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Troy Klauder's DraftKings analysis and advice. The top MLB DFS lineup picks on for 5/5/17, as well as a couple of sleepers for daily fantasy baseball rosters.
Friday brings a full slate of games, with all 30 teams in action. That means that the lineup combinations are nearly limitless. As always, picking the right starting pitchers, along with a mix of big bats and sleepers will be key. For our purposes, the following picks have been made for contests running all day.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/5/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings.
You can read our FanDuel and Yahoo DFS lineup picks as well. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @TroyKlauder.
DFS Lineup Stacks to Target on DraftKings
Baltimore Orioles vs. Miguel Gonzalez (RHP)
The hitter's paradise that is Camden Yards will be a launching pad for Orioles bats on this Cinco De Mayo against Miguel Gonzalez. Gonzalez's ERA on the year is at a strong 3.27, but that won't last long with his measly 5.73 K/9. He gets just 37.0 percent of his outs on the ground, with a 46.3 percent fly ball rate, which is going to lead to him getting crushed in Baltimore. Gonzalez's 5.11 xFIP is more indicative of his true talent. The 32-year-old gave up six earned runs his last time out against the Tigers, and the Orioles will be looking for even more on Friday. Manny Machado makes for a stellar elite-tier play, as well as Chris Davis, Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo as mid-range plays. Seth Smith and Hyun-Soo Kim come at outstanding prices and should perform well too.
Boston Red Sox vs. Phil Hughes (RHP)
Phil Hughes has been an absolute mess this season, as he has a 5.06 ERA through his first five starts. He is another pitcher who fails to strike hardly any batters out, with a 5.74 K/9. More balls in play means more chances for hits, so a Red Sox stack looks real fine on Friday. Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez will be the centerpiece for a potent lineup that you can surround with Andrew Benintendi, Mitch Moreland or Jackie Bradley Jr. Any Red Sox hitter will be a good play against Hughes.
DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings
Wade Miley, BAL vs. CHW - $7,500
Wade Miley has had quite the insane season so far, putting up a 2.32 ERA with an 11.03 K/9 in his first five starts. This comes with a 5.52 BB/9, which is the third highest in the league. Miley has been working through a mechanical change, which explains the sudden change in performance, which makes him a great play for Friday. His strikeout potential is massive, as he has struck out six or more in his each of his last four starts, against a White Sox team that strikes out the fourth most against righties with their 25.4 K%. Miley is going to rack up tons of K's, and the White Sox lineup is dead last in wOBA versus right-handers, at .265. This is a match made in heaven at an incredibly low price.
Francisco Liriano, TOR @ TB - $8,200
Francisco Liriano had a decent start against the Rays his last time out, allowing only one run in five innings with six strikeouts. This rematch should be even better though, as he now travels to the pitcher's park in Tampa Bay to take on a Rays team that strikes out the second most in the league against lefties with their 26.8 K%. Liriano has always put up nasty strikeout numbers in his career, and this year has been no different with his 9.93 K/9. The Rays are merely league-average against southpaws with their .309 wOBA, so they shouldn't do much damage to Liriano as he mows them down for strikeouts. Liriano can be inconsistent, but he's hard to pass up in this spot at his price.
DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings
Catcher (C)
Chris Iannetta, ARI @ COL - $3,400
Chris Iannetta certainly isn't known for his bat, but that just makes him an even cheaper play for Friday. Normally hitters at Coors Field are priced insanely high by DraftKings, as they should be, but sometimes guys like Iannetta are able to fly under the radar and stay at a discount. This is where we pounce, as Coors lets batters do incredible things. Iannetta is facing Tyler Anderson, who has a 7.71 ERA on the year, and Iannetta hits lefties much better than righties, with a career 130 wRC+ versus left-handers. Don't miss out on this Coors bat with a great matchup.
First Base (1B)
Josh Bell, PIT vs. MIL - $3,100
Josh Bell scuffled to start the season, which is the reason he's still coming in at basement prices. However, he's got a .961 OPS in the last 15 days, so it looks like the top prospect is putting it all together. Bell faces off against Jimmy Nelson, owner of a 5.34 ERA who allowed five runs to the Braves his last time out. Nelson is straight garbage - it's no secret at this point. It won't be too much longer before Bell's price corrects, so snag him here before it's too late.
Second Base (2B)
Joe Panik, SF @ CIN - $4,200
Joe Panik is in a great spot on Friday leading off against Reds starter Bronson Arroyo. Panik has put together a nice bounce-back season thus far with a 111 wRC+ and .370 OBP. He'll be on base all night long against Arroyo, who has a 7.20 ERA and really should not be in the major leagues at this point in his career. Panik can easily outproduce his price by getting on and scoring multiple times at Great American Ballpark, a fantastic park for hitters.
Shortstop (SS)
Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM vs. MIA - $3,600
Batting second in the Mets order, Asdrubal Cabrera is in prime position for a big day on Friday against Tom Koehler. Koehler has a 5.40 ERA in 25 innings with a 7.20 K/9 and 3.96 BB/9. He is not an effective pitcher whatsoever, so the Mets should run up the score on him. This means Cabrera will be right in the middle of the action, scoring runs and recording RBIs at a low cost.
Third Base (3B)
Justin Turner, LAD @ SD - $3,800
For the year Justin Turner is having, it's unbelievable that his price is so low. Turner is ripping the ball, putting up a .374/.438/.515 line with a 159 wRC+ in 2017 after he posted a 124 wRC+ last season. He's clearly a very good hitter, and he should find lots of success against righty Jhoulys Chacin, who has a 5.82 ERA and gave up nine runs to the Dodgers earlier this year. Turner bats third for the Dodgers, so he's in line for plenty of production on Friday.
DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings
Scott Schebler, CIN vs. SF - $3,900
Scott Schebler may be batting just .224, but his huge power output is what garners fantasy value for him this Friday. Schebler already has eight homers on the year with 18 RBIs and 12 runs, and his average is being dragged down by a low .215 BABIP. Schebler will be facing Matt Cain, who despite a 2.30 ERA, is still not a very good pitcher. Cain has a 3.85 FIP and 4.36 xFIP, and is running a .253 BABIP while stranding 89.9% of runners. Neither number will last long, and at Great American Ballpark he's going to struggle to keep the ball in the yard against Schebler and the Reds.
Andrew Benintendi, BOS @ MIN - $3,800
Even if you aren't considering a Red Sox stack, it's going to be hard to keep Andrew Benentendi out of your lineup with the price he's at. Benentendi has a nice 118 wRC+ and is second in the Boston lineup. He hardly ever strikes out with a 15.3 K%, so he will be getting lots of contact off the aforementioned Phil Hughes.
Ender Inciarte, ATL vs. STL - $3,700
Ender Inciarte has been an outstanding power/speed combo in 2017 with five home runs and seven steals so far. His .248 batting average is hampered by his .258 BABIP, so he could be performing even better than he currently is. He is set to lead off against Lance Lynn, who has poor underlying stats such as a 4.34 FIP due to his low .228 BABIP and high 84.5 LOB%. Inciarte could be a nice contrarian play if other owners are scared off by Lynn, who isn't nearly as good as he seems.
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