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Following a couple of afternoon games, there is an eight-game main slate awaiting us today on DraftKings. The schedule is highlighted by a Mariners-Astros matchup in Houston. Seattle will be looking to gain a measure of revenge after the Astros came to the Northwest and swept a three-game series. Also, Andrew Benintendi will likely make his Yankees debut in the Bronx tonight, one day after he was acquired from the Kansas City Royals. Benintendi and the Yanks will be facing ... the Kansas City Royals.
Below is a look at the top pitchers and hitters on the DFS slate along with a couple of value plays to consider before submitting your lineup.
Top Pitchers
Zack Wheeler, PHI vs. PIT ($10,200) — Outside of a hiccup earlier this month in Toronto, Wheeler has been on quite a roll since the beginning of May. He has a 2.15 ERA with 96 strikeouts and only 14 walks over his previous 14 starts. He’s an easy cash-game play against the Pirates, one of the worst offensive clubs in MLB.
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. TEX ($8,900) — Ohtani’s spectacular run of mound dominance ended in his previous start as he allowed six runs in 6.1 innings against the Braves. But he still struck out 11 and now has double-digit strikeouts in five consecutive outings. He has a good home matchup against a Rangers squad that scored a total of nine runs as they were swept by the Mariners in three games earlier this week.
Top Hitters
Freddie Freeman, LAD vs. COL ($5,800) — Freeman has been out of his mind at the plate over the past couple of weeks, batting .511 with five homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.511 OPS since July 10. That’s quite a symmetrical stat line. At Coors Field today, Freeman will face Rockies starter Jose Urena, against whom he is hitting .412 with four home runs in 34 career at-bats.
George Springer, TOR vs. DET ($5,500) — Tyler Alexander is facing the Blue Jays tonight, but putting a soft-tossing lefty on the mound against that lineup doesn’t sound like a great idea. Alexander will stick around for a few innings before Toronto takes its hacks against Detroit’s bullpen, so there are plenty of good options to choose from here. Springer is averaging 10.3 DK points over his past 12 games.
Value Pitcher
Jameson Taillon, NYY vs. KC ($8,600) — Taillon has an ERA near 7.00 over the past month, but he has a get-right matchup at home tonight against a Kansas City team that ranks 27th in runs scored and just traded one of its best hitters to the other dugout.
Value Hitter
Jeimer Candelario, DET vs. TOR ($2,600) — Detroit’s third baseman has been on quite a heater recently. He’s racked up eight hits, three homers and eight RBIs over his past three games. And he’s been hitting pretty well in general since July 8 (1.154 OPS). The switch-hitter has more success against lefties than righties, so a duel against Blue Jays southpaw Yusei Kikuchi sounds good.