MLB DFS Playbook July 1: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Jul 01, 2023
We have a 7-game MLB DFS main slate on tap on Saturday, July 1st, on DraftKings and FanDuel that kicks off at 4:05 pm ET. There are some interesting price tags on the pitcher's position and some big time names such as Nathan Eovaldi, Dylan Cease, and Corbin Burnes. We don't have any Coors Field to deal with, which is great news, the some elite spots for offense such as the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets. Be sure to check out all of our tools including the MLB Lineups page, MLB DFS Projections – powered by FanJections –, MLB DFS Ownership, and all of the rest of our tools HERE! Let's dive into today's playbook, core plays, and top stacks of the day!
MLB DFS Weather Center
Milwaukee Brewers @ Pittsburgh Pirates
There is a possibility a delay will take place in this one considering there are thunderstorms present in the Pittsburg area.
Miami Marlins @ Atlanta Braves
There is a strong possibility that this game is delayed at some point, with the chance at worse if the storms head right over the stadium. There is wind blowing out and it’s a HOT Atlanta summer, so it’s excellent hitting weather.
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies: 6.5 (-130)
Justin Verlander, New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants: 6.5 (-115)
Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins: 6.5 (-110)
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals: 6.5 (+105)
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles vs. Minnesota Twins: 6.5 (+110)
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers
I really like Burnes here and the spot he’s in. The Pirates' offense has been slightly better of late, but they still rank 19th in wOBA and 21st in OPS against right-handed pitching this year. This is the cheapest price Burnes has been since May 17th and he’s a solid -140 favorite to boot. Burnes is one of the best arms of the slate.
Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox
I mean, what are we doing here? Cease at 8K against Oakland feels silly. Cease has had his best three-game stretch of the year striking out 9+ in each game and has been pretty good overall for the last month or so. He’s put up 19+ DKP in five straight outings and now faces the worst offense in the game. He’s going to be the highest-owned pitcher of the slate and it’s likely not even close.
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles
I know we did this song and dance last night with Dean Kremer and he got shelled, but today is a new day. Bradish has been missing bats at a really solid clip posting 7+ in three of four starts and what’s the Twins' specialty? Strikeouts. They have a 27.1% K-rate and which leads the league and the second-highest K-rate is 25.5%, so they have a sizeable lead on the field. Bradish has 20+ DKP in three of four starts and has allowed 3 ER or fewer in six straight starts. He’s shown a very solid floor/ceiling combination lately.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
Atlanta Braves - 4.98
Philadelphia Phillies - 4.76
Chicago White Sox - 4.73
New York Mets - 4.7
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
If they’re going to keep giving us Robert at this mid-4K price tag, we should keep playing him. He’s hit six home runs over his last seven games and he’s hitting .333 with a 1.248 OPS over his last 10 games. He faces lefty Kyle Muller here and he has a .375 ISO and .498 wOBA against southpaws on the year. Righties have a .200 ISO and .408 wOBA against Kyle Muller this year.
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
It was a very good month of June for Yelich as he hit .311 and posted an .894 OPS and .387 wOBA. He’s been good against righties overall posting a .183 ISO and .381 wOBA this season. He faces Johan Oviedo who’s struggled with lefties as he’s allowed a .160 ISO and .329 wOBA this season. Yelich’s price has dipped to a really solid number to target in all formats.
Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies
I really like Bohm when he’s facing left-handed pitchers as he’s hit them hard all year. Bohm has a .268 ISO and .366 wOBA against southpaws this season and gets an inconsistent lefty in MacKenzie Gore today. Gore’s allowed a .172 ISO and a 50% hard-hit to right-handed bats this year. I like the price and the multi-position eligibility for Bohm today.
Andrew Vaughn, Chicago White Sox
If you haven’t realized yet, I really like the White Sox today. Vaughn has been rollin’ hitting .342 with a 1.036 OPS over his last 10 games and has 3 hits in two of his last three games. Vaughn has very solid numbers against southpaws to boot, posting a .197 ISO and .334 wOBA against them. Kyle Muller has allowed 5+ ER in three consecutive starts and has been crushed by right-handed bats.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Dylan Cease  $10,300 |  Trea Turner $3,800 |  Luis Robert $3,900 | ||||
| Medium |  Nathan Eovaldi $9,900 | J.T. Realmuto $3,000 | Andrew Vaughn $3,000 | Luis Arraez $3,100 | Alec Bohm $3,000 |  Francisco Lindor $3,400 | Nick Castellanos $3,600 |
 Corbin Burnes $9,500 | Kyle Schwarber $3,600 | ||||||
 Christian Yelich $3,400 | |||||||
| Brandon Nimmo $3,500 | |||||||
 Eloy Jiménez $3,300 | |||||||
| Low |  Kyle Bradish $7,800 |  Garrett Cooper $2,500 | Jeff McNeil $2,400 | Jake Burger $2,800 |  Cristian Pache $2,300 | ||
| Brett Baty $2,400 |  Bryan De La Cruz $2,900 | ||||||
 Zach Remillard $2,400 |
Stacks
| White Sox | Luis Robert | Andrew Vaughn | Eloy Jiménez | Zach Remillard | Jake Burger |
 DraftKings | 4600 | 3100 | 4000 | 2500 | 3800 |
| Fanduel | 3900 | 3000 | 3300 | 2400 | 2800 |
| Phillies | Nick Castellanos | Trea Turner | Alec Bohm | Kyle Schwarber | J.T. Realmuto |
| DraftKings | 4500 | 5700 | 3600 | 4900 | 5000 |
| Fanduel | 3600 | 3800 | 3000 | 3600 | 3000 |
| Mets | Brett Baty | Francisco Lindor | Brandon Nimmo | Jeff McNeil |
| DraftKings | 2900 | 4700 | 4200 | 3400 |
| Fanduel | 2400 | 3400 | 3500 | 2400 |
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.
Endy Rodriguez (finger) had his splint removed this week.
Rodriguez suffered a lacerated right index finger on April 14th. Now that he is out of his splint, he “is playing catch and doing a slightly modified swing.” Once he can progress to taking full swings, we’ll have a better sense of the timeline for his return.