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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on May 19th, 2022. Thunder Dan's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! This is John Brubaker once again dropping some of my favorite plays for tonight's slate. We have just a three-game slate this evening, the night slate on DraftKings and the main slate on Fanduel. We'll have to get a bit creative due to it being a smaller slate, and on slates smaller than five games I usually just stick to playing tournaments, so my picks today will reflect that.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/19/2022 at 7:10 pm EST. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options, and value plays. The slate is three games on both DraftKings and FanDuel. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. Now that we got all of that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
NOTE: I adjusted my model last week, so my player and stack ratings will be lower than in previous articles.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Zac Gallen, ARI at CHC ($10,300 DK, $10,600 FD)
I'll start this evening's slate off with Zac Gallen, the clear-cut top pitcher on the slate. Gallen comes into this one with a 49.88 player rating, the highest on the slate of course. I project him to have a 3.42 xFIP and 27.73% strikeout rate in his matchup with the Cubs, who are mediocre against right-handed pitching. The Cubbies come into this one with a .675 OPS and a 95 wRC+, ranking 15th and 19th in the Majors, respectively.
George Kirby, SEA at BOS ($7,800 DK, $8,500 FD)
While Kirby is my third, rather than second pitching option on the slate, he'll likely be my SP2 on DraftKings due to his cheap price. Kirby grades out to a 47.8 rating on my model, with a projected 4.04 xFIP and 15.29% strikeout rate in his matchup with the Red Sox. The Sox are just as mediocre as the aforementioned Cubs against right-handed pitching, with an OPS of .680 and wRC+ of 95, ranking 18th and 19th in the Majors, respectively.
Also consider: Framber Valdez - Valdez is my second favorite starter on the slate, and the Red Sox are my third favorite stack on the slate, but on just a three-game slate Kirby offers somewhat of a cheaper pivot off of Framber and has tournament-winning upside.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Alex Bregman - 3B, HOU vs. Glenn Otto ($5,400 DK, $4,000 FD)
We have "slim pickings" this slate due to it just being a three-gamer, and the Astros are the clear top option. I'll start with Alex Bregman, who ranks as the top infielder on the slate. He has a rating of 49.58 and is the highest graded infielder on my model. His projects to a .726 wOBA + ISO and a whopping 39.74% hard contact rate. He'll likely hit third in the Astros lineup, a stack I'm prioritizing today.
Jeremy Pena - SS, HOU vs. Glenn Otto ($4,500 DK, $3,500 FD)
My second hitter of the day will also be an Astros infielder, Jeremy Pena. Pena's having a solid rookie campaign thus far, coming into this one slashing .274/.333/.522 with seven homers and 21 RBI. Pena actually grades out slightly better than Bregman, with a 49.89 rating. His projected .881 wOBA + ISO and 34.45% hard contact rate are among the highest projections on the slate.
Christian Walker - 1B, ARI vs. Marcus Stroman ($4,000 DK, $2,800 FD)
I'll be going away from the Astros for a minute to talk about Diamondbacks' first baseman Christian Walker. Walker is hitting just .212 on the year but has slugged seven doubles and nine long balls. He grades out to a 49.35 rating on my model, along with projections of a .780 wOBA + ISO and a 35.85% hard contact rate. While the Astros are my clear top stack option, Arizona isn't far behind, providing a low salary-high value secondary stack.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Yordan Alvarez - OF, HOU vs. Glenn Otto ($5,200 DK, $4,500 FD)
Back to the Astros and of course, I have to mention Yordan Alvarez. The clear top hitter on the slate, Alvarez comes into this one slashing .252/.353/.580, with three doubles and 12 homers. He grades out to a 67.54 rating, by far the highest on the model, along with projections of a 1.249 wOBA + ISO, 47.68% hard contact rate, and a 10.68% home run rate, all the best on the slate. It's no surprise I'll be eating the chalk and hitting the lock button on Yordan this evening.
J.D. Martinez- OF, BOS vs. George Kirby ($4,600 DK, $3,800 FD)
Despite likely playing George Kirby, we have to do some weird things on a three-game slate. If I'm going to play a Red Sox player, I'll be paying up for J.D. Martinez who comes into this one slashing .325/.367/.564 with 13 doubles and five homers. Martinez is the second-highest graded outfielder on the slate behind Alvarez, with a 52.04 rating paired with projections of a .975 wOBA + ISO and 39.43% hard contact rate. I'll be doing my best not to overlap lineups with both Martinez and Kirby in them, but I'll have Martinez in quite a few lineups tonight.
Daulton Varsho - OF, ARI vs. Marcus Stroman ($5,100 DK, $2,800 FD)
Diamondbacks' catcher/outfielder Daulton Varsho has had a very solid start to his 2022 campaign, slashing .252/.326/.449 with seven doubles and six homers. Varsho has never faced Cubs starter Marcus Stroman but has hit similar pitchers well, coming in with a projected wOBA + ISO of .878. I have him projected for a 44.15% hard contact rate as well, and his 49.19 rating grades out with Martinez and Alvarez as the top outfield ratings on the slate. He's a must-play on FanDuel tonight given his comically low price.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Houston Astros vs. Glenn Otto
Glenn Otto comes into this one 1-1 with a 6.38 ERA on the year. He grades out as the worst starter in this three-game slate, and this will be his fourth career outing against Houston. He's pitched well in two of the three, most recently going 4.1 innings and allowing two runs on four hits back on April 27. The Astros, however, are the best offense on the slate and grade out to a 45.92 rating on my model.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Marcus Stroman
Cubs starter Marcus Stroman comes into this one 1-3 with a 5.13 ERA on the year. He had a stellar outing in his last start, tossing a seven-inning two-hit performance against the Brewers on May 1. However, Stroman never had a rehab start since his IL stint and has pitched in over two weeks, so it's unclear how deep he'll go in this one. It'll be up to the Chicago bullpen then, a staff that ranks 21st in the league in ERA and 14th in xFIP. The Dbacks grade out to a 36.86 rating on my model, and despite being well below Houston's rating, comes in second on the model.
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