*James Leer & Luis Herasme*

DFS MLB Lineup Picks for 05/15/17

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s DFS MLB Lineup picks article, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite players from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Chase Anderson vs. San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park

It’s no secret that the Padres are struggling, sitting in last place in one of the toughest divisions in MLB. The Padres are 4th to last in Runs scored (140) and dead last in batting average (.220). The Padres lack of runs on the board stems from their inability to get the ball in play, sitting 4th in the league in strikeouts (347). Anderson, who’s changeup leads to a lot of strikeouts, should bounce back after a no-decision against the RedSox. In 7 starts this season, Chase is currently 2-0 on the season in 39.1 innings pitched he has only 13 earned runs for a 2.97 ERA.

Jesse Chavez vs. Chicago White Sox
Park – Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Jesse Chavez may be the safe option vs. a weak White Sox team. (see also: Cash game play). The White Sox struggle vs. Right handed batters, currently 4th to last in runs scored vs. RHP (101), tied for dead last in batting average (.225), and nearly last in SLG (.356) and Total Bases (303). Chavez hasn’t been all that impressive this season, but against the Chicago White Sox you don’t have to be on your best game. When his cutters are on, he can rack up the strikeouts (35) and as of late it seems like he is finding his groove.

**OFFENSIVE BATTERS**

Here are a few of my favorite offensive hitters that I am going to build my lineups around. The players that I have the most exposure to will be in bold.

*CATCHERS*
Yasmani Grandal
Jett Bandy

*FIRST BASEMAN*
**Eric Thames** – Perdomo is horrible vs. LHB. Thames is always a deep ball threat.
Freddie Freeman- Smashes RHP.

*SECOND BASEMAN*
**Jonathan Villar** – Perfect batting average vs. Perdomo. Though the sample size is minuscule (5) it seems like a great matchup. He is also at the start of a heater, averaging 25 Fanduel points over the past two days.
Neil Walker – Riding the hot streak, he has been smashing the last three games (28.3 Fanduel average). He faces a weak RHP tonight in Godley.

*THIRD BASEMAN*
**Jake Lamb** – He hasn’t hit a homer in 9 Games, it is about time he smashes one out of the park.
Kyle Seager – Hitting 4th with Cano out, seems like a solid matchup.

*SHORTSTOP*
SS- Jean Segura- He is swinging a good bat recently. I like the play should certainly consider.
SS- Corey Seager

*OUTFIELD*
**Mike Trout** – 29.7 Fanduel points over the past 3 games, Trout is riding a hot streak. Nice matchup against the WhiteSox tonight.
Jay Bruce
Hunter Pence
Yasiel Puig
Matt Kemp

*Chris Durell

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Thursday, May 12

Welcome back to another day of daily fantasy baseball stacks. I hope you had a profitable week and if not, well, it’s TGIF! There are a ton of ways to go tonight with your lineups as Clayton Kershaw is on the mound…in Coors Field! That’s right, the best pitcher in baseball enters the best hitters park in baseball. Something has to give. Let’s jump in and take a look at my top pitching options and hitter stacks for tonight’s 15 game slate. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Clayton Kershaw
Opponent – @ COL
Park – Coors Field (Hitter Positive)
Vegas Favorite (LAD -200)
Vegas Total (9.5)

If you are like me, you have been waiting for this matchup. It is an opportunity to get the best pitcher in baseball at a discount, but unfortunately, he travels to the high elevation of Denver, Colorado. It doesn’t bother me as Kershaw has made 18 trips to Coors Field in his career and came away with an 8-4 record and has recorded just over a strikeout per inning pitched. Yes, the ERA is 4.71, but that doesn’t scare me tonight as I am mainly a GPP player. He is still the most expensive option on FanDuel today where we only roster one pitcher but on DraftKings he comes at a $1,300 discount from Johnny Cueto making it an easy decision for me tonight. I mean, when was the last time a Coors game saw an Over/Under below 10? The Rockies have been very impressive to this point of the season, sitting ten games above .500 and in first place in the NL West but Kershaw is the great equalizer. Through sevens starts, Kershaw has a slightly lower K rate (9.8 K/9) which gets a boost tonight as the Rockies have struck out 24.3% of the time over the past seven days and 25% of the time vs. left-handed pitching. You can usually get Kershaw at a slightly lower ownership in Coors as well, and the upside greatly outweighs the risk tonight so build around the Dodgers ace.

