X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/22/19): MLB DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on May 22nd, 2019. Austyn Varney's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.

Tonight's main slate starts at 7:05pm eastern and covers 11 games. There's also an all day slate starting at 1:05pm eastern that includes a few extra early games. We'll be focusing on the main slate, where we have plenty of pricey options to look through and some value plays to fit in as well. Let's dive in to each position!

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/22/2019. These picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.

We also provide DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on Twitter @varneydfs.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 50% off using code SUMMER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

DraftKings DFS Pitchers

Gerrit Cole, HOU (vs. CWS) ($12,000)

Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, and Jacob deGrom make up your top three pitching options. Scherzer and deGrom will be dueling and neither are a clear favorite. Cole on the other hand, is an insane -350 favorite. That’s as big as it gets in baseball. The White Sox aren’t a terrible team, but rank 17th against right-handers and strikeout at a healthy 26% clip. Gerrit Cole has been great over his last few starts and this isn’t the matchup to mess up his groove. Cole is expensive, but the top option in both formats if you can fit him.

Max Fried, ATL (@ SFG) ($8,500)

If you’re wanting to save a few dollars for your SP2, look no further than Max Fried. Fried can be a bit up and down, but he’s held both lefties and righties under a .285 wOBA. He’s striking out 8.5 batters per nine and has his command under control down to 1.5 BB/9. He enters one of the biggest ballparks in the game in AT&T Park to face off with an underwhelming Giants lineup that strikes out and struggles to hit for power. The Braves are favorites on the road and I could see a big day out of Fried for an affordable tag.

 

DraftKings DFS Infielders

C - Gary Sanchez, NYY (@BAL) ($5,500)

It doesn’t get much worse than Dan Straily. Through 8 starts this season, he’s gone 30.2 innings and has given up 29 earned runs. He now faces a tough Yankees lineup that has been hitting well without their best players. Gary Sanchez is still around, though, and he’s making his presence known. He may be expensive, but he’s so much stronger than any other catcher and has legitimate 2-HR upside every night. If you don’t want to spend much at the position, Buster Posey is always worth a look against a lefty.

1B - Yuli Gurriel, HOU (vs. CWS) ($3,900)

It’s starting to look like the career of Ivan Nova is coming to a close. Unless he dramatically changes his approach, he’s not going to last long. He’s been teed off on by both sides of the plate and hasn’t shown any signs of unluckiness or regression. He now faces off with the Astros, who’ll give him no break. If you want to save at 1B, Yuli Gurriel is consistent and will get a ton of RBI opportunities. He’s also only $3,900 on DraftKings and gives you cheap exposure to the top offense of the night. You can play him at third as well.

2B - Starlin Castro, MIA (@ DET) ($2,900)

Starlin Castro is extremely cheap on DK and I don't see the reason for it. Yes, he's not the greatest hitter, but he's in the heart of a Marlins lineup that's projected to put up 4.5 runs tonight. Castro has also always destroyed lefties. He's currently sporting a .390 wOBA and has shown no signs of slowing down. Daniel Norris has struggled against righties and the Marlins are better against southpaws. Castro and Anderson are both extremely cheap and I love pairing them with a more expensive combo from another team.

SS - Jorge Polanco, MIN (@LAA) ($4,700)

Jorge Polanco is one of my favorites hitters in baseball to roster. He seems to always com through in one way or another, and always has a big game when the Twins put up runs. He’s hitting .335 on the season with 8 home runs and a .400+ wOBA. Tonight, he faces off against Matt Harvey and the Angels. Harvey has been pitiful against lefties, allowing a .395 wOBA and 7 homers in just over 40 innings. The Twins are a juggernaut offense and Polanco himself is a tough out every time. As a switch-hitter, he always has the platoon advantage and will never see huge mismatch. He’s expensive, but cheaper than a lot of the other SS’s and he shouldn’t be. He’s my favorite of all, no matter the price.

3B - Alex Bregman, HOU (vs. CWS) ($5,500)

Bregman is expensive, but he may be worth paying up for on this slate. He’s one of the all-around best hitters in baseball and has slaughtered righties with a .427 wOBA followed by 11 homers. Ivan Nova will be lucky to last four innings tonight and it’s safe to expect five at-bats out of the Astros tonight. Now can Nova go through a CGSO? Yes, it’s baseball, but the Astros have the highest implied total on the night and are certainly safe to plant your flag on. If you want to go cheap here, just move to Gurriel.

 

DraftKings DFS Outfielders

OF - Mike Trout, LAA (vs. MIN) ($5,700)

If you’re going to pay up for an outfielder, Mike Trout is facing off against a lefty that likes to throw low in the zone. We know Trout lives in the lower third and he will make Perez pay for every mistake he makes. Perez has been pretty good this year on the surface, but a 4.23 xFIP and .263 BABIP tell a different story. He’s been a bit lucky, but by no means bad. He’s just no match for Mike Trout, who’s sported a .400+ wOBA against lefties for years now. There isn’t a ton of money to spend for fun on this slate, but Trout is the way to go if you can and I doubt he’s higher than 10% owned.

OF - Josh Reddick, HOU (vs. CWS) ($4,400)

We’ll close out our Astros love with Josh Reddick. For whatever reason, he’s cheaper than Marisnick and lets you spend up elsewhere while maintaining huge upside. It’s not like Reddick is having a bad year, either. His power numbers are a bit off, but he’s had four hit the warning track and could easily be at 8. Ivan Nova has always struggled against lefties, but a .425 wOBA is just unacceptable. He doesn’t have a strikeout pitch and can’t hold a runner. The Astros are the top offense of the night and it just comes down to fitting them in. There’s a reason for the price.

OF - Brian Anderson, MIA (@ DET) ($3,100)

This one may come out of left field, or third base, but you know what I mean. Brian Anderson has cooled off from his rookie season, but is still holding a wOBA over .340 against lefties. He has a power stroke and is the most consistent bat in the lineup with RISP. Daniel Norris is terrible against right-handers and struggles with the long ball. The Marlins aren’t a very exciting offense, but they’re better against lefties and Anderson has been swinging the bat nicely. He’s also extremely cheap and has solid positional versatility.

MLB DFS News and Injury Alerts




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF