MLB DFS: Friday, July 5th has 26 teams in action on the “main slate” for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel, along with games in Washington and Atlanta where is is hot and muggy, which could deliver us a better chance for home runs. Before you lock in your fantasy baseball lineups, make sure to check out Awesemo’s MLB rankings and projections. Not a member? Sign up HERE and use Promo Code: MLBSTACKS for 50% off any one month subscription.
For Friday’s free Yahoo Strategy article click here
For Friday’s free Spotlight Pitchers article click here
Greetings Gamers! Welcome to the Friday slate.
If you have not yet signed up for Yahoo Fantasy DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit and you will be eligible for $30 of “free play” which Yahoo will match through the first $30 of your deposit (this bonus will be received in Yahoo Sports Rewards Points aka YSRP which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately)
Main Slate
Atlanta Braves vs RHP Jordan Yamamoto – 6.0 implied runs
It is going to be warm again in Atlanta so be prepared to see them in the writeups quite a bit going forward. Friday’s matchup against RHP Jordan Yamamoto is a favorable one as despite five seasons and change in the minors, the 23-year old never pitched above AA. This season in four starts, two against St Louis and two against Philadelphia he has been solid with a 2.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and his 9.6 K/9 has been impressive. Atlanta is a relatively disciplined team with a 21.7 K% against right-handed pitching which is good for #19 on the season and they have a 9.5 BB% and a 110 wRC+ which has them solidly in the top ten of both categories.
Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr. are not cheap, but on DraftKings both Josh Donaldson and Nick Markakis are which gives a nice average price. Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley can be used to create some differentiation as even though Atlanta will be a popular option on Friday, we have 26 teams in action and most gamers will not fill all three outfield slots from this team, so we have plenty of ways put our own unique stamp our rosters.
Evening Slate
Houston Astros at RHP Felix Pena – 4.7 implied runs
There are just two games on the 8pm ET “turbo” slate, but we have a couple of opportunities to target against some sketchy pitchers. I’m leaning towards the Astros against RHP Felix Pena and whomever ends up being the “opener” as the Houston bats are discounted for the most part on DraftKings. They’re equally interesting on the Yahoo “full-slate” where they’re somewhat expensive.
If you feel that Alex Bregman, George Springer, Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Yordan Alvarez and Yulieski Gurriel are too popular on DraftKings, you can easily differentiate your lineup in other ways – or turn to the Minnesota Twins who have a gaudy 6.1 implied run total against the enigma that is RHP Adrian Sampson’s increased effectiveness over his last half dozen starts which has coincided with an increased usage of his slider. I am begrudgingly respecting him more than I did back in April and May and think gamers will be flocking to this high implied total.
Late Slate
Oakland Athletics at RHP Yusei Kikuchi – 5.2 implied runs
Keep an eye on the starter for the Mariners on Friday as LHP Yusei Kikuchi has been with his wife who is expecting, Seattle has not placed him on the paternity list as of yet, so he is still expected to make this start.
On the season Kikuchi has allowed 18 home runs in just 91.1 innings which is the 13th most in the league and he has less innings pitched than half of the hurlers ahead of him. The Mariners have an equally putrid bullpen and as I’ve mentioned countless times, are leading the league in runs allowed with the Baltimore Orioles and both squads have allowed 60 more runs than the next worst team (Colorado Rockies if you were curious).
This will be the fourth time the Athletics have seen Kikuchi and in his 14 innings of work he has a 5.14 ERA, 1.64 WHIP with four home runs and only nine strikeouts. Khris Davis and Chad Pinder are banged up, but if they are in the Oakland lineup, we can feel free to put them on ours. Additionally, Mark Canha, Matt Chapman and Ramon Laureano are intriguing and on the late slate, we can go with Josh Phegley on sites that require a catcher. Do not be afraid of using Matt Olson in this lefty/lefty matchup as the Mariners have a mostly right-handed reliever corps.
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or on Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any questions.
Good Luck Gamers! ~ EMac
Of course, please do stop by our Awesemo YouTube channel for loads of FREE MLB DFS content, including fantasy MLB lineup advice on The Strategy Show with Josh Engleman and Loughy, as well as MLB picks on Four Corners with Chris Spags, and the MLB Deep Dive with Awesemo, Loughy and ShipMyMoney, where they’ll discuss Awesemo’s MLB rankings.