RADIO
JB highlights the top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for 5/30/16. These are the top value and sleeper plays for your DraftKings MLB DFS lineups.
Happy Memorial Day, RotoBallers. I hope you have enjoyed your extended weekend thus far. As you enjoy your day of relaxation, baseball, and grilling, please take a moment to reflect on what today's holiday is intended for. Today is meant to be a day of remembrance for the brave and courageous 625,000 killed in the Civil War, 116,000 killed in WWI, 405,000 killed in WWII, 36,000 killed in the Korean War, 58,000 killed in the Vietnam War, 2,300 killed in the Afghanistan War, and 4,500 killed in the Iraq War. Today we honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend this country, its constitution, its liberty, and its people.
We are blessed with a full slate of baseball today, with games starting practically every hour from noon to 8:00 PM ET. The game to keep an eye on the weather for today is the CWS-NYM game, which is currently forecasted for over a 50% chance of thunderstorms. Luckily its an early game today, and you should have a good idea of whether it will be played prior to contest start time.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/30/16. 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
Pittsburgh Pirates versus Justin Nicolino
The Pirates own the second highest OPS versus LHP this season, and are top five in runs scored over the last seven days. They are capable of rolling out eight right handed hitters, and today face off against the lowest K/9 of any pitcher with at least 30 IP. Justin Nicolino has walked as many batters as he has struck out (...12), and owns a 5.76 SIERA.
Cleveland Indians versus Colby Lewis
The Indians are the sixth best offense against RHP in 2016, and are also a top five offense over the last week. Lewis has pitched well this year, but his 4.56 xFIP suggests he has been very lucky with his balls in play, as he is allowing a dangerous 39.1 Hard%. In his last start, he allowed six runs in only five innings to the Angels.
Miami Marlins versus Jeff Locke
If Giancarlo Stanton returns to the lineup today, this one could get real ugly for Locke, as he is hitting .500/.588/1.071 in 17 PA versus the LHP. But even if he sits again, the Fish are a bad team to roll a lefty out against. They've scored the eighth most runs, and struck out the fifth fewest times against southpaws this season. Meanwhile, Locke is rocking a 5.08 ERA and 1.54 WHIP through nine starts. All the right handed Marlins, plus Yelich and/or Ichiro, are great options today.
DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings
Nate Karns, SEA ($9,500)
Picking on the Padres has been a common theme this year, and for good reason. Against RHP, they rank 28th in runs, 30th in OPS, and 27th in strikeouts. Karns is striking out a batter per inning, and inducing a career high 10.2 SwStr%.
Tanner Roark, WSH ($9,600)
The career high strikeout rate continues for Roark, who now carries a 8.29 K/9 to go along with his impressive 2.71 ERA. The Phillies rank 29th in runs and 27th in OPS versus RHP this season, and were just swept by the Cubs where they scored just five runs in three games.
Matt Harvey, NYM ($6,200)
Harvey has been flat out awful this year, but if there was ever a chance for redemption or a turn around, this would be the game. The White Sox are in the bottom half of the league in runs scored over the last seven days, and his only start against the them in his career resulted in a complete game shutout, where he allowed only one hit and struck out 12. For this price, you don't have much to lose. I will say again, keep an eye on the weather for this game.
DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings
Catcher (C)
Wilson Ramos, WSH ($3,100)
This is a laughable price for a catcher hitting .336 with six HR on the season. He has also been much more effective against RHP, and on the road, which lines up perfectly for today's match-up against Jeremy Hellickson in Philly. Not to mention he is fresh off a 3-4 performance including a HR and four RBI.
First Base (1B)
Mark Teixeira, NYY ($3,000)
My GPP play of the day, Teixeira has been out since the 24th with neck spasms, and is only hitting .195 this season. Which is good news here, because his price is way down and so should his usage percentages. In only 11 career PA against Marco Estrada, Tex has gone yard three times and walked twice. He should be back in the lineup today, but double check before 7:00 ET.
Second Base (2B)
Ben Zobrist, CHC ($4,800)
Zobrist is on quite the tear recently, hitting .550 over his last five games. Against LHP this season, he is hitting a cool .366 with a 1.044 OPS. Alex Wood has looked sharp over his past few starts, but owns a 6.84 ERA on the road in 2016.
Shortstop (SS)
Brandon Crawford, SF ($3,900)
Crawford is out to prove 2015 was not a fluke when he hit 21 HR. So far, he isn't too far off track. He is hitting .260 with six HR and three SB this season, and today faces Mike Foltynewicz, who he has taken deep twice in six career PA. All six of his HR in 2016 have come off RHP.
Third Base (3B)
Hernan Perez, MIL ($2,400)
Perez is hitting a surprising .313 this year with seven SB and three HR. Against RHP, he boasts a .393 BA, while at Miller Park he only owns a modest .345 BA. Sarcasm, of course. Carlos Martinez has been ineffective in 2016, with a 4.25 ERA and a career low 8.1 SwStr%. The stats and price are begging us to start Perez today.
DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings
Yoenis Cespedes, NYM ($4,100)
What in the world? I swear I looked for Cespedes on the price list three times and thought I was going crazy because I couldn't find his name. Turns out DraftKings is playing tricks today and priced him way lower than I expected. The dude is tied for the league lead in HR and is hitting a ridiculous .414 against LHP this year. As far as Quintana goes, Cespedes has owned him through 16 career PA, slashing a .600/.625/1.667 line with four HR, two doubles, and a triple. Oh, and that includes zero strikeouts. Go home DraftKings, you are drunk. Cespedes needs to be in all lineups today.
Jose Ramirez, CLE ($3,500)
Ramirez continues to succeed from the left side of the plate in 2016. Against RHP he is hitting .314 with three HR. Total for the season, he boasts a .378 OBP, thanks to a beautiful 1:1 BB/K ratio. As stated above, I expect the Indians to hang a few runs on Lewis today, and I can almost guarantee Ramirez will be playing a role in at least one of them. He makes for a high floor cash game option today.
Michael Bourn, ARI ($2,700)
In his five starts since joining the Diamondbacks, Bourn has hit .407 with three XBH and three SB. He has walked more times than struck out, and should draw another start near the top of the batting order today against Collin McHugh. $2,700 is a very reasonable price for anyone hitting in front of Paul Goldschmidt.
Full Season MLB & DFS Premium Pass
Get a Premium Pass for the entire MLB season - including the playoffs - for only $29.99. That's Premium access to over 10 tools, and over 20 valuable resources, for one incredible price. Here's a taste of what you get:
- DFS lineup picks and cheat sheets for FanDuel and DraftKings - seven days a week
- Three expert lineups: FanDuel, DraftKings, and Stack of the Day - seven days a week
- Top DFS value plays, avoids and injury updates - seven days a week
- Lineup tools: daily premium hitter and pitcher matchup ratings
All of this for just $29.99... it's simply the best deal around. No other site offers this type of deal. What are you waiting for?
Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)
Fantasy Baseball Chat Room
[iflychat_embed id="c-55" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]
