RADIO
We had a weird slate of games on Thursday, causing us east-coasters to either stay up way later than we should or go to bed with little knowledge of how our lineups would workout. In fact, as I’m writing this intro, I have no idea how my Thursday 5/29 lineup is going to do. I took a chance with C.C. Sabathia in a small tournament, so hopefully I’ll be a few dollars richer by the time you are reading this.
Friday, May 29th’s slate is back to being normal. With only one afternoon game, I’m going to completely disregard the Royals and Cubs in this article. Most of us will skip over that game and set our lineups during happy hour for the 7:05 start. So cheers! Let’s get started.
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Offenses to Target for FanDuel DFS
Texas Rangers (vs. Steven Wright, RHP)
After facing a lefty on Thursday, the Rangers are back to their bread and butter on Friday. Righty Steven Wright does not strike out many batters, and that may prove to be a problem against the recently potent Texas lineup. Players like Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland, and Shin-Soo Choo can crush right-handed pitching. Look for Texas t0 keep it rolling at home against Wright.
San Francisco Giants (vs. Mike Foltynewicz, RHP)
The Giants have stood out to me as one of the best situational hitting teams again in 2015. They are even better at home. Throw in a struggling Foltynewicz, and you have yourself a green light matchup. Players like Nori Aoki, Joe Panik, and Brandon Belt are fine options to produce in the top half of the Giants lineup as left-handed hitters. Angel Pagan has found himself in the bottom half of the lineup, but he could be a sneaky GPP play thanks to his continued production and relatively low price.
Honorable Mentions: Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels
DFS Starting Pitchers to Target for FanDuel
Matt Harvey (SP, NYM) - $10,700
I was really surprised to see that there were really no safe, first tier options on Friday’s large slate. My cash game recommendation came down to Cole Hamels and Harvey, and I decided to go with Harvey due to the Colorado Rockies ability to erupt at any moment. Although Harvey had some “dead arm” worries earlier in the week, I find him to be the safest option on Friday against the Miami Marlins. The way I see it, the Mets are going to be extremely careful with Harvey after losing him for a year once already. If they’re willing to roll him out there, he has to be perfectly fine. Harvey has great strikeout potential against a team that does that a lot.
Lance McCullers (SP, HOU) - $5,400
It was a very strange realization when I found that my risky GPP pick was easier than my cash game selection. McCullers has been very solid overall through his first two starts. He shows great strikeout ability, and he matches up with a Chicago White Sox team that has done very little with the bats this year. With Carlos Rodon opposing him, I expect McCullers to come away with a win and a decent amount of strikeouts as long as he can keep his pitch count down. His price also allows you to stack the rest of your lineup with great hitters.
DFS Infielders to Target for FanDuel
Evan Gattis (C, HOU) - $4,000
Gattis has really found his power stroke lately. His average has started to come with it, but you’re really rostering him for his home run potential. The struggling lefty Carlos Rodon is a perfect candidate to let Gattis go yard.
Joe Mauer (1B, MIN) - $3,100
Mauer has slowed down from his red hot streak in mid-May, but he’s still hitting fairly consistently in the middle of an impressive Twins lineup. Matching up against slow-throwing lefty Mark Buehrle, Mauer is the perfect candidate to rack up two or three hits with a few RBI on Friday at a reasonable price.
Robinson Cano (2B, SEA) - $2,700
If I keep putting him in my articles he will start hitting again eventually, right? Cano got the night off on Thursday against Corey Kluber, so maybe that will get him extra focused for his matchup against Trevor Bauer. Cano has started to hit more line drives, and if he can avoid pulling the ball into the ground he should be able to hit a gap or two on Friday. The price is so tempting that I just keep coming back to the veteran hitter.
Matt Carpenter (3B, STL) - $3,900
Carpenter hasn’t gotten a hit in his last two games, so naturally he has to be in everyone’s lineup on Friday. He matches up with Mike Bolsinger who is a bit of a junk ball pitcher. If there’s anyone who can crack the code and bounce a funky curveball off the wall, it’s Carpenter. Outside of Donaldson, he’s one of the safer picks so far in 2015.
Jose Reyes (SS, TOR) - $3,200
Reyes has not missed a beat since coming off the DL. He currently has a five-game hitting streak, and gets to go up against righty Trevor May on Friday. Look for Reyes to continue to succeed and slowly find his power again atop the Toronto lineup.
DFS Outfielders to Target for FanDuel
Justin Upton (OF, SDP) - $4,200
Not many San Diego Padres are hitting the ball well, but don’t tell Justin Upton that. He has not slowed down since his incredible season last year, and he has three multi-hit games in his last four starts. He gets lefty Francisco Liriano on Friday, and Upton seems like a likely candidate to take a hanging curve for a ride.
George Springer (OF, HOU) - $3,900
Springer has really settled in to the leadoff spot in the Astros’ lineup. He has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, and his home run and steal potential is very enticing for DFS players. The struggling lefty Carlos Rodon will be very welcomed by Springer, as he should be able to either walk or double his way to a good fantasy night.
Billy Burns (OF, OAK) – $2,900
Speaking of steal potential, Billy Burns. It’s funny because his name is actually a sentence. Language jokes. Anyways, Burns has been tough to stop on the base paths, and he has done a pretty good job of getting on base lately, too. Chris Capuano doesn’t seem to be one to step in his way. The speedy switch-hitter should find his way to some decent FanDuel production on Friday.
Good luck with your FanDuel and DFS lineups RotoBallers!
DFS Q&A with Max Petrie @ 6PM on 5/29
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