The MLB Slate Starter: MLB DFS Strategy for DraftKings + FanDuel | Thursday, 6/17

Wednesday saw Jacob deGrom start off magnificently at the bump (and the plate), only to leave the game with right shoulder soreness after three innings. Considering he struck out eight of the nine batters he faced in the outing, big things were obviously on the horizon if he could just stay healthy through one start. Alas, he didn’t burn anyone who rostered him, but he was certainly about to punish anyone who faded him in that spot. But on to Thursday we go, where a solid eight-game slate awaits on DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s find a few MLB DFS stacks, picks and strategies that can take us to the top.

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MLB DFS Slate Starter: Picks & Strategy | June 17

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Targeting Coors and Astros With Arms? Yikes

There are some interesting intricacies to Thursday’s eight-gamer on DraftKings and FanDuel today, specifically in the pitching department. Since this article is being written the night before, it can sometimes be difficult to decipher where ownership might land come morning. But unequivocally, Shohei Ohtani will be the most popular pitcher of the main slate on DraftKings. Not only is his price advantageous ($8,100), but the matchup against a Tigers team striking out at a league-high 27% rate against right-hand pitching is as good as it gets. Combining him with the likes of Joe Musgrove ($8,900) and Marcus Stroman ($8,600) makes a whole lot of sense, especially when trying to jam in Brewers bats in Coors Field against German Marquez.

But on the top end of the spectrum, there are two aces in difficult spots that make way too intriguing of targets in tournaments. Brandon Woodruff gets a date with the Rockies in Coors Field. The approximate temperature at first pitch has dropped to “only” 85 degrees, far more manageable than the 95- to 100-degree marks from the three-game Padres series. Plus, the Rockies are dead last in wRC+ against right-handers this season (68) and slash at a bottom-five clip against the handedness despite playing half their games in Coors Field. So considering Woodruff strikes out batters at a 31.5% clip on the season, doesn’t walk anyone and limits hard contact, it feels like Woodruff might have more upside in this spot than the public thinks.

And then there is Dylan Cease, who faces off against the Astros, a team that should almost never be targeted due to the lack of strikeouts available in their lineup. They are the only team in baseball striking out under a 20% of the time against righties on the season (19.2%) while simultaneously carrying a league-leading .790 OPS and .341 wOBA against that handedness. However, Alex Bregman left Wednesday’s game early with a quad injury, leading to Abraham Toro being recalled immediately. That is a huge downgrade on offense, as Toro has been rung up at a 22.5% clip in his limited major league at-bats compared to Bregman’s elite 15% rate in 2021. Cease is way too expensive for this matchup, but that’s the appeal of taking a shot here so long as his ownership stays super low. Make sure to check out the Awesemo Top Pitchers tool, as it’s truly the difference-maker in MLB DFS when trying to identify if upside and/or leverage might exist on a risky play such as this one.


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With another Coors slate on tap, Brewers bats will be the chalk of all chalk this evening. The Braves also draw an incredible spot at home against John Gant, who has been getting obliterated of late and most likely will again tonight. And the Angels get to face someone named Matt Manning, who has an astonishing 8.07 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 32.1 innings with Triple-A Toledo this season, making it seem almost unfathomable he survives this start against an actual major league ball club. And the Yankees and Blue Jays look to be in store for a slugfest with their slate-high 10.5-run total. . There is no doubt Ohtani is a magnificent play today (maybe less so at $11,000 on FanDuel) and carries the most strikeout upside of any arm on the slate. But take a look at his percentile rankings on Baseball Savant for the season:

MLB DFS daily fantasy baseball DraftKings FanDuel picks ownership rankings projections home runs top pitchers expert strategy advice tonight Thursday June 17 2021 odds predictions best bets

While he is elite in generating swings-and-misses, it is almost a contradiction he has only a 7th-percentile chase rate. But that’s not the key part here; it’s far more concerning to see a walk rate in the bottom 10% of MLB pitchers and a hard-hit percentage well below league average. So as many flaws as the Tigers have, they have potential power with the likes of Eric HaaseMiguel Cabrera and Jonathan Schoop that could make for some massive leverage against the most popular pitcher of the day over on DraftKings. Check in with the Awesemo Top Stacks tool, but something tells me this could be a super sneaky spot on this slate.

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Final Thoughts for MLB DFS Lineups

  • Just play Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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Eric Lindquist hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota (yes, that’s the one with Mount Rushmore). A steady diet of three SportsCenters a day at an early age led to his obsession with sports, one that 30 years later is paying dividends for him as a successful DFS player and sports bettor. Despite over half a million dollars in net career earnings, he’s most passionate about helping others achieve their financial goals, an energy you can witness on the daily in his current role as a host and analyst at Stokastic. He’s a former Division I golfer at Iowa State, wishes he was a former Minnesota sports fan, and is a proud father to a 100-pound Bernese Mountain dog named Duke that wishes he could just eat people food instead of the crap he and his wife feed him on the daily.

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