RADIO
Nate Duffett highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 5/22/19, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
There are 16 games on the schedule today, as the Kansas City Royals and St.Louis Cardinals play a doubleheader. We see Fanduel being split into an early slate and main slate. We will include players from both of the slates.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/22/2019. The 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 @Roto_Nate.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Frankie Montas: OAK at CLE ($8,700) (Early)
Despite a small early slate, there are a lot of pitching options to consider. We have a pitching duel in the CIN/MIL game between two of the best pitchers in the league this season, but Luis Castillo could have some trouble against the Brewers at home and Zach Davies doesn't have much in the way of strikeout upside. I've decided to settle on Frankie Montas, coming off a 10 strikeout, 8 2/3 inning performance against the Tigers. Montas has been the Athletics' Ace so far this season, and he faces a team in the Indians who have struggled against right-handed pitching this season, only managing a .291 wOBA.
Max Fried: ATL at SF ($9,000) (Main)
The Giants being one of the worst-hitting teams in the Major Leagues and playing in their pitcher-friendly ballpark is a recipe for disaster whenever they face a lefty. They are the second-worst team against left-handed pitching so far this season, limping into this matchup with a .265 wOBA and .218 AVG. Fried looked pretty good in his last start, holding the Brewers to only two hits and no earned runs in six innings of work. If he can do that against a lineup like the Brewers, he shouldn't have much trouble against the Giants.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Logan Forsythe: 1B, TEX vs SEA ($3,300) (Early)
The Rangers had a tough outing in a game where they were supposed to score a lot more runs last night, so I can see their offense coming out firing in this one. They face off against Marco Gonzales who has struggled, going 0-3 with a 5.94 ERA over his last four starts. Forsythe will play a part in any offense that the Rangers can create, as he comes in with a .410 wOBA and .200 ISO versus left-handed pitching.
Daniel Vogelbach: 1B, SEA at TEX ($4,000) (Early)
Adrian Sampson's intro to the rotation hasn't been too kind to him, allowing 11 earned runs over his past three starts and having a 4.79 ERA over the entire season. I expect the Mariners to add to these struggles today, and Vogelbach will be an imposing figure for Sampson to try and get out after how well he has seen the baseball in the past week. Vogelbach has hit a home run in five of his last seven games, elevating his total to 14 as he continues his coming out party for the Mariners. $4,000 seems pretty cheap for a guy who is hitting at this pace.
Gary Sanchez: C, NYY at BAL ($4,400) (Main)
At this point, the Yankees might be wondering when the team moved to AAA as they face yet another weak pitcher in Dan Straily. He has given up four or more runs in five of his eight appearances this season, giving him an ERA of 8.51. It's no wonder why Sanchez has managed to hit 8 of his 14 home runs this season against the Orioles, and it wouldn't surprise me if he added to that total today since he already hit a home run in each game of this series so far. One problem is that Sanchez has started five days in a row, so we will have to wait and see if they roll him out for six in a row or give him the day off.
Michael Chavis: 2B, BOS at TOR ($3,800) (Main)
The Red Sox aren't going to be too impressed with getting destroyed by the Blue Jays on Tuesday night, so I would expect them to come out flying in tonight's game. Chavis has managed to hit a home run in two of his last three games as he starts to heat up after a bit of a cold stretch during the beginning of May. Sanchez hasn't been looking like himself over the past four games, allowing 14 earned runs. Who knows if Sanchez will even be in for long as he has had issues with a finger on his throwing hand. If Sanchez does have a pitch limit, the Red Sox will get into the deep reaches of the Blue Jays bullpen, which has guys that can easily have some issues with keeping runs off the board.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Alex Gordon: OF, KC at STL ($3,700) (Early)
Gordon is having his best year against right-handed pitching to this point in the season, coming in with a .403 wOBA and .274 ISO. The Royals face a righty in Michael Wacha today who has struggled to make it past the fifth inning, giving up runs and walks at an alarming rate. He has a 4.93 ERA and 5.57 BB/9. He has also given up a home run in six of eight starts, and Gordon feels like the best bet to add to that total in this game.
Dexter Fowler: OF, STL vs KC ($2,900) (Early)
I always leave Fowler off of my lists even when I feel he is in a good matchup, and pretty much every time I see him get a couple of hits and prove me wrong. This time I will go with my gut and add Fowler to the list since we have a lack of cheap options. Fowler comes in with a .375 wOBA and 40.9% Hard Contact Rate against right-handed pitching and faces Homer Bailey who is allowing a 46.9% Hard Contact Rate against left-handed hitting.
George Springer: OF, HOU vs CWS ($4,500) (Main)
In all honesty, give me all of the Astros against Ivan Nova, but I certainly couldn't make this full article about Astros players so I will give you guys the best option. Nova is coming off a game where he allowed eight earned runs and three home runs in three innings of work, which raised his ERA to 7.42. Springer comes into this game with a .427 wOBA and .328 ISO with 12 home runs against right-handed pitching. All signs point to a rough outing for Nova in this one.
Max Kepler: OF, MIN at LAA ($3,600) (Main)
Matt Harvey has been doing a lot better than I give him credit for over his past couple of starts, but that doesn't mean the Twins don't have a great opportunity to blow the doors off in this matchup. Kepler will be front and center of any blowups by Harvey at his spot at the top of the order with his .354 wOBA and .250 ISO. I keep picking players against Harvey and he keeps overachieving, but it's a good reason to believe that it will come to an end when facing one of the best hitting teams in the league against right-handed pitching.
