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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/26/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers! It's a nine-game schedule to get us over the midweek hump, and there are intriguing options up and down the pitching roster. Cincinnati and Washington throw out their first pitch at 7:05 pm ET tonight, and then we go all the way through the evening until San Francisco and Arizona take the field at 9:40 pm ET. As for the weather, a couple of games have a 10 percent chance of rain. However, it looks like the wind will come into play more than the rain. Boston, New York, and Detroit are expecting winds around 13 miles per hour or stronger. As of this writing, all the wind is blowing out in the four ballparks. Therefore, we may be in for a little more power in the Northeast part of the country tonight.
Pitching is going to be quite a conundrum tonight. Tyler Glasnow is the guy I am rolling with against Kansas City, but Trevor Bauer could be extremely tempting as well. The Astros are on a four-game losing streak and haven't scored more than five runs since Thursday. The Dodgers beat up Houston 9-2 last night, and Bauer may have a surprisingly great chance of winning. Further down, the pricing options see Marcus Stroman versus Colorado, Nick Pivetta against Atlanta, and Merrill Kelly versus the free-swinging San Francisco Giants.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/26/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Tyler Glasnow - P, TB vs. KC ($10,500)
Glasnow is coming off his worst start of the season in Dunedin against Toronto, but I'm jumping right back into the Glasnow pool. Before his last start, the right-handed hurler was on a tear. In seven of his first nine starts, he struck out at least eight batters and compiled at least 22 DraftKings points in eight of nine. Glasnow is throwing a 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 36 percent strikeout rate across 62 innings on the year. That 2.90 ERA is backed up by a 2.85 xERA, 2.88 xFIP, and a 2.93 SIERA. Glasnow is the real deal in 2021, and he's become one of the top options to anchor any DFS lineup. While Glasnow's opponent, Kansas City, only strikes out 23 percent of the time to right-handed pitchers, their 90 weighted Runs Created plus shows they don't produce much damage with a righty on the mound. Glasnow has the strikeout upside and the weak-hitting opponent you love to see for a pitcher. He is in play for any contest tonight.
Chris Paddack - P, SD at MIL ($7,700)
One bounceback start doesn't mean Paddack is all of a sudden his 2019 self again. However, there were some noticeable differences in his last appearance, and it gives me hope the 25-year old is starting to put it back together. Last time out, Paddack saw Seattle and pitched six innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six. All in all, it totaled 24.5 fantasy points, and it was, by far, his best start of the year. The Mariners aren't a formidable lineup by any means, but dominating the bad competition is what good pitchers do. Tonight, Paddack will see Milwaukee and their 27 percent strikeout rate in the batter's box. If the righty does well tonight, we probably don't see his price tag under $8,000 in his next start. I'll take the risk and get Paddack in as my SP2.
Other options: Trevor Bauer at HOU ($10,200), Marcus Stroman vs. COL ($9,200), Merrill Kelley vs. SF ($7,000)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Francisco Mejia - C, TB vs. Mike Minor ($3,000)
The splits show Mejia has more success versus left-handed pitching than right, and if we, as baseball fans, know one thing, it's that the Rays will exploit platoon advantages whenever they possibly can. On the year, Mejia has a .313 batting average with a .400 wOBA and 163 wRC+ against southpaws. Those numbers are considerably worse against right-handed pitching, and I'm counting on the Rays to find a way for Mejia to get some at-bats versus Mike Minor.
Danny Santana - 1B/OF, BOS vs. Drew Smyly ($3,100)
Santana hasn't been with the Red Sox for a long time, but he's already making an impact for his new employer. The utility bat reached base in all four of his games and currently sports a 1.179 OPS with two runs, a triple, two home runs, two RBI, and a stolen base. Santana and the Sox (new band name, I call it) will see Drew Smyly on the mound tonight, and it will be a perfect storm for some home runs. The wind is blowing out of Fenway Park, and Smyly is allowing 2.7 home runs per nine innings. Boston will hit some bombs, and Santana's bat has enough pop to be a part of the hit parade.
