DFS MLB Lineups for May 11, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com
For this 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.
Lineup construction will be all over the map today with a Coors game and most of the better pitching options finding themselves in questionable spots. As a reminder, the best advice we can give if you’re new to DFS MLB is to remember that 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 have a horrible start, 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 guy 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!
5/11/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Fastball: $33 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Perfect Game: $333 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $140k guaranteed (20 entry max)
FanDuel Monster: $300 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $3 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $33 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for May 11, 2017
Zack Greinke vs. PIT ($10.8k DraftKings, $10.2k FanDuel)
He seems to have revitalized his career with a new approach and he’s coming off an excellent outing with 13 ground ball outs to navigate the tough conditions at Coors Field. Now he’ll return home to face a weakened Pirates lineup that is reeling due to the lengthy suspension of Starling Marte and is sporting the fifth-lowest collective batting average (.231) with a 21.7% K-Rate over the last 14 days. Only Andrew McCutchen has positive splits, or even a decent sample size of at-bats, against Greinke amongst the Pirates and he’s a shell of his former self, so feel free to use the D’Backs RHP as a home favorite.
Michael Pineda vs. HOU ($9.3k DraftKings, $8.6k FanDuel)
It’s hard to go wrong with either pitcher at Yankee Stadium tonight considering Dallas Keuchel’s history against the lefty-heavy Yankees lineup, but Pineda is in the midst of such a strong season that he seems a bit more appealing at a lower price tag. The talented young RHP has always just needed to concentrate and harness that talent and he’s figuring it out with a 3.12 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a career-best 11.16 K/9 ratio through 6 starts this season. He’s turned up his game in the Bronx with a 1.35 ERA and .178 ERA to go 3-0 at home. Of note, the Astros aren’t striking out this season (2nd lowest K% in baseball) and will likely roll out a lineup with four lefties (short porch) as well as Springer, Altuve, and Correa. Pineda is an elite tournament option that carries a lot of risk in cash games.
Derek Holland vs. MIN ($5.2k DraftKings, $7.9k FanDuel)
Holland is strangely one of the cheapest SP on the board on DK tonight despite posting a 2.02 ERA with a sparkling .189 BAA over his first 6 starts this year. Perhaps it’s the dangers of facing a Twins lineup that contains right handed sluggers Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano, but current Twins are just 19-for-78 (.244) with 16 K’s and 2 HR in their careers against Holland. He’s already faced Minnesota and limited them to 2 ER on 4 hits and he could see a boost if Dozier remains inactive with an ankle injury. Holland has traditionally struggled with right handed batters and the Twins might roll out 8 of them tonight with Joe Mauer being the lone lefty. Might be a time to play a hedge stack of Twins if you decide to go heavy on Holland.
Other pitchers to consider: Dallas Keuchel, Michael Fulmer, Gerrit Cole, J.C. Ramirez, Chase De Jong
Best DFS MLB Hitters for May 11, 2017
Nolan Arenado vs. LAD ($5.3k DraftKings, $4.7k FanDuel)
Even before checking his career splits against lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, I had an idea that Arenado’s found success against him in the past and sure enough, he’s 6-for-12 with 2 doubles and 2 HR in a small sample. Arenado generally crushes southpaws and Ryu leaves the ball up in the zone far too often, which has led to a 2.03 HR/9 ratio over 5 appearances this season. Arenado is 18-for-42 (.450) with an insane 6 homers off lefties this season after posting a .429 wOBA against LHP at home last year.
Nelson Cruz @ TOR ($4.2k DraftKings, $4.4k FanDuel)
He got a day off to rest his 36-year-old frame but Cruz is almost certainly going to be back in the lineup with the DH spot available in Toronto tonight. He faces a RHP in Marco Estrada, who can spin gems on the right days, but has struggled in the past against Seattle and allowed Cruz to go 5-for-10 with a double and HR in their careers. Cruz has been red hot with a .357 batting average during the month of May and he launched 6 homers during a two-week span at the end of April, so he clearly comes with upside with a very favorable park shift.
Buster Posey vs. CIN ($3.8k DraftKings, $3.9k FanDuel)
Somehow not even the most expensive catcher of the slate on DK, Posey is almost a surefire bet for production against showered 40-year-old RHP Bronson Arroyo. The Reds veteran is sporting a 6.53 ERA with a 2.08 HR/9 ratio on the year and he’s been far worse in RvR matchups, as RHB are hitting .306 with a .421 wOBA against him this year. Posey has been money at home while posting a .362/.439/.532 slash line overall this season.
Other hitters to consider: Charlie Blackmon, Manny Machado, Miguel Cabrera, Jean Segura, Brandon Belt, Jose Abreu, Seth Smith, Adam Lind, Ben Gamel
5/11/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Orioles vs A.J. Cole
He posted a Quality Start in his 2017 debut, but that could just be smoke and mirrors from Cole considering his 6.63 ERA over 4 appearances at the AAA level this summer. Cole posted a 5.17 ERA with a 1.64 HR/9 ratio last season and he could be in trouble when facing an Orioles lineup that can mash. Manny Machado could serve as the heart of that stack despite his general struggles this year while Mark Trumbo is an elite GPP play. Consider Chris Davis in tournaments as well as Seth Smith if he cracks the lineup with the platoon advantage against a RHP who has posted a 1.59 WHIP with a 33% Hard Contact Rate when facing lefties in his career.
Rockies vs Hyun-Jin Ryu
While Rockies southpaw Tyler Anderson posted his first excellent start of the season at Coors Field, Ryu comes into this matchup with no such confidence-inspiring result as he’s dealing with a hip injury in addition to his general ineffectiveness over the last two seasons. Arenado is an excellent option as is Charlie Blackmon at their lofty price tags, while catcher Dustin Garneau could serve as a value addition to this stack. I love DJ LeMahieu in this spot with his excellent home/road splits and Ian Desmond makes for another great tournament option.
Giants vs Bronson Arroyo
Of course you can stack against Arroyo given his consistent struggles this year and the Giants aren’t a bad lineup to choose from with their consistently cheap price tags at home. Sure, AT&T Park is massive, but you can still use great contact hitters such as Hunter Pence and Eduardo Nunez, who could be a major factor on the base paths against a slow-delivering RHP. Gorkys Hernandez continues to fill in for the injured Denard Span and Christian Arroyo could serve as another cheap option with Brendan Crawford on the shelf.
Other Stacks to consider:
Dodgers vs. Tyler Anderson
Reds vs. Ty Blach
Padres vs. Martin Perez
