June 4, 2016

Chris Durell highlights the top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for 6/4/16. These are the top value and sleeper plays for your FanDuel MLB DFS lineups

Welcome back for another full day daily fantasy baseball. Today we have nine games in the afternoon leaving us with six games in the evening. If you plan on playing an all day slate we suggest only doing so on DraftKings where you have the ability to late swap your players in the later games.

Both slates are heavy at the top of salary with Chris Sale, Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw all on the mound today.

There are a few weather concerns in the ARI vs. CHC, WSH vs. CIN, TB vs. MIN, and KC vs. CLE games so be sure to check the forecast for those cities prior to lineup lock.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/4/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from high-priced to low-priced options and identify options who will out-perform their expectations, including sleepers and value plays on FanDuel.

DFS Lineup Stacks to Target for FanDuel

Chicago Cubs vs. Edwin Escobar(ARI)

As of writing this there is about a 60-70% chance of showers in the Chicago area tomorrow afternoon but that isn't enough to drive me away from this great matchup.  The Cubs rank 4th in team wOBA(.345) and wRC+(116) vs. left handed pitching and draw Edwin Escobar on Saturday. He has hit hard in his first start of the season allowing the Astros to 10 hits and seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings pitched. The top options are Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, and to a lesser extent Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo.

Also Consider - Chicago White Sox vs. Mike Pelfrey(MIN)

Baltimore Orioles vs. Ivan Nova(NYY)

The Orioles have scored 31 runs during their current three game win streak and get another great matchup to extend the streak and keep the bats hot in Baltimore. They face the Yankees and Ivan Nova who has been getting hit hard lately giving up eight earned runs in his last two starts and has allowed a home run in five straight and six f his last seven starts for a brutal 20% HR/FB rate. While these numbers are sure to regress back to norm, it probably won't happen tonight vs. the Orioles who rank 4th in wOBA(.341) and wRC+(113) vs. right handed pitching.

Also Consider - Seattle Mariners vs. Martin Perez(TEX)

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider for FanDuel

Chris Sale (SP,CWS) $11,100

Sale is the safest choice between him and Strasburg in the early slate due to the weather concerns in Cincinnati tomorrow. Sale is a high strikeout left handed pitcher who gets a matchup vs. the Tigers who rank 22nd in wOBA vs. left handed pitching while striking out over 23% of the time. Take advantage of the value as Sale's salary has dropped to its lowest point since the beginning of May.

Also Consider - Matt Andriese (SP,TB) $7,800

Clayton Kershaw (SP,LAD) $13,500

It is going to be hard to fade the best pitcher in baseball tonight. He is currently pitching at a historic rate with 105 strikeouts and just five walks all season. FIVE. That's an amazing 20-1 ratio. He  is also coming off a month in which he pitched three complete game shutouts for the Dodgers. Then there is the matchup. He faces the Braves who rank dead last in wOBA and ISO vs. left handed pitching and it isn't even close.

Also Consider - Jeff Samardzija (SP,SF) $10,200

DFS Infielders to Consider for FanDuel

Matt Wieters (C,BAL) $2,900

Wieters is coming off a fantastic May where he hit .333 with a 134 wRC+ bring his overall average up to a respectable .281 mark. He will be happy to see Ivan Nova tonight who absolutely torched. In 35 career at bats, Wieters has picked up 12 hits including four home runs with six walks while only striking out three times. He makes a great play on his own or as a part of an Orioles stack.

Edwin Encarnacion (1B,TOR) $3,800

His salary has settled back down under $4K after reaching $,600 earlier in the week presenting a great buying opportunity. It is a tougher matchup vs. Steven Wright who has been the Red Sox best pitcher but his 4.15 xFIP suggests his low 2.45 ERA  may be a bit lucky as he is walking over 3.5 batters per nine innings. Edwin is tearing the cover off the ball with hits in six straight and eight of his last nine games.

Ben Zobrist (2B,CHC) $3,400

His price has dropped below the mid $3K range for the first time since April making him one of the best values on the day. The Cubs get a great matchup vs. Edwin Escobar who gave up 10 hits and seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings in his first start of the year. Zobrist also has very strong splits vs. left handed pitching in his career.

Brad Miller (SS,TB) $3,200

After a horrendous start to the season for his new team he has come on strong hitting .295 with a 138 wRC+ since the beginning of May. He has been hitting in the two hole for the Rays which has created a ton of run generating opportunities. He will face Ervin Santana who has a 4.13 ERA and has given up 11 earned runs in his last three starts.

Yunel Escobar (3B,LAA) $2,800

While he lacks upside for tournaments, he makes an excellent play in cash games when his salary is below the $3K mark. He is a consistent hitter(.307 avg) and adds value hitting leadoff where he gets plenty of run scoring opportunities with some great hitters behind him.

DFS Outfielders to Consider for FanDuel

Nelson Cruz (OF,SEA) $4,200

Cruz provides huge upside vs. left handed pitching and should be considered a top play on Saturday. He is well on his way to a third straight 40 home run season with 11 coming into today to go along with a .298 average and 153 wRC+, numbers that mirror last seasons All Star performance.

Jayson Werth (OF,WSH) $3,500

During his current five game hit streak, Werth has seen a boost in power with three home runs and seven RBI. He hits in the middle of the powerful Nationals lineup and gets a favorable matchup vs. Dan Straily who has given up eight earned runs in his last two starts. With a mid $3K price tag he is a safe option in any format.

Whit Merrifield (OF,KC) $2,900

He has been a very productive bat hitting out of the two hole for the Royals. He has scored 11 runs in his first 12 games with an impressive 129 wRC+ and makes a great option as long as he stays near the top of the lineup.

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