FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Sunday 6/27/21
The beauty of daily fantasy baseball is that the top targets are different each and every day. Whether it's the right-handed catcher who destroys left-handed pitching or the mid-range hurler facing a depleted lineup, you're not going to find yourself using the same assets time after time.
While this breaks up the monotony, it can make it hard to decide which players are primed to succeed on a given day. We can help bridge that gap.
In addition to our custom optimal lineups, you can check out our batting and pitching heat maps, which show the pieces in the best spot to succeed on that slate. Put on the finishing touches with our games and lineups page to see who's hitting where and what the weather looks like, and you'll have yourself a snazzy-looking team to put up some big point totals.
If you need help getting started on that trek, here are some of the top options on the board today. We'll be focusing exclusively on the main slate.
Pitching Breakdown
We've got a three-headed monster of Max Scherzer ($11,200 on FanDuel), Gerrit Cole ($11,000) and Zack Wheeler ($11,000). They're facing the Miami Marlins, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, respectively. Due to the matchups, Scherzer has the edge for me, and he's followed closely by Wheeler. I've got Cole a notch below those two due to the difficult matchup and his lack of punchouts over his last two games (10 in 15 innings).
Scherzer has scored at least 39 FanDuel points in eight of his past nine outings, and he's got three games of at least 51 FanDuel points in that span. His 36.1% strikeout rate boosts his floor and his ceiling. The matchup is there, too, as Miami sits 28th in wOBA (.294) with the 6th-highest strikeout rate (25.9%). The Marlins hold a slate-low 3.06 implied total. Scherzer checks all the boxes.
Wheeler has put up elite numbers this season -- including a 31.3% strikeout rate and 3.02 SIERA -- and is a fun pivot off the likely Scherzer chalk. Prior to a 12-point dud last time out, Wheeler had generated at least 44 FanDuel points in six straight starts, with four games of 55-plus in that span. The Mets are a nice matchup as they own the 12th-highest strikeout rate (24.2%) with the 6th-worst wOBA (.298).
Outside of said trio, Ross Stripling ($8,000) catches my eye. Not only does he get a solid matchup versus the Baltimore Orioles, a team that is 21st in wOBA (.300), Stripling has been dealing lately. In June, he's held hitters to a .255 wOBA while amassing a 28.0% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. He's put up at least 40 FanDuel points in three of his last six starts. He doesn't have the ceiling of Scherzer and Wheeler, but for his salary, Stripling is a quality play.
Stacks to Target
Toronto Blue Jays
It feels like the Toronto Blue Jays have had great matchups all week, and they get another one today versus Jorge Lopez. Toronto's 6.51 implied total is 1.1 runs more than anyone else's (as of Sunday morning). Giddy up.
There are just two issues with the Jays today -- they'll likely be chalky, and they carry some high salaries, making it tougher to pair them with Scherzer or Wheeler. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($4,800), George Springer ($4,000), Bo Bichette ($4,300), Marcus Semien ($3,700) and Teoscar Hernandez ($3,500) are all at least $3,500. Vladdy -- the slate's number-two stick, per our numbers -- has homered in each of the first three games of this series and may wind up as the day's most popular bat.
If you want to save a little coin, Cavan Biggio ($3,300), Lourdes Gurriel ($3,000), and Randal Grichuk ($3,000) have more modest salaries. If Rowdy Tellez ($2,400) gets in the lineup, he'd be a fun low-salary option.
St. Louis Cardinals
While I could very easily write up the Houston Astros, who have a 5.41 implied total for their date with lefty Tarik Skubal, they're another offense with high salaries (and you already know to use Houston against southpaws). I want to look elsewhere since we need stacks with salaries that can fit alongside Scherzer and Wheeler.
That leads me to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards are facing Max Kranick, who is making his MLB debut and has thrown just 35 innings above Single-A. As a result, St. Louis has been handed an enticing 5.18 implied total.
Nolan Arenado ($3,600) and Paul Goldschmidt ($3,500) are the only Cardinals with salaries of at least $3,500. Tyler O'Neill ($3,200), Tommy Edman ($3,000) and Dylan Carlson ($2,600) are easy to talk yourself into at their salaries. O'Neill owns a .353 wOBA in June while Carlson has led off in three consecutive games, going deep in one of them.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers will see Chi Chi Gonzalez, and they have a 5.10 implied total. Gonzalez just isn't good, sporting a 5.05 SIERA and 13.2% strikeout rate. The SIERA is actually a career-best mark.
Milwaukee has only one hitter above $3,100 -- Christian Yelich ($3,800) -- and pairs nicely with a high-salary hurler. Of course, Yelich is a great play if you have the salary. Overall he's got a .360 wOBA (and .371 expected wOBA), and his wOBA is .366 with a 43.4% hard-hit rate against right-handers.
Kolten Wong ($3,100) has been leading off, and it sounds like his early removal Saturday may not be a big deal. Luis Urias ($2,800) and Avisail Garcia ($2,700) round out the usual top four in the Brewers' lineup. Willy Adames ($2,400) has a .368 wOBA since coming to Milwaukee while Omar Narvaez ($2,400) is mashing righties to the tune of a .384 wOBA.
