MLB DFS DraftKings.com & FanDuel.com Lineups & Picks for May 4, 2018

Baseball is back with a great slate of MLB DFS games scheduled for Friday, 5/4/18. The main slate on DraftKings includes 15 games starting at 7:05 p.m. EST, and FanDuel’s main slate also includes 15 starting at the same time.

For today, we’re listing our top MLB DFS pitchers, hitters, and stacks to target in Cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. The info below can also be used for crafting your daily fantasy baseball strategy at FantasyDraft.

Please note the advice below is relevant for daily fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, and lots of other factors. This is important to consider when constructing a roster. Remember that more than in other sports, variance is a huge part of baseball. Even Jose Altuve can go 0-for-4 on a given night, and Max Scherzer can get lit up by a weak team.

Weather can also play a huge role in MLB DFS on a nightly basis, and lineups are constantly shifting. So always, always check the starting lineups and weather reports when playing for an MLB slate. If a game gets rained out, your player gets zero points!

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Best MLB DFS Pitchers for May 4, 2018

Rick Porcello @ TEX ($10.8k DraftKings, $9.0k FanDuel)

Despite the huge number of games, there are few SPs on tonight’s slate as reliable for Cash lineups as Rick Porcello. He’s keeping the ball down in the zone and avoiding hard contact with a career-best 17% line drive and minuscule 2.6% HR/FB ratio this season. Porcello’s sporting a pristine 9.50 K/BB ratio and a 49.1% ground ball rate, his highest mark since 2013. He’s been gifted with ample run support in most of his outings. That trend should continue with the elite Red Sox offense taking on 44-year-old Bartolo Colon at the launching pad known as Rangers Ballpark. As long as he continues to keep the ball down and out of the warm air in Texas, Porcello should be able to post another Quality Start.

Jose Berrios vs. CWS ($9.8k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)

While he’s struggled in consecutive starts, Jose Berrios could certainly pay off as a great GPP play tonight against a familiar foe. He’s owned the White Sox in his short MLB career with a 1.67 ERA, .167 BAA and 11.9 K/9 ratio over five outings. This includes seven innings of shutout ball with 11 Ks and 3 hits allowed in an April 12 start. Berrios is holding RHB to a .199 wOBA and measly 19.5% hard contact rate, which explains why he’s been able to dominate a righty-heavy White Sox lineup. With switch-hitting leadoff man Yoan Moncada (hamstring) questionable tonight, Berrios has a good chance to meet his healthy RotoQL projected score.

Joey Lucchesi vs. LAD ($8.3k DraftKings, $8.6k FanDuel)

The Padres seem to have found in a gem in young LHP Joey Luchessi. The 6-foot-5, 204-pound southpaw is posting a 26.9% K-Rate with an 11.9% swinging strike rate and a 3.52 SIERA through his first six MLB starts. Walks have been an issue, yes. But there is a ton of upside here despite the tough matchup. The Dodgers are posting the fourth-lowest wOBA (.293) with the fifth-lowest ISO mark (.130) against LHP to open the season and just lost standout SS Corey Seager (elbow) for the season. Luchessi has posted a 0.42 HR/9 ratio, 2.31 FIP and very solid 4.6 K/BB ratio at Petco Park. He clearly feels a bit more comfortable attacking hitters in that pitcher-friendly ballpark.

Zack Wheeler vs. COL ($7.1k DraftKings, $8.0k FanDuel)

Surprisingly enough, the Rockies are dead last in collective batting average (.212) with the second-lowest OBP (.283) when facing RHPs this year. Obviously less dangerous away from Coors Field, that lineup could struggle tonight against young Mets hurler Zack Wheeler. He averages 94.4 MPH on his fastball with a perceived speed of 95.3 MPH thanks to his deceptive motion. He has solid peripheral stats (3.66 FIP, 26.2% hard contact rate) and should be able to pay off his modest price tag as long as he avoids the Rockies’ only truly dangerous hitters in Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado. This is a GPP play only.

