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We’ve got an 11 game featured slate this Sunday, and it is dominated by NL East pitchers. Four of the five highest priced pitchers on this slate play for teams in the NL East. Sorry Wei-Yin Chen, we don’t want to play you today. But we do want to build our lineup around two of these NL East hurlers, as there is little security in the middle and lower tier pitchers.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/20/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @ElliottBaasBB.
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DraftKings Starting Pitchers
P - Noah Syndergaard, NYM (vs. ARI) - $10,200
Stephen Strasburg ($13,400 vs. LAD) is the most expensive pitcher on the slate, but at over $3,000 cheaper Syndergaard is a much better value. Thor gets to take on the Diamonbacks, who have just a .285 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season. They rank 28th in the league by that metric, ahead of just the Padres and Marlins. Arizona may have just gotten Jake Lamb back, but they’ve lost A.J. Pollock and Steven Souza Jr. over the past week, so it’s one step forward and two steps back for their offense. Syndergaard is still pitching like an ace with a 10.63 K/9 and 2.72 FIP on the season. If he were facing the Marlins or Padres Syndergaard’s price would be near Strasburg’s, but since the Diamondbacks have a good record he has been priced favorably in this matchup. That record is the result of Arizona’s pitching, but Syndergaard likely won’t be locked in a pitcher’s duel as the Diamondbacks send Clay Buchholz to the hill against him.
P - Julio Teheran, ATL (vs. MIA) - $9,100
Speaking of pitchers facing the Marlins, Julio Teheran is in a great spot against them at home Sunday. The Marlins have the worst wOBA in baseball against righties. Teheran struggled a bit last time out, but he has been largely reliable this season. He’s put up a quality start in five of his last seven starts, which has resulted in an average of 17.4 DraftKings points during that span. His swinging strike rate has rebounded and while he’s still allowing 1.47 HR/9, that weakness is neutralized by Miami’s .109 ISO against right-handed pitching this season, lowest in the majors.
DraftKings Infielders
C – Devin Mesoraco, NYM (vs. ARI) - $2,900
Clay Buchholz will make a valiant return to the majors on Sunday. He was last seen pitching for the Phillies, where he put up a 12.27 ERA in two starts last season. Buchholz was picked off the scrap heap from Kansas City and put up a 5.40 ERA in two starts at Triple-A Reno for the Diamondbacks. Mesoraco has hit for more power since coming to the Mets with two home runs and a .333 ISO since being traded to New York.
1B – Matt Olson, OAK (@ TOR) - $3,800
Olson has begun to heat up with three home runs and a 1.317 OPS this past week. He’ll face Toronto righty Joe Biagini, who has a 6.05 ERA and 1.31 HR/9 as a starter during his big league career. Oakland hitters are in good spot on Sunday and Matt Olson makes for a great value at first base.
2B – Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM (vs. ARI) - $3,200
Cabrera is off to a great start this season with six home runs and a .376 wOBA, and the switch-hitter has done most of the damage against righties. He has a .399 wOBA and .248 ISO against right-handed pitching this season. Going against Clay Buchholz, this price seems too good to be true.
3B – Mike Moustakas, KC (vs. NYY) - $4,300
This would be even better if the game were in Yankee Stadium, but Kauffman Stadium is just fine for Moustakas against Sonny Gray. Moustakas has a .267 ISO and .934 OPS at home this season. It’s no secret that Sonny Gray has been awful. He has 6.39 ERA, 5.14 FIP, and 1.33 K/BB ratio on the year.
SS – Jose Peraza, CIN (vs. CHC) - $3,000
Peraza has been moved up to the leadoff spot for the Reds, and is always a threat on the base paths when he gets on. Cubs’ starter Kyle Hendricks has secretly been bad this season. He has a 4.60 FIP, 1.6 HR/9, and 18.7% strikeout rate on the year. Base stealers are also successful against Hendricks 73% of the time, 10% above the league average this season.
DraftKings Outfielders
OF – Giancarlo Stanton, NYY (@ KC) - $5,100
Stanton’s April struggles are long behind him. He’s hitting .333 with five home runs and a 1.158 OPS in May. Kauffman is no Yankee Stadium, but Stanton has the kind of power that plays anywhere and opposing starter Eric Skoglund coughs up runs like phlegm. Skoglund has a 6.79 ERA, 4.47 ERA, and 1.08 HR/9 for his career.
OF – Joey Gallo, TEX (@ CWS) - $4,000
Gallo gets a tasty matchup against Lucas Giolito, who has the dubious distinction of being the only qualified starter with more walks than strikeouts. Gallo loves to walk, but he loves to hit home runs even more. Giolito would be happy to oblige, since he has a 1.59 HR/9 over his career. The Rangers make for a good stack against Giolito, but since they are missing so many key pieces it’s a little tough to trust them in cash. Gallo is a good play by himself in either cash or GPP. He’s about as likely to hit a homer as anyone in baseball.
OF – Khris Davis, OAK (@ TOR) - $4,400
Davis is another batter that is a good bet to homer on any given night, and those chances are even greater against Joe Biagini. Davis also gets a positive park shift going from Oakland to Toronto. The A's are another team that are stack-able against Biagini, but Davis is fine on his own due to the power upside.
