DFS MLB Lineups for May 12, 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.
15 games on the DFS MLB slate tonight with an interesting wrinkle as Clayton Kershaw heads to Coors Field. 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!
5/12/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Home Run: $400 buy-in, $400k guaranteed
DraftKings Full Count: $55 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
FanDuel Home Run: $150 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $13 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $33 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
DFS MLB START TIMES, STARTING PITCHERS & GAME TOTALS FOR TODAY’S GAMES
7:05p: Astros (McCullers) @ Yankees (Montgomery): 8
7:05p: Phillies (Pivetta) @ Nationals (Roark): 8.5
7:07p: Mariners (Bergman) @ Blue Jays (Biagini): 8.5
7:10p: Braves (Foltynewicz) @ Marlins (Urena): 8.5
7:10p: Twins (Santana) @ Indians (Tomlin): 8
7:10p: Rays (Cobb) @ Red Sox (Porcello): 9
8:05p: A’s (Hahn) @ Rangers (Cashner): 9
8:10p: Mets (Harvey) @ Brewers (Garza): 9
8:10p: Padres (Chacin) @ White Sox (Gonzalez): 8.5
8:15p: Orioles (Tillman) @ Royals (Duffy): 8.5
8:15p: Cubs (Butler) @ Cardinals (Leake): 8.5
8:40p: Dodgers (Kershaw) @ Rockies (Chatwood): 9
9:40p: Pirates (Glasnow) @ Diamondbacks (Corbin): 9.5
10:07p: Tigers (Zimmerman) @ Angels (Shoemaker): 8.5
10:15p: Reds (Feldman) @ Giants (Cueto): 7
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for May 12, 2017
Rick Porcello vs. TB ($9.7k DraftKings, $9.5k FanDuel)
Do you roll with Johnny Cueto against his former team, or Clayton Kershaw at Coors tonight? Maybe you don’t go with either ace at their price difference on DK, instead opting to use the Red Sox steady No. 2 in the hopes that Porcello outperforms those other studs by simply going deep into the ballgame and getting a Win. He’s 1-3 over his last 4 starts despite posting a 1.69 ERA and 8.87 K/9 ratio during that span, and tonight he faces a Rays team that’s sporting the highest K-Rate (26.2%) in the Majors. Current Rays have done some damage against Porcello in the past, but also struck out 46 times over 197 at-bats (23.4% K-Rate) and he went an astonishing 5-0 with a 3.07 ERA over 6 outings against Tampa last year.
Miguel Gonzalez vs. SD ($8k DraftKings, $7.4k FanDuel)
I was going to use Gonzalez in a matchup against the Twins on Thursday before his start was pushed back, so now I’m certainly recommending him in a home start against the lowly Padres offense. The veteran RHP has been solid throughout the first month of the season with a 3.18 ERA and 3.86 FIP, as he’s pounding the strike zone but avoiding hard contact with a career-best 17.1% Line Drive Rate through 6 outings. San Diego’s offensive struggles go without saying, but just to update you, the Padres are 28th in batting average (.219), wOBA (.286) and sporting the third-highest K-Rate (24.5%) so far this season. The big worry here is the upside compared to his price, but we’ve seen 20+ DK point starts three times so far this season.
Mike Leake vs. CHC ($7.3k DraftKings, $8.6k FanDuel)
This one takes guts. His matchup is a bit daunting, but Leake has managed to skirt around trouble every time it arises this year, including a recent escaping act to post a 6th consecutive Quality Start and earn a win in Atlanta. He’s also got a better-than-typical chance at a win against the Cubs as they’ll be running out Eddie Butler opposite Leake. The Cubs lineup is loaded, but somehow they’re sporting a below average .315 wOBA with a 22.1% K-Rate on the year. Leake is holding RHB to a .193 batting average while posting a sparkling 0.94 WHIP overall and he’s found success several years into his career by busting lefties inside, so he should be able to handle Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and former Cardinals OF Jon Jay.
Other pitchers to consider: Clayton Kershaw, Lance McCullers, Danny Duffy, Tanner Roark, Jhoulys Chacin
Best DFS MLB Hitters for May 12, 2017
Bryce Harper vs. PHI ($5.6k DraftKings, $4.9k FanDuel)
He’s expensive for good reason, as Harper squares off with an inexperienced RHP in Nick Pivetta. The big 24-year-old has coughed up 4 homers over 2 starts to post a 30.3% HR/FB ratio during that span and facing Harper is a very daunting task for any pitcher this year. He’s sporting a .372/.496/.717 slash line with a 19.9% BB Rate on the season, giving him a very solid floor as a high-priced option tonight.
Eric Thames vs. NYM ($4.8k DraftKings, $4.4k FanDuel)
Former Mets ace Matt Harvey is in the news for the wrong reasons and he’s vulnerable regardless with a diminished arsenal recently. He’s giving up a 1.80 HR/9 ratio with a 5.77 FIP on the year and Thames will have the platoon advantage against the righty. One of the biggest surprises of the season, Thames is sporting a .486 wOBA with a ridiculous .410 ISO Mark and he’s launched 13 homers through 32 games.
Nelson Cruz @ TOR ($4.6k DraftKings, $4.2k FanDuel)
Betting on Cruz, or teammate Jean Segura for that matter, has rarely failed over the last several weeks and that duo is squarely in play tonight at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre against a converted reliever. Joe Biagini has done well out of Toronto’s bullpen, but he might not last very long in this spot start and that opens the door for Cruz and others to do damage against a mediocre bullpen.
Other hitters to consider: Mookie Betts, Miguel Sano, Jake Lamb, Andrew Benintendi, Jean Segura, Jose Ramirez, Travis Shaw, Josh Harrison, Luis Valbuena
5/12/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Twins vs Josh Tomlin
Miguel Sano is the best option we didn’t highlight in the section above, as he’s been raking with a ridiculous .424/.520/.824 slash line and 5 homers over his last 11 appearances and faces a homer-prone RHP in Josh Tomlin. The Indians veteran posted the fourth-highest HR/FB Ratio (17.7%) amongst qualified pitchers last year, so Brian Dozier is also a great GPP play after homering in addition to Sano last night. Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler have both had success in the past with the platoon advantage against Tomlin and even Kenny Vargas is worth a look as a total boom-or-bust option.
Brewers vs Matt Harvey
As good as Harvey can be when he’s on at times, he’s off more often than not and that can lead to some rough results. Eric Thames is the biggest candidate to go deep off the RHP, but Ryan Braun (if he’s in the lineup) and Jonathan Villar also carry plenty of upside. Travis Shaw will have the platoon advantage and he’s had a great approach going to all fields, while Hernan Perez could serve as a good value if he’s starting. When Manny Pina is in the lineup, he also serves as a solid punt at catcher.
Nationals vs Nick Pivetta
Nick Pivetta might go on to have a solid or even above average MLB career, but it’s hard to trust him against the top offense in the league right now, complete with dangerous lefties Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Matt Wieters in addition to another early MVP candidate in Ryan Zimmerman. He was lucky enough to avoid Harper in his second start, but still got tagged by Zim and Anthony Rendon for homers in a rough outing and as long as rain in the Philadelphia area doesn’t seem likely to cause a second consecutive cancellation for the Nats, they should put runs on the board at home against a young Pivetta.
Other Stacks to consider:
Dodgers vs. Tyler Chatwood
Braves vs. Jose Urena
Red Sox vs. Alex Cobb
Cardinals vs Eddie Butler
Rangers vs. Jesse Hahn
