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The top early-slate daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on May 17, 2023. Mike's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We are back to our normally scheduled getaway day splits with five afternoon games, one early game that both sites chopped off, and a heavier main slate in primetime. All is right in the baseball universe unless you're a Cardinals fan. This will focus on the five-game early slate. We FINALLY have a slate that is the same on both sites. It has been a while!
This article contains my picks for the five-game early slate on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 3:10 PM ET.
The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Yu Darvish, SD vs. KC ($10,200 DK, $10,400 FD)
Darvish is once again putting up strong, yet unspectacular numbers. A deeper dive shows that Darvish is getting exactly what he deserves this year -- his expected ERA and actual ERA are exactly the same. Darvish has also thrived in his new home park. He has a 2.55 ERA in four starts with 30 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.
The table above shows that the free-swinging Royals have done the same throughout their careers against Darvish. It's a fairly small sample size but that K% borders on elite, and the high whiff percentage suggests that the potential for strikeouts might be even higher. Darvish is worth the price today.
Austin Gomber, COL vs. CIN ($6,100 DK, $7,000 FD)
Yes, I'm starting a guy in Coors. Gomber's stats at face value look pretty bad, but he has only allowed six runs over his last four starts, two of which were at home. Gomber isn't going to rack up a lot of strikeouts and he isn't going to go more than six innings.
However, he has some interesting reverse splits going on in 2023. Righties are hitting 105 points lower against him than lefties. Cincinnati will throw a ton of righties out there. Gomber will likely give up a homer or two, but he should notch a handful of strikeouts and get us through six innings. I'll take that for this huge discount on a slate that doesn't offer much value at pitcher.
Others to consider: Taijuan Walker ($6,500 DK, $7,000 FD) at SF
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Joey Gallo - 1B/OF, MIN at LAD ($4,300 DK, $3,000 FD)
I usually don't fall for Gallo's tricks, but he notched two hits last night in a game that Clayton Kershaw started. I also like Alex Kirilloff in this spot and can definitely lobby for using him over Gallo on DraftKings, but Gallo is cheaper than Kirilloff on FanDuel. The advantage that Gallo has is that he's batting leadoff. The Twins wouldn't put him there if he wasn't seeing the ball well right now.
Casey Schmitt - 2B/SS DK/3B FD, SF vs. PHI ($2,900 DK, $3,600 FD)
Schmitt has at least one hit in seven of his first eight MLB games. He is priced out of my range and FanDuel, but he is still a nice bargain on DraftKings. Schmitt's ability to play multiple positions will help him stick with the return of Brandon Crawford and his still-hot bat will keep him in the lineup. Righties have always hit Taijuan Walker better than lefties. If you're stacking up Giants, use the righties.
Matt McLain - SS, CIN at COL ($2,900 DK, $2,900 FD)
McLain has a hit in his first two major league contests and is batting second in Coors Field. Even though Gomber has pitched well as of late, he has still allowed three homers in his last two home starts. Someone has to hit them. Why not the (cheap) rookie?
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Fernando Tatis Jr. - OF/SS, SD vs. KC ($6,100 DK, $3,700 FD)
This is one of those players that is a much better play on FD. Tatis has nine hits over the last six games, but only one has left the yard so we are freaking PANICKED. Such is DFS. What have you done for me lately, huh Fernando? Well, just because balls aren't leaving the yard doesn't mean that he's not productive. Tatis has swiped a pair of bags and is still scoring runs. Hang in there. The Royals' offense is on track, but the pitching staff is a disaster waiting to happen.
Byron Buxton - OF, MIN at LAD ($5,100 DK, $3,500 FD)
The Twins beat Kershaw last night with the help of a third consecutive two-hit game from Buxton. He is 6-for-15 over that span with five runs scored, an RBI, and a pair of steals. Dustin May isn't a guy I'm keen on targeting, but the Twins are cheaper than they should be considering they have scored 13 runs in the first two games of this series. The Dodgers aren't invincible. I'm running the Twins as a contrarian mini-stack.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - OF, ARI at OAK($4,000 DK, $3,200 FD)
Oakland may have one of the largest ballparks on Earth, but Mr. Gurriel just does not care. He has two walks, two homers, and four RBI in the first two games of this series. The Oakland staff has been victimized by Arizona in this series and that's not going to stop with Luis Medina acting as the pitching machine today. Gurriel has five homers in the last 10 games. The first two games of this series aren't a fluke and the pricing is slow to catch up on both sites.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Luis Medina
Medina was solid against Texas after a spectacular failure in his debut against the Angels at the end of April. That has earned him another start but the bar isn't exactly high in the Oakland rotation right now. Arizona's offense is going strong right now. Of course, the cheap price on Gurriel makes the prices on Ketel Marte, Josh Rojas, and Corbin Carroll harder to stomach, but any proper stack probably needs all three.
Also consider: San Diego Padres vs. Carlos Hernandez and the Royals bullpen
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