This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Did you enjoy your Fourth of July? I bet you enjoyed it more if you hit it big with your DFS MLB plays. Monday may not be a holiday, but you can make it feel like one if you have more daily fantasy baseball success. There are 11 games on the slate, and since the first one starts at 6:05 p.m. ET I figure it's fair to give you recommendations for the full slate. And here they are!
PITCHING
Brandon Woodruff, MIL at NYM ($11,400): Woodruff is in the running for the Cy Young in the National League, and a quick look at his numbers show why. He has an 1.87 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP, and he's struck out 10.60 batters per nine innings. In any matchup, Woodruff is worth sticking in your lineup, but against a Mets team that ranks 29th in runs scored? Now I'm excited.
Kevin Gausman, SF vs. STL ($10,600): If you are paying attention, you probably know that Gausman is having a career year. The journeyman pitcher has a 1.68 ERA, and if you are more of a FIP guy, his 2.65 FIP is also excellent. Even if you have been paying attention, you might not realize how bad the Cardinals' offense has been. They are in the bottom five in runs scored per game with a team OBP around .300.
Joe Musgrove, SD vs. WAS ($9,600): Musgrove threw the first no-hitter for the Padres, and he's enjoying his new home ballpark. In the friendly confines of Petco Park, Musgrove has a 2.25 ERA. Weirdly, Washington has one of the better team batting averages, but it is in the bottom five in runs scored.
Max Fried, ATL at PIT ($9,100): Fried started the season off rough, but over his last nine starts he has a 2.61 ERA. I think that strong run of pitching will continue. The Pirates had the worst offense in the majors in 2020, and they have the worst offense in 2021 as well. This is true both by runs per game and team OPS.
TOP TARGETS
Nick Castellanos, CIN at KC ($4,000): Castellanos is absolutely tearing the cover off the ball. Not only does he have a .587 slugging percentage, he's hitting .339 in a time when many struggle to sniff .300. The righty will be facing the lefty Mike Minor, who has a 5.41 ERA over the last two seasons.
Kris Bryant, CHC vs. PHI ($3,400): Bryant has slowed down a bit, but against lefties this season, he has a robust 1.182 OPS. Fortunately for Bryant, the Phillies' starter Matt Moore is a lefty. Not only that, he's a lefty with a 5.85 FIP.
VALUE BATS
Andrew Benintendi, KC vs. CIN ($2,500): Benintendi is back from a rib injury and ready to get back in the groove. Before his injury he had eight homers and seven stolen bases. The lefty also has an .845 OPS versus righties. Vladimir Gutierrez has made seven starts in his MLB career and has a 5.86 FIP. He's also allowed 1.88 homers per nine innings.
Mike Zunino, C, TAM vs. CLE ($2,500): The Rays have a problem, and that's a lefty-heavy lineup. When a left-handed pitcher is on the mound, it can be tricky to find players for your lineup, even in a favorable matchup. And oh, this is a favorable matchup. Logan Allen has an 8.38 ERA through six starts. Zunino is all about power. He's barely over the Mendoza line, which is actually good for him. Despite that, he's slugged .537 with 18 homers.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
Braves vs. Chase De Jong: Ronald Acuna ($4,400), Freddie Freeman ($3,800), Austin Riley ($3,000)
The Pirates are more than a bad offense. They also have a bad rotation! De Jong has a career 6.61 ERA and he gets lambasted by everybody. Since 2019, he's allowed a .307 average to lefties and a .317 average to righties. Acuna is one of the best players in baseball. I don't need to pitch him. In his last full season, he had 41 home runs and 37 stolen bases, and this year he has 23 homers and 16 stolen bases. Freeman got off to a slow start, which is why he has a .268 average. Over the last 21 days, he's hit .360. Riley is enjoying a breakout season, as he's slashed .273/.352/.462.
Padres vs. Jon Lester: Fernando Tatis ($4,500), Manny Machado ($3,700), Tommy Pham ($3,300)
Lester seems to be on his last legs as a pitcher. Hey, he's 37. That's forgivable. Nevertheless, he has a 5.25 ERA over the last two seasons. The southpaw has also allowed righties to hit a staggering .330 against him this season. Tatis is having the best season of his career, with an OPS over 1.000, 26 homers and 18 stolen bases. Those are all career highs. Machado got off to a bit of a slow start, but he has a .985 OPS over the last 21 days. He also has a .987 OPS versus lefties since 2019. Pham kind of quietly has a .371 OBP and has stolen 12 bases.
