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Free daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings, FanDuel. Use Euan's MLB DFS expert picks to build winning DFS lineups on May 21, 2024.
Happy Tuesday, RotoBallers! Tonight is chock-full of baseball, but seven of today's 15 games don't make the featured contests. That leaves us with eight games to fill our DFS lineups. It's not bad, but it's not great either. Regardless, plenty of spots to attack and fade across the league exist.
One team that piques the curiosity is St. Louis. They'll face a still-ramping-up Kyle Bradish and could meet the Baltimore bullpen earlier than usual. Over the last month, the Cardinals have had a top-10 offense against right-handed pitching. As for the weather, a few games will be affected by strong winds. One in particular is the Atlanta-Chicago matchup, where the wind is expected to blow out to left field at 17mph.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/21/2024 and the slate locking at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Garrett Crochet - LHP, CHW at Blue Jays ($9.5K DraftKings; $10.0K FanDuel)
The Toronto Blue Jays don't strike out much against left-handed pitching. Over the last month, their 17.7 percent strikeout rate to Southpaws is the second-lowest in baseball. However, if there's one pitcher who can change that, it could be Garrett Crochet. The White Sox LHP has been a revelation for Chicago's rotation. Through 10 starts and 51 2/3 innings, the 24-year-old has a 4.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts, averaging 19.2 DraftKings PPG.
A NEW CAREER-HIGH 11 STRIKEOUTS FOR GARRETT CROCHET 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zcp5HBS4Z8
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) May 11, 2024
Crochet's under-the-surface numbers are even better, and his ERA is inflated. A 2.19 xERA, 27.9 percent K%-BB%, and 14 percent swinging strike rate all sit inside the top 20 among qualified starting pitchers. Toronto doesn't strike out against lefties, but it doesn't produce a lot of offense against them, either. In OPS (.618), wOBA (.277), and wRC+ (80), the Blue Jays rank in the bottom six.
Clarke Schmidt - RHP, NYY vs. Mariners ($8.4K DK; $9.9K FD)
DraftKings is softer in its pricing than FanDuel, and there's a pitching-heavy world where you could squeeze Clarke Schmidt in as your SP2 alongside Garrett Crochet for the eight-game slate. In nine starts, the Yankees RHP is 5-1 with a 2.49 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 19.6 K%-BB%. Schmidt has at least six strikeouts in six of his previous seven outings, and his 31.5 percent CSW% trails only Kyle Bradish among Tuesday's pitchers. Meanwhile, Seattle leads the league in strikeout rate (28.1 percent) versus right-handed hurlers since April 20.
Also Consider: Yusei Kikuchi vs. CHW, Cristian Javier vs. LAA, Javier Assad vs. ATL, Alec Marsh vs. DET
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Shea Langeliers - C, OAK vs. Cal Quantrill ($4.1K DK; $3.0K FD)
Recommending an Oakland A's catcher wasn't on my 2024 DFS bingo card, but Shea Langeliers is doing enough to be considered a fantastic differential. The Oakland backstop has a season-long .788 OPS, but it's bumped up to .927 over the last 10 games. Nineteen of Langeliers' 32 hits this season (59.3 percent) have gone for extra bases. It would be great if the 26-year-old were cheaper, but that power potential is worth the extra cash. It's unusual to pay for a catcher, but sometimes, the unusual strategies yield the most valuable results.
Shea Langeliers puts the @Athletics ahead! 💪 pic.twitter.com/p4bU8z4sdf
— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2024
Wenceel Perez - 2B/OF, DET at Alec Marsh ($4.6K DK; $2.8K FD) - Better on FanDuel
On FanDuel, Wenceel Perez is a steal. Plus, his second-base eligibility makes him highly versatile for our lineups. If you are playing on DraftKings, you can flip St. Louis' Brendan Donovan into this infield spot and Perez into the outfield. In 30 games, the Tigers outfielder has compiled a .888 OPS with 16 runs, 10 extra-base hits (three home runs), and four steals.
Gunnar Henderson - SS, BAL at Lance Lynn ($5.9K DK; $4.4K FD)
It seemed like a lifetime ago when Gunnar Henderson struggled at the beginning of 2023, and rumors of a demotion were swirling around the top prospect. It feels like a long time ago because now, he's one of the best hitters in the league. Over the last 365 days, the Orioles infielder owns a .881 OPS with 112 runs, 108 RBI, 40 home runs, and 16 stolen bases over 154 games. That's a handy fantasy baseball player that is perfect for building your Tuesday lineup around.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Kyle Tucker - OF, HOU vs. Griffin Canning ($6.1K DK; $4.6K FD)
No qualified hitter has more home runs (eight) than Kyle Tucker in May. Only Aaron Judge (.580) and Shohei Ohtani (.514) have higher wOBA than the Astros outfielder. Houston is 8-3 over the last 11 games, primarily due to Tucker's uptick in performance. Since May 10, Tucker has a .375/.556/.875 slash line with eight runs, nine RBI, four doubles, four home runs, and three steals, averaging 14.7 DK PPG. The 27-year-old is the fifth-most expensive hitter on the DK slate but has a great matchup versus an up-and-down Griffin Canning.
Kyle Tucker's not superstitious... but he is a little stitious 🔮👀
🎥: @astros pic.twitter.com/8GStOow0II
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 19, 2024
Lars Nootbaar - OF, STL vs. Kyle Bradish ($4.1K DK; $2.9K FD) - Better on FanDuel
Brendan Donovan - OF/1B/2B/3B, STL vs. Kyle Bradish ($3.8K DK; $3.0K FD) - Better on DraftKings
DFS managers can't go wrong with either of these picks, and it'll probably come down to which site you are playing on for Tuesday's slate. Brendan Donovan leads off for St. Louis and will likely see more plate appearances. However, Lars Nootbaar bats right behind him and has been better over the last 10 games. Regardless, the Cardinals aren't bad against right-handed pitching anymore despite a (very) early-season slump. Over the previous month, St. Louis is a top-10 offense in OPS (.733), wOBA (.327), and wRC+ (114) versus righties.
Luke Raley - OF/1B, SEA at Clarke Schmidt ($3.1K DK; $2.6K FD)
While Clarke Schmidt was one of the recommended pitchers for today's article, it's hard to pass up the value Luke Raley offers. The Mariners outfielder is hitting in the top half of Seattle's lineup and taking advantage of the opportunity. During the last 10 games, the left-handed hitter sports a 1.190 OPS with eight runs, seven RBI, six extra-base hits (two home runs), and two stolen bases, averaging 13.69 FanDuel PPG.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
1. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Brandon Pfaadt - RHP, ARI
Favorite Plays: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Andy Pages
2. Houston Astros vs. Griffin Canning - RHP, LAA
Favorite Plays: Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, Jake Meyers
3. Baltimore Orioles at Lance Lynn - RHP, STL
Favorite Plays: Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Cedric Mullins
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