As already mentioned in today's MLB DFS Playbook, we have a pretty consistent slate across the three major sites (DraftKings, Yahoo, FanDuel). The Mets, led by the big bats of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are my favorite stack, but I also like the Cardinals, Rangers, Reds, and Braves. We appear to be relatively free of mlb weather concerns, but keep an eye on the latest MLB weather report before making daily fantasy baseball lineups as there is one sketchy game. Don't forget to check out the MLB lineups page before locking in MLB daily fantasy lineups. Plus, use the MLB daily projections, our MLB DFS Optimizer, and the rest of our MLB DFS lineup tools before setting your lineups. Now let's look at our MLB DFS top picks for Sunday, July 17th.
FD | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Dylan Cease | Gerrit Cole | Aaron Nola |
| 1B | Pete Alonso | J.T. Realmuto | Seth Brown |
| 2B | Marcus Semien | Nolan Gorman | Jonathan India |
| 3B | Austin Riley | Eduardo Escobar | Yoán Moncada |
| SS | Francisco Lindor | Corey Seager | Tommy Edman |
| OF | Julio RodrÃguez | Leody Taveras | Josh Lowe |
DK | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Aaron Nola | Dylan Cease | David Peterson |
| C | J.T. Realmuto | Tyler Stephenson | Adley Rutschman |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | Pete Alonso | Seth Brown |
| 2B | Marcus Semien | Jonathan India | Nolan Gorman |
| 3B | Austin Riley | José RamÃrez | Yoán Moncada |
| SS | Corey Seager | Francisco Lindor | Tommy Edman |
| OF | Julio RodrÃguez | Tyler O'Neill | Leody Taveras |
Y!DFS | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Dylan Cease | Spencer Strider | David Peterson |
| C | Tyler Stephenson | J.T. Realmuto | Adley Rutschman |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | Pete Alonso | Ty France |
| 2B | Marcus Semien | Nolan Gorman | Jonathan India |
| 3B | Austin Riley | José RamÃrez | Yoán Moncada |
| SS | Corey Seager | Francisco Lindor | Tommy Edman |
| OF | Julio RodrÃguez | Leody Taveras | Josh Lowe |
Player News
Braves selected the contract of LHP Austin Cox from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Cox joins Atlanta’s relief mix for Saturday’s showdown against the Giants after signing a minor league pact with the club last month. The 28-year-old lefty hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since tearing his ACL during the 2023 season when he was with the Royals. He’s struck out nearly 26 percent of the batters he’s faced this season at the Triple-A level and should factor into Atlanta’s middle relief mix.
Braves designated RHP Craig Kimbrel for assignment.
Well, that was fast. Kimbrel’s highly-anticipated return to Atlanta for the first time since 2014 appears to be over after just one relief appearance during Friday’s game against the Giants. It’s a stunning development considering the 37-year-old franchise icon spent the last few months working his way back to the big leagues. He figures to pass through waivers unclaimed in the coming days. It’s unclear whether he’s willing to accept an outright assignment back to Triple-A Gwinnett or will elect free agency to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.
Reese Olson (finger) threw a bullpen session on Saturday, but didn’t throw his changeup.
Olson is expected to incorporate his changeup into his next throwing session later this weekend, which is the final hurdle before he’s cleared to rejoin Detroit’s rotation mix. The 25-year-old received an injection to address inflammation in his right ring finger earlier this week and is trending towards being ready to return at some point in the next week or two. There should be some official clarity on his status after his next throwing session. It’ll be Sawyer Gipson-Long continuing to occupy his rotation spot.
Phillies OF prospect Justin Crawford is dealing with a minor quad issue.
There was some speculation that Crawford might be headed to the big leagues earlier this week when he was abruptly pulled from a Triple-A contest, but it turns out he’s dealing with an injury concern. The 21-year-old speedster has put together a strong campaign so far and figures to arrive in the majors at some point during the second half of the year.
Phillies selected the contract of INF/OF Otto Kemp from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Kemp receives his first call up to the majors with franchise cornerstone Bryce Harper hitting the injured list with wrist inflammation. The hard-hitting 25-year-old infielder is not a household name outside of extremely deep dynasty leagues, but he’s been one of the top hitters at the Triple-A level this season, slashing .313/.416/.594 with 14 round-trippers and 11 steals through 58 games. He does serious damage against fastballs, but he’s going to have to adjust to facing big-league caliber breaking pitches in order to succeed at the highest level. He’s an interesting prospect for fantasy purposes given his power/speed skillset, but there might be some initial turbulence. He projects as an impactful versatile super-utility specialist, if he reaches his ceiling.
Phillies recalled RHP Daniel Robert from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Robert provides the Phillies with a fresh bullpen arm entering Saturday’s showdown against the cross-state Pirates. The 30-year-old righty has been hit hard in a pair of appearances this season at the highest level.