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Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Strategy, Primer for June 16

Some intriguing scheduling with interleague play has led to rare day games on a Tuesday. As a result, daily fantasy baseball players will get more contests to compete in but fewer game options than usual in each.

While you will have to adjust your schedule, or at least your strategy, there are still plenty of quality options throughout the day.

 

Pitchers to Draft

Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs ($9,000)

Monday's postponement will push Jake Arrieta's start to Tuesday, although this shouldn't affect his play. The Cubs starter is coming off consecutive quality starts where he combined for 16 strikeouts and just one walk.

Despite the recent success, this will be the first time in over a month Arrieta will cost less than $9,500 on DraftKings.

While the lefty-heavy Cleveland Indians lineup is a bit scary for most right-handers, Arrieta has limited southpaws to a .234 opposing batting average this season, so don't be afraid to stick with the talented pitcher.

 

Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh Pirates ($7,900)

Four starts for Charlie Morton since returning from the disabled list, and he has four wins and a 2.05 ERA. In three of these games, the 31-year-old pitcher went at least seven innings, including his 7.1 shutout innings last time out.

You really can't ask for much more production from the veteran.

Against a struggling Chicago White Sox offense, there is no reason for Morton to slow down now.

 

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants ($7,800)

Although the past few starts have been less than stellar, Tim Lincecum has been much better at home this season. The former Cy Young Award winner has a 1.98 ERA in six home games compared to just a 4.88 ERA in the same amount of time on the road.

This has been a common theme for pitchers at AT&T Park this season, which has been the hardest stadium on hitters in 2015, according to ESPN.

Although he isn't blowing anyone away like he used to, Lincecum should have a solid performance against the light-hitting Seattle Mariners.

 

Pitcher to Avoid

Matt Harvey, New York Mets ($10,800)

While he is obviously talented, Matt Harvey has gone through a bit of a rough patch. The last four starts have seen the struggling starter allow 20 runs in just 25 innings, including eight home runs.

This makes it difficult to bet on him to turn things around, especially against the Toronto Blue Jays and the No. 1 offense in baseball. 

 

Hitters to Draft

Justin Upton, OF, San Diego Padres ($4,400)

Playing in a spacious stadium like Petco Park usually causes problems for new hitters, but Justin Upton has been great at home in his first year with the Padres with a batting average about 100 points higher at home.

Oakland Athletics starter Scott Kazmir has had a good season, but Upton has fared well against lefties throughout his career, and he represents good value Tuesday against the left-hander.

 

Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels ($4,300)

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Jeremy Hellickson has had an up-and-down season but has really struggled against lefties, allowing a .330 batting average and .973 OPS. Despite high strikeout totals, Kole Calhoun has hit the ball well lately and should be able to take advantage of this favorable matchup.

 

Hitter to Avoid

Brett Gardner, OF, New York Yankees ($5,300)

When you are spending this much on a hitter, you should be expecting a huge game. Brett Gardner just doesn't present as much opportunity for this as some of the other top names on the list.

The outfielder is down to just a .266 batting average after going 1-for-12 in his last three games and only has five home runs on the year. The stolen bases are nice, but there are many safer options available.

 

Teams to Stack

Atlanta Braves

Not only did Wade Miley allow three homers in his last start, but the day ended with him yelling at manager John Farrell in the dugout for pulling him after four innings. On the plus side, he did show remorse for the latter incident:

The problem is, it's difficult to expect a better showing from a pitcher who has put together just a 5.07 ERA with at least five earned runs allowed in four different starts.

Atlanta has a deep lineup and should put up plenty of runs in the hitter-friendly Fenway Park.

 

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles have struggled on the road but when at Camden Yards, they find a way to score. Manny Machado has been red-hot lately, while players like Adam Jones, Jimmy Paredes and Chris Davis are always capable of producing.

With the Philadelphia Phillies starter allowing at least four runs and eight hits in four of his last five starts, Baltimore's offense should be solid once again.

 

Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 


DraftKings is hosting one-day MLB contests! Claim your free entry by clicking on the link and making a first-time deposit!

 

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