Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks: Lineup advice for July 4, 2018 (1:05pm ET Contest)


(Photo credit: Keith Allison)

July 4 has all the baseball you could possibly want spread out over the course of this special day. The early, 1:05pm ET, contest on DraftKings features seven games, which is just enough to find angles into the money. What better way to celebrate America than baseball and a few extra dollars? Here is who should be in your lineup.

Sean Manaea Vs. San Diego Padres ($12,100)

Manaea's hot start to the season faded in May, but June saw his ERA start to come down again, and his WHIP is still very favorable as well. He is currently posting career-bests in both with a 3.38 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. The only issue is that his strikeouts are down (so is the walk rate though) and his home runs allowed are up. He has allowed 11 homers in his last 11 starts, but against the Padres that problem should be lessened. This is a great matchup for him and if his slider is working it could turn into a monster day. There are no elite pitching options in this contest, making Manaea almost a must-start.

Chase Anderson Vs. Minnesota Twins ($7,200)

In the middle tier of pitchers there is a lot of question marks. Julio Teheran would normally be a nice pick but he is in Yankee Stadium today, leaving Chase Anderson as a solid option. The Brewers righty isn't doing anything special this season with a 4.18 ERA and just 68 strikeouts in 88.1 innings, but a low WHIP (1.13) and back-to-back 23.7-point starts are very nice against a lineup that ranks in the bottom third of the league in nearly every category.

Mike Leake Vs. Los Angeles Angels ($5,300)

Mike Leake is a risk, but one that can pay off massively. He has just 66 strikeouts on 107.2 innings, but he's averaging 17.1 points in his last 10 games, and his last two have both been over 20. He has a couple of goose eggs mixed in, but he has been getting better as the season goes on. At this price a 12+ score is excellent, and he could single-handedly get you in the money if he scores big.

Aaron Judge Vs. Atlanta Braves ($5,400)

The Yankees giant slugger is starting to come alive again. Judge has three homers in his last five games and even stole two bases last night. Julio Teheran is on the mound for the Braves and has been homer-prone again this year, so look for Judge to create some fireworks today.

Kyle Schwarber Vs. Detroit Tigers ($4,400)

Schwarber's performance at the plate has been picking up of late. He had his second multi-hit game in a row last night, including a homer, and has four games of nine or more points in his last five. He hasn't been super consistent this year, but if he is entering a purple patch then this is a very profitable spot to use him.

Adam Jones @ Philadelphia Phillies ($3,400)

Last night's blank snapped a five-game hit streak for Jones. That doesn't sound great, but every DFS lineup needs some low cost bats, and while the Orioles lineup is a black hole of nothingness (apart from Manny Machado of course), Jones is hitting .284 on the season. If he picks up a hit he will have paid for himself, two and he is strongly in the positive column at this price.

For more articles like this, take a look at our MLB The Show page.