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Happy Monday! Happy Memorial Day. Thank you to all the servicemen and women who have put their lives on the line to protect our country. The main slate on DraftKings today starts at 1:05 p.m. EDT and features eight games, while on FanDuel, the main slate starts at 4:05 p.m. EDT and has seven games, including Philly at San Francisco and Miami at San Diego (neither of which are on the DraftKings main slate).
Weather issues could pop up along the East Coast, affecting games in Baltimore, New York, and Baltimore. Minnesota could also have some issues, putting half of the games at risk of a delay or postponement. We will update the weather in our Discord all morning to make sure you have the best edge possible as the games head toward the first pitch.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/27/2024 and the slate locking at 1:05 p.m. EDT on DraftKings and 4:05 p.m. EDT on FanDuel. 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
Nick Lodolo (CIN/LHP) vs St. Louis Cardinals ($9.8K DK, $9.2K FD)
The pitching model loves Nick Lodolo today, getting a near-perfect score. This means that not only has Lodolo been pitching well, but his matchup also ranks as elite. Lodolo does the two things that the model loves: he gives us innings, and he strikes batters out. He’s gone at least five innings in every start this year and has six or more strikeouts in all but one start. Lodolo also doesn’t walk many batters, giving up more than two free passes in only one of his six starts this year.
Yes, this is Lodolo’s first game back of the IL, but he spent the minimum amount of time away from the team and he should be just fine today. It doesn’t hurt that the Cardinals' offense, while improved a little recently, is bad against lefties. The expected lineup today has shown no power, with a combined slugging percentage of less than .120 (anything less than .160 is not good). The only thing that could hold Lodolo back is that St. Louis doesn’t strike out much against lefties, but that one concern isn’t enough to move him off of being the top arm on today’s slate.
MLB SPs w/ the highest swinging strike rate in 2024 ( min 20 innings)
Jared Jones PIT: 17.9%
Shota Imanaga CHI: 16%
Chris Sale ATL: 15.5%
Nick Lodolo CIN: 15.4%
Jesus Luzardo MIA: 15%
Dylan Cease SD: 15%
Jack Flaherty DET :14.9%
Tarik Skubal DET: 14.5%— Josh Hayes FSports ✨🧙♂️🎙️ (@JoshHayesFS) May 26, 2024
Charlie Morton (ATL/RHP) vs Washington Nationals ($8.6K DK, $9.7K FD)
Joe Ryan ranks higher than Morton on the pitching model, but he’s only on the DraftKings main slate, while Morton is on the main slate for FanDuel as well. Morton ranks well, and the only thing that holds him back from being the top play on the slate is that he walks far more batters than Ryan. This will hurt him on DraftKings (where Cole Irvin or Chris Bassitt may make for a better SP2), but those walks don’t matter on FanDuel unless they turn into runs.
Morton has been good recently, allowing three runs or fewer in six straight starts, scoring 14.7 or more DraftKings points five times. He’s a ground ball pitcher, which has helped to keep his moe run numbers to a minimum, with only three allowed in his last six starts. The projected Nationals lineup strikes out over 23% of the time against righties and has shown little power, nor have they gotten on base with a .297 wOBA (anything under .320 is not good). Washington has a plucky offense, but plucky doesn’t get the job done frequently enough to scare me off of Morton.
Also Consider: Joe Ryan (DK), Cole Irvin (DK), Austin Gomber, Gavin Stone, Chris Bassitt (DK)
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Bobby Witt Jr. - SS, KC at Joe Ryan ($6.2K DK, $K FD)
Bobby Witt is only on the DraftKings main slate (he’s on the Early Only slate on FanDuel), but he’s just been too good to ignore. Over his last ten games, he’s got a .341 batting average with nine extra-base hits and 15 RBI. He’s scored at least 14 DraftKings points in five of his last seven games. For the season, he’s pounding right-handed pitching with a.246 ISO, a .563 slugging percentage, a .400 wOBA, and a .317 batting average. Joe Ryan has been great this year, but if there’s any weakness, it’s against right-handed power bats, against whom he’s allowing a .491 slugging percentage. Witt is far too expensive to be a cash play today, given Ryan’s overall success, but he’s a strong GPP option who should carry low ownership.