Dylan Bundy
Opponent – @ KC
Park – Kauffman Stadium(Pitcher Positive)
Vegas (BAL -105)
Vegas Total (8.5)

From the worst pitchers park in the league to one of the best. Kauffman Stadium ranks #1 right now in run suppression, and that is great news if you want to roster Dylan Bundy tonight. He was pushed back after last night’s game was postponed and sits in a great spot. Vegas isn’t totally on board yet but give it time as I feel the line will shift in the Orioles favor. [Line moved right before publication, nice call Chris! – Editor.] I mean, the Royals are the worst offensive team in the Major Leagues. Bundy comes into this matchup with a shiny 5-1 record and has picked up a quality start in all seven starts which are huge if you are playing on FanDuel. The downside is that his K rate (5.5 K/9) has been less than impressive but should get a boost tonight as the Royals have struck out 23.5% of the time over the past seven days with just an 80 wRC+. He makes a cheap SP2 to pair with Kershaw on DraftKings and an excellent GPP salary relief option on FanDuel that allows you to stack all the bats.

** STARTING STACKS**

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies (Tyler Chatwood)
Park – Coors Field (Hitter Positive)
Vegas (LAD -200)
Vegas Total (9.5)

It is an extremely low total for Coors Field, but as I mentioned above, it has everything to do with the best pitcher on the planet going for the Dodgers tonight. Give the Dodgers credit last night, making an attempted comeback after falling down ten runs after four innings. They ended up falling short of the win but should be able to carry that momentum over into today’s game which is a really big spot. The Dodgers currently sit behind the Rockies in the NL West and will not want to fall further behind as we get into the summer months. The Dodgers rank third in wOBA (.349) and fourth in wRC+ (118) vs. right-handed pitching and face Tyler Chatwood who has given up four or more earned runs in five of his seven starts. Even worse for Chatwood and better for the Dodgers hitters is that he has also given up close to a league high 33% HR/FB rate and 29% hard-contact rate. Load up on Dodgers bats tonight and start at the top of the order with Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger.

Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies(Nick Pivetta)
Park – Nationals Park (Pitcher Positive)
Vegas (WSH -190)
Vegas Total (8.5)

I will start off by saying that this game comes with a ton of risk as there is rain in the Washington area, but it appears there is a good chance the game will play. There could be some possible delays, but as a GPP player, this does not scare me at all. I actually prefer rain threats when looking for high upside stacks as the ownership level tends to drop off in these situations. If you are risk averse, I would recommend staying away but if you can handle some risk jump on board with me. Ok, now that I have warned you let’s jump into the pick. The Nationals are currently projected to score just under five runs tonight which comes in large part to their elite matchup vs. Nick Pivetta of the Phillies. The rookie pitcher has shown some K upside (9.9 K.9) but has been hit very hard through his first two starts of the season. He faced the Nats in his last start and gave up nine hits, four earned runs and three long balls. So through two starts now he is giving up over 50% hard contact (WOW) with a 30% HR/FB rate and while he is likely to see some positive regression, I don’t see it happening tonight vs. a powerful Nats team headlined by Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, and Daniel Murphy.

Monitor the weather throughout the day and follow me on Twitter (@jager_Bombs9) for updates.

*Chris Durell

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Thursday, May 11

Welcome back for another night of Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for May 11th. Thursday gives us two-afternoon games with nine more on the main slate. For this article, we will be turning our attention to the main slate for the pitching and stack recommendations. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Zack Greinke
Opponent – vs. PIT
Park – Chase Field(Hitter Positive)
Vegas Favorite (ARi -135)
Vegas Total (8.5)

My top option at pitcher tonight, despite Chase Field being the top hitters park so far, is Zack Greinke. I turn to him as the top priced pitcher Dallas Keuchel gets a very tough matchup vs. the Yankees who are one of the top hitting teams in the league. Greinke, on the other hand, gets to face a somewhat depleted Pirates roster as they are without one of their best players Starling Marte. They rank 22nd overall in wOBA(.300) and wRC+(84) vs. right-handed pitching and have scored the third fewest total runs all season. I am not all worried about Greinke pitching at home in Chase Field as he is coming off arguably one of his best starts of the season where he struck out seven Rockies and allowed just six hits and two earned runs in Coors Field. With 27 strikeouts over his last three starts, Greinke has also brought his K/9 rate back up to a near-elite rate of 9.7 K/9 while he is running nearly a career-best 1.65 BB/9 rate. Fire up Greinke in all formats tonight.

