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Joel Bartilotta highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 5/18/19, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
It's Saturday and that means us baseball fans are treated to a full 15-game slate. Luckily, we only have one forecast to worry about and that happens to be the Texas-St. Louis game. Unfortunately, that's one of the highest totals on the slate and it'll be critical to monitor that forecast prior to submitting lineups.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/18/2019. These picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays.
We also provide DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel.
FanDuel DFS Pitcher
Griffin Canning: LAA vs. KC ($6,800)
This is easily my favorite value pitcher on the board and I believe that Canning should be closer to $8,000 in this sort of matchup. While his 5.65 ERA will likely scare some people off, Canning's 4.06 xFIP, .267 xwOBA and 31 percent K rate is a much better indicator of the stuff he possesses. That xwOBA and K rate are especially impressive, as those are on par with many of the aces throughout the league. We're talking about a guy who posted a 0.56 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in his first three starts at the minors this season and quite simply, this is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Facing Kansas City should only help, with the Royals ranking either 18th or 19th in runs scored, OBP, xwOBA, xSLG and xBA. While writing this, the Royals are currently scoreless through five innings against Matt Harvey and that further shows just how much they struggle from the plate.
Adam Plutko: CLE vs. BAL ($6,900)
Anytime you get a guy who's a monster favorite and is this cheap, he's hard to overlook. In fact. Plutko enters this matchup as a -150 favorite, with the Orioles projected for only four runs. That's really no surprise when you consider their offense, with Baltimore ranking 29th in xwOBA. That alone would put any pitcher in play, especially a guy who posted a 1.70 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 26 percent K rate in 14 starts at Triple-A last season.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Max Muncy, LAD at CIN ($3,000)
This price made my mouth water on Friday and he rewarded me with yet another dinger. It marked his fourth homer in his last 12 games and it's a wonder how such a powerful stud has such a low price. Dating back to last season, Muncy has an ISO approaching .300 and an xwOBA just shy of .400. That's simply elite power and the fact that he has a .947 OPS against right-handers since his call-up further proves why he's a great play here.
Rougned Odor, TEX vs. STL ($2,900)
Odor's average will make you cringe but his power and speed duo is hard to match. We're talking about a guy who is averaging 27 homers and 13 steals per season over his last four years. That means he'll inevitably get going and recent results would indicate that it's starting to happen now. In fact, Odor has five homers over his last 10 games, with three of those coming in the last two days. We always want to use Odor against righties too, as it adds some steal potential while increasing his OPS by nearly 200 points.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. TOR at CWS ($2,800)
This is one of the best prospects ever and it's hard to understand why FanDuel continues to make him so cheap. While he got off to some epic struggles, recent results indicate that he's fully out of his slump. Over his last five games. Guerrero has an OBP just shy of .500 while providing three home runs and seven RBI. That's the guy that we've been waiting for all season and it's imperative to jump on this price before it gets to $4,000. Facing Lucas Giolito is not something that worries me either, with the right-hander posting a 5.32 career FIP.
Corey Seager, LAD at CIN ($3,100)
Seager now has hits in 10 of his last 12 games, as his early-season slump appears to be a thing of the past. A home run on Friday is what's most encouraging though, as Seager has too much talent to be priced this cheaply. What we like here is that he gets the platoon advantage against Tyler Mahle, with the Dodgers projected for five runs in this game. That's really no surprise when you consider the fact that Great American Ballpark ranks top-five in park factor over the last five years.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. KC ($3,600)
When this guy suits up, he's simply one of the best hitters in the game. That was crystal clear last season when he finished top-five in OPS. While his stats haven't been mind-blowing yet this season, his .409 xwOBA indicates that he might be an even better hitter. Facing a righty is a huge boost for Ohtani too, with the Japanese hitter posting a 1.011 OPS against right-handers throughout his career. Jakob Junis' 5.77 ERA and 1.55 WHIP from the right-side makes him a guy we want to exploit too.
Joc Pederson, LAD at CIN ($3,300)
Our full-on Dodgers stack wouldn't be complete without Pederson. The main reason for that is because he bats lead-off against right-handers. It's easy to understand why too, with Pederson posting an OPS just shy of 1.000 against righties since the beginning of last season. He's become one of the best power hitters in the league this season too, hitting all 14 of his homers against righties en route to a slugging percentage just shy of .700.
