MLB DFS Playbook July 22: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Jul 22, 2023
Hello and welcome to the MLB DFS Playbook for July 22! We have a small 6-game slate DK and a 7-game slate on FD (including the New York Mets vs. Boston Red Sox game) on our hands today. We have a 7:05 pm ET start time, so you have plenty of time to get those lineups made! Make sure to check out all of our amazing MLB DFS tools as they are always worth going through before building your lineups as are the Vegas Odds. However, as I am sure you have figured out by now, the new playbook will be a one-stop shop that includes everything from easy-to-read player write-ups and suggestions to MLB Weather Reports to lineup construction tips to our best value plays for DraftKings and FanDuel. You will be given core plays around which to build your lineups, DFS stacks to consider for GPP tournaments and key statistics to help you in your DFS research. Let’s dive in!
MLB DFS Playbook July 22
MLB Weather Updates
Chicago White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins (possible rain delay, but clears up later)
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing out:
None.
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing in:
None.
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
Small slates can be tough to build lineups with. You have a limited number of options to choose from and a lot of players are going to see high exposure percentages, so you have to try and differentiate from the field, while at the same time not having many ways to do that. As for this particular slate, Logan Webb and Zack Wheeler are the headliners on the mound and the Atlanta Braves are the only team with an implied run total north of 5.00. Let’s dive into all of it!
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
Best Odds for a Win
Cristian Javier (Houston Astros -197)
Logan Webb (San Francisco Giants -187)
Reid Detmers (Los Angeles Angels -186)
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
It’s been a tough season for Wheeler as all of his peripherals suggest he has pitched much better than his ERA and WHIP show (having to deal with the Phillies crap defense isn’t ideal), but we have to take it for what it’s worth. He’s still been solid in DFS, averaging 18.4 dk ppg, and he has scored at least 20 in 4 of his past 6 starts. I like him in this spot against the Guardians and I expect him to see lesser rostership than Webb.
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
Detmers is a rollercoaster pitcher with great outings and terrible ones, which makes it hard to trust him, but also makes him a great GPP option. He is strong in the strikeout department with 113 Ks across 91.2 innings of work, but has just two wins on the year in 17 starts. He has been a totally different pitcher at home this year though with a 3.63 ERA and a 20 dk ppg, compared to a 5.71 ERA and 10.8 dk ppg on the road.
Winans will make his MLB debut tonight against the Brewers and at this price; there are plenty of reasons to give him a shot. He has been impressive at AAA, posting a 2.81 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across 102.2 innings. He also has a pretty favorable matchup as the Brewers rank last in the NL in OPS with a mark of .687. The Braves are also incredible ad score a ton of runs, so his chances of a win aren’t too shabby.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
5.19 – Atlanta Braves
4.99 – Los Angeles Angels
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Shohei Ohtani, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Angels
Ohtani is just so good. He has scored double-digit DFS points in six straight and is averaging 13.3 dk ppg over his last 10 games. He has four home runs and 20 total R/RBI in that span. He is hitting .305 on the year with 35 home runs, 11 steals, and 149 total R/RBI across 96 games. He faces Osvaldo Bido, who has been getting hammered lately and has a 5.00 ERA on the year.
Mike Moustakas, 1B/3B, Los Angeles Angels
Moose has quietly been very productive for the Angels with 5 home runs and 19 total R/RBI across just 62 at-bats (17 games). He has a .815 OPS against righties this season with eight of his nine home runs, compared to a .651 OPS against lefties. He gets to face a weak righty today and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him homer for a second straight day.
Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros
Tucker went absolutely bananas last night, swatting THREE home runs and finishing with 44 DK points, breaking the slate. This isn’t chasing yesterday’s points though as Tucker has just been really hot lately, hitting .389 over his last 10 games with 20 total R/RBI in that span. He has been WAY better on the road this year with a .337 average and .999 OPS, compared to .264 and .779 at home, respectively. He faces Paul Blackburn, who has 5.48 ERA and 1.59 WHIP on the season.
Michael Conforto, OF, San Francisco Giants
Conforto has been a pretty regular play for me lately as he has been swinging it well, hitting .333 with a home run and two steals over his last 10 games. He has 13 home runs and four steals on the year with 94 total R/RBI across 84 games. He hits third or fourth in the Giants lineup and that will continue to be a productive spot for him. He has been much better on the road, hitting .285 with 9 bombs and a .875 OPS, compared to .199 BA, 4 bombs, and .602 OPS on the road.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Logan Webb  $10,800 |  Matt Olson $4,300 | Ozzie Albies $3,900 | Austin Riley $3,600 |  Francisco Lindor $3,500 |  Shohei Ohtani $4,500 |
 Zack Wheeler $10,300 | Trea Turner $3,100 |  Kyle Tucker $3,800 | ||||
| Medium |  Dylan Cease $9,400 | Bryce Harper $3,300 |  Edouard Julien $3,100 | Alec Bohm $3,000 |  CJ Abrams $2,900 |  Mickey Moniak $3,400 |
 Reid Detmers $9,000 | Michael Conforto $3,000 | |||||
 Eloy Jiménez $3,000 | ||||||
| Low |  Mike Moustakas $2,500 |  Andruw Monasterio $2,400 |  Trey Cabbage $2,000 | Orlando Arcia $2,700 |  Corey Julks $2,800 | |
| Henry Davis $2,900 |
Stacks
| Angels | Trey Cabbage | Mike Moustakas | Mickey Moniak | Shohei Ohtani |
 DraftKings | 2300 | 2800 | 4100 | 6500 |
| Fanduel | 2000 | 2500 | 3400 | 4500 |
| Astros | Corey Julks | José Abreu | Yainer Diaz | Kyle Tucker |
| DraftKings | 3000 | 3800 | 4100 | 6200 |
| Fanduel | 2800 | 2600 | 2700 | 3800 |
| Phillies | Trea Turner | Alec Bohm | Kyle Schwarber | Bryce Harper |
| DraftKings | 5700 | 3700 | 4700 | 5600 |
| Fanduel | 3100 | 3000 | 3500 | 3300 |
| Braves | Sean Murphy | Austin Riley | Matt Olson | Ronald Acuña |
| DraftKings | 6000 | 5800 | 6400 | 6600 |
| Fanduel | 4000 | 3600 | 4300 | 4800 |
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.