We have ten games tonight with the first pitch at 7:05 PM EST. Today’s slate of games is highlighted by Xander Bogaerts and the Boston Red Sox, taking on Giancarlo Stanton and the Washington Nationals in Washington. The highest implied run totals tonight sit with the Los Angeles Dodgers (7.6), Kansas City Royals (5.8), the New York Mets (5.1) and the San Diego Padres(5.1).
There is a risk of the game in Washington being postponed or delayed with there being nearly a 50 percent chance of rain at 7 pm, so keep an eye on that situation.
Here is a selection of today’s Core Players 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 7/17/21 (using DraftKings Values)
| Pitcher | Anthony DeSclafani | $9,400 | ||
| Pitcher | ||||
| Catcher | Christian Vasquez | $2,800 | ||
| First Base | ||||
| Second Base | Jake Cronenworth | $4,700 | ||
| Third Base | ||||
| Short Stop | Gavin Lux | $3,200 | ||
| Outfield | Dominic Smith | $4,400 | ||
| Outfield |
Anthony DeSclafani – P ($9,400) – In Desclafani’s last eight starts he hasn’t given up more than three runs, and in seven of those starts he gave up two or less. The Cardinals have struggled this season, so I look for another solid start for DeSclafani today.
Christian Vázquez – C ($2,800) – The last time Vázquez faced Gerrit Cole, he went two for four with a home run. People will shy away from him against a tough starter, but Cole has been far from invincible this year.
Jake Cronenworth – 2B ($4,700) – Cronenworth came out of the all-star break right where he left off, crushing the ball. He will get another nice pitching matchup from the Nationals against today, as he continues to be one of the best second basemen in baseball.
Gavin Lux – SS ($3,200) – As noted yesterday, it is hard to deny Lux’s value while the Dodgers are in Colorado. Normally you wouldn’t be looking at players at the bottom of a lineup, but with the Dodgers’ ability to score the at-bats should be there for him.
Dominic Smith – OF ($4,400) – Smith has been the Mets’ best hitter all season, and with his prime lineup position, his price point, and a matchup against the Pirates he is a player that is worth looking at for your lineup.
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The Pitchers
Yusei Kikuchi ($8,900 DK) Heading into the all-star break, Kikuchi had given up more than one run in just one of his last five starts. He likely won’t rack up big strikeout totals, as he only strikes out 25% of the batters he faces, but he should provide solid numbers tomorrow against the Angels in a pitcher’s park.
Nate Eovaldi ($8,400) – In two starts against the Yankees this season, he has only given up two runs total. With the Yankees potentially being without Aaron Judge due to COVID protocols, this could be a really nice spot for Eovaldi to have a good start and get the win.
Tylor Megill ($8,000) – We are yet to see Megill go deep into games, as he is yet to go more than 5 innings, but what we have seen him do is strike people out, having struck out 22 batters in his last three starts.
The Value Players
Hunter Dozier 2B/3B/OF ($3,400) – Dozier didn’t hit really well in the first half, but there is reason to believe that he was a little unlucky based on his BABIP. He will be facing a weak pitching staff from the Orioles today, he had started to hit heading into the break.
Ryan Mountcastle – 1B/OF ($3,900) – While the Orioles don’t have a great pitching staff, neither do the Royals who Mountcastle will be facing. The Orioles have shown us that they are capable of scoring lots of runs, and this is a matchup where we could see them do just that.
Michael Conforto – OF ($3,400) – When healthy, Donaldson is still one of the better hitters in baseball, and he should be healthy right now after having the week off. He will face a Tigers team that wasn’t good in the first half and likely won’t be much better in the second half.
The Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers – You take one of the best hitting teams in baseball, and you bring them to Colorado, and you expect to see runs. The Dodgers have some spots where you can get value tonight too in Lux, and Pollock, to help you get Betts, Turner, or Muncy into your lineup to make a nice stack on the team with the highest implied run total tonight.
Kansas City Royals – Royals are a good value team today. They put up nine runs on the Orioles last night, and you will get a combination of Sal Perez, Carlos Santana, Andrew Benintendi, and Hunter Dozier for a reasonable price, and if you want to pay up for Whit Merrifield you can do that too.
Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers aren’t going to be highly owned today, but we shouldn’t forget that they are in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league. Luis Castillo, who they are facing today, struggled with this control at times, so I wouldn’t mind stacking Kolton Wong, Christian Yelich, Willy Adames and Avisaíl Garica in a GPP.
Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.
