MLB DFS Playbook July 23: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Jul 23, 2023
It is time for Sunday baseball! We have a great Sunday full of baseball in store for us today with a 10-game slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 1:35 PM EST. There are some exciting matchups on the docket with the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays closing out their series as they fight for the lead of the AL East, two of the biggest surprise teams of the season facing off with the Arizona Diamondbacks taking on the Cincinnati Reds, and two of the best offenses in the league squaring up with the AL West-leading Texas Rangers taking on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. We are truly in the dog days of summer now, with the first half of the season well behind us and the trade deadline quickly approaching. It should be a great day of baseball for both watching and for building some winning MLB DFS lineups. Whether you are playing cash games or gpp tournaments, the playbook is here to help you build a winning lineup, so let’s get into it! Be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, with the daily MLB projections, MLB DFS rostership projections, and our MLB DFS Lineup Generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting!
MLB DFS Playbook July 23
MLB Weather Updates
No real weather concerns today!
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
We have some quality pitchers taking the mound today. The top-end of starters is highlighted by Aaron Nola and Jesus Luzardo. While I am a big fan of Aaron Nola in this matchup, he hasn’t been very consistent this season, and I am hesitant to pay this high price for him. My favorite pitchers to target are listed below, but some other honorable mentions for today include Bailey Ober, Lucas Giolito, Tyler Wells, Luis Severino, and Jameson Taillon. On the offensive side, some of my favorite lineups to target include the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals, and the Texas Rangers.
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
Jesus Luzardo vs Colorado Rockies
Jordan Montgomery vs Chicago Cubs
Lucas Giolito vs Minnesota Twins
Best Odds for a Win
Jesus Luzardo vs Colorado Rockies
Luis Severino vs Kansas City Royals
Bryce Elder vs Milwaukee Brewers
Bailey Over vs Chicago White Sox
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
Jesus Luzardo had a bit of a bump in the road on his last start going only 4 innings giving up 2 earned runs and only 2 strikeouts. His previous 4 starts before that had been great, going a combined 25.2 innings with 35 strikeouts and only giving up 2 earned runs giving him a 0.70 ERA along with a 0.74 WHIP over that stretch, and that included starts against the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Boston Red Sox. He should have an easy bounce back today getting to face the Colorado Rockies outside of Coors.
Jordan Montgomery, St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Montgomery has been consistently solid for the last two months. Since the beginning of June, he has a 1.48 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP, along with 46 strikeouts through 48.2 innings. Over that stretch, he has made 8 starts and has given up 1 earned run or less through 7 of them, and has at least 5 strikeouts in every start. He has certainly earned my trust to run him out there against the Chicago Cubs today.
After a few lower strikeout games, Taj Bradley dropped 9 strikeouts in his last outing against the Texas Rangers. The Baltimore Orioles are a strong team, but Bradley certainly is good enough to trust him in just about any matchup. In his last start against the Orioles, he struck out 8 while only giving up 1 run and 3 hits over 6 innings, and I am guessing we can get more of the same from him this time around.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Luke Weaver
Atlanta Braves vs Carlos Carrasco
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Martin Perez
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Keibert Ruiz, C Washington Nationals
Keibert Ruiz is running on a nice little 7-game hitting streak that he started just before the all-star break. Over this streak, he has 2 homers, 4 doubles, a stolen base, and a 1.340 OPS. The Washington Nationals have been hitting quite a bit better lately, and they hold the 11th-best OPS in the league in July, and I like them quite a bit today in this matchup against DeSclafani, with Ruiz being a big part of that.
Gleyber Torres, 2B New York Yankees
Gleyber Torres has extended his hitting streak to 12 games now, as well as 2 homers in his last 4 games after his 6-game multi-hit streak ended. This should be a quality matchup getting to face Jordan Lyles in New York. Lyles has managed to slow down the homers a little lately but still has a 1.75 HR/9 and a 6.05 ERA. While the Yankee's offense is dying to get Aaron Judge back, hopefully, Torres can continue to fill his void a bit with this good streak at the plate.
Austin Riley, 3B Atlanta Braves
Austin Riley is absolutely crushing at the plate right now. Over his last 5 games, he has 6 homers, a triple, a double, 16 RBIs, 9 runs, and is finally showing that flash of greatness that it feels like we have been waiting for all season. The Braves are a great team to stack anytime, and while I have been avoiding Riley as a part of that for a long time now due to his high price and underperformance, I am willing to jump back on the Austin Riley train and pay up for him with how impressive he has been recently.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF New York Yankees
Giancarlo Stanton, like Gleyber Torres, has been doing good recently, stepping up at the plate to give the Yankees some much-needed offense. He now has 6 home runs over his last 10 games. The only issue with Stanton is that it continues to be all or nothing for him. Over those last 10 games, in 5 of them, he has totaled 8 hits with 6 homers and two doubles. In the other 5 games, he has zero hits. You are taking a risk with him going 0-5 with a few strikeouts, but I am willing to bet he gets another big day today in this matchup and adds another homer to his total.
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