Max Muncy - 1B/2B, LAD vs. Luis Garcia ($5,500)
Max Muncy, Byron Buxton, Xander Bogaerts, Nick Castellanos, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. According to baseball reference, those are the top five hitters in Wins Above Replacement so far in 2021. Muncy leading all position players is a shock, but he is hitting the ball with power and hitting it often this month. In 20 May games, the infielder slashes .364/.494/.727 with 19 runs, three doubles, seven home runs, and 14 RBI. Tonight, he will see the impressive Luis Garcia in Houston. Despite his early-season success, Garcia struggles versus lefties on the year, allowing a .351 weight On Base Average to hitters from that side of the plate. Muncy should continue his hot month as the Dodgers look to "sweep" the two-game series in Texas.
Austin Riley - 3B, ATL at Nick Pivetta ($4,000)
We head back to Boston and Fenway Park because Austin Riley is on an absolute heater right now and can't stop hitting home runs. Over his last 10 games, the third baseman owns a 1.452 OPS with four doubles and six home runs. Right now, if he makes contact, it's going to go a long way. Riley will be a popular pick to blast one over the outfield wall with the wind blowing out and the friendly park dimensions.
Amed Rosario - SS, CLE at Jose Urena ($3,900)
All it took was for the Mets to give up on Rosario for him to finally become a thing. Okay, even a thing is putting it a little too strongly, but the former top prospect is starting to put it together in Cleveland. He's batting second for the Indians, and over his last nine games, the shortstop is 12-for-34 (.353 batting average) with two doubles, a triple, and two steals. Despite Cleveland being a rather miserable offense, Rosario is still offering us some fantasy upside. At $3,900 and batting near the top of a lineup facing Jose Urena and his 15.5 percent strikeout rate, I'll sprinkle some Rosario into my lineups for sure.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Nick Castellanos - OF, CIN at Joe Ross ($5,500)
Jesse Winker is grabbing all the headlines as the hitter in Cincinnati this week, but Castellanos has been just as good. The outfielder has a 1.089 OPS on the season, but over the last 10 games, it's spiked to 1.483. Castellanos' .514/.591/.892 slash line over that same stretch is a bit mind-boggling, and he's been carrying several DFS lineups over the finish line with his 13.2 fantasy points per game. The Reds will see Joe Ross and his 5.72 ERA in Washington tonight, and there will be plenty of chances for Castellanos, Winker, and the rest of the Cincinnati crew to tag him for several runs and a boatload of fantasy points.
Tommy Pham - OF, SD at Eric Lauer ($3,500)
Pham has slowly but surely climbed back into fantasy relevancy and has been putting it all together over the last five games. The 33-year is 4-for-17 with five runs, two triples, a home run, five RBI, and has walked seven times with seven strikeouts in that handful of appearances. The 1.105 OPS is eye-catching enough, but he hasn't scored less than 10 fantasy points in any of the five games and is averaging 14.6 FPPG. Pham has all the playing time he could want with Trent Grisham (heel) on the IL and will see former teammate Eric Lauer on the mound for the Brewers.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - OF, TOR at Domingo German ($3,000)
This is me catching the Gurriel groove while it's still ongoing. The outfielder is putting together some electric performances over the last week, and I'm buying he continues his hot-hitting ways in New York. Over his last eight games, Gurriel is hitting .417 with a 1.083 OPS to go with five runs, three doubles, two home runs, and four RBI. The 27-year old has multi-hit efforts in seven of his last nine games and averages 9.9 points in the same stretch. At $3,000, there are many more expensive players with a lot less upside than Gurriel.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals (Joe Ross, RHP)
- Game stack: Atlanta Braves (Drew Smyly, LHP) at Boston Red Sox (Nick Pivetta, RHP)
- Sneaky stack: Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros (Luis Garcia, RHP)
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