Michael Fulmer
Opponent – @LAA
Park – Angel Stadium of Anaheim(Pitcher Positive)
Vegas (DET -105)
Vegas Total (7)

For me, at least, the pitching options really fall off after the top tier so I find myself building all my lineups around Greinke and Michael Fulmer tonight. Fulmer saw a big price jump after his last start where he went into Oakland and struck out nine over eight full innings to pick up his third win of the season. While the Angels strike out about 3% less than the A’s vs. right-handed pitching, they rank a few spots lower when looking at their wOBA(.289) and wRC+(86) splits. It is also very likely the Angels will be without the services of the league’s top hitter, Mike Trout, once again as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury. The only knock on Fulmer is the fact that he can get into trouble with walks (2.54 BB/9 rate) but the Angels also own one of the lowest walk rates vs. righties so that doesn’t really bother me tonight. Fulmer is also safe in all formats tonight.

**STARTING STACKS**

Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants (Ty Blach)
Park – AT&T Park (Pitcher Positive)
Vegas (CIN +122)
Vegas Total (8)

The Reds are dogs on the road tonight against the Giants in AT&T Park, but that doesn’t stop me from targeting Ty Blach with my top stack. The 26-year-old southpaw had a brief stint in the majors last year and started this season out in the bullpen. He was serviceable as a reliever allowing just three hits in 5.2 innings pitched and had just one blow up where he allowed three earned runs. They then made the switch and was placed in the rotation and while he only struck three in his first two starts, ended up only allowing two earned runs in 12 innings. The regression hit big time in his last start where he allowed these Reds to get 11 hits and eight earned runs in just three innings before he was removed. The issue with Blach is that he is nowhere near a strikeout pitcher with his 2.18 K/9 and 4.1% swing strike rate. He comes into tonight with a 5.66 ERA with a 5.72 xFIP that suggests things aren’t going to get much better. This is great news for the Reds who sit third in wOBA(.350) and sixth in wRC+(110)vs. left -handed pitching. The power is what we are looking for and the Reds also rank second in team ISO behind the Nationals vs. southpaws. Everything is pointing to a big night for Reds and the ownership could also be down as they play in a pitchers park as underdogs.

Texas Rangers vs. San Diego Padres (Clayton Richard)
Park – Globe Life Park in Arlington (Hitter Positive)
Vegas (TEX -140)
Vegas Total (9.5)

Outside of the Coors Field game, the Texas Rangers rank #1 when looking at projected team totals today. The Rangers have struggled to pick up wins early in the season ranking dead last in the American League West division but the problem has not been the offense as they rank 14th in total runs scored and 7th in Isolated Power (.177) coming into tonight. They get an excellent matchup vs. Clayton Richard tonight who is walking 3.76 batters per nine and has allowed four or more earned runs in four of his seven starts with five home runs (25% HR/FB rate). How you construct your core stack for the Rangers will be dependent on the lineup as Delino DeShields or Shin-Soo Choo could be hitting leadoff and both have positive splits vs. left-handed pitching. Elvis Andrus, Carlos Gomez, and Mike Napoli should be right in the middle of the lineup and also look for Robinson Chirinos to get in the lineup as he also crushes southpaws to the tune of a .561 wOBA/268 wRC+.

*James Leer & Luis Herasme*

DFS MLB Lineup Picks for 05/09/17

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s DFS MLB Lineup Picks where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite players from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

A.J. Griffin vs. San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park

The Texas Rangers are a better team then what their standings column leads you to believe. Their bats can get hot at a moment’s notice and the surprise of their starting rotation A.J. Griffin is wheeling and dealing. Coming into the game with a 3-0 record, he has eight earned runs over 20.1 innings pitched while striking out 23. He displays excellent control, throwing strikes consistently owning an impressive WHIP of .98. One of his major flaws is his tendency to give up the long ball and while the Padres are fifth to last in runs scored the sit top third of the pack in home runs. However, giving the fact that Griffin is returning to his hometown of San Diego he might be on his best game tonight, showing off for his friends and family back home. Let’s not forget the fact that all three of his wins have come on the road, also a major selling point.

