Friday is finally here! We have a full 15 game slate to work with on the first Friday of August. At this point of the summer, there is always a threat of a pop up storm, so be sure to keep an eye on the weather, especially in Denver. Let’s look at a lineup for FanDuel.
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Pitcher
Justin Verlander (DET): $9,900 vs. NYM
Verlander is on some kind of roll right now and he will look to keep it up tonight in a good matchup against the Mets. In six July starts, Verlander went 4-0 with a pristine 1.69 ERA to go with a 48:12 K:BB ratio. The Mets rank 17th in wRC+ against right-handed pitching, while striking out at a 22.3% clip. The issue here will be getting a win, which is evidenced by Verlander being just a -115 favorite. The reason is obviously due to the Mets rolling out Noah Syndergaard, who will certainly test this Detroit offense. If Verlander can get a run or two of support, I like his chances of getting the win tonight.
Other Notables
- Noah Syndergaard (NYM): $10,200 @ DET (GPP)
- Jon Lester (CHC): $10,100 @ OAK (cash viable; elite GPP)
- Michael Pineda (NYY): $8,600 vs. CLE (GPP)
- Jaime Garcia (STL): $7,800 vs. ATL
- Jameson Taillon (PIT): $7,400 vs. CIN (pitch count risk)
Catcher
Welington Castillo (ARI): $2,700 vs. MIL
Castillo will benefit from Chase Anderson’s wide splits against right-handed hitters (.365 wOBA/1.46 HR/9 since 2014) in an elite environment for hitters. Castillo should slot into the fifth spot of the batting order, which will likely provide him plenty of chances to drive in runs.
Other Notables
- Willson Contreras (CHC): $3,100 @ OAK (GPP)
- Evan Gattis (HOU): $3,000 vs. TEX (GPP)
- Brian McCann (NYY): $2,800 vs. CLE
First Base
Tommy Joseph (PHI): $2,400 @ SD
Christian Friedrich has allowed a .366 wOBA to right-handed hitters in his last 101 innings pitched to them, which makes Joseph a fine punt play tonight. It’s a small sample (61 PA), but Joseph has good numbers against lefties in his young career (.405 wOBA/.273 ISO). The park certainly won’t do him any favors, but the salary relief provided is meaningful tonight.
Other Notables
- Paul Goldschmidt (ARI): $4,200 vs. MIL
- Chris Davis (BAL): $3,900 @ CWS (cold)
- Matt Adams (STL): $3,400 vs. ATL (GPP)
- Jose Abreu (CWS): $2,900 vs. BAL
- Mark Teixeira (NYY): $2,500 vs. CLE (GPP)
Second Base
Ryan Schimpf (SD): $2,900 vs. PHI
Schimpf will likely hit second in the order tonight, and while it’s a less than ideal offense to be a part of, he’s still a viable target tonight. Jeremy Hellickson is a mediocre pitcher at best, and he’s struggled with left-handed hitters this season (.345 wOBA). Schimpf has posted a .388 wOBA and .346 ISO against right-handed hitters in 127 PA this season, making him a strong option tonight.
Other Notables
- Jose Altuve (HOU): $4,200 vs. TEX
- Daniel Murphy (WAS): $3,900 vs. SF (GPP)
- Jason Kipnis (CLE): $3,700 @ NYY (GPP)
- Jean Segura (ARI): $3,600 vs. MIL
- Devon Travis (TOR): $2,700 @ KC
Third Base
Jake Lamb (ARI): $2,800 vs. MIL
Chase Anderson has been far worse against right-handed hitters the past couple of seasons, but he’s not exactly been lights out against lefties either (.307 wOBA; 1.06 HR/9). Lamb has struggled over the last 10 games, but a lot of those issues seem to be fading away, which leaves him very underpriced in my book. He’s collected six hits over his last six games (23 at-bats), including home runs in each of his last two games.
