Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks - Best Picks & Plays for July 7: Big Bats of Austin Riley & Kris Bryant
We have a great 10-game MLB DFS main slate on our hands for Thursday, July 7th. There are great MLB DFS pitchers such as Gerrit Cole, Dylan Cease, and Tony Gonsolin to consider for daily fantasy baseball lineups. Plus, some great offenses like the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies should be popular MLB DFS stacks tonight. As for our MLB player props on Underdog Fantasy, there are plenty of ways to go with MLB daily picks tonight. Check back with our MLB Weather Center for more details surrounding the latest MLB weather report as MLB daily fantasy lineup lock approaches. To get all the confirmed lineups across baseball, check out the MLB Lineups page as well. To get projections and generate one or multiple daily fantasy baseball lineups, take a look at our MLB daily projections and MLB DFS Lineup Generator. Now let’s dive into the top MLB daily picks and MLB player props for Underdog Fantasy tonight!
MLB Player Props Underdog Fantasy July 7
Austin Riley – OVER 1.5 total bases
We got the best version of Austin Riley a year ago and that hasn’t necessarily been the case this year until recently. Through six games in July, he's slashing .478/.520/1.043 with three home runs as well. Riley draws an extremely juicy matchup against Matthew Liberatore, who's allowed righties to bat .306 with an OPS of 1.010 and a .421 wOBA.
On the year, Riley has crushed left-handed pitching, batting .296 with six home runs and a .436 wOBA. In 81 at-bats, Riley has 16 extra-base hits, which could have him hit this number in his first at-bat tonight. It’s going to be 90-plus degrees and the ball is going to carry well tonight in Atlanta. I love Riley and the rest of the Braves overall.
Kris Bryant – OVER 1.5 total bases
This Rockies/Diamondbacks game is going to be VERY popular in DFS and there are a LOT of run-scoring opportunities here. Kris Bryant has been very good since returning from injury. In the eight games since his return, he’s hitting .313 with a .347 wOBA and hits in six of the eight contests. It’s a small sample, but Bryant is batting .314 against left-handed pitching in 35 at-bats. This is nothing new either as Bryant has always hit left-handed pitching well. For his career, he has a .964 OPS, .263 ISO, and a .404 wOBA versus southpaws.
The southpaw Bryant is facing tonight is an absolute washed version of Dallas Keuchel, who has already been cut once this season and it could happen again after this start. In two starts with Arizona, Keuchel has allowed 10 ER across 9.1 innings while allowing 18 base runners. He has an 8.27 ERA this year, which includes his poor stats with the Chicago White Sox. Right-handed hitters have a .322 AVG, .910 OPS, and a .402 wOBA off of Keuchel.
Jordan Lyles – OVER 17.5 outs
It’s a very scary thought having to face the likes of Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Taylor Ward three times each in a game. However, it hasn’t mattered all that much lately for opposing pitchers when you look at the numbers. Over the last 30 days, the Angels have a 30.1% K-rate, which leads the league, and they’re also 29th in OPS and wOBA as well.
On the mound, we have Jordan Lyles who has gone six or more innings in three straight games and has topped six innings in seven of his last 12 starts. He’s also been quite good at home this season as he’s posted a 2.92 ERA while not allowing ANY home runs, compared to a 6.48 ERA and 12 HR on the road. Camden Yards has turned into one of the best pitchers' parks in the league and I think Lyles has the upside to turn in one of his best performances of the year. DK Sportsbook has over 17.5 outs as a -150 favorite as well.
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Player News
Yordan Alvarez will not come off the injured list for Tuesday’s game against the Royals.
Alvarez started hitting Monday as he continues his recovery from a muscle strain in his right hand, and the Astros figure to activate him as soon as he’s comfortable. Thursday is probably the best bet at the moment.
Logan Henderson will be called up to start Wednesday’s game in Cleveland.
It’ll probably be just a spot start for Henderson, though the Brewers do have the option on keeping him around in Quinn Priester’s spot. First, they’ll see how Priester performs tonight. Henderson allowed one run over six innings and struck out nine in his first big-league start Apr. 20 against the A’s.
Nationals placed INF Luis García Jr. on the paternity list.
García figures to miss the next three days. Amed Rosario will probably get at least a couple of starts in his place against the Braves.
Nationals recalled INF/OF Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester.
Lipscomb was up briefly last month and went 2-for-4. The 25-year-old is being groomed as a utility player by the Nationals; he’s started at least four games at first, second, third and in left field while hitting .283/.362/.380 in Triple-A this season.
Paul Skenes has announced that he will pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic
Skenes has pitched for Team USA in two other tournaments during his career and actually spent two years at the Air Force Academy. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now and will partner with arguably the best hitter in baseball right now, Aaron Judge, to lead Team USA in what figures to be an extremely competitive WBC tournament in 2026.
White Sox LHP prospect Hagen Smith (fatigue) will have his workload managed at Double-A Birmingham.
Hagen Smith’s velocity fluctuated in his last outing, and the White Sox were cautious about him showing some signs of fatigue. They shortened his last outing and will skip his next start to help him manage his workload in his first full professional season. Everything is fine with Smith from a medical perspective, but this is a good reminder that Smith is an immense talent, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a major impact this season as he adjusts to professional baseball.