Hector Santiago vs. Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

I quite like this matchup tonight, it seems to me that all of the cards in the deck point to a Minnesota Twins win. Hector Santiago comes into the game 3-1 (2.78 ERA) with 25 SO’s over 35.2 innings pitched. Santiago seems to have the White Sox’s number; the Sox are batting an average of .150 against him (72 at bats). Since the 2016 season, he has played them five times averaging an insanely impressive 49.6 Fanduel points. Currently fourth to last in total runs scored (121) and home runs (28), Hector should easily throw a 40-point Fanduel game tonight.

Also consider – Drew Pomeranz & Ivan Nova

**OFFENSIVE BATTERS**

Here are a few of my favorite offensive hitters that I am going to build my lineups around. The players that I have the most exposure to will be in bold.

*CATCHERS*
Gary Sanchez
James Mccann
Evan Gattis

*FIRST BASEMAN*
Ryan Zimmerman
Freddie Freeman
Miguel Cabrera

*SECOND BASEMAN*
**Jose Altuve**
Robinson Cano

*THIRD BASEMAN*
**Jake Lamb**
3B-Miguel Sano

*SHORTSTOP*
Corey Seager
Trea Turner

*OUTFIELD*
**Carlos Gonzalez**
**Charlie Blackmon**
Shin-Soo Choo
Adam Jones
Mookie Betts
Nick Markakis

*James Leer & Luis Herasme*

MLB Lineup Picks for 05/08/17

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s MLB lineup picks article, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite players from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Jacob Degrom vs. San Francisco Giants
Park – Citi Field

Jacob Degrom has 49 strikeouts in over 36 2/3 innings (32% K rate. / 15.6 swinging strike rate) vs. a struggling Giants team. San Francisco, having lost 7 out of their last ten games, have a hard time getting runners across the plate, sitting 2nd to last in total runs scored (105) and RBI’s (97) and last in home runs (19). They will have an even more difficult time going up against Degrom, who in 41 at bats are currently only hitting .117 against him. It wouldn’t necessarily be that bad of a strategy to lock Degrom in nearly all of your lineups today.

Blake Snell vs. Kansas City Royals
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

This is a one of the riskier GPP plays on the slate, but it has some significant upside. The Royals are one of the worst teams in the league against left-handed pitchers. Versus lefties this year they are 2nd to last with only 13 runs scored in 265 at bats (.181). Even though he is 0-2 this season, Snell has looked good. Having a 3.45 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. His achilles heel is his inability to control the ball at times, giving up 21 walks. However, Snell is a pitcher that seems to produce better at home, averaging 32.4 Fanduel points in the past five home games. If you are looking to save money for your offensive batters, Snell is a likely candidate.

Also consider Carlos Martinez – The Cardinals open as -125 favorites vs. the Marlins on the road. Martinez is coming off his first win of the year against the Brewers. He gave up just one unearned run over 7 1/3 innings retiring the first 12 batters that he faced. Does this mean he is back on track?

**OFFENSIVE BATTERS**

Here are a few of my favorite offensive hitters that I am going to build my lineups around. The players that I have the most exposure to will be in bold.

*CATCHERS*
**Jonathan Lucroy** – Lucroy over his last two outings vs. San Diego has scored 27.5 Fanduel points.
Gary Sanchez

*FIRST BASEMAN*
**Albert Pujols** – Batting .364 over 22 at bats (1 homer, 4 RBI’s) vs. Graveman
Ryan Zimmerman

*SECOND BASEMAN*
Starlin Castro
Jed Lowrie
Roughed Odor

*THIRD BASEMAN*
Nolan Arenado
Jedd Gydrko

*SHORTSTOP*
**Corey Seager** –
Trea Turner
Elvis Andrus (Depending where he is hitting)

*OUTFIELD*
**Mike Trout** – Batting .333 over 24 at bats (1 homer, 3 RBI’s) vs. Graveman
Charlie Blackmon
Bryce Harper
Aaron Judge (Depending where he is hitting)
Kyle Schawber
Carlos Gonzalez
Kris Davis

*Chris Durell*

DFS MLB Fanduel Draftkings Lineup – Friday, May 5

Welcome back to another day of daily fantasy baseball featuring your MLB Fanduel Draftkings Lineup with LineupLab. Today we get just one early afternoon game between the Yankees and Cubs and Wrigley and one late afternoon game between the Giants and Reds. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Stephen Strasburg
Opponent – @ PHI
Park – Citizens Banks Park(Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (WSH -165)
Vegas Total (8)

The combination of more viable starting pitching options and a big 13 game main slate is going to help level off the ownership for pitching tonight. This is great news as Strasburg is not only an elite option, but he comes at a bit of a discount from what we have been used to the last few days. While the ERA and xFIP are right in line with what he has been doing for multiple years, Strasburg has seen a big dip in his K rate(7.97 K/9) early in the season. I am chalking it up to a small sample size as he has recorded eight or more strikeouts in three of his five starts. He should be able to build on those K number tonight in a matchup vs. the Phillies who strike out over 24% of the time vs. right-handed pitching and have a wRC+(95) that is 5% below the league average. The Phillies have also been struggling lately losing three straight and six of their last seven games. Fire up Strasburg in all formats.

Kenta Maeda
Opponent – @ SD
Park – Petco Park
Vegas (LAD -155)
Vegas Total (7.5)

Maeda’s price on FanDuel has been pretty constant in the high $7K, low $8K range all season but on DraftKings it has really bounced around. It has been in large part to his high-end skill set but disappointing start where he allowed 17 earned runs and seven home runs in his first four starts of the season. Good news is that he seemed to find something in his last start where he went a season-high seven innings striking out eight Phillies and picking up his second win of the season. The strikeouts should continue to come as he has recorded a swinging strike rate greater than 10% in four of his five starts and sits with an elite 14.3% for the season. Tonight he gets an elite matchup in one of the best pitchers parks in the league (Petco Park) vs. the Padres who rank 25th in wOBA (.300) and 24th in wRC+(85) vs. right-handed pitching and strike out more than any other team (25.6%). He is an excellent SP2 on DraftKings and nice GPP pivot on FanDuel.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Colorado Rockies(German Marquez)
Park – Coors Field(Hitter Positive)
Vegas (ARI -110)
Vegas Total (10.5)

Hard to talk stacks and not start at Coors Field tonight. As usual, it boasts the biggest overall total of the night and the Vegas line is currently sitting as a pick em. I lean the D-Backs simply because Greinke is a much better pitcher than Marquez and more likely to get out of his start without being beaten up too badly. Marquez, on the other hand, did not fare well in his first start at home for the Rockies giving up eight earned runs to the Nationals in just four innings while striking out just two and walking three batters. It won’t get any easier today as he will face a Diamondbacks team that sits just outside the Top 10 in hitting vs. right-handed pitching and have scored the second most runs(150) behind only the Nationals through 30 games in the 2017 season. Center your stack around Paul Goldschmidt who is off to a hot star hitting .311 with a .422 wOBA, five home runs, 21 RBI, and 22 runs scored. He also has a secret weapon that not many first basemen possess, speed. He has already stolen eight bases in 2017. Surround him with leadoff hitter AJ Pollock and then pay close attention to the lineup cards coming out as David Peralta should be back near the top of the order as a left-handed hitter and Yasmani Tomas and Jake Lamb are nice power upside, middle of the order hitters.

New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins(Tom Koehler)
Park – Citi Field(Pitcher Positive)
Vegas (NYM -110)
Vegas Total (8.5)

There are many other ways to go tonight, but I am going to try and target a stack that will be low-owned. Enter the New York Mets. It starts with an elite matchup vs. Tom Koehler who is having an extremely hard time keeping the ball in the park this season. He has given up at least one home run in each of his first five starts and sits with a 5.40 ERA and xFIp of 4.62 which suggests things aren’t getting too much better for him. The 25% HR/FB rate is not likely to continue but with a 37% hard-contact rate against, I don’t see the positive regression happening tonight. The Mets don’t stand out as a strong candidate vs. right-handed pitching and combine that with the weather threat tonight and you have yourself a 5% owned stack with upside as they sit 10th in total runs scored on the season. Target the left-handed bats for the Mets (Bruce, Conforto, Cabrera, Walker) as Koehler has struggled mightily with a wOBA great than .500 against left-handed batters.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

*Chris Durell*

Welcome back for another all-day Thursday set of games in Major League Baseball. The schedule is front end loaded with eight games in the afternoon and finishes off with a smaller five-game slate later tonight. Put your favorite stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Early Slate

Kyle Freeland
Opponent – @SD
Park – Petco Park(Pitcher Positive)
Vegas Favorite (COL -103)
Vegas Total (8)

First of all, Max Scherzer is an elite play even though he let us down in his last start. He has the highest upside of any pitcher on the slate but is also a bit risky as the Diamondbacks sit 3rd in wOBA(.346) and 10th in wRC+(107) vs. right-handed pitching. This brings me to one of the top value pitchers on the slate due to his matchup vs. the K heavy Padres in one of the best pitchers parks in the big leagues. The game is a pick em as I write this late Wednesday night but I have a feeling the tables will turn in the Rockies favor as we get closer to lineup lock. Freeland has been very impressive in his rookie season with a 3-1 record and has limited his opponents to one earned run or less in four of his five starts. The K/9 upside isn’t quite where we would like to see it(5.2 K/9) but he will get a big boost tonight as the Padres have struck out 26% of the time over the last seven days. The Padres also rank 28th in wOBA(.263) and wRC+(61) vs. left-handed pitching. Freeland is a cheap SP2 on DraftKings and GPP play on FanDuel which allows you load up on bats.

Main Slate

Adam Wainwright
Opponent – vs. MIL
Park – Busch Stadium(Pitcher Positive)
Vegas (STL -140)
Vegas Total (7.5)

The options on the five-game main slate aren’t quite as inviting so I will dip down into the value range and roll with Adam Wainwright. He was scheduled to start yesterday for the Cardinals, but the game got rained out early enough where it shouldn’t affect him at all. It has been a rough start to the 2017 season for the veteran right-hander but things are looking certainly looking up moving forward. He has won two straight starts, striking out 13 batters and walking just one over 11.1 innings despite giving up six earned runs. For the season, he is running a 6.12 ERA, but the good news is the xFIP (much better indicator of future ERA) sits at just 3.18 so far through five starts. The other significant indicator that stood out to me when looking deeper at Waino’s numbers was the BABIP that is running at a crazy high .439 right now while his career average of .298 is much lower. He is a better value on DraftKings in the mid $7K range but in play on both sites, whether playing the All Day or Main Slate.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Early Slate

Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers (AJ Griffin)
Park – Minute Maid Park(Pitcher Positive)
Vegas (HOU -152)
Vegas Total (8.5)

While Minute Maid Park is more favorable for the pitcher, the Astros rank 10th overall this season with a 115 wRC+ which accounts for park factor. They also sit second behind only the Yankees in wRC+(123) vs. right-handed pitching and get a matchup vs. one of the weakest pitchers on the slate. Yes, there are worse pitchers but none getting rocked as hard as Griffin. He leads all pitchers tonight with a 48.7% hard-contact rate against and has been producing just 25% ground balls thus far. His 4.11 ERA also looks to be a bit lucky as he is currently running a .167 BABIP that is close to 100 points lower than his career mark. This is not good news for Griffin tonight but great news for us DFSers as the Astros could be one of the highest scoring teams of the night. The top of the order is the place to be in Houston and Jose Altuve should be the centerpiece in your stack as he can contribute in all areas and hits out of the three hole. Carlos Correa hits right behind him in the cleanup spot and George Springer leads off. Keep an eye on the lineups in the morning as Marwin Gonzalez makes a great play if he is in the Top 5 of the lineup. He is 9 for his last 19 with two doubles, five home runs and has driven in 13 runs.

Main Slate

Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels(Daniel Wright)
Park – Safeco Field(Neutral)
Vegas (SEA -130)
Vegas Total (8.5)

The Red Sox are going to be the chalk on the five-game main slate so I love the idea of pivoting to the Mariners with lower expected ownership and similar upside. They are coming off a huge 8-7 win last night and sit Top 10 in overall runs scored through 27 games. Tonight they get an even better matchup than last night vs. rookie Daniel Wright who has been less than impressive to start his career. Through two starts, he has walked five batters while striking out just three and while he has only allowed three earned runs in nine innings, his 6.25 xFIP suggests will not enjoy the regression that is forthcoming. The Mariners, on the other hand, will be licking their chops for his 90 mph fastball as they are a Top 10 team in wRC+(109), wOBA(.318), and ISO(.175) vs. right-handed pitching. Start your stack at the top of the order with Jean Segura who has heated up big time with hits in seven of his last eight games with three doubles, two home runs and two stolen bases. The M’s shuffle their two-hole around but if it is again Ben Gamel he makes an excellent punt and has hits in four of seven games this season. Then you fill in your power upside with Nelson Cruz who has always been known as a lefty masher but is hitting righties a bit better to start the season. Hitting in front of Cruz is Robinson Cano who hasn’t totally got it going yet with a .270 average but picked up his fifth home run of the season last night and now has driven in 21 runs 27 games.

