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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on May 16th, 2022. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Monday, Rotoballers! DraftKings and FanDuel offer the same 11-game slate to kick off the week. It's an extensive schedule for a Monday, but that just gives us more arms, bats, and values to sort through. The first pitch for the contests will be thrown out at 7:05 pm Eastern as the Yankees visit the Orioles in an AL East showdown. Therefore, that's when our lineups will lock: 7:05 pm Eastern on May 16, 2022.
The pricing on both sites looks a bit bizarre, but somehow having Miles Mikolas (Four quality starts in his last six outings) as the most expensive pitcher on FanDuel makes sense. On DK, it's the obvious choice with Freddy Peralta. He's found the strikeouts again and will face the most strikeout-prone team in the majors, Atlanta.
You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut and fire away!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Freddy Peralta - P, MIL vs. ATL ($10,500 DraftKings; $9,700 FanDuel)
After a phenomenal 2021 campaign, a couple of bumps in the road to begin 2022 had people wondering whether Freddy Peralta was the real deal. Well, with his previous three starts, he's put that concern to bed. The hard-throwing righty has 22 strikeouts to only three walks over 16 2/3 innings and averaged 23.8 DK PPG. Atlanta is literally a middle-of-the-pack offense versus RHPs, as their 101 wRC+ illustrates. Meanwhile, they strike out a league-high 25.5 percent of the time, giving Peralta an enticing opportunity to continue his recent K-counting ways.
Jake Odorizzi - P, HOU at BOS ($8,100 DK; $8,400 FD)
If I'm putting all my cards on the table, finding an SP2 is difficult for tonight's contests. That's how I've ended up on Astros pitcher Jake Odorizzi. It's certainly not pretty, but it just might work. Since the right-hander got tired of pitching like crap, he's 3-0 with a 0.51 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .345 OPS. The Red Sox will be, by far, his most challenging test during this run, but they're not exactly juggernauts at the moment. When facing RHPs, Boston is compiling a .660 OPS and a 90 wRC+.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
C.J. Cron - 1B, COL vs. Alex Wood ($5,600 DK; $4,000 FD)
I won't go overboard with the Coors Field picks on Monday because there are 10 other games to choose between, but Cron deserves to be mentioned whenever he's at his home ballpark. The first baseman has played 19 games in the Mile High City in 2022 and come away with 16 runs, 12 extra-base hits (seven homers), 19 RBI, and a 1.157 OPS. He's one of the players most likely to hit a long ball on Monday, and I'm not going to pass that opportunity up.
Jorge Polanco - 2B, MIN at Zach Logue ($4,500 DK; $3,000 FD)
Polanco is crushing baseballs all over the park and is worth a premium price on today's 11-game schedule. The Twins infielder seems to be one of many players heating up after a cold first month. Over the previous 10 games, Polanco is sporting a .971 OPS with two doubles, two home runs, 6 RBI, and a stolen base. He's also limiting his strikeouts as he's down to a 19.6 percent K rate in May compared to a 25.9 percent rate in April. Combine all those factors with a soft-tossing southpaw in Zach Logue, and I'm talking myself into a lovely wraparound Twins stack with Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, and Polanco to kick off the week.
Gio Urshela - 3B, MIN at Zach Logue ($3,000 DK; $2,400 FD)
The former Yankee isn't having the prettiest start to his Twins career, but he's showing signs of improvement, and his price remains low. In the weekend series versus Cleveland, Urshela went 4-for-12 with three runs, three RBI, and two home runs while averaging 12.6 DK PPG. His $3,000 price tag on DK provides another way to gain cheap exposure to a Twins stack I really like on Monday.
Trea Turner - SS, LAD vs. Madison Bumgarner ($5,400 DK; $3,700 FD)
If you've watched the John Wick movies, you'll remember this scene. That's Trea Turner in May: he's back. During this run, the All-Star is riding a seven-game hit streak and slashing .357/.455/.500. Add in four doubles and a couple of stolen bases, and Turner is averaging 10.3 DK PPG all of a sudden. While Madison Bumgarner is twirling a 1.78 ERA so far in 2022, his 4.92 SIERA, .205 BABIP, and 6.5 percent strikeout minus walk rate suggest there's some regression in the southpaw's future. I'm banking on that to beginning tonight against a Dodgers team with a 117 wRC+ to righties over the season's first six weeks.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Kyle Tucker - OF, HOU at Garrett Whitlock ($4,400 DK; $3,700 FD)
DraftKings' pricing of Kyle Tucker is almost as confusing as Dusty Baker's refusal to have him bat higher in the Astros lineup. Regardless, Tucker is so talented that he's an automatic play whenever we see his price drop down to these depths. The lefty-swinging outfielder ranks in the top 10 percent for expected Batting Average, expected Slugging Percentage and expected weighted On-Base Average. Still, his season-long .786 OPS shows us just how much he's underperforming compared to those numbers (just like 2021). He collected three extra-base hits in two games versus Washington this past weekend, and a date with Garrett Whitlock and Boston's bullpen is a fantastic spot for Tucker and all of Houston's bats.
Joc Pederson - OF, SF at Antonio Senzatela ($4,200 DK; $3,400 FD)
It doesn't take much to figure out what we're doing here. Pederson is a righty-smashing specialist and gets to play three games in Coors Field. He's blasted two doubles and seven home runs this season, and they all came against right-handed hurlers. Of course, every San Francisco bat is affordable on Monday, but Pederson is my favorite as a one-off play or part of any Giants stack.
Julio Rodriguez - OF, SEA at Yusei Kikuchi ($3,200 DK; $3,000 FD)
We have to get a little cheap at one of these spots, and Julio Rodriguez offers some of the highest upsides among the player pool. He hit his second home run of the season on Sunday, and it was a reward for how well the rookie is performing. In May, the star Mariners prospect is slashing .346/.393/.519, and tonight, he'll meet a mistake-prone Yusei Kikuchi in Toronto. While it would be outlandish to expect another home run, his ability to contribute in other areas (10 stolen bases) provides DFS managers with multiple avenues for points when it comes to having Rodriguez in their squad. Plus, he's batted third in the previous two games where Seattle's faced a lefty, so he's in line to receive a lineup boost at the same time.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
San Francisco Giants (Alex Wood, LHP) at Colorado Rockies (Antonio Senzatela, RHP)
An obvious yet necessary game stack recommendation. You'll win more often than not by getting players at Coors Field in your DFS lineups. I've already highlighted C.J. Cron and Joc Pederson for this contest, but I'm good with any Giants left-handed hitter or Rockies righty in the Mile High City.
Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays (Yusei Kikuchi, LHP)
While this team and this pitcher are going in opposite directions (Seattle falling and Kikuchi rising), I'm still intrigued by the majority of Seattle's bats. Ty France, Julio Rodriguez, and Eugenio Suarez should all enjoy two or three at-bats versus the left-handed Blue Jays arm. In addition, the Mariners are posting the best walk rate in the majors versus LHPs and should provide a challenge for Kikuchi, a pitcher who's allowed at least three walks in four of his last five starts.
Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics (Zach Longue, LHP)
The smoke and mirrors can only work for so long for Zach Longue. It may work once again versus Minnesota, but I believe the more film teams get on this guy, the worse Longue's results will become. In May, Minnesota is roughing up left-handed pitching. Across 130 plate appearances, they are second in the league with a 137 wRC+, and they sport the highest OPS (.797) in the American League when facing southpaws.
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