What a day for pitching! Thursday presents us with multiple aces along with pitchers who have big upside while presenting plenty of risk. Pinpointing the top pitchers of the night will be vital on this eight-game slate, so let's see what we can do.

With so many good pitching options, the stacks will be more obvious than normal. However, the GPP winner will likely be the person who stacks against a good pitcher successfully. We'll stick to the safer stacks for cash game sake, but understand that everyone else will likely be thinking the same thing.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/12/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from high-priced to low-priced options and identify options who will out-perform their expectations, including sleepers and value plays on DraftKings.

 

DFS Lineup Stacks to Target on DraftKings

Baltimore Orioles vs. Mike Pelfrey

Pelfrey is almost guaranteed to have trouble with this lineup. This will be the chalky stack of the night. The Rangers hit Pelfrey very hard in his last start, and Baltimore has the righty mashers to do the same. Outside of the obvious studs like Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Mark Trumbo, Adam Jones has been quietly heating up lately, and Pedro Alvarez presents the power upside that Pelfrey is vulnerable to. You really can't go wrong with any Orioles on Thursday.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Jared Weaver

The Cardinals are surprisingly among the league leaders in runs scored thus far in 2016. Weaver's movement and lack of speed on his pitches may be difficult to deal with at first, but it won't take long for hitters like Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter, Randal Grichuk, and Brandon Moss to adjust. This one could get ugly quickly.

Also Consider: Houston Astros vs. David Price (GPP Stack)

 

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings

Vince Velasquez, PHI at ATL - $10,900

Velasquez draws the best matchup on the board, and he's by no means the best pitcher available, his lower price and safer matchups makes me more comfortable in cash games. The Braves present plenty of strikeout upside, and Velasquez will surely accept this bounce back opportunity after his poor start in Miami.

Adam Wainwright, STL at LAA - $7,200

Wainwright is another good cash option for many of the same reasons as Velasquez. The Angels have showed little ability to score runs in bunches, so while Wainwright will surely allow a run or two during his attempt to regain dominance, plenty of run support will help his cause. In fact, the Cardinals' veteran may just help his own cause once again.

GPP Stud in a Bad Matchup

There are plenty of GPP options among the stud pitchers tonight, but Clayton Kershaw is the only one who I would consider for cash games. As far as taking a shot on the expensive pitchers in GPPs, I'll rank them in this order: Kershaw, Zack Greinke, James Shields, Johnny Cueto, Nate Eovaldi, David Price, and Dallas Keuchel. Take your pick, folks.

 

DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings

Catcher (C)

Yadier Molina, STL at LAA - $3,200

Molina continues to be an on base machine in the middle of a productive lineup. You're going to feel safe with a guy who gets on twice, scores a run, and drives one in at the bare minimum.

 

First Base (1B)

Wil Myers, SD at MIL - $3,800

Myers is a former top prospect who's finally finding his power stroke. He gets a trip to the hitters' Miller Park, and Jimmy Nelson is known to give up a long ball or two. Myers should find his way on base twice with the home run upside there as well.

Adrian Gonzalez, LOS vs. NYM - $4,000

Gonzalez has a .458 lifetime average against Bartolo Colon, and he's put two balls over the fence in that time. The Dodgers first baseman has cooled down since his hot start, but history says he could put together a nice game at a deflated price on Thursday.

Second Base (2B)

Ian Kinsler, DET at BAL - $5,000

You have to pay up for Kinsler right now, but he's been doing everything right this season atop a potentially potent lineup. Ubaldo Jimenez has had his ups and downs so far, and Kinsler should certainly be able to take advantage of this mediocre pitching matchup.

Jose Altuve, HOU at BOS - $5,300

I'm not sure many people will look Altuve's way on Thursday, so here's a potential GPP look. Price's velocity has been down, and when opponents have been making contact it's been hard. Altuve has showed us more than enough power and speed this year to be worth his price tag, especially when you're trying to be unique.

Shortstop (SS)

Corey Seager, LOS vs. NYM - $3,700

Seager is far better against righties than lefties, and making contact against Colon should be doable. If he gets on base, my money says that A-Gon knocks him in. This could be a nice mini stack here that won't break your bank.

Jean Segura, ARI vs. SFG - $3,700

The matchup against Johnny Cueto isn't ideal, but Segura has continued to prove doubters wrong. The Diamondbacks are on a roll right now, and Cueto is due for a bad outing somewhere along the line. This could be it, and a GPP flier on Segura may very well pay off.

Third Base (3B)

Manny Machado, BAL vs. DET - $5,400

Paying down at pitcher allows you to fit in a stud or two. Make sure this is one of them.

Matt Carpenter, STL at LAA - $4,400

There aren't many things hotter than a Matt Carpenter hot streak, and his early season numbers say there's one coming. Jared Weaver batting practice is a perfect place for Carpenter to have his typical 3-for-4 with two doubles and a homer type game. I prefer Machado, but if you have to settle for Carpenter that's fine too.

 

DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings

Mark Trumbo, BAL vs. DET - $4,600

Balls will be flying in Camden Yards tomorrow, and Trumbo is having a ridiculously great start to the season. Don't ask questions, just lock him in if you have the funds.

Odubel Herrera, PHI at ATL - $3,500

Whether he's walking to get on or knocking balls in the gap, Herrera has been one of the productive cogs in the Phillies lineup thus far. A young pitcher like Aaron Blair could have trouble keeping him off the bases and also from stealing once he gets there.

Ender Inciarte, ATL vs. PHI - $3,200

Inciarte's price will be down coming back from injury, but remember that this guy has gap power with crazy speed on the bases. The Braves won't score many runs, but if they do Inciarte will likely be involved. Here's a good two-hitter for your GPP punt spot.

 

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