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*James Leer & Luis Herasme*

DFS MLB Lineup Picks for 05/03/17

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s DFS MLB Lineup picks article, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite players from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Jake Arrieta vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Park – Wrigley Field

It’s true, the Arrieta of yesteryear seems to have evaporated. However, it is the Phillies and he is at home. Despite his high ERA (4.66) he has still managed to go 3-1, with a 10.55 K/9 over his past five starts. While there isn’t much of a sample size to go on the Phillies haven’t fared too well against Arrieta, hitting just .170 over 29 at bats. Eickhoff is pitching for the Phillies, who has had recent trouble commanding his curveball. Giving up five runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched on Friday versus the Dodgers. This is the kind of pitcher that can get in trouble early, allowing for a nice Cubs cushion for Arrieta to gain back his confidence to get the 2017 season back on track.

Drew Pomeranz vs. Baltimore Orioles
Park – Fenway Park

Pomeranz certainly does not have trouble with his curve. In his last outing versus the Cubs, the southpaw threw 95 pitches. Out of those 95, 58 of them were curveballs. He received the win over the Cubs, giving up two earned runs over six innings pitched. If he can do this to the Cubs, just imagine what he will do the Orioles. The Baltimore Orioles have a high strikeout rate against lefties (23.5%). Over 53 at-bats the O’s are hitting .230 against Pomeranz. This aligns right with what they have been averaging all season long against lefties (313 at bats).

**OFFENSIVE BATTERS**

Here are a few of my favorite offensive hitters that I am going to build my lineups around. The players that I have the most exposure to will be in bold.

*CATCHERS*
C-Russell Martin
C-Salvador Perez

*FIRST BASEMAN*
1B- Anthony Rizzo – consistent and has a good matchup advantage vs. Eickhoff
1B-Eric Hosmer
1B-Edwin Encarnacion

*SECOND BASEMAN*
2B-Robinson Cano – has put up some solid numbers vs. Nolasco. .400/.400/.867. Two Homeruns in only 15 at bats.
2B-Jonathan Villar

*THIRD BASEMAN*
3B-Miguel Sano – Flaming HOT! Has averaged 35.2 Fantasy Points in his past three games.
3B-Nolan Arenado
3B-Evan Longoria

*SHORTSTOP*
SS-Corey Seager
SS-Addison Russell

*OUTFIELD*
OF-Jay Bruce – Crushed yesterday with a 51 Fanduel point perfect lineup performance. Top 5% hitter vs. RH pitchers.
OF-Charlier Blackmon
OF-Carlos Gonzalez
OF-A.J. Pollock
OF-Mookie Betts
OF- Michael Conforto

*James Leer & Luis Herasme*

DFS MLB Lineup Picks for 05/02/17

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s DFS MLB Lineup picks article, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite players from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Mashiro Tanaka vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Park – Yankee Stadium

Tanaka has been a beast, in his last three performances he has averaged 42.7 Fanduel points per game and that’s not all, folks; his average at home goes up over the past four games (43.8 FPPG.) In his dominating, shutout performance last Thursday against the Red Sox he allowed just three hits after only 97 pitches through 9 innings. I quite like the match-up against the struggling Blue Jays, who are hitting just .170 through 83 at-bats versus Tanaka.

Ervin Santana vs. Oakland Athletics
Park – Target Field

Ervin Santana, the mythical monstrosity of the Minnesota Twins. Coming into the game this season, he has 35 IP with only 3 ER’s a WHIP of .66 and 26 K’s. All five of his starts this year have been Quality Starts, averaging 43.6 Fanduel points per outing and making the perfect lineup twice. Does the 34-year-old Dominican continue to dominate or does he regress is the question? My forecast says, no regression today (83.1%) as he goes up against the lackluster A’s. Currently tied for second to last in runs scored (91) for the season the A’s are hitting just .190 versus Santana in 43 at bats. The A’s will fall, it’s just a matter of how hard will they hit the ground?

**OFFENSIVE BATTERS**

Here are a few of my favorite offensive hitters that I am going to build my lineups around. The players in bold are ones that I have the most exposure to.

