Pitchers
Hyun Jin Ryu - Toronto Blue Jays (@ Atlanta Braves) - DK: $9,500 FD: $8,400 Yahoo: $42
This is the perfect game to have both sides of. Atlanta strikes out more than any other team in the majors (by far). With 132 strikeouts so far this season, it puts them 13 strikeout ahead of the team with the second most strikeouts, which are the Seattle Mariners (119). Ryu comes in as cold as can be, averaging 5.7 DraftKings points per game over his first two outings. Considering Ryu has solid BvP stats against Atlanta and Freeman is out of the lineup for rest, I say he turns it around today in a big way.
With that said, if he doesn’t turn it around, Atlanta will produce with the long ball. This is why I’m saying to have both sides of this game. Players including: Adam Duvall and Travis d’Arnaud have shown the ability to hit Ryu. The rest of the team has poor numbers against Ryu. The Braves are batting .280 against opposing righties this season, which is much better than their .161 BA against opposing lefties. You can see why having both sides of this matchup can be beneficial. Without Freeman, give me Ryu. Just remember, Duvall and D’Arnaud are solid value if they continue their success against Ryu.
Other Pitching Options: Julio Teheran - L.A Angels (vs. Seattle Mariners) - DK: $7,500 FD: $7,400 Yahoo: $25
Editor’s Note: Whether you want to win a 50/50 or take down a GPP, use our DFS Optimizer, customizable projections and more to create the smartest lineups. Subscribe to all four major sports for as low as $7.99/month!
Catcher
Travis D’Arnaud - (vs. Toronto Blue Jays) - DK: $4,400 FD: $2,700 Yahoo: $12
D’Arnaud is a great candidate to hit a home run tonight. Over his last three outings he totaled 17.0 DK points, 0 DK points and 28.0 DK points. The guy is boom or bust at the moment and so are Atlanta tonight. The Braves could easily touch em’ all against Ryu, who has yet to put up a solid stat line so far this season. If they do, D’Arnaud will benefit. The Braves are -130 favorites with a 9.0 under/over.
Other Catcher Options: Mitch Garver - Minnesota Twins - (@ Pittsburgh Pirates) - DK: 4,600 FD: $2,400 Yahoo: $18
First Base
Anthony Rizzo - Chicago Cubs (vs. Kansas City Royals) - DK: $5,400 FD: $3,800 Yahoo: $19
Rizzo has been underwhelming recently but on a day that I love Javier Baez and the Cubs, we trust in our process and forget recent bias. Rizzo will be batting 2nd, which is right in front of Baez. If Baez succeeds early, Rizzo will get some solid pitches coming his way later on in the game. Bubic has yet to face a big league lefty. Rizzo should welcome him to the league with a bang! He will get back on track tonight in a Cubs win, you heard it here first.
Other First Basemen: Matt Olson - Oakland A’s (vs. Texas Rangers) - DK: $4,600 FD: $3,400 Yahoo: $18[[ad:athena]]
Second Base
Cesar Hernandez - Cleveland Indians (vs. Cincinnati Reds) - DK: $3,900 FD: $2,500 Yahoo: $13
Hernandez will be leading off. He’ll face Tejay Antone. Antone has just one start under his belt but it was a good one against the Chicago Cubs. The right handed Rookie will have to start off by besting the talented, switch hitting, shortstop. Hernandez is covered by Jose Ramirez in today’s lineup. The Indians lead off man will get pitches to hit. The Indians are favored by -170 with an 8.5 under/over.
Other Second Basemen: Jose Altuve - Houston Astros (vs. Arizona Diamondbacks) - DK: $5,700 FD: $3,600 Yahoo: $20
If you are multi-entering or simply looking for the right “one-off” to complete your lineup, make sure that you’re using the RotoWorld Optimizer. Work smart, not hard!
Shortstop
Javier Baez - Chicago Cubs (@ Kansas City) - DK: $5,000 FD: $3,700 Yahoo: $16
Baez sees a solid matchup against Kansas City’s Kris Bubic. Bubic has a 4.50 ERA on the season. The left-handed rookie had one game start against the White Sox and lasted 4.0 innings allowing two earned off three hits. Those three hits were all to right-handed batters. Yes, he played well in his opener but that was against the Chicago White Sox. Making his way across town to beat the Cubs is a different story. The Cubs are favored at -210 with a 9.5 under/over.
Other Shortstop Options: Francisco Lindor - Cleveland Indians (vs. Cincinnati Reds) - DK: $4,800 FD: $3,400 Yahoo: $16
Third Base
*Early Slates* Brian Anderson - Miami Marlins (vs. Baltimore Orioles) - DK Showdown: $9,000 $ FD: N/A Yahoo: $ N/A
Anderson was atop the RotoWorld Player Projection list so I did a little digging. Anderson is facing Baltimore’s Alex Cobb. Cobb has a 2.89 ERA on the year (which is great) and has faced two solid teams; Boston and Tampa Bay. So, why do I like Anderson? Well, Cobb is allowing reverse splits as righties are hitting better against him than lefties. In 2019, Anderson hit .271 against opposing righties with 14 home runs. Look for him to get back to that today against Cobb. The Marlins are slight underdogs with a 7.0 under/over.
Other Third Base Option: Yoan Moncada - Chicago White Sox (vs. Milwaukee Brewers) - DK: $4,300 FD: $3,500 Yahoo: $21
Outfield
Adam Duvall - Atlanta Braves - (vs. LA Dodgers) - DK: $4,000 FD: $2,100 Yahoo: $8
Duvall has two home runs in 11 at-bats against Ryu. As I mentioned in Ryu’s write up, “This is the perfect game to have both sides of. Atlanta strikes out more than any other team in the majors...With that said, if he doesn’t turn it around, Atlanta will produce with the long ball. This is why I’m saying to have both sides of this game. Players including: Adam Duvall and Travis D’Arnaud have shown the ability to hit Ryu.” Duvall is one of those players that will benefit if Ryu can’t get it together. Salaries are much better on Fanduel and Yahoo than Draftkings for rostering Duvall.
Other Outfield Option: Avisail Garcia - Milwaukee Brewers (@ Chicago White Sox) - DK: $4,400 FD: $2,800 Yahoo: $15
