RADIO
Austyn Varney highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 5/14/19, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
Welcome to Tuesday baseball! We have three awkwardly schedules game before 7:05, but are looking at a fun 12 game main slate. We have a ton of pricey pitching options to decipher through, and just as many below average arms to pick on. We then have Ryan Carpenter, who everybody is going to want to pick on. He's a terrible lefty and facing off with the gauntlet that is the Astros lineup. Yesterday was an interesting one, bringing us a ton of offense and not much pithing. The Diamondbacks and Phillies led the charge, with Robbie Ray and Brad Peacock coming through as popular arms. We focused on the right offenses in yesterday's article and will hope to do more of the same here.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/14/2019. With a very interesting 6-game slate on our hands, I'll be touching on both superstars and value options. Let's take a deeper look at tonight's slate.
You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @VarneyDFS.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Charlie Morton, TAM (@ MIA - Caleb Smith) - $9,800
Charlie Morton is an excellent compliment to Blake Snell and nobody would be surprised to see him have an even better season than his ace. Aside from his age, Morton doesn’t have any holes in his game. His peripherals check out on the 11+ K/9 and .292 wOBA against. His only downfall may be walks (3+ per 9), but that isn’t much of an issue tonight. The Rays face off with the leagues worst team in baseball, the Marlins. They rank dead last against right-handers with a .263 wOBA and strikeout an incredible 27.1% of the time. Morton is an easy cash game play and could easily get to double digit strikeouts, making him tough to ignore in any format.
Chris Sale, BOS (vs. COL - Kyle Freeland) - $11,400
There’s something to be said for being a -260 favorite. Sale may be extremely expensive, but he’s been back to his normal self recently (42 strikeouts in last four) and draws a high-upside matchup. The Rockies are killers against lefties at home, but rank 27th in baseball on the road with a .281 wOBA. They also strikeout 26.2% of the time and will give Sale every opportunity to have a huge game. If you have the funds to spend and like some cheap bats, Chris Sale has the highest upside on the slate and a phenomenal matchup.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
C/1B - Yuli Gurriel, HOU (@ DET - Ryan Carpenter) - $2,900
Ryan Carpenter is a pitcher we need to take advantage of. While we don’t have much of a sample size, Carpenter has found a way to give up 24 earned runs and 10 home runs in 27 innings of work. Yes, you read that correctly. The Tigers squeezed five innings out of him last game and he ended up giving up six runs. He’s also a lefty, and we know this Astros team loves hitting southpaws. Yuli Gurriel isn’t talked about much around the league, but he’s an extremely good hitter and you’ll never see him have a pushover at-bat. He’s hit safely in nine straight games and holds a .416 wOBA vs lefties. He’s going to be hitting behind the heart of the order and will have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. Gurriel is affordable and an easy play in your cash games and tournaments.
Robinson Cano, NYM (@ WAS - Jeremy Hellickson) - $3,000
Jeremy Hellickson struggles against lefties. Even with a .280 wOBA against them in 2018, his .218 BABIP and 4.40 xFIP suggested he ran into a ton of good luck. He’s started this season a bit more accurately, allowing a .474 wOBA and five homers in 11 innings of work. Robinson Cano isn’t the hitter he used to be, but posted a .350 wOBA against righties in ‘18 and has been even better this year. He's hitting the ball to all fields and is driving the ball 11% more. The Mets lefties are in play here and Cano is affordable at a lesser position.
Carlos Correa, HOU (@ DET - Ryan Carpenter) - $4,000
I can’t bring myself to go anywhere beside Carlos Correa at shortstop. There are some cheaper options and others in good spots, but I love this Astros lineup against a bad lefty. Ryan Carpenter hasn’t shown any signs of promise and will now face off against a lethal set of bats. Correa has been swinging a hot stick and sported a .355 wOBA against lefties in ‘18. The Astros hold the nights' highest implied team total and you’re going to want your fair share of exposure. We’re not done here.
Alex Bregman, HOU (@ DET - Ryan Carpenter) - $4,300
Alex Bregman is arguably the best hitter on the Astros and deserves to be one of the most expensive bats on every slate. He’s leaned on heavily with Altuve out of the lineup and has come through strong. Bregman boasted a .400 combined wOBA in 2018 and a very unlucky .158 BABIP is all that is wrong this year. His power and hard contact are still there, so it’s just a matter of balls finding open grass. He's been destroying the ball as of late and is the guy I'm most excited to see hit tonight. You won't find a lineup of mine without Bregman. We’ve gone over Ryan Carpenter and just how bad of a left-handed pitcher he is. Bregman is the top bat on an Astros team that deserves a ton of attention.
Marwin Gonzalez, MIN (vs. LAA - Felix Pena) - $2,700
Marwin Gonzalez is swinging a hot bat and is going to be a mainstay in the heart of this Twins lineup. He has five hits in his last three games with two of them being homers. He faces another weak righty in Felix Pena, who’s allowed a .340 career wOBA to lefties. Gonzalez is still way too cheap at $2,700 and is an excellent choice at 3B if you can’t get up to Alex Bregman. The Twins will be overlooked tonight and have a ton of potential.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
George Springer, HOU (@ DET - Ryan Carpenter) - $4,700
If you’re choosing between the top four outfielders, there is no wrong choice. They are all capable of going off in their respective matchups. Yelich and Trout are amazing pivots if the ‘Stros do end up running the slate. George Springer has posted a .529 wOBA against left-handers so far on the season and has shown no signs of slowing down. He already has 15 homers on the season and should surpass his ‘18 total of 35. Ryan Carpenter is the worst pitcher on this slate and the Astros are going to do serious damage. Springer is the leadoff man and is going to see five or six at-bats. If you plan on stacking the Astros, George Springer is a key piece.
Michael Conforto, NYM (@ WAS - Jeremy Hellickson) - $3,800
The Astros are expensive and we like pricey pitching tonight, so let’s find two more outfielders that are somewhat affordable. Michael Conforto is still under $4k and we know how streaky of a bat he swings. Hot and cold streaks are not always predictive in baseball, but Conforto is one of those hitters, like a new Justin Upton, that just goes on streaks and there’s no denying it. I love these Mets lefties against Hellickson, who’s sported a true xFIP vs lefties of 4.70 the last two seasons. That .280 wOBA is a huge lie. The Mets lefties have huge power potential and pairing Conforto and Cano will be something I do a lot of. Jeff McNeil is another super option who's a bit cheaper than Conforto.
Mac Williamson, SFG (vs. Trent Thornton) - $2,300
We haven’t looked at these Giants bats just yet, but that’s only because of the ballpark. When you have some of these other matchups, there are a lot of Giants who are secondary plays and go unmentioned. They face a terrible pitcher in Trent Thornton tonight, who’s allowed four or more earned runs in four of his last six outings. Mac Williamson is a power hitter that hits for a bit of average and has the necessary speed for this huge ballpark. He’s torn up AAA this year and is going to have a long chance to prove himself in the majors. If he gets runners on base, Williamson has legitimate upside and the price is far too low. He allows you to pay up at two or three extra positions. Good luck tonight everyone!