Other pitchers to consider: Gerrit Cole, Nick Kingham, Wade Buehler, Jose Quintana, C.C. Sabathia

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Best MLB DFS Hitters for May 4, 2018

Jose Altuve @ ARI ($5.1k DraftKings, $4.1k FanDuel)

Stymied by the red-hot Yankees over a four-game series, the Astros will look to get back on track against a surprisingly hot D’Backs team. Yet Arizona is missing top starter Robbie Ray (oblique). That’s forced 32-year-old Kris Medlen back into action. At just 5-foot-10, 190-pounds, Medlen depended on elite fitness to generate power earlier in his career, but his performance has fallen off a cliff as he’s aged. He posted a 7.77 ERA with a 16.8% walk rate over six appearances in 2016 and was 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA over four starts in AAA this spring. Now, he’ll face one of the toughest outs in the game in Jose Altuve. He’s hitting .436 with a 29.4% line drive rate on the road against RHPs this season.

Didi Gregorius vs. CLE ($5.0k DraftKings, $4.4k FanDuel)

Cleveland RHP Josh Tomlin has been routinely tagged for homers over the past few seasons. He put up a 1.86 HR/9 ratio in 2016 and a 1.47 HR/9 ratio last year. Yet Tomlin has taken it to a new level in 2018, coughing up a 4.82 HR/9 ratio overall and a 7.36 HR/9 ratio while allowing lefties to post a .602 wOBA over 46 at-bats to begin the season. While you can target Tomlin with some of the Yankees power-hitting righties such as Giancarlo Stanton or Gary Sanchez, the best bet to go yard over the short porch in RF at Yankee Stadium is Didi Gregorius. The most consistent hitter for the Bronx Bombers so far, he’s slashing .418/.529/.982 with nine of his 10 homers coming at home this season. He has a 9.1 FP-point projection on RotoQL tonight for good reason.

Hanley Ramirez @ TEX ($4.5k DraftKings, $4.1k FanDuel)

He’s been a nice story so far this season, but Bartolo Colon is bound to experience regression at some point. The 44-year-old is allowing RHBs to post a stark 51% hard contact rate with a 26.7% HR/FB ratio. Plus, Colon has been more vulnerable in a couple of home starts this year. While Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts stand out as the most appealing RHBs to use as part of a Red Sox stack, Hanley Ramirez has experienced a resurgence. The former All-Star could serve as a great stand-alone play should he bat second against Colon. With a .316 average on the road against righties, the notably brittle RHB should continue to enjoy the sweltering weather after resting Thursday in Arlington. He’s 13-for-41 (.317) with 4 HRs there over the last three seasons.

Jorge Soler vs. DET ($3.8k DraftKings, $3.5k FanDuel)

So far, Tigers 34-year-old LHP Francisco Liriano has been able to avoid any of his trademark implosions, but one could come at any time. While the Royals aren’t necessarily the most likely candidate to erupt as a highly-productive stack, they have a couple of intriguing righties worth deploying against Liriano. Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield stand out as RHBs with plus splits against the platoon. And Jorge Soler has emerged lately as a stud with a .424 average and .529 wOBA when facing LHP this season. A former top prospect in the Cubs system, Soler has found increased success through patience, posting a 17% walk rate that is comparable to walk-maven Joey Votto’s mark of 16.9% this season. Liriano has posted a 12% walk rate in consecutive seasons as his velocity continues to decline. Soler has a good floor-ceiling combination in this matchup. He could tag the aging lefty or reach base with a free pass or two.

Other hitters to consider: Mookie Betts, George Springer, Starling Marte, Ozzie Albies, Ender Inciarte, Mitch Haniger, Daniel Robertson, Miguel Andujar, Salvador Perez, Jed Lowrie

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MLB DFS Stacks to Consider for May 4, 2018

Astros vs. Kris Medlen (Diamondbacks)
Royals vs. Francisco Liriano (Rays)
Braves vs. Chris Stratton (Giants)
Nationals vs. Nick Pivetta (Phillies)
Yankees vs. Josh Tomlin (Indians)

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