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Hello there, MLB DFS grinders! We have a split Saturday slate and the focus of this article will on the 10-game early only slate for DraftKings while still mentioning plays for the early only and afternoon slate on FanDuel. We have some good pitching options and good stacks to consider so let's dive on in and find the best plays for both your cash game and tournament lineups.
While most of our MLB DFS coverage here at RotoBaller is geared towards the main slate, I wanted to give you some of my favorite pitchers and bats for these early games that will help you cash in tournaments and cash game contests. I'll highlight my favorite pitching options here first and then give you some hitters at each price tier to consider as well as my favorite teams to stack up! You can read our DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the main slate and FanDuel DFS lineup picks for the main slate as well.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel and DraftKings slates beginning at 1:10 PM on 5/29/2021. 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 MLB DFS lineup picks for the main slate here, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
MLB DFS Pitchers
Yu Darvish @ HOU ($10,600 DK, $11,000 FD)
Darvish is the top arm talent on the slate and despite drawing a tough matchup against Houston, the upside for Darvish is there. The Astros will be without Michael Brantley due to injury so that's one less batter that Darvish has to navigate around and focus on. Darvish has been very solid as he has had a quality start in seven out of the 10 games and has hit 40+ FD points in seven of those starts. He is sporting an era of 1.75 so far this season and has only allowed more than three runs once all year long.
Zack Wheeler vs. TBR ( $11,200 FD)
Wheeler gets a nice park shift by pitching in Tampa Bay and while the Rays can be a pesky team to pick on with opposing pitchers, Wheeler is a solid enough pitcher that should be able to navigate through this lineup. Wheeler is 4-2 on the season with a 2.38 ERA and is the top arm on the early-only slate over on FD. When looking at his most recent outings, Wheeler has been very dominant as he has recorded a quality win in four straight starts and has struck out 37 batters over his last four starts.
Others to consider: Freddy Peralta vs. Washington, Austin Gomber vs. Pittsburgh
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MLB DFS "Bats Worth Paying For"
Bo Bichette – SS, TOR @ CLE ($6,000 DK, $4,100 FD)
While the price point is high for Bouchette, he is just a very solid all-around play for all types of formats. Bichette is slashing .246 against lefties this season while also having a .391 XwOBA and three home runs against this handedness. Bichette profiles extremely well against all three pitch types (.417 XwOBA+) that Happ throws and would be a top pay-up option on this slate.
Jose Ramirez – 3B, CIN vs. TOR ($5,500 DK, $3,900 FD)
One guy that should be breaking out soon is Jose Ramirez. He has 12 home runs on the season but 10 of those have come off of right-handed pitchers. Ramirez has a .262 ISO against right-handed pitchers and profiles well against Stripling's fastball and curveball as he has a .262+ ISO and .391+ XwOBA against both of those pitch types.
Whit Merrifield – 2B/OF, KCR @ MIN ($5,600 DK, $3,000 FD)
Merrifield is starting o swing a hot bat again as he is coming off of a multi-hit performance on Friday night where he recorded two hits and drove in three runs. He has now recorded a hit in six of his last seven games played and faces J.A. Happ who is allowing right-handed batters to sport an ISO of .235 while also having a flyball percentage of over 43% to this handedness.
MLB DFS Values
Jake Cronenworth – 1B/2B, PIT vs. CHC ($4,700 DK, $2,700 FD)
While Cronenworth is moderately priced over on DK, he looks to be a big steal over on FD at just $2,700. He is hitting .304 against right-handed pitchers while hitting five home runs against this handedness. Cronenworth has a .229 ISO and a .415 XwOBA against righties this year and would be one to consider in all formats, especially over on FD where the price point is much lower.
Eddie Rosario – OF, CLE vs. TOR ($3,600 DK, $3,100 FD)
Rosario is starting to show signs of life at the plate recently as he has hit safely in eight straight games and has recorded a multi-hit performance in four of those games. Rosario sticks out against Stripling's fastball as he has a .619 ISO and a .612 XwOBA gainst his fastball pitch type while also having a .230 ISO against right-handed pitchers overall.
Randal Grichuk – OF, TOR @ CLE ($4,300 DK, $2,900 FD)
Grichuk has been a good splits hitter through the years and this trend has carried over to the 2021 season. Against lefties, Grichuk is hitting .373 with four home runs and has an ISO of .248 against this handedness. Happ throws three primary pitches and Grichuk profiles well against his curveball and fastball as he has a .231 ISO and an XwOBA of .480+ against those pitch types.
Also Consider: Avisail Garcia vs. Lester, Maikel Franco vs. Keuchel
MLB DFS Hitter Stacks
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Sam Hentges
The Blue Jays exploded for 11 runs last night and draw a nice matchup against a lefty pitcher in Sam Hentges. The Blue Jays have a team ISO of .202 and have an XwOBA of .387 against lefty pitchers and have six batters who sport an ISO above .185 against this handedness while five batters have a hard-hit percentage (greater than 36%). The top six in the order are all in play with Hernandez, Guerrero Jr., Bichette, and Semien being the ones to start a Toronto stack with.
Kansas City Royals vs. J.A. Happ
The Royals look like they could be a good team to stack and could go overlooked in this matchup against Happ. They're coming off of an eight-run night and look to profile well as a team against lefty pitchers as they have a team ISo of .191 and a team XwOBA of .405. Both Santana and Merrifield have over a .300 batting against lefties this year and they would be the first two to focus on from a stacking perspective.
Other stacks: Chicago Cubs vs. Luis Castillo, Cleveland Indians vs. Ross Stripling
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