Bobby Witt Jr.'s last nine games: 9 extra-base hits, 13 RBI pic.twitter.com/wbdSijQqYx
— MLB (@MLB) May 26, 2024
Gary Sanchez - C, MIL vs Justin Steele ($3.3K DK, $2.7K FD)
Talk about a power source, wow! Sanchez only has 32 at-bats against left-handed pitching in 2024, but he’s managed to hit four home runs with a .414 ISO and a .690 slugging percentage. Justin Steele was a stud last year, but he’s not been the same this year, being particularly bad since his return from an early-season injury. He has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his last three starts and has given up six home runs in those games (3.4 home runs per nine innings). Sanchez is far from a consistent bat, which makes him a tournament play most of the time, but at his price (especially on FanDuel), he could be used in cash games as a punt option to allow you to spend up at pitching and other positions.
Freddie Freeman - 1B, LAD at Tylor Megill ($5.5K DK, $3.5K FD)
Freddie Freeman has struggled a bit this year, and his prices are starting to reflect that (especially on FanDuel). Freeman only has five home runs, and his slugging percentage is a pedestrian .443. He may be slowly starting to turn things around, with a hit in three straight games, including two extra-base hits. The Dodgers offense, in general, is in a slump at the moment, having lost five straight games. A trip to Flushing, Queens, to face the Mets and Tylor Megill may be exactly what this team needs to get back on track.
Megill’s numbers this year don’t jump off the page as a pitcher to attack, but some underlying stats lead us to Dodgers bats. Megill is averaging five walks per nine innings this year, and he’s allowing twice as many fly balls as ground balls. Extra runners on bats plus fly balls equal big innings. Freeman has a .455 batting average in eleven at-bats against Megil in his career, meaning he should be a part of any offensive explosion for Los Angeles today.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Brenton Doyle, OF - COL at Xzavion Curry ($4.1K DK, $3.8K FD)
Brenton Doyle is more a metaphor for my distaste for Curry today than an overly specific play. All Rockies bats should be looked at today as Curry is a fly ball pitcher making a start in Coors Field. Curry also is a heavy reverse-splits pitcher, allowing massive power (.563 slugging percentage) to right-handed bats while only sporting a 6% strikeout rate. Don’t get me wrong, if you could only use one Colorado bat, it’d be Doyle. He’s had a .471 slugging percentage and .363 wOBA against right-handed pitching (both tops on the Rockies), and he averages 40% more fantasy points at home than he does on the road. At his price point, he’s more of a tournament play than a cash option, but he’s not so pricey that you can’t get him into any lineup where you want exposure to Coors Field.
Estevan Florial, OF - CLE vs Austin Gomber ($4K DK, $2.8K FD)
In that same Coors game, we have another reverse-splits pitcher on the other side of the field in Austin Gomber. He’s a troll pitcher (someone who doesn’t put up big numbers but can hold down a decent offense), but his struggles against lefties are a sight to behold. He has allowed a .489 slugging percentage to left-handed bats this year, which is in line with his career data. At home this year, he’s allowed 1.6 home runs per nine innings and has a mediocre two-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Guardians don’t hit lefties particularly well, but Florial has been strong with a .538 slugging percentage, a .308 batting average, and a .321 ISO in 11 at-bats. Add in the Coors factor, and Florial looks like a great second low-cost option on FanDuel to pair with Gary Sanchez.
Daulton Varsho, OF - TOR at Nick Nastrini ($4.6K DK, $K FD)
Daulton Varsho may be the play on the day, and, sadly, he’s only available on DraftKings for the main slate (he’s on the Early Only slate on FanDuel). He’s got a .457 slugging percentage and a .260 ISO against right-handed pitching this year, which are great numbers. What’s even better is that Nick Nastrini is the worst pitcher on the slate, allowing a .688 slugging percentage and .534 wOBA to lefties this season. Sure, it’s only three starts, but he’s allowed 15 earned runs and 13 walks in those starts (11.1 total innings). We want to attack Nastrini today, and Varsho should be the first name you click in cash and tournament lineups.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
1. Toronto Blue Jays at Nick Nastrini (CWSL/RHP)
Favorite Plays: Daulton Varsho, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Danny Jansen, Davis Schneider
2. Baltimore Orioles vs Cooper Criswell (BOS/RHP)
Favorite Plays: Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander, Adley Rutschman, Ryan O'Hearn, Colton Cowser
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