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All-In-One MLB DFS Staff Picks and Analysis for 5/30/22
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Happy Memorial Day! We have a nice split-slate day here with six games in the afternoon and six games at night. With most people off work today, there are heightened chances that you're looking for some day-game content, so we'll dive in and cover both slates in this beast.
FanDuel, as per the usual arrangement, has made a mess of their slates. We'll focus in on both slates here at the higher level, and I'll give sample lineups for both DraftKings slates, but the recommended lineup for FanDuel is just the night slate.
Let's go!
Hitters for 5/30/22
Afternoon Slate - Studs
Manny Machado ($5,600) vs. Packy Naughton
Machado has hit .386/.462/.818 with six homers in 52 plate appearances against lefties this year. He will probably only see Naughton twice, but that's enough reason to jam him in on this slate where a lot of people will not play him due to the price and Coors Field being on the slate.
Jazz Chisholm ($5,300) vs. Ryan Feltner
Jazz in Coors! He's averaging an elite 2.42 DraftKings points per PA this year, and Coors Field is massively boosting hitters this year. No doubt the game of the day for offense is this Marlins vs. Rockies game, and Chisholm is probably a bit too cheap even here.
C.J. Cron ($5,500) vs. Pablo Lopez
Lopez is typically a pitcher to avoid with hitters, but Cron in Coors has just been insane over the last two seasons. He is averaging 2.86 DraftKings points per PA in Coors with nine homers in 109 plate appearances. I don't think Lopez is going to be able to keep the Rockies tame in this spot, and Cron is the best bat the Rockies have.
Jorge Soler ($5,700) vs. Feltner
Soler in May: .238/.311/.538 with a 17.5% Brl% and seven homers. The strikeout rate is on the way down, and that's great news for Soler's fantasy production. This spot in Coors is, of course, amazing for him as well.
Other stud hitters: Byron Buxton, Ryan McMahon, Carlos Correa
Afternoon Slate - Values
Jesus Aguilar ($4,400) vs. Feltner
There are a couple of cheaper Marlins to look at, and that's headlined by Aguilar. He's hitting a solid .261/.322/.414 this year with six dingers and a nice 24% K%. He's got to be the #1 first baseman on the board on this slate.
Garrett Cooper ($3,700) vs. Feltner
https://twitter.com/JonPgh/status/1530885416047501312?s=20&t=PMrVDr9mdRYMCLsozJU6ug
Maybe I spoke too soon about Aguilar being the best first baseman on the slate, Cooper gives him a serious run for his money here $700 cheaper.
Other afternoon value hitters: Nolan Gorman ($2,400), Jose Azocar ($2,000), Jose Siri ($2,700)
Night Slate - Studs
Rafael Devers ($6,000) vs. Tyler Wells
The Red Sox are rolling, and they're in a great spot tonight against Wells, who has just a 16% K% and a bad .417 SLG against this year. Devers is mighty expensive but the upside is untouched here.
Mookie Betts ($6,200) vs. Zach Thompson
He has scored 2.86 DraftKings points per PA over the last five weeks, and 3.02 over the last four weeks. The times are good for Mookie is looking to win another MVP award this year. He's scoring points more like a pitcher would recently, so you should probably play the man tonight.
Freddie Freeman ($5,500) vs. Thompson
The Dodgers as a unit have scored 1.88 DraftKings points per PA to lead the league by far (league average is 1.61, second-place is 1.75). Freeman has been a big part of that at 2.06. We can pay down for pitching and load up on Dodgers tonight.
Other night slate stud hitters: Trea Turner ($5,900), J.D. Martinez ($5,700), Starling Marte ($5,300)
Night Slate - Values
Andrew McCutchen ($3,300) vs. Drew Smyly
A 10% barrel rate and a .474 SLG this year against lefties. He will be leading off for the Brewers tonight, there is no better play on the board than McCutchen at this price against a lefty.
Nelson Cruz ($3,500) vs. David Peterson
Cruz has averaged 1.99 DraftKings points per PA in May after going for just 1.22 in April. He's looking like his usual self, and this is a fine spot against the lefty Peterson. His price still hasn't caught up to where it should be, so we should continue to take advantage until it does.
Edwin Rios ($3,700) vs. Thompson
A rare cheap Dodgers hitter here! Rios has stepped into the everyday lineup as Max Muncy's replacement. He strikes out a bunch and won't steal bases, but his power is prodigious, giving him huge upside at this price.
