On the last day of July, there are nine games on the main slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. There are a pair of AL East contests and a pair of NL West contests on the schedule along with one other divisional contest. One of those NL West games takes place at Coors Field, so that matchup deserves a little extra attention as you get your lineups together.
With the MLB Trade Deadline looming on Tuesday, it will be even more important than usual to keep up with the latest news leading up to game time. You can monitor all the latest injury, trade and lineup news by installing the DK Live app and following DraftKings Network on Twitter (@DKNetwork). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as playoff races continue to take shape over the next few months of the regular season.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees ($10,500) – Glasnow was originally expected to start on Sunday, but instead he’ll take the mound on Monday to open the Rays’ series against the Yankees. After starting the season late due to injury, Glasnow has been solid with a 4-3 record with a 3.36 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 11 starts. He has been stretching out and eating more innings lately, and he’s still stacking up strikeouts. In his six most recent starts, he has 55 strikeouts in 36 1⁄3 innings and has gone 2-2 with a 2.23 ERA and 1.99 FIP. He has put up at least 23 DKFP in each of those six outings and averaged 26.8 DKFP per game.
In his most recent start, Glasnow showcased his high ceiling by posting his second start of the season with over 30 DKFP. In that start on Tuesday, he shut down the Marlins with just two hits and eight strikeouts. As always, Glasnow brings a very high ceiling due to his punchout potential. This will be the first time he faces the Yankees this season, but New York’s lineup isn’t nearly as potent as it has been in the past. Over the past 30 days, the Yankees have the fourth-lowest batting average in the Majors at just .230 and have scored the third-fewest runs over that span.
Other Option – Andrew Abbott ($10,000), Alex Cobb ($8,000)
Value
Nick Pivetta, Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners ($6,600) – Pivetta was a possible option out of the bullpen on Sunday but did not make an appearance and will instead start the game on Monday as Boston opens a series in Seattle. Pivetta will be making his first start since May 16, but he has had great success working behind an opener over the past two months. In eight starts, he went 3-3 with a 6.30 ERA and 5.75 FIP, but in 17 games since then he went 4-2 with a 1.98 ERA and 2.57 FIP. In those 17 games, he totaled 41 innings and still managed 58 strikeouts. How much of that change is due to him figuring things out and how much is due to coming in after an opener? We may be about to find out.
Pivetta went at least five innings in three of his past four games and posted over 22 DKFP in each of those three appearances. He showed his ceiling with a 13-strikeout performance against the A’s that resulted in 42.3 DKFP. He threw over 75 pitches in each of those games as well, so he can go deep enough in the game to get the win if he gets rolling. He is a risk given his struggles as a starter, but his upside is high enough in this favorable matchup that he’s worth a shot at this salary. Seth Lugo ($6,600) is another SP with great upside at this same salary, but the Coors Field factor is enough to push me to Pivetta as the better bargain play.
Other Options – J.P. France ($7,100), Seth Lugo ($6,600)
INFIELD
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Angels ($6,300) – The Braves almost seem unfair with Olson, Austin Riley ($6,000) and Ronald Acuña Jr. ($6,600) all locked in at the plate and putting up ridiculously good numbers. Olson homered twice on Sunday, including the game-winner in the eighth inning, and the Braves finished another home sweep with an 8-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Olson leads the NL with 33 homers and has hit .256 with a .313 ISO and .390 wOBA on the season. Against right-handed pitchers like Griffin Canning ($7,200), he has a .423 wOBA and 30 of those 35 homers, and at home, he has a .424 wOBA with 21 homers. Facing a righty at Truist Park plays to all his strengths, and he has been scorching hot lately with six home runs in 14 games since the All-Star break and a .291 batting average (15-for-51). If you have the salary, Olson has the thunder to be a great centerpiece to build around.
Stud
Manny Machado, San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies ($5,600) – The weather forecast doesn’t look great for Denver this Monday, but if the game gets played, the Padres’ bats will surely be a popular option with the added boost from playing at altitude. Machado has 20 homers on the season, and 11 of those came in his first 23 games of July. In those contests, he hit .302 with a .407 ISO and .457 wOBA. He comes into this series in Denver with a five-game hitting streak and begins the week with a great matchup against lefty Austin Gomber ($5,000). Machado has a .337 average this year against lefties with five home runs and a .410 wOBA. All signs point to a big game for Machado as long as the rain doesn’t wash this game away.
