Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Giants at Dragons

Chunichi Dragons (11-17-1) vs Yomiuri Giants (17-8-1)

Thursday, July 23rd, 5:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

RHP Yuichiro Okano (2-1, 5.21 ERA) vs LHP CC Mercedes (1-2, 3.80 ERA)

Game Preview

The Giants have been the class of the Central League this season and have responded well to their tag of being favorites, as they are in first place of the standings with a 17-8-1 record while coming off four wins in their last five contests (4-1). Meanwhile, the Dragons might be coming off a win, but that result snapped a four-game losing streak and, as a result, they remain rooted to the bottom of the Central League standings with only 11 wins in 29 contests. The pitching matchup for this one will feature a lefty, CC Mercedes, for the Giants and a righty, Yuichiro Okano, for the Dragons. Mercedes holds a 3.80 ERA and 19:6 K:BB over 21.1 innings to begin the 2020 campaign. Meanwhile, Okano carries a 4.74 ERA and 18:7 K:BB over 19 innings this season.

Dragons' Expected Lineup

CF - Yohei Ohshima
RF - Ryosuke Hirata
LF - Zoilo Almonte
1B - Dayan Viciedo
3B - Shuhei Takahashi
2B - Toshiki Abe
SS - Yota Kyoda
C - Takuma Katoh
P - Yuichiro Okano

Giants' Expected Lineup

2B - Naoki Yoshikawa
SS - Hayato Sakamoto
CF - Yoshihiro Maru
3B - Kazuma Okamoto
LF - Yoshiyuki Kamei
1B - Hiroyuki Nakajima
RF - Gerardo Parra
C - Ginjiro Sumitani
P – CC Mercedes

Top Picks

Kazuma Okamoto, Giants: Okamoto has been one of the top offensive performers in the Central League this season and represents a strong captaincy alternative. He is riding a three-game hitting streak and, despite hitting just .246 this month, he enters this matchup with a strong .340 average and 10 homers along with 27 RBI.

Gerardo Parra, Giants: Parra might be hitting near the bottom of the order, but the veteran outfielder should be trusted in most lineups. He has produced multi-hit performances in his last two games and is hitting .329 with 11 RBI this season.

Dayan Viciedo, Dragons: Viciedo should be treated as Chunichi's biggest offensive threat ahead of this contest. The star slugger missed Wednesday's contest due to a bruise, but he is expected to return to action in time for Thursday's game. He has a .327 average with nine homers and 23 RBI this season.

CC Mercedes, Giants: Mercedes has been effective in each of his three starts in 2020, and he earned his first win the last time out. The lefty holds a 3.80 ERA and 19:6 K:BB over 21.1 innings to begin the 2020 campaign and could be a strong fantasy alternative here considering the difference in quality among both lineups.

Captaincy Options

1. Kazuma Okamoto
2. Gerardo Parra
3. Dayan Viciedo

Dream11 Team

P – CC Mercedes
C – Ginjiro Sumitani
IF – Dayan Viciedo
IF – Kazuma Okamoto (C)
IF – Hayato Mizowaki
OF – Yohei Ohshima
OF – Gerardo Parra (VC)
OF – Yoshihiro Maru
OF – Kengo Takeda