This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Happy Independence Day! For the occasion, we have a busy day of baseball. The first game of the day is at 11:05 a.m. EDT, which will naturally be hosted by the Washington Nationals. Then there's a doubleheader between the New York teams, so they are out of the picture for DFS purposes. Looking at the rest of the landscape, here are some recommendations for daily fantasy lineups. Enjoy the holiday.
PITCHING
Freddy Peralta, MIL at PIT ($9,900): The Brewers have a terrific trio atop their rotation, and Peralta is perhaps the underrated gem having struck out 12.62 batters per nine innings with a 2.92 FIP. The Pirates are ranked 29th in runs scored, but they'll surely be passed when the Mets have made up enough games. Pittsburgh also carries the worst team OPS. Basically, it's the worst offense in baseball.
Lucas Giolito, CWS at DET ($9,600): It's been a bit of a rough year for Giolito. His strikeouts are down and his home runs are up. Even so, he's produced 3.55 ERA over the last three seasons. This matchup is also quite favorable with the Tigers in the bottom-five in runs per game, which shouldn't be a surprise if you've ever looked at their lineup. (Trust me, I'm a Tigers fan.)
Charlie Morton, ATL vs. MIA ($9,000): Even though Morton is 37, he's still a workhorse in his first season in Atlanta. In addition to racking up starts and innings, he's posted a 3.46 FIP. Meanwhile, Miami is solidly 28th in runs scored with a team OBP hovering around .300.
Zack Greinke, HOU at CLE ($8,500): Greinke has managed a 3.65 ERA and an 8-2 record thanks to offensive support. He's struggled at home, but has recorded a 2.06 ERA on the road. A few teams carry sub-.300 OBPs, and Cleveland is one of them. Its offense is basically just Jose Ramirez at this moment.
TOP TARGETS
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. BAL ($4,600): Ohtani is a decent pitcher, but he's one of the best hitters. The slugger has crushed 30 home runs and has stolen 12 bases. He can also hit for average with a .278 mark. Ohtani will be facing Tom Eshelman, who comes in with a 6.57 ERA through three starts this season. Where you are only in the Baltimore rotation due to injury, it's not a good sign for your upside.
Jesse Winker, CIN at CHC ($4,300): Winker has slowed down a bit, but he still has logged a .314/.393/.572 slash line this year. And this year isn't a total fluke considering he posted a .932 OPS in 2020. The 27-year-old will be facing Kyle Hendricks, whose fastball isn't cutting it these days. While he enters with a 3.98 ERA, his FIP is 5.07. He's also allowed lefties – like Winker – to hit .302 against him.
VALUE BATS
Raimel Tapia, COL vs. STL ($3,700): Tapia is more of a traditional leadoff hitter than a power guy, but he does have a .289 average with 11 steals. And he's not entirely immune to the charms of Coors Field with a .842 home OPS. The Cardinals are starting Carlos Martinez, who has struggled to the tune of a 6.38 ERA in 2021.
Alex Kirilloff, MIN at KC ($3,000): Kirilloff has exemplified his potential in his rookie campaign with a .264 average and six homers. The southpaw will be facing the right-hander Brad Keller, who's really struggled of late with a 9.24 ERA over his last five starts.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
White Sox vs. Matt Manning: Jose Abreu ($3,600), Tim Anderson ($3,500), Leury Garcia ($2,400)
Manning was considered one of the Tigers' top prospects heading into the season, but his major-league debut hasn't worked out so far having made three starts where he's posted an 8.16 ERA. Before he got called up, he also struggled with an 8.07 ERA in Triple-A. Abreu's power hasn't been where we expected yet, but he's slugged .514 overall and has produced 13 home runs in 2021. Anderson doesn't walk, but he's at .292 and .282 during his career while also swiping 14 bags. The switch-hitting Garcia has stepped in at second base with Nick Madrigal out. Over the previous four seasons, he's averaged .275 and also offers the potential to steal some bases.
Astros vs. Triston McKenzie: Jose Altuve ($4,200), Carlos Correa ($3,900), Michael Brantley ($3,500)
The top-three pitchers in Cleveland's rotation are all on the injured list, leaving the team scrambling a bit. That means an expected call up for McKenzie, who was sent down to Triple-A with a 6.38 ERA. He's allowed 1.67 home runs per nine innings over his career. The Astros, meanwhile, are stacked with All-Star bats. Altuve has slashed .286/.374/.505 with 18 home runs. Correa has been even better than Altuve with a slash line of .300/.401/.534. Then there's the lefty Brantley, who is perfectly suited to face a righty on the road. He's produced a .987 OPS versus right-handed pitchers in 2021 in addition to a 1.012 road OPS.