Other Options – Elly De La Cruz ($5,900), Alex Bregman ($5,200), Xander Bogaerts ($4,900)
Value
Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners ($3,500) – Casas continued his impressive turnaround with a strong weekend series in San Francisco even though he came off the bench on Sunday. In his 20 games in July, the 23-year-old rookie hit .349 with seven homers, a .429 ISO and a .502 wOBA. Casas still struggles against southpaws, but he should be fine against George Kirby ($8,600) on Monday. Kirby has been solid this season but has allowed lefties to hit 10 of his 14 home runs allowed and post a .333 wOBA against him. If you’re loading up on Red Sox, lean toward the lefties like Casas, Rafael Devers ($5,000), Masataka Yoshida ($4,500) and even Alex Verdugo ($3,900).
Value
Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels at Atlanta Braves ($3,300) – While Olson and Shohei Ohtani ($6,500) will get most of the attention since “chicks dig the long ball,” there’s some nice value potential at the top of the Angels’ order where Rengifo has been filling in for the injured Zach Neto (back). Neto has missed seven of the past eight games, giving Rengifo the opportunity to hit leadoff. In those eight games, Rengifo went 12-for-34 (.353) with three walks, three doubles, two triples and two home runs. His season-long numbers are uninspiring, but he has solid road splits and has played well enough lately to be a great value play. He has dual eligibility at 2B and 3B, and he also has a high ceiling if he continues to get on base in front of Ohtani and the rest of the Angels’ new-look lineup.
Other Options – CJ Abrams ($4,000), Christian Encarnacion-Strand ($3,100), Casey Schmitt ($2,600)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Angels ($6,600) – Acuña has become the first player in MLB history to have 20 homers and 50 stolen bases before the start of August and continues to add to his statistical dominance on a daily basis. He stole his 51st base of the season on Sunday and had two more hits on his way to 15 DKFP. He has averaged 12.8 DKFP per game for the entire season but is still somehow trending upward. In his 14 games since the All-Star break, he is averaging 13.7 DKFP per game with three home runs and 10 stolen bases. He puts up big fantasy totals in seemingly every contest since he can put up monster games with his power, his speed, or both, and he has posted an impressive .335 batting average and .422 wOBA on top of his raw tools. He’s an expensive cornerstone to build around, but his consistent upside demands attention if you have the salary available.
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals ($5,300) – Yelich and the Brewers couldn’t overcome the Braves, but the 31-year-old veteran continued his recent resurgence with another strong series. Over his past 30 games, Yelich has averaged 11.8 DKFP per contest and hit .331 with seven homers, six stolen bases and a wOBA over .400. He and the Brewers continue their trip to the NL East but with a much more favorable matchup on Monday against the Nationals. Rookie Jake Irvin ($5,500) will start for Washington after going 3-5 with a 4.96 ERA and 5.48 FIP in his first 15 games and especially struggling against lefties like Yelich, allowing a .365 wOBA against.
Other Options – Fernando Tatis Jr. ($6,400), Kyle Tucker ($5,700), Steven Kwan ($4,200)
Value
Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($3,700) – Conforto has hit .304 over his past 15 games and averaged 7.6 DKFP per game with two doubles, a home run and 10 RBI. He has been rumored to be on the trading block after his strong bounce-back season. After missing all of last season, he has 13 homers, 52 RBI and a solid 7.0 DKFP per game over his first 90 games this year. If he is still in San Francisco for this matchup vs. Ryne Nelson ($6,200) and Arizona, he’ll be a solid play under $4K.
Value
Dominic Canzone, Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants ($2,100) – On the other side of the late NL West game by the Bay, Canzone is a great value play at barely more than the minimum salary. The 25-year-old lefty dominated Triple-A with a .354 average and .449 wOBA while smashing 16 homers in 71 games to earn his call-up. Since joining the Dbacks, he has gone 9-for-38 (.237) with two doubles, a home run and 4.5 DKFP per contest. He had multiple hits in three straight games before going 0-for-3 on Sunday, but he should be able to bounce back in this matchup against Alex Cobb ($8,000) and the Giants. Canzone has been hitting fifth in the batting order and brings good power potential for someone with such a low salary.
Other Options – Sal Frelick ($3,800), Luis Matos ($2,900), Gabriel Arias ($2,200)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