Other night slate values: Alex Verdugo ($3,600), Frank Schwindel ($3,600), Tyrone Taylor ($3,100)
Top Pitchers for 5/30/22
Each day we try to give you some pitchers to target at price tier, starting with the more expensive pitchers that you're likely to use in cash games, followed by cheaper arms that might be used at SP2 on DraftKings or in GPPs.
Afternoon Slate
Framber Valdez ($8,700) vs. Athletics
Valdez continues to be who he's always been, a man who pitches to contact and gets ground-balls at an absurd rate (66.5% this year). The ceiling is low because of the strikeout rate (19%), but this matchup is spectacular. Valdez does have a season-best DraftKings score of 29, but it's pretty rare that he gets into the upper-twenties, but it's also pretty rare he's below 15 points. The matchup here leads Valdez to be a very safe option, as Oakland is hitting just .212/.274/.330 on the year - putrid numbers.
Kyle Gibson ($6,800) vs. Giants
The price has come way down on Gibson, but he's pitched pretty well this year all things considered. He has a 23% K% with a 7% BB% and a 52% GB%. The Giants aren't a walk in the park matchup-wise, but $6,800 for Gibson is a little too cheap for someone who so consistently delivers 15+ DraftKings points.
Logan Webb ($7,900) vs. Phillies
The strikeouts have gone away for Webb as he's at just an 18% K% for the year. There's a reason for optimism on that front though since we saw so many strikeouts from him down the stretch this year. At some point, he will start using the slider and splitter a bit more in lieu of the sinker, and more strikeouts will come. While we wait for that, he's still pitching just fine, getting lots of soft contact, and keeping the ball in the yard. He's a decent play below $8,000 even against this tough Phillies lineup.
Cash Picks: Valdez, Webb
GPP Pool: Bundy, Webb, Gibson
Night Slate
Walker Buehler ($9,200) vs. Pirates
There's not a ton to like on the night slate for pitching, so Buehler is the guy to go to. The strikeouts have been way down to 19% this year which takes away some upside, but the Pirates have given up the fifth-most DraftKings points to opposing pitchers this year. Buehler at home against Pittsburgh is a must.
Zac Gallen ($9,400) vs. Braves
The Braves are striking out at a rate of 26.9% to lead the league. That's good news for Gallen, who will bring his 25% K% and 6% BB% into town trying to bounce back from his first bad start of the year. Gallen has been awesome this year, really avoiding the long ball (87 PA/HR), which is really the only way the Braves have done damage this year. I slightly prefer Buehler, but Gallen is right there with him.
Aaron Ashby ($7,300) vs. Cubs
Ashby is penciled in for game two of the double-header right now, but that kind of stuff can always change - so keep an ear to the ground. If he starts, he's a phenomenal play as an SP2. He has a 26% K% on the year and has recently been ramping up the pitch count. He threw 91 pitches in his last outing, striking out five Padres. The Cubs are a strong matchup here and Ashby is priced like a long-reliever while being used in a traditional starter's role. Take advantage.
Glenn Otto ($6,500) vs. Rays
Otto's numbers aren't impressive, but he's been gritting out some decent starts recently and he's priced like a punt option. He went for a season-best 24.5 DK points in his last outing, so anything close to that would work amazingly well at this price tonight.
Cash Picks: Buehler, Ashby
GPP Pool: Buehler, Gallen, Ashby, Otto
Top Tournament Stacks for 5/30/22
Afternoon: Marlins, Rockies, Cardinals
Night: Dodgers, Brewers, Red Sox
Fades of the Day for 5/30/22
Drew Rasmussen ($10,300) vs. Rangers
Decent matchup and good form here, but this is just too much for Rasmussen.
Pablo Lopez ($10,100) vs. Rockies
In years past, I would take a shot at some of these ground-ball pitchers in Coors since the field was never anywhere near them. I'm not doing that this year though because of how vicious Coors has been on pitchers.
RotoBaller Sample DFS Lineups
Sample FanDuel Lineup
night slate
DraftKings Lineup
afternoon
night
Please note that these are sample lineups designed only to show how you might use the above lineup picks in your own lineup. You should always check the weather and lineups before they lock to ensure the players you are choosing are playing tonight.
