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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on May 31st, 2019. Austyn Varney's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
It's a fun Friday! We have a full fifteen game slate on our hands with a bunch of aces and plenty of arms to pick on. There's only one total under eight runs and it's a game with two young arms pitching.
Joey Lucchesi is looking like the most popular play on the slate and we'll dive into whether or not he's worth the play. There's also a game in Coors Field, and the Rockies hold a total well over seven runs.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/31/19. 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 @VarneyDFS.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Joey Lucchesi, SD (vs. MIA) - $8,800
Lucchesi is going to be extremely popular tonight and rightfully so. To start, this game holds the lowest total of the night by far and the Padres and pretty heavy favorites (-165). The Marlins rank dead last against left-handed pitching, sporting a
Caleb Smith, MIA (@ SD) - $9,700
Caleb Smith and the Marlins may be the underdog in this game, but it doesn't take away from the upside he has here. The Padres strikeout 27% of the time against lefties, leading the slate and giving Smith a path to dominance.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - Chris Iannetta, COL (vs. TOR) - $4,300
The Rockies hold an projected total over seven tonight. That’s really all that needs to be said. Edwin Jackson is one of the worst pitchers in baseball and he’ll now be handed the keys in Coors Field. The Rockies are swinging hot bats and Jackson will be lucky to make it four innings. Iannetta has two homers in his last five games and will be hitting in the heart of the order. His price is moderately high, but you get exposure to Coors Field at a weaker position.
1B - Justin Smoak, TOR (@ COL) - $4,900
Justin Smoak hasn’t had the most productive 2019 season, but it looks like he may be turning that around. Over the last six games, he’s totaled 10 hits and 5 homers. He now moves into Coors Field and gets to face off with German Marquez. He has a great fastball and can be effective when pitching perfectly, but we haven’t seen it this year. He’s struggled against lefties (.341 wOBA) and hasn’t pitched well at all in Coors Field. Smoak isn’t expensive enough for the match-up and he’s my favorite first baseman on the board.
2B - Michael Chavis, BOS (@ NYY) - $4,400
J.A. Happ was living old age peacefully over the past few seasons, boasting solid K numbers and finding a way to deceive even good righties. That magic is gone. Happ has fallen of a cliff and is now allowing a .360 xFIP to righties. His velocity is down and he’s striking out less batter per nine than ever. Michael Chavis and his .351 wOBA should prosper as long as the bases don’t get cleared before he can get up. I love this Red Sox team stack against a guy most people don’t like hitters against. Chavis is affordable and shouldn’t eclipse 10% owned.
3B - Alex Bregman, HOU (@ OAK) - $4,400
Alex Bregman is too good of a hitter to be priced down here. Especially facing Mike Fiers, who’s had a ton of luck this season. Holding a 5.31 xFIP, he’s actually been pretty terrible. Add that to a 5.87 xFIP and .183 BABIP vs righties, and I love this Astros team. Fiers is going to implode soon and there’s no better team to do it. Bregman is great against both sides (.381 wOBA) of the plate and will make hard contact every time he fakes Fiers. He seems to get at least a hit or two every single night and will consistently be one of the top third base options no matter the price. Tonight, he’s too cheap and in an offense that will be sneaky for the first time in forever. If you can’t get up to Arenado, Bregman is a great pivot.
SS - Francisco Lindor, CLE (@ CWS) - $5,200
We haven’t touched on the Indians yet, but we need to. They’re facing off with Dylan Covey, who’s one of biggest split pitchers in the game. He’s absolutely terrible against lefties (.350+ wOBA) and damn good against righties. It’s because of the strong slider and lack of effective changeup. Francisco Lindor is always going to cost you, but he has power and speed combo while sitting in an offense that can put up runs. Covey should struggle tonight and Lindor will be one of his biggest worries. If Trevor Story doesn’t make the cut, Lindor is your top pivot.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Juan Soto, WAS (@ CIN) - $5,600
Moving into the outfield, Juan Soto and the Nats will go into Great American Ballpark and face off against Tyler Mahle. Mahle is a better pitcher than many think, but he does struggle mightily against lefties. A .375 wOBA and six home runs allowed to them so far on the season. Juan Soto has been swinging quite the bat of late and has his wOBA over .380 with a 36% hard contact rate. I’m not a fan of stacking the Nationals as I think the righties get shut down, but comboing two lefties or Soto as a one-off make a lot of sense.
J.D. Martinez, BOS (@ NYY) - $4,700
J.D. Martinez belongs next to the best hitters in the outfield. It’s he’s ever not a top 10 priced outfielder and facing s pitcher that’s not an ace, I will have a ton of interest. If that pitcher is a left-handed veteran that is losing velocity, you’ll see Martinez in 100% of my lineups. J.A. Happ is on his last leg and the righties in Boston are some of my favorite bats of the entire slate. Martinez is also too cheap, which there’s no excuse for.
Kyle Schwarber, LAA (@ SEA) - $3,900
Miles Mikolas isn’t a bad pitcher, but he pitches to contact and certainly isn’t as good as last year. Against lefties, a terrifying .401 wOBA vs lefties. It’s even scarier when his peripherals suggest it’s accurate. The Cubs are projected to put almost five runs tonight and Schwarber should be either leading off or right behind the core, giving him huge opportunity either way. His price is down and the double dong upside is always there. Good luck tonight!
