Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: MLB DraftKings Ideal Lineup Picks for July 30 – Bleacher Report

With two day games on the MLB schedule Thursday, Max Scherzer is a must-start for DraftKings daily fantasy players who have only four pitchers to chose from in the afternoon contests.  The difficulty lies in filling out a roster around him.

In the evening, 22 teams are in action, allowing for a wide variety of potential lineup selections.

Whether you’re competing during the day, at night, or both, here are five of the top options to go with on July 30.

Afternoon

Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals ($5,600) at Miami Marlins

It’s always easy to pick one of the best players in baseball, but doing so in a contest featuring just two games makes Bryce Harper’s enormous upside all the more valuable—especially considering his current hot stretch.

Harper is in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak during which he’s 10-for-26, a .385 batting average.  The National League home run leader belted a pair of long balls against the Marlins on Wednesday, something ESPN Stats & Info noted he’s done with great frequency:

Bryce Harper- Multi-HR Games by Opponent
Marlins 4 (tonight too)
Braves 1
Mets 1
Cubs 1
Mariners 1

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 30, 2015

Dan Haren takes the mound Thursday for Miami against the Nationals.  Harper went 1-for-2 with a homer versus Haren on April 26, the only time the two have faced each other.

Dee Gordon, 2B, Miami Marlins ($4,000) vs. Washington Nationals

With an average of 8.7 fantasy points per game, Dee Gordon is a steal at $4,000.  After missing 11 games with a hand injury, Gordon went 2-for-3 with a run scored on Tuesday in his return from the disabled list.

The Marlins second baseman has a tough test against Scherzer on Thursday, but Gordon has fared quite well against him in their previous meetings:

Despite his recent DL stint, Gordon is tied for the National League lead with 124 total hits.  His .337 batting average and 33 stolen bases each rank second as well.

Evening

Carlos Martinez, P, St. Louis Cardinals ($10,300) vs. Colorado Rockies

Following a career-high eight innings of scoreless ball in his last outing, Carlos Martinez now has a streak of 11 consecutive quality starts.  Martinez has gone 13 straight appearances without surrendering more than three earned runs, and in 10 of them he’s allowed one or fewer.

Over his last 12 games, the 23-year-old has 78 strikeouts in 79.1 innings while posting a 1.13 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .213 batting average.

Martinez is averaging 19.2 fantasy points per game for the season, but that number jumps to 25.3 spanning his last eight starts.

Shelby Miller, P, Atlanta Braves ($9,700) at Philadelphia Phillies

After a 5-1 start, Shelby Miller is now 5-7 and hasn’t earned a victory since May 17.  It’s not through any fault of his own, though, as the Braves have scored a total of eight runs in Miller’s last seven outings.

In 16 of his 20 starts this year, Miller has allowed two earned runs or fewer.  His 2.27 ERA is the fourth-lowest in the National League.

Miller has been spectacular in three appearances against the Phillies this season, including a scoreless streak of 17.1 consecutive innings against them:

On the road in 2015, Miller owns a 1.06 WHIP and .206 batting average against.

Erick Aybar, SS, Los Angeles Angels ($3,200) at Houston Astros

Erick Aybar is sporting a modest four-game hitting streak in which he’s 5-for-15 with four RBI.  But what makes him a smart play on Thursday are his outstanding numbers when opposing Astros starter Scott Kazmir.

Aybar is 7-for-11 in his career against Kazmir, with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI.

In addition, Aybar is batting .346 with a .372 on-base percentage in the month of July.  He’s also a more valuable fantasy player away from home, averaging 6.8 points per game on the road compared to 5.6 per game at Angel Stadium.

With a salary of just $3,200, Aybar is a good bet to provide some production at a very reasonable price.

All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.

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