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Mike Schwarzenbach highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 5/19/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
Happy Wednesday, Rotoballers. We've got a jam-packed 12-game slate on this lovely 19th day of May and it's sure to be another fun night of baseball with a myriad of ways to go about building lineups. At the top, we've got a whopping five pitchers carrying salaries over $10,000. Paying up for one of them is always viable on FanDuel where we need just one pitcher, but in GPP's I'll almost exclusively build from the lower-priced options to try and hit the correct lineup to stack.
Speaking of hitters, there are plenty of places to attack despite some high-end arms on the bump. Boston and Toronto have an over/under of 10.5 as Vegas is catching up with Dunedin's hitter-happy tendencies. It'll be humid again in West Florida so expect some homers in that game. Elsewhere there are plenty of lineups with big-game potential so let's get to the picks.
Read below as I provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 5/19/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. With that out of the way, here are my picks for tonight.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Jack Flaherty - STL vs PIT ($10,800)
This is you're free-square in cash games. Flaherty has quietly been one of the game's best pitchers this season and is now facing one of the worst offenses in baseball this season. Or really any season going back to the 90's really. Pittsburgh isn't good. Their .290 wOBA versus right-handed pitching ranks 27th in the league and they're not doing any damage as they rank last in ISO. Flaherty, meanwhile, has been his usual, dominant self since a clunker on Opening Day.
Since a six-run start in his first game, Flaherty has been lights-out pitching to a 2.47 ERA supported by a 2.97 FIP. He hasn't given up more than three runs in a start since Opening Day and has completed six innings in six of his last seven starts. Corbin Burnes has been electric this season and is a fine option, but it's also important to remember what site we're playing on. FanDuel heavily skews pitcher scoring towards innings, quality starts and wins. No pitcher on the slate is as likely to go six-plus innings, get the QS, and earn a win as Flaherty. Save Burnes for that other site that overvalues strikeouts.
Contrarian Play
David Peterson NYM @ ATL ($7,500)
Peterson has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy this season and we've got the perfect spot to deploy him in DFS. The Braves are one of the best offenses in the game...versus right-handed pitching. Versus lefties, it's a completely different tale down in Atlanta. The Braves collectively strike out 27.8 percent of the time versus lefties, fifth-worst in the league. They also rank 21st in OPS versus lefties. This is a team we can attack with southpaws.
Peterson doesn't have great surface numbers this season so he may get overlooked. His 4.86 ERA is bad but his 3.17 xFIP implies he's been unlucky so far. He's averaging over 11 K/9 and is sporting a healthy 31.2 CSW%. With so many top-arms on the slate, Peterson could provide big-time leverage to squeeze expensive bats in the lineup while having just as much upside as the mid-priced pitchers on the slate.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Luke Voit - 1B, NYY @ TEX ($3,000)
Voit went hitless in his first 12 at-bats after missing over a month with an injury, but the big first baseman is swinging a hot stick and is still underpriced based on what he can do when fully healthy. Voit has two hits in each of his last three games including a homer last night in the series opener with Texas. Voit led the AL last season with 22 homers and put up a silly .333 ISO. The name of the game in DFS is homers, Voit is as likely to go yard as anyone tonight as he seems to be finding his form.
Kike Hernandez - 2B/OF, BOS @ TOR ($2,600)
Hernandez has also missed time with injury lately but returned on Tuesday and went 1-for-4. This pick is more about attacking Ross Stripling, however, and getting a piece of the Boston offense which is implied for a slate-high 5.7 runs. Hernandez should lead off and will be on base when the big Boston hitters come up. The Red Sox will be popular tonight, but in cash games I want to make sure I have exposure to the Boston offense.
Trea Turner - SS, WSH @ CHC ($4,300)
The floor for every hitter on any night is zero, but that feels unlikely for Turner facing Jake Arietta in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. Turner is scorching the ball this season as he's sporting an elite .402 wOBA. He seldom strikes out and Arrieta seldom strikes hitters out. Turner will get lumber on the ball tonight and is in a great spot to do damage either being a terror on the bases or poping one over the short fences in Chicago.
Nolan Arenado - 3B, STL vs PIT ($4,000)
Don't look now, but the former Colorado Rockie is finding his stroke in St. Louis as he's gone yard in four-straight games. Call this pick chasing homers, call it whatever but Arenado is locked in as evidenced by his .400 wOBA and 9.9 percent barrel rate. He doesn't have to hit a homer tonight, but he'll have the chance to barrel up a ball or two and do some damage versus. Trevor Cahill.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Tommy Edman - OF, STL vs PIT ($2,800)
The Cardinals are my top stack of the evening and their top-two hitters in the batting order are too cheap. The switch-hitting Edman should set the table for the Cards tonight and add to his impressive run total this season. He's got 20 runs and seven steals already in 2021.
Dylan Carlson - OF, STL vs PIT ($2,500)
Like Edman, Carlson is too cheap and I want him in my Cardinals stacks. While Arenado may be the main piece of the St. Louis stack, Carlson is another switch-hitter who can do damage in a lot of ways. He's got 25 runs and 17 RBI on the season but is also getting on base at a .379 rate thanks to an impressive walk rate.
Alex Verdugo - OF, BOS @ TOR ($2,900)
The Red Sox are expensive but Verdugo is still sitting below $3K and that's a steal for a piece of this Boston offense. Verdugo's career slugging percentage is 46 points higher versus right-handed pitching so he's a cash-game lock versus a bad righty in a good hitter's park.
Good luck with your entries!
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