FanDuel DFS picks for Sunday, July 17

Hello all. Sunday’s Main Slate on FanDuel begins at 1:10pm ET and features nine games. I am road-weary from some recent travels so enough with the small talk. Let’s chug some coffee and check this thing out.

Pitching

Max Scherzer (11,900) is on pace for 286 strikeouts. He opposes sinkerballer Chad Kuhl, who gets touched up more by left-handed hitters according to his minor league numbers. Nationals Park is more kind to lefty hitters, too—which means Scherzer, Daniel Murphy, and Bryce Harper should have the advantage in this one. The Pirates rank in the top third in the MLB in wRC+ (100) and wOBA (.319) against RHPs, but they have little power as their .144 ISO (24th) illustrates. Nationals Park is not a good place for RHH, which only further solidifies Scherzer as the top option in cash games today.

Jacob deGrom ($10,400) opposes Zach Eflin, who gives it up to lefty batters so far in 2016. Left-handed hitters make soft contact against Eflin only 8.2% of the time, so Curtis Granderson, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Neil Walker should find a way to get to him. That bodes well for deGrom, who has a cake matchup against the Phillies, who have managed an 84 wRC+ (27th), a .302 wOBA (26th), and a .161 ISO (16th) in 2016. The Phillies strikeout 21.0% of the time as well. The park is not as cushy as Scherzer’s and Scherzer has better K-potential, but deGrom looks to be in a good spot as well if you need to save a little coin today. Citi Field is a deathknell to RHH, too—rendering Maikel Franco less of a threat in this one.

Cole Hamels ($9,000) has a good matchup against the Cubs if you look strictly at BvP. Kris Bryant, Miguel Montero, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, and Ben Zobrist are a collective 0 for 14 against Hamels in an obviously tiny sample size. Also, the last time Hamels pitched at Wrigley Field he twirled a no-hitter, so there’s that. You’ll need to check the weather in Wrigley to ensure it isn’t a detriment to starting pitching, but if it ends up being neutral or a benefit I will be interested in Hamels in GPPs. John Lackey opened up as a -140 favorite for some reason, so I think that might drive a lot of people away if they adhere strictly to Vegas lines.

Julio Teheran ($8,700) at home against the Rockies is appealing, though I also can’t doubt Jon Gray ($8,300) is as well. This would be a game where I considered taking both pitchers if I were on a two-pitcher site. This game has a run total of 7.5 and is essentially a pick'em, but Teheran is a small favorite at home (-112). You are really rolling the dice with the win in this one, but it could pay off if you pick the right side.

Hitting

Minnesota Twins RHH vs. Josh Tomlin

Josh Tomlin gives up a lot of home runs (his career HR/FB of 13% is awful). The right-handed Twins bats are in play here at home, where Target Field is death to lefty hitters but just fine for right-handed hitters. Miguel Sano already has some good BvP going against Tomlin (3 of 9 with a home run) and there are other dangerous RHH in this Twins lineup. Brian Dozier (.165 ISO, .304 wOBA) and (.135 ISO, .340 wOBA) fit the bill. If you choose to include the lefty-hitting Max Kepler (.263 ISO, .342 wOBA) I would not argue the point.

Chris Carter and/or Ryan Braun vs. Dan Straily

Straily isn’t a terrible pitcher but he has been vulnerable to right-handed hitters, who are making hard contact 35.4% of the time. RHH also strikeout more against Straily (24.6%) but that is the sort of GPP play you want. Chris Carter (.262 ISO, .339 wOBA) and Ryan Braun (.183 ISO, .361 wOBA) are my top choices, but Jonathan Lucroy (.194 ISO, .393 wOBA) has shown some pop this year as well.

Baltimore vs. Jake Odorizzi

Will Baltimore be contrarian today? I will be monitoring the airwaves to discern the truth of this. I would think so, given the park downgrade. The upside is certainly there against Jake Odorizzi, who gives up a lot of fly balls and a lot of hard contact to both handedness of hitter. RHH have touched him up more this year, though, which is troubling against Baltimore. Tropicana Field is a little bit better for RHH, too. All of the usual suspects are in play, though you'll have to make a decision to leave off someone. Mark Trumbo, Manny Machado, and Chris Davis are the top plays, but then you'll have to make a decision on Adam Jones (.206 ISO, .346 wOBA) or Jonathan Schoop (..219 ISO, .373 wOBA). I typically prefer Schoop at the middle infield position, but that will also be dictated by the rest of my lineup as well. I like Baltimore a lot for GPPs, but Odorizzi is too much of a strikeout guy and the park is too cushy for me to consider Baltimore in cash games.

Yan Gomes ($2,400) vs. Kyle Gibson

Gomes has some impressive BvP against Kyle Gibson. In 14 AB, Gomes is hitting .429 with two home runs. He is almost the minimum on FanDuel so he makes for an okay punt in a GPP. I would not get anywhere near Gomes in cash games, though.

As per my usual of late, I will aim to update this post via the comments with any new thoughts and my own lineups. Good luck today, champs!