FanDuel MLB DFS Picks and Helper: Tuesday 7/23/24

Our daily fantasy helper is available every day to analyze FanDuel's main slate and give you a starting point when you're building lineups.

Be sure to incorporate our MLB DFS projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- into your research process. numberFire also has the latest starting lineups and weather as well as heat maps to help you find the best matchups.

Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Note: All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

MLB DFS Picks

Pitcher Breakdown

Chris Sale ($11,200) boasts FanDuel's highest salary tonight, but he's easily the highest-projected player (40.8 FanDuel points), according to our MLB DFS projections. Sale gets a strong matchup against the Cincinnati Reds at home. The Reds rank just 22nd in wRC+ (93) against southpaws, and they strike out at the 11th-highest clip (22.5%) in that split. That bodes well for Sale, who is currently the National League Cy Young odds leader (+110). He enters tonight's start with the second-best SIERA (2.68) and fourth-highest strikeout rate (32.4%) among qualified pitchers.

Logan Gilbert ($10,800) is a strong secondary option tonight thanks to his matchup with the Los Angeles Angels. Against right-handed arms, the Angels rank 26th in wRC+ (91), hit ground balls at the ninth-highest clip (42.9%), and strike out at a league-average rate (23%). Gilbert, meanwhile, is 16th in SIERA (3.48) and 22nd in strikeout rate (24.8%) league wide. He's cracked 45 FanDuel points in four of his last six starts, including a nine-strikeout, 52-FanDuel-point quality start against the same Angels lineup he'll face tonight. We project him for 34.0 FanDuel points, tied for second on the slate.

Garrett Crochet ($10,400) carries some risk, but early roster rate projections from across the industry don't envision him being highly utilized. Crochet gets a soft matchup against a Texas Rangers lineup that ranks just 20th in wOBA (.306) against lefties. They've struck out at the 10th-highest clip (22.6%) in that split, offering Crochet -- the league leader in strikeout rate (35.2%) -- some upside. The downside with Crochet is that the Chicago White Sox are monitoring his workload, and he's pitched just six innings combined in his last two starts. But, with 10 days rest and proven upside, Crochet makes for an intriguing contrarian play in larger tournaments.

Others to Consider

• Colin Rea ($8,400 at CHC) - There's not an obvious mid-range gem at pitcher tonight, but I can get behind Colin Rea in a plus matchup versus the Chicago Cubs. Rea has scored at least 38 FanDuel points in five of his last seven starts -- though he was held to single-digits in those other two. Still, he spun an 8-strikeout, 40.0-FanDuel point gem against the Cubs four starts back, and they aren't exactly an offense to fear. Against righties, Chicago's Northsiders rank in the bottom half of the league in wRC+ (97) and wOBA (.305); plus, they sport the sixth-highest striekout rate (24.1%) in that split.
• Jon Gray ($7,500 vs. CWS) - Gray has been brutal lately, but this matchup is too good to ignore at his current salary. The Sox are easily the worst offense in baseball against righties, ranking dead-last in wRC+ (74) and wOBA (.273). They have the seventh-highest strikeout (24%) in that split, and it's not like Gray hasn't popped before. Though he's been held under 20 FanDuel points in five of his last six outings, he notably netted at least 38 FanDuel points in six of eight starts from April 11th to May 15th. Gray's 4.19 SIERA is playable against such a poor lineup. Our projections peg him for 26.5 FanDuel points, making him the third-best point-per-dollar value among pitchers (3.53 FanDuel points per $1,000).

Stacks to Target

• Boston Red Sox (5.97 implied total) -- The Red Sox are at Coors Field facing lefty Ty Blach. Blach has a hideous 6.24 xERA, and he's surrendered an 11.0% barrel rate thus far. Consequently, Boston has by far the slate's highest implied total. Tyler O'Neill ($4,200; 1.076 OPS) feasts against southpaws, and so does Connor Wong ($3,500; .904 OPS).
• Colorado Rockies (4.98) -- The Red Sox have Cooper Criswell scheduled to start tonight, and his season-long numbers (3.98 SIERA; 20.2% strikeout rate) likely won't be enough to overcome the thin air at Coors Field. The Rockies have several bats with strong numbers against right-handed pitchers, but Brenton Doyle ($3,700; .817 OPS) and Ezequiel Tovar ($3,700; .789 OPS) are the clear standouts in this split. Ryan McMahon ($3,400; .788 OPS) is an option, as well, despite missing Monday's series opener.
• New York Yankees (4.92) -- The Bronx Bombers haven't been great against lefties, and opposing pitcher Jose Quintana has pitched well aside from his most recent start. Still, the lefty has a middling 4.48 SIERA, and he's only generating whiffs at an 8.2% clip this season. The Yankees have lackluster lefty splits as a whole, but Aaron Judge ($4,800; 1.250 OPS) and Juan Soto ($4,400; .943 OPS) make this a stack worth considering by themselves.
• Arizona Diamondbacks (4.82) -- Tonight's Arizona Diamondbacks-Kansas City Royals matchup has the slate's highest non-Coors over/under (9.5), and I'm staking my claim with the Snakes. That's due to Alec Marsh being in line to start for K.C. Marsh has given up eight runs across his last two outings, and he's pitched to a 4.94 xERA while allowing a 10.2% barrel rate this season. That bodes well for an Arizona lineup with two standouts against righties. Joc Pederson ($2,600; .884 OPS) and Christian Walker ($3,600; .852 OPS) are the main priorities, and their friendly salaries still allow you to stack one of the other top options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.