We have a pretty even split slate on Saturday with seven games in the afternoon with eight more games in the evening. There area ton of elite pitchers in both slates so finding value in our hitters is a premium today.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/7/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from high-priced to low-priced options and identify options who will out-perform their expectations, including sleepers and value plays on FanDuel.
DFS Lineup Stacks to Target for FanDuel
Texas Rangers Top of the Order vs. Mike Pelfrey
The bottom of the order took care of business last night in a 5-1 win over the Tigers and now it's the top four's turn. The entire team gets a favorable matchup on Saturday afternoon vs. Mike Pelfrey who isn't going to strike out many batters and struggles with his control(5.33 BB/9). He has also given up 10 earned runs in his last two starts and face the Rangers who are loaded with power at the top of their lineup.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Jeff Locke
The Cardinals offense ranks 2nd in runs scored and 8th in team wOBA vs. left handed pitching. Locke has struggled vs. right handed batters this season giving up a .387 wOBA and .481 slugging percentage. Stacking the Cards isn't going to cost a ton and allows you to pay up for an elite pitcher.
Milwaukee Brewers Middle of the Order vs. Brandon Finnegan
The Brewers have a combined .321 wOBA vs. left handed pitching which ranks 13th in the league and they also sit top 10 in runs scored. They face a weak lefty on Saturday in Brandon Finnegan who has given up a combined 11 earned runs in his last three starts and is walking close to five batters per nine innings. Ryan Braun is the top guy and should head your stack and Chris Carter, Jonathan Lucroy, Jonathan Villar, and even Colin Walsh are in play.
DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider for FanDuel
David Price (SP, BOS) $9,900
It has been an interesting start to the season for David Price. He has made six starts and gone 4-0 while striking out over 12 batters per nine innings. The issue is that he has given up five or more earned runs in three of his starts and is sporting a 6.14 ERA. Despite the ERA, he is due for some positive regression as his xFIP is sitting at 2.69 which is a significant gap. He is facing the Yankees in back to back and it is unlikely they get to him twice. He is the first pitcher under $10K and makes a great pivot in any format off the top options.
Bartolo Colon (SP, NYM) $8,100
It is really amazing how he keeps pitching at a high level at age 42. He has started the 2016 season with a 2-1 record and impressive 2.56 ERA while striking out just below eight batters per nine innings which over a batter more than his career average. The most impressive part has been his control with an elite .85 BB/9 rate and has continued to be a heavy ground ball pitcher(41% GB rate). He will face the Padres who rank 29th in team wOBA(.277) and strike out close to 26% of the time vs. right handed pitching.
Dallas Keuchel (SP, HOU) $8,300
The reigning American League CY Young winner has had a frustrating start to the year which can be tied directly his control. He is walking close to 4.5 batters per nine innings which is more than double his walk rate from last season. His 5.11 ERA has a ton of room for positive regression as he is currently operating a 3.88 xFIP. Don't trust him in cash games but lock him in GPP's and if he can limit the walks could have a breakout game vs. the Mariners.
DFS Infielders to Consider for FanDuel
Jonathan Lucroy (C, MIL) $3,100
He is a high floor, high upside play at catcher for a very reasonable price. He is hitting .308 on the season with a .376 OBP with 14 runs scored and 10 RBI. He is safe in cash games averaging just over nine FanDuel points per game and has power upside and great addition to a Brewers stack.
David Ortiz (1B, BOS) $4,000
Big Papi has been on fire lately with hits in three straight and six and of his last seven games including four home runs and nine runs batted in. Behind Anthony Rizzo, he is the highest scoring first basemen on FanDuel and gets a great matchup for left handed hitters in Yankee Stadium. He will be facing Nathan Eovaldi who has picked up four hits against in eight at bats.
Brandon Phillips (2B, CIN) $2,600
Ride the hot streak! Phillips has a HR in three straight and hits in five straight games. He is in a terrific spot to continue the HR streak as he will face Jimmy Nelson who has given up a 20.6% HR/FB rate with seven long balls against in six starts. That's not good. Stack the Reds while the bats are hot, especially in these favorable matchups.
Troy Tulowitzki (SS, TOR) $3,000
Most people are sick of hearing about Tulo by now. Don't give up just yet. He has a few things going for him today in a tough matchup vs. an elite starting pitcher in Clayton Kershaw. While his average is below the Mendoza line(.163) he is dealing with an equally low BABIP(.179) which should lead to positive regression. He will be extremely low owned on Saturday and has 17 hits(3 HR) vs. Kershaw in 63 at bats.
Travis Shaw (3B, BOS) $3,100
Another Red Sox left handed bat in a great spot on the road in Yankee Stadium. He picked up three singles in last nights game and is hitting .364 vs. right handed pitching in 2016. He hits sixth in the order and makes a great GPP stacking option if you go three through six in the order.
DFS Outfielders to Consider for FanDuel
Ryan Braun (OF, MIL) $4,200
Braun is playing some excellent ball lately with hits in six straight games pushing his average to .368 on the season with a terrific .434 on base percentage. He crushes left handed pitching for his career and gets a great matchup vs. Brandon Finnegan who struggles with control(4.76 BB/9) and has given up a career 16.9% HR/FB ratio.
J.D. Martinez (OF, DET) $2,800
He got a night off on Friday which was much needed after struggling over the past couple weeks and seeing his average drop to .250 for the season. He is a proven power hitter in the middle of a strong lineup in Detroit. His price has dropped below $3K presenting a ton of value in a GPP format.
Mallex Smith (OF, ATL) $2,500
Dipping down even lower in salary we find Smith who is very cheap due to his spot in the order. He has a ton of speed and if he can start to limit the strikeouts he will start to seem ore time at the top of the order. He presents salary relief on a day when you will want to pay up for an elite pitcher.
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