RADIO
Thursday has a nice main slate that features a few teams that make for good stackable options, with the Rangers, Rockies, and Twins standing out as teams I will have multiple players from. Nearly every starting pitcher on the slate has risk in one form or another, making this an interesting slate to play. With that, let's dive in.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/11/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options, and of course, value plays.
You can read our DraftKings and Yahoo DFS lineup picks as well. If you want to contact me, send me a message on Twitter at @danmarcus3.
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Offensive Stacks
Texas Rangers vs Clayton Richard
After a surprising showing on Opening Day, Richard has come back to earth in a big way. He has shown a complete lack of ability to get right-handed batters out. That leaves Delino DeShields and Elvis Andrus as nice plays tonight. Even Mike Napoli and Carlos Gomez are worth considering.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Michael Fulmer - P, @ LAA ($9,400)
Fulmer has acquitted himself well to start the season, and though there is some regression on the way, judging off of his xFIP and SIERA, it is unlikely that will come on Thursday night. The Angels have just a .671 OPS against right-handed pitching this season, 26th in the league. They have also struck out 216 times against righties, well above the major-league average. That gives Fulmer all the ingredients for a successful night. Vegas agrees, as they have the total on the night at eight, tied for lowest on the main slate.
Also Consider: Zack Greinke, vs. PIT ($10,200)
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Matt Wieters - C, vs BAL ($3,000)
Wieters has taken nicely to his new home as he has pulled the ball more alifted flyballs more frequently to start the 2017 season. That has translated to 10 extra-base hits in the early going. The matchup against Dylan Bundy on Thursday isn’t scary, and he is on the cheaper end of reliable options at the position.
Kendrys Morales- 1B, vs. SEA ($2800)
Check the health status of Morales throughout the day and if his hamstring is good enough to play on Thursday. He will have the benefit of facing Chase de Jong. De Jong currently has a 6.75 ERA and the FIP and xFIP to match that number. There should be plenty of longballs in this game, and the price is right to bet on Morales to do so.
Also Consider: Wil Myers, @TEX ($4000)
D.J. LeMahieu- 2B, LOS ($3,400)
It always feels cheap to recommend Rockies players at home, but LeMahieu’s price tag stands out on this slate. The results haven’t been there from him yet this season and Hyun Jun-Ryu has held his own to this point. Still, LeMahieu hits lefties well and is a nice price point to get in on the night’s highest total.
Miguel Sano - 3B, @CWS ($3,600)
Derek Holland has been shockingly and unbelievably good to this point in the season. The emphasis should be on unbelievable, as Holland’s xFIP and SIERA are both two runs higher than his current ERA. Looking at past season splits, Holland has been buried by right-handed hitting. Meanwhile, Sano has hit everyone well to start the season but has consistently shown the ability to hit left-handed pitching throughout his career. This game has a sneaky total of nine, making Sano an intriguing target.
Elvis Andrus - SS, vs SD ($3,000)
Andrus has been batting second in the Rangers lineup for the majority of the season and that should continue as the Rangers square off against lefty Clayton Richard. Richard has shown an inability to retire right-handed batters this season, so he should be the beneficiary of plenty of runs scored for the Rangers.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Seth Smith - OF, @WSH ($3,100)
Smith has been a mainstay in my FanDuel lineups this season, but it’s been hard to get away from him when right-handers are on the mound. His price is rising but not enough to make him a bad play. Nationals Park does suppress left-handed power, which is one downside. Still, he comes as relative salary relief and has a favorable matchup against a young starting pitcher.
David Peralta- OF,PIT ($2,900)
Peralta has been relatively quiet over the past week after a hot start to the season, and Thursday’s matchup against Gerrit Cole isn’t especially appealing. However, there is upside here as Peralta has produced plenty of extra-base hits and stolen bases. Importantly, nine of his 10 extra-base hits have come at home and over the past three seasons, Peralta has a .873 OPS against right-handed pitching and an .886 OPS at home.
Delino DeShields- OF vs. SDP ($2,700)
Much like Andrus, DeShields offers upside batting at the top of the lineup that has the potential to score plenty of runs. He should bat atop the lineup, as Shin Soo-Choo slides down the order when a lefty is on the mound. With salary relief as an added bonus, DeShields is a great play tonight.
Also Consider: Ian Desmond- OF vs. LOS ($3,900)
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