DFS MLB Lineups for June 5, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com
For this daily fantasy baseball season, each day there’s a good slate of DFS MLB games, we’ll be writing up a group of pitchers and hitters that we’re considering for our cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll also provide a list of stacks to consider, MLB start times, starting pitchers, and game run totals to give you a good idea of where the fantasy goodness might come from on a given night. As with any DFS sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than they are in real life due to matchup, price, park factor, etc. This is important when constructing a roster.
We’ve got a fun looking 7 game slate in DFS MLB tonight. There’s only one expensive arm in CarMart and then you drop down a full $1.1k at FanDuel and a massive $3.4k at DraftKings to get to the next most expensive pitcher. My exposure to CarMart tonight is going to be at FanDuel. The price is just too high on DK, especially considering how many bats you can get using any of the other pitchers. On the tournament trail, DK is running a low buy-in MME tournament tonight, so for $6 per entry, you can enter up to 150 lineups in the Swing for the Fences, where the $4 on DK is always capped at 20 entries. I really like the 7-9 game slates so hopefully we can have some success tonight. – Matt
A quick reminder while playing DFS MLB, don’t forget baseball is a game of variance. You can make a really solid lineup and still fall short of the cash line. Even Clayton Kershaw can get lit up, and Mike Trout can still go 0 for 4. Baseball is funny like that. Trust the process and know that if you’re playing quality lineups, you’ll be a winner in the long term.
Another thing to remember outside of making sure your player is in the lineup, is to always check the weather. Always. Make this something that is part of your basic routine. Baseball games can get postponed! Your players receive no points from postponed games!
6/5/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Full Count: $55 buy-in, $325k guaranteed
DraftKings Swing for the Fences: $6 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
DraftKings Home Run: $400 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Salami: $55 buy-in, $175k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $4 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $6 buy-in, $66k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for June 5, 2017
Carlos Martinez @ CIN ($12.5k DraftKings, $10k FanDuel)
Perhaps it’s accentuated by the lack of options on a 7-game slate tonight, but Martinez suddenly has a truly elite price tag on DK that’s on par with the best SPs in the game. Still, he might be worth the money in a decent matchup tonight and he’s been pitching like one of the best arms in the world with a 2.03 ERA, .169 BAA and 0.88 WHIP over his last 6 appearances. Tonight he’ll face a Reds team that’s done some damage against him over a combined 111 career at-bats, but depended on drawing 13 walks to get to him and he’s been much better in terms of control with a 3.15 K/BB ratio during May.
Junior Guerra vs. SF ($7.6k DraftKings, $8.2k FanDuel)
Some may gravitate towards Giants RHP Jeff Samardzija in a plus matchup against the strikeout-prone Brewers, but his adversary is just as appealing if you’re looking for value. Guerra is coming off a 6-inning gem at Citi Field in which he held the Mets scoreless and he’s been solid in all 3 of his appearances this year with a 1.84 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He posted a 2.81 ERA over the larger sample of 20 appearances last season and has been very tough on lefties lately, which doesn’t bode well for the Giants struggling lineup.
J.A. Happ @ OAK ($7.3k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)
Happ’s return to the rotation began in nightmare fashion, as he coughed up two homers in the first inning, but he settled down from there and limited the Reds to just one hit over the next 3.2 innings. With those bumps in the road likely behind him, the Blue Jays solid southpaw will pitch at massive Oakland Coliseum, where he’ll have little to worry about in terms of HR Factor. Current A’s are a combined 15-for-96 (.197) with 15 K’s in their careers against Happ, who is certainly capable of shutting down a bottom 5 offense in the American League.
Other pitchers to consider: Jeff Samardzija, Dan Straily, Sean Manaea
Best DFS MLB Hitters for June 5, 2017
Giancarlo Stanton @ CHC ($5.1k DraftKings, $4.3k FanDuel)
The Marlins slugger has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball with a .421/.488/.763 slash line over his last 10 appearances and he flashed his patience with 2 walks in addition to a single on Saturday before launching a double to maintain his pace on Sunday. We could see his power return in a plus matchup tonight against RHP Eddie Butler, who posted a 20.3% HR/FB ratio with a 7.17 ERA over 17 appearances with the Rockies last year. He’s been below average while posting a 4.42 ERA so far with the Cubs and is vulnerable enough to target with Miami’s best bats.
Whit Merrifield vs. HOU ($4.3k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel)
While he’s no longer available at an obvious discount, Merrifield is proving that he’s worth the money as one of the best options at 2B on any given slate. He’s riding a league-best 19-game hitting streak with a .438/.500/.781 slash line and 3 SB over his last 10 appearances and he could serve as part of a Royals stack or a stand-alone option tonight against a vulnerable RHP. Astros starter Mike Fiers pitched well in his last outing, but has otherwise been a disaster with a 4.96 ERA, 6.93 FIP and 30% HR/FB Ratio on the year and he’s actually been more vulnerable in RvR matchups.
Matt Adams vs. PHI ($3.7k DraftKings, $2.8k FanDuel)
Adams returned from a short absence due to knee soreness to erupt for 3 hits, including 2 HRs in an offensive showcase at Cincy’s Great American Ballpark. He followed that up with a double and HR on Sunday and will take his hot streak back home ahead of a plus matchup against rookie RHP Nick Pivetta. Adams is now hitting .317 with a .404 wOBA and .293 ISO Mark against righties at home, while Pivetta posted a 1.40 WHIP with a .255 BAA against LHB at the AA level last year.
Other hitters to consider: Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson, Evan Gattis, Anthony Rendon, Aaron Altherr, Tommy Pham, Jed Lowrie, Logan Forsythe
6/5/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Astros vs Ian Kennedy
While I have respect for Kennedy’s talent, I don’t think he’s anywhere close to fully healthy and I have even more respect for the Astros red-hot lineup. Houston is leading the Majors with a collective .305 batting average, .390 wOBA and .255 ISO Mark over the last 14 days as Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Evan Gattis are all on fire. Kennedy’s been roughed up for 18 ER and 6 HRs over his last 4 appearances while battling through a hamstring issue and if he struggles tonight, he should continue to struggle badly.
Cardinals vs Asher Wojciechowski
All signs would indicate that Woj is not a very capable MLB pitcher, but the Reds don’t much choice other than to trot him out there every 5 days for now. He was tagged for 4 ER and 3 HRs over just 4 IP in his last start at Toronto and could struggle at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark against a feisty Cardinals lineup. He was absolutely lit up by lefties two season ago, so Matt Carpenter and Dexter Fowler are worth consideration in tournaments despite their recent struggles. Tommy Pham has been reliable as an OF value play and Jedd Gyorko returns from Paternity Leave with Dad Motivation, while Yadier Molina is always a decent cash game option at catcher.
Nationals vs Hyun-Jin Ryu
If possible, keep rolling with a Nationals lineup that’s become exponentially more dangerous with Bryce Harper returning from suspension to draw 3 walks and steal a bag on Sunday. Harper is hitting .349 off LHP this season, so he’s still worth a look at a lofty price tag against Dodgers southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has been vulnerable this year while pitching through some injuries. Anthony Rendon is red hot and will have the platoon advantage in this matchup while Ryan Zimmerman is also crushing lefties and you can consider Michael A. Taylor for salary relief if he starts.
Other Stacks to consider:
Marlins vs Eddie Butler
Phillies vs. Bartolo Colon
Braves vs. Nick Pivetta
