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In my second day back from an absence on, I would love to stress something I think I stressed about a month ago when I started dealing with MLB DFS. The purpose of these articles has an underlying meaning. Not only am I trying to provide you with solid picks for you FanDuel lineup on Friday, but hopefully my reasoning behind these picks helps you become a better DFS player in the long run. It’s like that whole give someone a fish vs. teaching them to fish analogy.
Anyways, I said Eric Campbell might’ve been a good call yesterday based on the fact that he has good splits against lefties and he had been batting in the second spot recently. Well, he batted in the seventh spot on Thursday, and he didn’t do much. Hopefully those who read this article also have some kind of method of checking lineups prior to games, so they knew not to play Campbell when the news came that he was batting at the bottom of the order.
Before I write an essay and forget where I started, my point is that I can only do so much to prepare you for a Friday slate from a Thursday night viewpoint. Make sure you take my reasoning, use your own research and logic, and follow up on the players you are going to play. Don’t just set your lineup and go to sleep for the next 24 hours. Don’t tinker with it until 30 seconds before the game either. But that’s a different monster for a different article.
The slate on Friday May 22, 2015 is pretty cut and dry. All 30 teams are playing, and every game is being played at night. There will be some who choose to break the night up into sections, but for the most part, you’re trying to find a gem of a team in a pool of close to 300 players. My favorites at first glance are below. Use my advice above and make sure you follow up and use your own research when building a lineup. You’ll find gradual improvement, and it’s more rewarding too.
Offenses to Target for FanDuel DFS
San Francisco Giants (vs. Kyle Kendrick, RHP)
The Coors pick worked somewhat on Thursday, so why not try it again. The Giants have been swinging the bat red hot recently, and the power boost that is Coors Field will only aid them. A sneaky stack of the less popular guys like Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt could end up working out wonderfully. Angel Pagan has the potential for a good game too, although the power potential isn’t necessarily there.
Washington Nationals (vs. Sean O’Sullivan, RHP)
I’m not buying that Sean O’Sullivan is a sub-four ERA pitcher. He was awful against hitters from both sides of the plate last year, and this year lefties have been hitting him very well. The Nats have plenty of power with the obvious Bryce Harper leading the bunch. Denard Span seems like a good play right now. Both Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond may be on the cusp of a hot streak, as well. Take your pick and hope for an O’Sullivan meltdown.
Honorable Mentions: Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves
DFS Starting Pitchers to Target for FanDuel
Max Scherzer (SP, WAS) - $11,700
Mad Max is the most expensive pitcher on the board Friday with good reason. He draws a great matchup against a poorly hitting Phillies team. His pitching matchup is favorable too, as I’ve already touched on earlier. Scherzer is the man when he’s on, and he is almost a must-play option in cash games. Felix Hernandez is on the road against a good-hitting Jays team. Go with Scherzer for the safe lineups.
Zack Greinke (SP, LOS) - $9,900
I think Zack Greinke will be widely under owned in FanDuel on Friday. There are the top two guys we’ve discussed already that will draw interest, and then there’s Michael Pineda and Gerrit Cole who have pretty good matchups as well. Greinke is pricey, but he is light’s out at home. The Padres have not been scary good with the bats as some thought they might be coming into the season. I think Greinke will do a great job of shutting them down, and the in-between price might leave him as a sneaky play.
DFS Infielders to Target for FanDuel
Brian McCann (C, NYY) - $2,800
You have to love the idea of McCann at home against a righty. He has tons of homer potential at that stadium. McCann is due for one on Friday if you ask me.
Paul Goldschmidt (1B, ARI) - $4,900
If you don’t go with one of the expensive pitchers I mentioned above, Goldy is a great play at first on Friday. He had a day off on Thursday and gets to go up against a lefty in Lester. Plus, my buddy is going to be at the game, and he loves Goldschmidt. If that’s not reason enough to use him, I don’t know what is.
Kolten Wong (2B, STL) - $3,300
Wong has been on fire lately, and the lefty Chris Young doesn’t seem to be a likely candidate to slow him down. His bump to the leadoff spot only helps his FanDuel stock, despite the rising price.
Evan Longoria (3B, TAM) - $3,200
Longoria has quietly been making great contact as of late. The power hasn’t been there, but a matchup against left Scott Kazmir might be what it takes for Longoria to launch one into the Tropicana Field rafters.
Brad Miller (SS, SEA) - $2,800
Miller has been showing off his power stroke lately, and he gets a good matchup against the righty Marco Estrada on Friday. At a sub $3,000 price, Miller might be one of the better values on the board when all is said and done.
DFS Outfielders to Target for FanDuel
A.J. Pollock (OF, ARI) - $4,000
Pollock has begun to get on a roll these past few games. He’ll be sitting pretty on Friday at the top of the Dbacks lineup against a hittable lefty in Jon Lester. If Pollock does find his way on, his speed gives him even more value in DFS.
Jason Heyward (OF, STL) - $3,200
Heyward has slowly started to hit more. He has four hits in his last six games, and two of them have been homers. I usually hate picking players who don’t bat in the top half of the order, but it’s also a good way to find under owned players in tournaments. Heyward has a good splits matchup against Chris Young, and he might be worth a shot if you’re stuck at the outfield position.
Gregory Polanco (OF, PIT) - $2,800
After he went through a mini-slump this past week, Polanco’s price on FanDuel has plummeted. He gets a good matchup against a righty in Noah Syndergaard on Friday after a day off. Look for Polanco to get back on track.
Good luck with your FanDuel and DFS lineups RotoBallers!
DFS Q&A with Max Petrie @ 6PM on 5/22
