DFS MLB Lineups for May 19, 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 have 14 games on the main DFS MLB slate with perhaps the best pitcher in baseball taking the hill in Chris Sale. And if you want to dumpster dive, there are 11 different pitchers that come in at under $7k on DraftKings tonight. And if you want any of the best bats in the best spots, be prepared to pay out the nose. And finally, there’s a huge Arcade Mode tournament on DraftKings, so if you haven’t given that game mode a whirl, then tonight would be the time.
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!
5/19/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Fastball: $33 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
DraftKings Baserunner: $6 buy-in, $150k guaranteed (Arcade Mode)
FanDuel Squeeze: $3 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $444 buy-in, $500k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $18 buy-in, $200k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for May 19, 2017
Chris Sale @ OAK ($13k DraftKings, $12k FanDuel)
The best SP in baseball faces one of the worst offenses at a very spacious ballpark, so Sale is pretty much a no brainer as the top option tonight. He’s sporting a 2.15 ERA with a ridiculous 0.77 WHIP and .160 BAA and a career-high 13.04 K/9 ratio while he’s 4-2 at this point as he’s finally gotten some run support from the Red Sox capable lineup. The Athletics lineup is hardly imposing with a .232 batting average and 23.3% K-Rate on the season, while Oakland is sporting a weak .299 wOBA with a 23.9% K-Rate against LHP and a collective 33.1% K-Rate over 130 career at-bats against Sale.
Alex Wood vs. MIA ($9.4k DraftKings, $8.9k FanDuel)
We recommended Wood as more of a longshot value play in his last outing, not necessarily expecting him to exceed all expectations with 10 K’s and just 5 hits allowed over 6 scoreless innings at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Now he’ll pitch at home against the mediocre Marlins offense and he should get plenty of run support while starting opposite weak LHP Justin Nicolino. That formula has worked well for Wood, as he’s earned 3 wins in 3 straight outings and is making a very strong case to remain in the Dodgers rotation with a 2.27 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 8 appearances this year. As we mentioned yesterday, the Marlins actually have good numbers against lefties for the season, but Hechavarria and Prado are on the DL, two of the guys that have aided in those numbers.
Luis Severino @ TB ($8.8k DraftKings, $9.2k FanDuel)
While he’s struggled in 2 of his last 3 outings, this is a good spot to pounce on Severino at a somewhat diminished price tag. The young RHP is still limiting base runners with a 1.07 WHIP and 2.87 xFIP on the season, and while he’s had trouble with a 21.9% HR/FB ratio, Tropicana Field has a relatively low HR Factor for an A.L. East ballpark. Current Rays are batting a collective .207 (12-for-58) with 24 K’s in their careers against Severino after he struck out 11 Rays and allowed just 2 ER in a strong start on April 13.
Other pitchers to consider: Jacob deGrom, Gio Gonzalez, Taijuan Walker, Nate Karns, Daniel Norris, Ariel Miranda
Best DFS MLB Hitters for May 19, 2017
Ryan Zimmerman @ ATL ($4.6k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
Zimmerman has finally cooled off after hitting over .400 for an extended part of the season, yet he faces a vulnerable pitcher in a potential get-right matchup tonight. Braves SP R.A. Dickey is 3-3 with a 4.22 ERA, but he’s been very wild with a 1.31 K/BB ratio and has also coughed up 9 homers over his last 6 outings. Zimmerman is 11-for-34 with 2 HR and 2 doubles in his career against Dickey and could do some serious damage at the heart of a Nationals stack tonight.
Jedd Gyorko vs. SF ($3.7k DraftKings, $3.6k FanDuel)
The Cardinals host a LHP in Matt Moore who has been shelled in 2 of his last 5 starts and is always a candidate to completely blow up when he’s pitching away from home. Facing a righty-heavy lineup tonight and a group of Cards, it wouldn’t be surprising if Moore gives up a couple XBH or HRs and Gyorko is a prime candidate to do some damage with the platoon advantage. He’s always been able to flash power, but is showing consistency with St. Louis by reaching base in 12 straight appearances and he’s a very solid value for someone who is batting .331 with a .976 OPS on the season.
Other hitters to consider: Kris Bryant, Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez, Cody Bellinger, Miguel Sano, Devon Travis, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner, Justin Smoak, Alex Avila, Tyler Collins, Chris Davis
5/19/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Nationals vs R.A. Dickey
Zimmerman could lead the charge while Bryce Harper and Trea Turner also possess tons of upside in a plus matchup against Dickey, who is naturally inconsistent as a knuckler that depends on good conditions to fool hitters. Any mistakes should be punished by the Nats, who have slugged the second-most HRs (62) in the N.L. this year and have plenty of powerful bats to attack Dickey from both sides of the plate. Daniel Murphy is an intriguing option in his first meeting with the knuckler and veteran Jayson Werth happens to be 13-for-27 with 3 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Dickey.
Diamondbacks vs Jered Weaver
While Jered Weaver’s been a bit better at home due to the spacious confines of Petco Park, he’s still been even more homer prone with a 4.17 HR/9 ratio to post a horrible 8.81 FIP and 9.69 ERA over 2 starts this year. The D’Backs slugging offense can travel, as Jake Lamb and Paul Goldschmidt both have great splits in their careers at San Diego and can use the parameters of play to log XBH in addition to the potential to go yard. Yasmany Tomas is hitting all handedness right now and Chris Owings is also worth consideration in a RvR matchup since Weaver’s actually allowing RHB to post a .418 wOBA on the season.
Other Stacks to consider:
Rockies vs. Lisalverto Bonilla
Yankees vs Erasmo Ramirez
Reds vs. Tyler Anderson
Cardinals vs. Matt Moore
Orioles LHB vs. Aaron Sanchez
