorizzi | 363 | 100 | 19 | 57 | 47 | 44 | 1 | .275 | .880 | .245 | .352 | .373 | 24.2% | 39.4% | 85.4% | $3,300 | $3,400 | $4,900 |
| Matt Holliday | STL | R | CIN | Cody Reed | 361 | 87 | 18 | 43 | 59 | 33 | 0 | .241 | .765 | .208 | .250 | .328 | 13.3% | 38.8% | 89.1% | $3,300 | $3,800 | $4,650 |
| Jurickson Profar | TEX | R | COL | Tyler Anderson | 180 | 51 | 5 | 28 | 15 | 15 | 0 | .283 | .753 | .128 | .333 | .329 | 21.7% | 22.9% | 92.3% | $3,300 | $4,000 | $4,500 |
| Coco Crisp | OAK | S | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 332 | 80 | 10 | 44 | 45 | 34 | 6 | .241 | .731 | .181 | .256 | .313 | 22.9% | 26.0% | 89.6% | $3,000 | $4,100 | $4,350 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | TB | L | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 188 | 39 | 6 | 28 | 21 | 27 | 10 | .207 | .690 | .170 | .231 | .302 | 18.2% | 33.6% | 83.6% | $2,900 | $3,800 | $4,250 |
| Steven Souza Jr. | TB | R | TOR | R.A. Dickey | 308 | 76 | 11 | 38 | 36 | 21 | 5 | .247 | .705 | .159 | .355 | .305 | 24.5% | 31.6% | 73.9% | $2,700 | $3,700 | $4,450 |
| Nick Markakis | ATL | L | MIL | Kyle Davies | 409 | 110 | 6 | 43 | 57 | 49 | 0 | .269 | .724 | .110 | .305 | .316 | 22.5% | 33.4% | 90.9% | $2,600 | $4,300 | $4,650 |
| Scott Schebler | CIN | L | STL | Michael Wacha | 82 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 1 | .207 | .639 | .171 | .268 | .271 | 10.3% | 37.9% | 79.2% | $2,100 | $2,500 | $3,900 |
Ian Desmond has been the Rangers’ best hitter against southpaws this season. Tyler Anderson has been outstanding against lefties, but has been his most vulnerable against right-handed hitting.
Ryan Braun has been absolutely amazing lately. He is locked at the plate and is showing a ton of plate discipline to boot. Rob Whalen is a bit of a wild card for the Braves, but his repertoire is nothing that should give Braun any trouble.
George Springer is a decent value tonight on DraftKings where he’s only $4200. He has been a decent hitter against the knucklecurve this season and faces Tyler Duffey, who throws it nearly 40 percent of the time. I’d probably lean towards using him in GPPs though.
Stephen Piscotty has been sensational against lefties this season, and it doesn’t get much worse than Cody Reed this season. He was able to homer off of Reed last season, and is reasonably priced tonight throughout the industry.
Giancarlo Stanton, to put it lightly, came out of his shell in his trip to Coors Field. He is seemingly more boom or bust than usual since the All-Star break, but his version of BOOM, is a cannon. It definitely helps that he is 5-for-13 (.385 AVG) with two homers, a triple, and four RBIs against Johnny Cueto in their previous meetings.
Miguel Sano went 6-for-13 (.462 AVG) with three homers, four runs, and five RBIs this past weekend against the Rays. It’s obviously a good thing that he matches up very well against Collin McHugh of the Astros.
Michael Saunders matches up quite well against Jake Odorizzi, and should be a better option than Joey Bats, who is 1-for-19 (.053 AVG) against him throughout his career. Saunders homered off of Odorizzi in one of their meetings earlier this season.
Matt Holliday went 2-for-2 against Cody Reed last week and gets another chance at the awful lefty tonight at home.
Jurickson Profar is oddly priced at just $3300 tonight on FanDuel. He is a great option to get exposure to Coors at a very reasonable price.
Coco Crisp is 3-for-5 (.600 AVG) in limited meetings against Kevin Gausman. He’s more so an option on FanDuel tonight at just $3000.
Kevin Kiermaier isn’t moving from the #2 spot, and has been a very good hitter against the knuckleball this season. Great value at under $3000 on FanDuel.
Steven Souza Jr. has gone 11-for-33 (.333 AVG) with a homer, three doubles, six runs, and four RBIs over this last nine games. He has always been a plus player against the knuckleball, which includes a home run against R.A. Dickey in one of their previous meetings.
Nick Markakis is a great value and is very good at putting the ball in play. Over his last two games, he has gone 5-for-8 (.625 AVG) at the plate. Wouldn’t play him on DraftKings, but he’s in play on FanDuel.
Scott Schebler will continue to get reps thanks to the trade of Jay Bruce. Don’t let his terrible series against the Pirates scare you, his price is already so cheap, he’s worth taking a flier on if you need a punt play.
Be sure to keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page to confirm that your players are starting.
If you guys have any questions, you can always reach me on Twitter @kle18. Good luck!