RADIO
Welcome to Monday baseball on FanDuel! Happy belated Father's Day to those out there and let's help the celebration turn to good luck! We have a solid 12-game slate on our hands with a ton to unpack. From a few expensive pitchers in questionable match-ups to some salary savers that appear to be safe, dissecting needs to be done. We're finally without a game in Coors Field, so we'll be able to look at the slate with a bit more balance. The highest implied total of the night belongs to the Angels, who we will be all over. We have a few other teams projected to put up five plus runs as well, so let's dive in head first and take a look.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 6/17/2019. 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 @Bartilottajoel
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Kenta Maeda LOS vs. SFG ($8,600)
We have 12 games on the slate and pitching is pretty interesting. On the high end, Soroka and Castillo have a ton of upside. They are just expensive and the match-ups aren't great. We'll instead drop down to Kenta Maeda, who's facing off against the San Francisco Giants in DOdger Stadium. Against righties, they sport a .290 team wOBA, sitting 27th in baseball. They also strikeout 24% of the time and hit the 2th most home runs. On the Maeda side, he's been good against both sides of the plate and is affordable at just $8.6k on FanDuel. He lets you pay up elsewhere and gives you access to plenty of upside with the implied win.
Miles Mikolas STL vs. MIA ($7,000)
Mikolas was pretty popular in Miami a week ago, and he got blown up. If you watched the game, he actually pitched quite well, but lost himself in the fourth inning and ended up giving up a grand slam. His price has now dropped to $7k and he'll face off with the same team at home in St. Louis. We know the Marlins are the absolute worst team in baseball against righties (.267 wOBA) and they strikeout 27% of the time. They're even worse on the road and rarely put up more than two or three runs. Mikolas is too cheap and will help you pay for whatever bats you'd like. Maeda is certainly a bit safer, but I don't think Mikolas repeats last performance.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
C/1B - Albert Pujols LAA @ TOR (Edwin Jackson) ($2,800)
The Angels are the top offense of the night. Edwin Jackson should not be in the major leagues and the Angels are an affordable stack against the worst pitcher on the slate. While his sample size isn't big this year, it's clear how bad he is with a 6.03 xFIP. He's striking out a depressing six batters per nine innings while walking three. I would be surprised to see him last five innings against this lineup. Pujols has always been better against lefties, but a .323 wOBA with 5 homers against righties isn't bad at all and he's in the heart of this lineup for just $2.8k.
2B - Jurickson Profar OAK vs. BAL (Andrew Cashner) ($2,900)
Second base is a position that I often use to stuff my stack. If you're looking for a one off, Jurickson Profar is super affordable and should have plenty of RBI opportunity in this lineup against Andrew Cashner. He's been terrible this season, allowing a 4.90 xFIP against lefties while striking out just six and walking four. Brutal for a guy that has relied on fastball location for the majority of his career. Profar is just $2.9k on FanDuel and makes sense in all formats.
3B - Tommy La Stella LAA @ TOR (Edwin Jackson) ($3,000)
I don't see myself going elsewhere if La Stella is in the leadoff hole. First things first, we can't ignore the upside. No matter how weird it is, La Stella does have 15 home runs and we have to respect the power. That alone puts him firmly in play against Edwin Jackson and the below average bullpen that follows. Now if you were to take his power away completely, he's still in play, leading off for Trout and Ohtani. I see La Stella as a safe 3B with as much upside as anyone. He's only $3k and will let you stack the Angels and another expensive squad or pitcher.
SS - Francisco Lindor CLE @ TEX (Lance Lynn) ($4,100)
lance Lynn isn't a guy you necessarily want to stack against, but I certainly don't mind a one off or two. Against lefties, he's posted a 4.73 xFIP and has always struggled keeping the ball in the park. Shortstop isn't as strong as we typically see and Lindor is affordable.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Christian Yelich MIL @ SDP (Jhoulys Chacin) ($4,800)
If you have to pay up for an outfielder tonight, it's just about even between Mike Trout. There is no wrong answer. If you're stacking the Angels, it's a pretty tough move to fade Trout. With that being said, Yelich is well worth it tonight if he's going to come in half as owned. Jhoulys Chacin is notoriously bad against left-handers (.361 wOBA) and a 1.67 HR/ doesn't help either. Yelich is the best hitter in baseball against righties (.461 wOBA) and has double dong upside ever night. He's expensive, but the whole world will be on Trout and we know how baseball works.
Shohei Ohtani LAA @ TOR (Edwin Jackson) ($3,800)
This could have been Mike Trout or Justin Upton here, but Shohei Ohtani is the best bang for your buck. He's only $3.6k on FanDuel against Edwin Jackson and the guy I would pick if you forced me to choose just one Angel. Ohtani has been on fire of late and has posted a .340 wOBA against righties with six of his eight homers against them. We've already touched on Edwin Jackson, who's been absolutely pitiful against both righties and lefties. Mike Trout is obviously right up there with Christian Yelich as the top raw bat on the entire slate. Justin Upton is also back and always a weapon at his price.
Jorge Soler KC @ SEA (Tommy Milone) ($3,000)
If you're looking for some affordable power, Jorge Soler is facing off with the HR-susceptible Tommy Milone. Milone hasn't been bad this year if you're a fan of strikeouts, but he has still held onto the HR issues. Five home runs in 26 innings isn't very impressive, but I guess it's not the worst. Soler is only $3k on FanDuel and has posted a .345 wOBA against lefties with a ton of power. He's affordable and can give you two homers on any given night.
