RADIO
As we welcome the month of June, hopefully much of the Spring showers are behind us. The rain - and rainouts - have gotten a bit out of hand. Does it sound like I got burned by the Yankees - Orioles rainout? Because I most certainly did. Anywho, beautiful 15 game slate on deck for this evening with a handful of elite pitchers and quite a few we can target with bats, too.
Before I get into player picks and analysis, let's take a look at the Vegas view for today with run projections and moneyline favorites. The teams with the loftiest run projections - good for stack targets in cash or tournaments are the Dodgers (5.9), Yankees (5.4), Rockies (5.2) and Athletics (5.0). I'll try to update that if I see any major movement in those projections. As for moneyline favorites, we've got nothing too crazy, with the Yankees up top at -165, followed by the Angels at -147, and the Diamondbacks and Nationals both at -131.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/1/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @kpLuch.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Nick Pivetta - SP, at SFG ($8,200)
Pivetta has been smoking hot of late and draws a good matchup tonight in a pitcher's paradise in San Francisco. Over his past three starts, Pivetta has been pumping 95 MPH on the gun, throwing over 62% strikes (big for someone who tends to have issues with walks), and has limited the opponent hard hit rate to just 25%. He takes on a pretty weak Giants offense, projected for four runs tonight with a projected lineup that owns a 23% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season. Pivetta's own K/9 mark is pretty strong at 9.8, and I think he'll benefit tonight from not only the positive park shift, but in facing a team that rarely ever sees him. (Their projected lineup has just 22 total at-bats against him lifetime.)
Also Consider: Chris Sale - SP, at HOU ($11,000)
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Greg Bird - 1B, at BAL ($2,700)
Seeing as yesterday's contest never happened, Bird is still in a great spot to mash baseballs and his price implied value. The lefty slugger has only been back a few games, but the contact he's been making has been strong, he's incredibly cheap, and Andrew Cashner is absolutely a pitcher to pick on. Over the past 12 months, Bird owns impressive splits against right-handed pitching, highlighted by .364 wOBA and a .362 ISO.
Jed Lowrie - 2B, at KCR ($3,300)
For as good a hitter as Lowrie is, this is quite the bargain - especially when you consider he's getting a park upgrade and a date with the very hittable Ian Kennedy in Kansas City. The switch-hitting Lowrie does a bit better on the left side, where he'll stand today, and owns a ..357 wOBA split dating back to last year. His results leave something to be desired over the past week, but he does own a 40% hard hit rate in that timespan.
Jake Lamb - 3B, vs MIA ($3,200)
There's a whole lot of value out there tonight, and Lamb happens to be one of my favorites. This looks like a great spot for him to explode and have a big game, as he'll face a struggling young pitcher in Elieser Hernandez. Throughout his career, he's been really strong against right-handed pitching. In 2017-18, he boasts a .354 wOBA and a .214 ISO split. Adding to his allure tonight is the fact that over the past 12 games, he's got a 52% hard hit rate and a very impressive 95 MPH average exit velocity.
Manny Machado - SS, vs NYY ($4,200)
Regardless of which Sonny Gray version shows up today, I'm feeling good about Machado's chances of a big night. He handles right-handed and left-handed pitching about the same from a wOBA and ISO perspective, with impressive marks (.375, .242) and has a 36% hard hit rate over the past four series and a flyball rate over 50%.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Lorenzo Cain - OF, at CWS ($3,700)
Just looking at Cain's splits against southpaws over the past year has me very excited to play him this evening. The wOBA mark (.461) is not only elite, but gives him a high floor here. And he also has serious power upside, showcased by his .274 ISO.
Aaron Judge - OF, at BAL ($4,800)
Like the case with Bird, I am going right back to Aaron Judge tonight in the matchup against Andrew Cashner. He profiles extremely well against Cashner, boasting a .433 wOBA and a .346 ISO (reverse splits guy) and being a really strong fastball hitter. Over the past 12 games, both his hard hit rate and fly ball rate are over 50%.
Kike Hernandez - OF, at COL ($3,000)
Kike might have the best matchup of any Dodger today, and they get a major park upgrade going to Coors and happen to have the highest run projection. Kike is a southpaw specialist, and while he's not an everyday player, he's shown tremendous splits over the past 12 months (relative to the players in this price tier). His .345 wOBA is pretty strong, and the most attractive thing is the .224 ISO mark.
