Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Athletics vs. Giants Showdown on June 26

This week’s featured Saturday night Showdown contest on DraftKings features an interleague regional rivalry as the two teams in the Bay Area go head to head when the Oakland Athletics visit the San Francisco Giants. The Athletics have dropped into second place in the AL West after the Houston Astros’ recent hot streak, while the Giants enter the day with a 4.5-game lead in the NL West over the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The Giants are 9-1 in their past 10 games and took the first game in this series, 2-0, on Friday night behind an outstanding performance from Johnny Cueto.

The Giants will look to get another strong start from Alex Wood ($15,300 CP; $10,200), who has gone 6-3 with a 4.09 ERA and 4.18 FIP in his first 12 starts since joining San Francisco this offseason. The veteran lefty will be opposed by 28-year-old righty Frankie Montas ($15,600 CP; $10,400), who is 7-7 in 15 starts with a 4.79 ERA and 3.92 FIP. The Giants are slight favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with a -125 moneyline while the over/under for this game sits at 7.5 runs.

It’s an interesting pitching matchup that includes some interesting fantasy plays from both sides of the Bay Bridge, so let’s take a look at how to construct your DraftKings lineups for Saturday night’s Showdown contest.

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Captain’s Picks

Ramón Laureano ($13,200 CP) - Laureano and the Athletics should be in a solid spot against Wood, who has struggled in his past few starts and had difficulty finding the command that made him effective early in the season. Wood has allowed seven home runs and 25 runs over 30 innings in his past six starts for a 6.90 ERA with an 11.2% barrel rate allowed and a 46.7% hard-hit rate. Due to his recent struggles, the Athletics are the lineup that I prefer in this contest, and Laureano is always a great option against left-handed pitchers. His salary is low enough that it leaves you plenty of FLEX options as well.

Laureano was back in CF on Friday after starting a pair of games at DH and one in RF as he continues to deal with a strained right hip that landed him on the injured list for 17 games earlier this season. It hasn’t hurt his hitting against lefties, though, who he has hit up for a .347 average with three of his 13 home runs, a .236 ISO, a .429 wOBA and a 180 wRC+. Laureano homered twice this month with a .372 wOBA and 33.3% hard-hit rate in his first nine games of June.

Mike Yastrzemski ($15,000 CP) - Montas has also been struggling a little bit lately, so there should be good offense from both sides of this matchup, and Yastrzemski comes in swinging a red-hot bat. Yaz has four home runs in his past nine games while averaging 13.2 DKFP per contest. He has a .333 ISO and .414 wOBA over that span due to a 16.1% barrel rate and 38.7% hard-hit rate. He hit the ball well on Friday too but only finished 1-for-3 with a walk.

As a left-handed hitter, Yastrzemski definitely does better when facing right-handed pitching with a .255 batting average, .320 ISO and .392 wOBA on the season. He has been a regular in the top three in the Giants’ batting order and should be in a spot to keep producing as a key part of their surprisingly productive offense.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $5K Extra Inning [$1K to 1st] (OAK vs SF)

Value Plays

Jed Lowrie ($8,000) - Lowrie’s third tenure in Oakland seems to have revitalized the 37-year-old veteran who was out of MLB last season and limited to just nine games in 2019. In his 73 games this season, he has bounced back to hit .246 with a .131 ISO, a .311 wOBA and 101 wRC+. The switch-hitter has done most of his damage on the road, where he has five of his six home runs, a .157 ISO and a 36.8% hard-hit rate. Lowrie usually hits in the heart of the order against lefties and should be in a good spot to take on Wood in this matchup.

Steven Duggar ($6,600) - Duggar was out of the lineup on Friday night before appearing as a pinch-hitter. The 27-year-old lefty has been productive when in the lineup lately, though, with multiple hits in four of his past five starts, including three doubles, a triple and a home run. He has a 27.5% hard-hit rate in June resulting in a .339 batting average, .254 ISO and .423 wOBA. Most of his success this season has come at home at Oracle Park, where he sports a .302 ISO and .453 wOBA with an impressive 197 wRC+. With his recent form and favorable home splits, I like him as a solid value piece against Montas.

Fades

Matt Chapman ($10,800) - Chapman is usually an option I love against lefties, but he hasn’t been quite as locked in this season. Last year, he sported an impressive .303 ISO, but this season that mark has dropped to just .164. His average is about the same but his power has dropped along with his hard-hit rate, which has dipped from 51.7% last season to 39.4% this year. Chapman has definitely still been better against lefties than against righties and has shown signs of coming around lately, but he isn’t worth this big price tag which is still a little bit propped up by his reputation and past success. I’m passing on him and both starting pitchers in most of my lineups since the recent results don’t show they’re worth their hefty salaries.

The Outcome

While both starting pitchers have been hittable lately, Wood’s problems have been a little more recurring. I expect Montas to be able to do enough to limit the Giants and help the Athletics get the win over Wood and level this three-game series at one game each heading into the series finale on Sunday afternoon. Both these teams play a very watchable and enjoyable brand of baseball, so make sure to stay up late for this West Coast matchup in what is always a fun regional rivalry. With full capacity back at Oracle Park as well, this is definitely an environment where the fans help create a big-game environment.

Final Score: Athletics 6, Giants 4

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $5K Extra Inning [$1K to 1st] (OAK vs SF)

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