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Thursday is a very limited player pool no matter which slate daily fantasy players choose. It's still plenty interesting, however, as even though there are few standout aces on the mound, there are fewer scrub pitchers than on recent days. That makes fewer easy to pick stacks, making it very important to rely on context such as weather, matchup, and Vegas. Check out some of my favorite picks for the day, below.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/1/17. 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
Cleveland Indians vs. Jharel Cotton
Cotton has failed to live up to the expectations he created for himself after a very solid short stint in the majors in 2016. Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley, and Bradley Zimmer have all hit right-handed pitching well this season making them nice building blocks for the afternoon slate. The price of this stack would also be reasonable, meaning that using some of the other values on today's slate, there should be room to jam at least one more stud hitter in your lineup.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Brandon McCarthy - P, @ STL ($8,600)
There aren’t any standout pitching options on Thursday’s short slate, making me plenty happy to play the matchups to pick my pitcher. There haven’t been many better matchups than the Cardinals lately, as they have scored just 22 runs over the past week, tied for third fewest in the league. Meanwhile, Brandon McCarthy has done an exceptional job limiting both hard contact and fly balls to this point in the season. The other pitching options also make McCarthy the clear choice as Corey Kluber cannot be trusted in his first start back from injury, and both Marco Estrada and Eduardo Rodriguez face tough matchups on Thursday. Zack Greinke is viable for cash games, but for savings of $1,800, McCarthy is my favorite play for the day.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Martin Maldonado - C, @LAA ($2,600)
Maldonado has turned in a nice month of May, posting a .776 and .463 slugging percentage after a poor April performance. With lefty Adalberto Mejia on the mound, it is worth noting that Maldonado has 1.189 OPS against left-handed pitching this season. Though that comes in a small sample size, he has consistently hit better against lefties throughout his career. The matchup on Thursday should also benefit the Angels overall as Mejia has struggled to get anyone out this season. With Maldonado recently batting fifth in the lineup he draws a nice advantage over most other catchers who will be batting at the bottom of the lineup. This all comes with the advantage of salary relief, making Maldonado a great play all around.
Paul Goldschmidt - 1B, @ MIA ($4,300)
Paying down at a few positions allows the salary to pay up for a first baseman, and there is none better than Goldschmidt. He is averaging a massive 14.8 FanDuel points per game, and though he is playing in run-suppressing Marlins Park, opposing pitcher Jeff Locke solves any park woes. Goldschmidt hasn’t been all that impressive against left-handed pitching this season but from 2014-2016 he averaged a 1.086 OPS against left-handed pitching.
Jed Lowrie - 2B, @CLE ($2,500)
Corey Kluber certainly isn’t usually a matchup to target, but Thursday presents a unique situation. Kluber usually posts slow starts to the season and this year is no exception. Now, he is set to make his first start since May 2nd, so it is unlikely that this will be the start he begins his normal dominance. Meanwhile, Lowrie has gotten off to an unbelievable (literally) start with a .932 OPS against right-handed pitching. With a $2,500 price tag and what should be minuscule ownership, Lowrie is a sneaky value play on Thursday.
Jose Ramirez - 3B, vs. OAK ($3,200)
Ramirez has shown that 2016 was no fluke with an impressive .500 slugging percentage to start the season, and against righties that number is even higher at .565. Unlike Ramirez, Jharel Cotton hasn’t been able to replicate his 2016 performance, and in the process, has surrendered a .837 OPS to right-handed hitters. Ramirez is priced at the bottom of elite third baseman so he too is a great play from a value and matchup perspective.
Corey Seager - SS, @ STL ($3,500)
Seager hasn’t had very many massive performances in terms of FanDuel points, but he also rarely has duds. For example, over his past 10 games, Seager has three double-digit point games, three nine-point games, and no zero point games. Adam Wainwright isn’t the pitcher he used to be and the Dodgers are one of the hottest offenses in the league, meaning that at a reasonable price, Seager is a nice play on Thursday’s slate.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Kevin Pillar - OF, vs NYY ($3,300)
The Blue Jays offense has gotten hot as they have scored 46 runs and posted a .937 OPS during the past week. With C.C. Sabathia on the mound against them on Thursday, they should be able to keep that run going. As the usual leadoff hitter for the Jays, Pillar will be in a good position to benefit from that making him a nice play at a reasonable price.
Bradley Zimmer - OF vs. OAK ($2,600)
Zimmer has gotten off to an impressive start in his first major league games. Neither opposing pitchers nor his price tag have caught up yet, so in the meantime, he remains a good play.
Michael Conforto - OF vs. MIL ($4,100)
Home/road splits aren’t the first thing to look at DFS in most cases, but since becoming a Brewer to start the 2016 season, Chase Anderson has exhibited an inability to pitch on the road. With a 1.051 OPS against righties this season and now consistently batting leadoff for the Mets, Conforto, like Pillar, has a nice floor from his team context. Conforto also has plenty of upside, which makes him a solid play no matter the contest type.
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