Other Notables
- Nolan Arenado (COL): $4,400 vs. MIA
- Kris Bryant (CHC): $4,200 @ OAK (GPP)
- Manny Machado (BAL): $3,800 @ CWS
- Pedro Alvarez (BAL): $3,400 @ CWS (GPP)
Shortstop
Adam Frazier (PIT): $2,700 vs. ATL OR Javier Baez (CHC): $2,700 @ OAK
I would let lineup positioning determine your usage here, and with their salaries being equal, you can easily swap between Frazier and Baez tonight. If Frazier is leading off, he would be my first choice, as the Pirates have an implied team total pushing five runs at home against a weak pitcher in Anthony DeSclafani. On the flip side, Baez has been all over the lineup for the Cubs, but if he can land in the fourth or fifth spot, I’d lean his way as he should be afforded a potential extra at-bat on the road.
Other Notables
- Carlos Correa (HOU): $4,000 vs. TEX
- Francisco Lindor (CLE): $3,500 @ NYY
- Trevor Story (COL): $3,000 @ NYM (GPP)
- Alcides Escobar (KC): $2,300 vs. TOR
Outfielders
Giancarlo Stanton (MIA): $4,800 @ COL
Stanton has an elite matchup tonight against Jorge De La Rosa, who has allowed a .341 wOBA and 1.19 HR/9 to right-handed hitters since 2014. Stanton gets the best hitting environment in all of baseball and he’s seemingly righted the ship, which makes him the top overall hitter tonight. Be sure to keep an eye on the weather, as you’ll likely need to make a decision before lineup lock if the forecast doesn’t clear.
George Springer (HOU): $4,100 vs. TEX
Martin Perez does a good job of generating ground balls, but he has allowed a .343 wOBA to right-handed hitters the past couple of seasons. Springer brings an appealing combination of power and speed to the table, which will only be enhanced with Jonathan Lucroy behind the plate. The Astros have an implied team total pushing five runs, so I’d look for all sorts of scoring opportunities for Springer atop this lineup.
Matt Joyce (PIT): $2,700 vs. CIN
Provided Joyce finds himself somewhere inside the top five of the batting order, he’d be a solid source of salary relief tonight. Anthony DeSclafani has allowed a .352 wOBA and 1.35 HR/9 to lefties the past couple of seasons, and he’s been even worse this season (.374 wOBA). Joyce isn’t an elite hitter by any means, but a good lineup spot would help to offset some of that risk.
Other Notables
- Ryan Braun (MIL): $4,500 @ ARI (GPP)
- Charlie Blackmon (COL): $4,200 vs. MIA
- Dexter Fowler (CHC): $4,100 @ OAK (GPP)
- David Dahl (COL): $4,000 vs. MIA (GPP)
- Bryce Harper (WAS): $3,900 vs. SF (GPP)
- Adam Eaton (CWS): $3,500 vs. BAL
- Starling Marte (PIT): $3,400 vs. CIN
- Adam Jones (BAL): $3,300 @ CWS
- Yasmany Tomas (ARI): $3,100 vs. MIL (GPP)
My Lineup
- SP – Justin Verlander (DET): $9,900 vs. NYM
- C – Welington Castillo (ARI): $2,700 vs. MIL
- 1B – Tommy Joseph (PHI): $2,400 @ SD
- 2B – Ryan Schimpf (SD): $2,900 vs. PHI
- 3B – Jake Lamb (ARI): $2,800 vs. MIL
- SS – Adam Frazier (PIT): $2,700 vs. CIN OR Javier Baez (CHC): $2,700 @ OAK
- OF – Giancarlo Stanton (MIA): $4,800 @ COL
- OF – George Springer (HOU): $4,100 vs. TEX
- OF – Matt Joyce (PIT): $2,700 vs. CIN
Adam Sutton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Adam, follow him @DraftStars_Adam. You can find more of Adam’s work at DraftStars.net.
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