DFS MLB Lineups for May 24, 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 10 games on the DFS MLB slate on Wednesday with the best pitcher in the American League (and maybe baseball) taking the hill in Chris Sale. The only problem lies in the fact that he comes in at $13.5k on DraftKings and $11.8k on FanDuel. He’s over $3k more expensive than the next guy at DK and over $2k more pricey than #2 at FD. The other thing to consider is there are guys much cheaper that might not have the 40 point upside Sale does, but have a high enough ceiling where avoiding Sale isn’t crazy (For example: Luis Severino, Charlie Morton, and Matt Moore all have multiple 25+ point games this year). Last year Rich Hill showed he was capable of putting up big numbers as well. If value arises, we’d love to get to Sale, but if you want more than one of the top bats, we’re going to have to look elsewhere at some of the other capable arms. – 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!
5/24/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Fastball: $33 buy-in, $225k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $100k guaranteed (20 Entry Max)
FanDuel Squeeze: $3 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $55 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $11 buy-in, $111k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for May 24, 2017
Chris Sale vs. TEX ($13.5k DraftKings, $11.8k FanDuel)
Every time he takes the mound, Sale is an absolutely elite option and it’s about time he got the same respect as Clayton Kershaw with this lofty price tag. He’s been unbelievable with a 1.62 FIP and career-high 13.04 K/9 ratio while he’s somehow been even better at Fenway with a 1.95 ERA and .151 BAA at home this season. The Rangers offense is not the same as it’s been in years past and they’re sporting a 22.8% K-Rate over the last month. The Rangers are ranked 24th in collective batting average (.224) and 26th in wOBA (.291) with a 24.8% K-Rate when facing lefties this year so clearly Sale is set up for some success.
Rich Hill vs. STL ($8.9k DraftKings, $8.7k FanDuel)
He’s a bit cheaper because of his chronic blister issues but Hill is worth the risk to a degree right now. The crafty lefty established some upside even though he’s on a bit of a pitch count with 6 K’s over 5 IP at San Francisco in his last outing and now he faces a Cardinals lineup that is sporting a below average .302 wOBA with a 22.2% K-Rate when facing LHP this season. Hill was great at home last year with a 2.90 FIP and we saw the type of fantasy numbers he can put up when he’s right.
Ricky Nolasco @ TB ($7.7k DraftKings, $7.6k FanDuel)
Nolasco seems to be improving with age and he’s definitely worth consideration tonight against the most strikeout-prone team in the Majors. The Rays finished with the second-highest K-Rate last year and are sporting a 27.2% K-Rate to lead the Majors over the last 30 days. Nolasco is not getting many ground balls, but Tropicana Field is a spacious venue and he has been raising his strikeout game with a 7.84 K/9 ratio on the year. He’s been better on the road this year with a 3.72 ERA and 8.13 K/9 ratio, so give him a look in some formats. For FanDuel players, Nolasco has posted three consecutive quality starts that to get you the bonus over there. If you’re a multi entry player, this is a prime opportunity to play both sides of the fence because when Nolasco gives up runs, it’s usually via the homerun. He’s already given up 13 bombs this year in just 51 innings.
Other pitchers to consider: Luis Severino, Charlie Morton, Tyler Chatwood, Kyle Hendricks, Daniel Norris
Best DFS MLB Hitters for May 24, 2017
Kris Bryant vs. SF ($5.1k DraftKings, $4.3k FanDuel)
Giants LHP Matt Moore might be a good option tonight if not for the matchup, as he’s simply too hard to trust at hitter-friendly Wrigley Field against a lineup that can absolutely mash. The Cubbies are sporting the fifth-highest wOBA (.343) against LHP this season and Bryant is leading the way with a .344 batting average and .542 wOBA against the platoon. He was near the top of the MLB with a .438 wOBA against lefties last season and can really use the dimensions at Wrigley, while Moore has struggled badly with a 8.63 ERA and 1.96 WHIP on the road this season.
J.D. Martinez @ HOU ($4.8k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
Astros SP Charlie Morton is strangely expensive tonight after he was touched up for 4 ER on 8 hits and coughed up 3 homers in his last outing against Cleveland. He’s now sporting a 19.4% HR/FB ratio with a 4.04 FIP on the year and his 10.48 K/9 ratio may not be sustainable. Martinez is the best candidate amongst Tigers hitters to go yard off him with his lofty .600 ISO Mark and 6 HR through 10 appearances this season. Morton isn’t typically one to stack against, but a one off play like Martinez is where we’ll be looking.
Chris Young vs. TEX ($3.6k DraftKings, $2.5k FanDuel)
It could be a great opportunity to get some value in your lineups if Young starts for the BoSox tonight. The lefty-killer specializes against soft-throwing southpaws like tonight’s starter Martin Perez, who is sporting a .335 BABIP and the lowest Ground Ball Rate (43.9%) of his career while going 2-5 over his first 9 starts. Young has gone 3-for-7 over his last 2 starts and happens to be 4-for-7 with a HR in his career against Perez, so he could serve as part of an appealing Red Sox stack at home tonight.
Other hitters to consider: Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve, Hanley Ramirez, Ian Happ, Jean Segura, Brett Gardner, Matt Adams, Kyle Seager, Charlie Blackmon, Josh Bell
5/24/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Yankees vs Jason Hammel
Hammel is another pitcher to suddenly look very vulnerable after moving to the A.L. and he’s been a disaster with a 6.20 ERA and 5.54 xFIP over 8 starts for the Royals this year. Now he’ll face one of the American League’s best hitting teams in the Yankees, who are sporting the second-highest collective batting average (.269) with the best wOBA (.347) in the Majors this season. Aaron Judge has been a revelation for the Bronx Bombers while Brett Gardner has come on very strong over the last few weeks. Look for Starlin Castro and Gary Sanchez to produce as well against a RHP that’s allowing RHB to hit .382 with 5 homers already this season.
Nationals vs Sam Gaviglio
The Nationals made Christian Bergman’s previous start look like a total fluke by tagging the young RHP for a whopping 10 ER over just 4 innings of work and they face another inexperienced pitcher tonight. Sam Gaviglio limited the White Sox weak offense in his last outing, but posted a modest 4.15 ERA over a larger sample at the AA level last season and probably won’t shut down a Nats team that leads the Majors in just about every offensive category. Bryce Harper is obviously the top option in this stack while Anthony Rendon is coming off a huge game. Trea Turner has plenty of upside as a dual threat and Ryan Zimmerman has as much upside as any 1B option tonight.
Astros vs Daniel Norris
A first place team with plenty of dangerous righties could continue to make life difficult for Norris, who can’t keep runners off base with a 1.72 WHIP and a 4.40 BB/9 ratio on the year. If he puts Jose Altuve on, you can bet dollars to pesos that he’ll be running against whichever catcher the Tigers put back there. Carlos Correa and George Springer are also great options with the platoon advantage and they have decent speed, while Evan Gattis is a longshot option worth considering with his power against lefties.
Other Stacks to consider:
Cubs vs Matt Moore
Braves vs. Trevor Williams
Red Sox vs. Martin Perez
Rockies vs. Jeremy Hellickson