*CATCHERS*
C-Salvador Perez
C-Evan Gattis
C-Jason Castro

*FIRST BASEMAN*
1B- Matt Carpenter – Carpenter has been on fire, scoring 25.2 Fanduel points over the past two games. He is also crushing Peralta over 48 plate appearances he is hitting .465 AVG with a .814 SLG.
1B-Freddie Freeman
1B-Jose Abreu

*SECOND BASEMAN*
2B-Daniel Murphy – Murphy is in the top 5% when it comes to hitting against RH pitchers. No surprise for the lefty who’s team is currently number one by a large margin in runs scored this season (170).
2B-Brian Dozier
2B-Starlin Castro

*THIRD BASEMAN*
3B- Miguel Sano – Sano is hot like molten lava. Right in the middle of a heater, averaging 38.55 over the past two games.
3B-Evan Longoria

*SHORTSTOP*
SS-Trea Turner
SS- Francisco Lindor

*OUTFIELD*
OF-Charlie Blackmon – Though Blackmon has cooled down considerably over the past three games it was against the Diamondbacks. Tonight he faces a different team in the Padres, the matchup screams rebound.
OF-Jay Bruce
OF-Billy Hamilton
OF-Brett Gardner
OF-Bryce Harper

*James Leer & Luis Herasme*

DFS MLB Lineup Picks for 05/01/17

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s DFS MLB Lineup picks article, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. Put your favorite players from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

This season, new with our MLB Subscription Package we offer Daily Fantasy Graphs. We wanted to create a tool that gives users the ability to visualize data points for Hitters and Pitchers by showing DFS salaries/fantasy points over time. If any of you come from the world of Stocks or Equities Trading, you will immediately understand the usefulness of these charts. Just as price and volume are essential in understanding a stocks movement, points and salary are core for DFS.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Clayton Kershaw vs San Francisco Giants
Park – Dodger Stadium

Every time that Clayton Kershaw is on the mound he is most certainly worth considering, that is if you can afford him. A strategy that I employ is to build one of my lineups starting with the offensive batters first; then if I have money left to afford Kershaw then I plug him in. Last time out versus San Francisco, He allowed one earned run, six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over seven innings. He may produce another quality start today, being at home versus the Giants, but is he worth the price point?

Luis Severino vs Toronto Blue Jays
Park – Yankee Stadium

Luis Severino, my favorite pitcher of the slate tonight. There is a bit of bad blood with Severino and the Blue Jays. Who could forget the bench-clearing brawl last year facing each other? Hopefully, all of that is over with and the past won’t hinder his performance. This season, Severino is currently supporting an 11.0 K/9 with a 0.78 WHIP. The Toronto Blue Jays haven’t looked the same this year, as they currently sit third to last in runs scored (89), and fifth to last in home runs (22). There aren’t too many batters that pose a real power threat versus Severino except Jose Bautista and possibly Kendrys Morales.

Also consider: Julio Teheran & Trevor Bauer – These two pitchers have both underperform early in the season but have faced opponents multiple times during their careers. Bauer this season is supporting a 10.9 K/9, with no Miguel Cabrera (groin) until Tuesday I would take a GPP risk on Bauer. Teheran “owns” the Mets over his career. I like him at home vs. an injury-plagued Mets team. I think he is a safe play; I would play him in almost every format.

**OFFENSIVE BATTERS**

Here are a few of my favorite offensive hitters that I am going to build my lineups around. The players in bold are ones that I have the most exposure to. Also, it’s important to note that The Cubs will be a bit chalky tonight. 20 MPH winds are blowing out to centerfield. Play them at your risk.

*CATCHERS*

C-Salvador Perez
C-Brian McCann

*FIRST BASEMAN*

**1B-Freddie Freeman** – Top 5% versus RH Pitchers, has averaged 15.6 DraftKings points in his past four games.
1B-Carlos Santana

*SECOND BASEMAN*

**2B-Starlin Castro** – Power slugger for the Yankees. .549 SLG, .947 OPS.
2B-Jose Ramirez
2B- Jose Altuve

*THIRD BASEMAN*

**3B-Evan Longoria** – Facing a fly ball pitcher in Chen. Has two career home runs against him in 40 at bats.
3B-Michael Franco

*SHORTSTOP*

**SS-Francisco Lindor** – Lindor went 2-for-5 Sunday with his 7th homer of the season and finding his way into the perfect lineup. We find out tonight if the hot streak is real.
SS-Addison Russell

*OUTFIELD*

OF-Matt Kemp
OF-Mookie Betts
OF-Andrew McCutchen
OF-Rickie Weeks (Punt)
OF-Michael Brantley