DFS MLB Lineups for May 26, 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 tonight with well over $2 million up for grabs in GPPs at DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ve got a very expensive Scherzer, and we also have a Coors Field game. It’s going to be very difficult to have both, so after lineups are released, be on the lookout for a punt play or two that might find themselves in good spots so you can make a Scherzer/Coors lineup that you feel comfortable rolling out. – 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!
5/26/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Full Count: $55 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $100k guaranteed (20 Entry Max)
FanDuel Squeeze: $6 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $55 buy-in, $200k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $8 buy-in, $80k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for May 26, 2017
Max Scherzer vs. SD ($12.7k DraftKings, $11.8k FanDuel)
Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one, such as when one of the top 3 pitchers in the game faces the worst offense by just about every metric. The Padres are currently dead last in collective batting average (.221) with the second-lowest wOBA (.296) over the last 30 days and they’re sporting the fourth-highest K-Rate (23.1%) in the Majors during that span. Scherzer has been his usual dominant self with a career-best 11.46 K/9 ratio over 9 starts and he’s been virtually unhittable with a .137 BAA and 0.64 WHIP in RvR matchups.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. SEA ($8.8k DraftKings, $8.7k FanDuel)
They played right through a light rain at Fenway last night and Drew Pomeranz used those conditions to post one of the most surprising lines of the night against the Rangers. Tonight, they draw Seattle, and Boston sends a southpaw who is going much better right now in Rodriguez after posting a 2.61 ERA while going 3-0 over his last 6 appearances. Fast Eddie should be able to limit a lefty-heavy Mariners lineup that is really struggling with the lowest collective batting average (.204) in the Majors over the last 14 days. Seattle is sporting the fourth-lowest average (.215) against LHP this season as well and Rodriguez has been solid at home. As always, Nelson Cruz versus left handed pitching is always, always in play, so on your non-ERod teams, look at Cruz as a one off play.
Matt Cain vs. ATL ($6.4k DraftKings, $8.2k FanDuel)
If you feel like taking a shot on a value pitcher on DK, or simply going against the grain with a choice on FanDuel, Cain could continue to surprise by recovering from implosions on the road to post a Quality Start at home. He’s sporting a 1.19 ERA with a 2.11 FIP at home versus an 8.28 ERA with a 6.59 FIP on the road and that’s not coincidental considering AT&T Park has the lowest Run Factor in the Majors over the last 2 seasons. A battle between the Braves injury-depleted lineup and a struggling Giants squad is likely to be quite low scoring and that bodes well for the veteran’s prospects.
Other pitchers to consider: Jacob deGrom, Chris Archer, Aaron Nola, Mike Clevinger, Dan Straily, Alex Wood, Hector Santiago
Best DFS MLB Hitters for May 26, 2017
Xander Bogaerts vs. SEA ($4.9k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel)
The Red Sox continue to mash with guys like Bogaerts producing on a nightly basis, as he just went 2-for-4 with a HR last night and has logged 8 hits while scoring 8 runs over his last 4 appearances. Those numbers point to the overall efficacy of Boston’s lineup, which is once again a strong consideration to stack against Mariners SP Yovani Gallardo. The right-handed veteran is sporting a career-worst 5.84 ERA with a 1.28 HR/9 ratio over 9 starts this year and he’s allowing RHB to hit .327 with a .389 wOBA. Gallardo depends on ground balls to get hitters out, but Bogaerts has a well-developed knack for finding holes in the infield to maintain his .335 batting average.
Buster Posey vs. ATL ($4k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
Clearly the top option at catcher tonight and well worth the money, Posey will have the platoon advantage against a homer-prone pitcher at his home park. Braves LHP Jaime Garcia is sporting a 4.70 FIP and 14% HR/FB ratio, which is a marked improvement from the 20.2% HR/FB ratio he posted while falling off a cliff last season. Posey’s had plenty of success with 8 hits over 16 career at-bats against Garcia and he’s a career .327 hitter with a .389 average and .259 ISO Mark against lefties this season.
Gregor Blanco @ MIL ($3.2k DraftKings, $2.3k FanDuel)
Blanco’s been a great find for the D’Backs with A.J. Pollock on the DL and he was a great value play for shoppers on FanDuel with 3 hits, including a HR at close to the minimum price tag last night. He should draw another start against young RHP Junior Guerra, who has coughed up a 38.3% Hard Contact Rate when facing lefties throughout his short career and was tagged for 2 ER over just 3 IP in his only outing this season before hitting the DL. Blanco can bring speed and power to the table while he’s hitting in front of a pair of absolute elite sluggers in Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb.
Other hitters to consider: Michael Conforto, Justin Smoak, Eric Thames, Jedd Gyorko, Nelson Cruz, Aaron Altherr, Matt Carpenter, Tim Beckham, Juan Centeno
5/26/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Nationals vs Luis Perdomo
They face Perdomo at home, where the Nats lead the Majors with a collective .300 batting average and .371 wOBA on the year. Perdomo is posting a 5.79 ERA with a 16.7% HR/FB ratio and has allowed lefties to go 25-for-70 (.403) with a .460 wOBA this year, so clearly Bryce Harper is an elite option as always. Daniel Murphy and Matt Wieters are also great options with the platoon advantage, but Ryan Zimmerman, Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon all have tremendous upside where they fit into your lineups.
Marlins vs Jesse Chavez
He’s been predictably mediocre throughout his past couple campaigns and Chavez is plugging along with a 4.61 ERA and 4.97 FIP this season. He’s allowed RHB to go 30-for-124 (.261) with a 2.20 HR/9 ratio over 10 appearances and that certainly puts Giancarlo Stanton on the radar as a candidate to go yard. Marcell Ozuna is starting to come around with hits in each of his last 5 appearances and J.T. Realmuto is an appealing option at catcher, but the gem of a Marlins stack is their speedy leadoff man in Dee Gordon, who is continuously under priced on both main DFS sites and brings a great floor-ceiling combo to the table.
Mets vs Chad Kuhl
This is mostly an opportunity to plug Michael Conforto as a fantastic option tonight and one of the greatest rising stars in the Majors. We faded him last night against a talented rookie, but tonight he could be able to tee off on Kuhl, who is sporting a 5.85 ERA with a .352 BABIP over 9 appearances this season. Lefties are 25-for-86 (.333) with 3 homers off Kuhl this year, so Jay Bruce is another good candidate to go yard and Curtis Granderson is a longshot worth considering. Wilmer Flores is heating up as well and Asdrubal Cabrera is a good option at SS as he makes his way back from injury.
Other Stacks to consider:
Diamondbacks vs Junior Guerra
Red Sox vs. Yovani Gallardo
Rangers vs. Mike Bolsinger
Cardinals vs. Antonio Senzatela
