*Chris Durell*

Best MLB Draftkings Lineup for Tonight – June 08

Welcome back to the best MLB Draftkings lineup for tonight, today on tap we have another short-slate Thursday. I will be covering my top pitching options and my top stack to target for tonight’s eight-game main 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.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Lance McCullers
Opponent – @KC
Park – Kauffman Stadium (Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (HOU -190)
Vegas Total (9.0)

McCullers is the second biggest favorite on the slate to Jon Lester and the Cubs but has the better matchup today. While Lester and Price face Top 5 offenses in the Rockies and Yankees, McCullers gets a date with the Royals who sit second to last in overall runs scored this season and rank 26th in wOBA and 27th in wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching this season. For McCullers, it has been a very positive start to the season with a 6-1 record and while he has given up some home runs (18% HR/FB rate), he sits with a 2.71 ERA and slightly lower 2.68 xFIP. Even more good news is that he has cut his walks almost in half from last season’s disaster while keeping the swinging strike rate above 12% and the K/9 rate above 10. He is the clear choice for me on FanDuel where the Top 3 are only separated by a couple hundred bucks but on DraftKings there is a case to be made for the other two options who come at a sizeable discount. I still trust him in all formats.

Jake Odorizzi
Opponent – vs. CWS
Park – Tropicana Field (Pitcher Positive)
Vegas Favorite (TB -166)
Vegas Total (8.0)

For tournaments, I love taking a shot with Jake Odorizzi tonight for a few reasons. First of all, he is in the exact same price range as Edinson Volquez who is coming off a no-hitter against the Diamondbacks which should have people chasing points. Not that I won’t have a few shares but I feel Odorizzi is a perfect pivot with projected lower ownership. He strikes out just over league average batters per nine but that should get a boost tonight as he faces a White Sox team who ranks right near the bottom of all offensive categories vs. right-handed pitching including a 23.7% strikeout rate. There is definitely downside to Odorizzi (not safe in cash) as he has had issues keeping the ball in the park (18% HR/FB rate) but he has been much better at home with an ERA of 2.90 vs. 4.50 on the road.

**STACK OF THE NIGHT**

Baltimore Orioles vs. Joe Ross (WSH)
Park – Nationals Park (Pitcher Positive)
Vegas – (BAL +142)
Vegas Total (9.0)

The Nats actually come in as early favorites in one of the highest projected Vegas totals on the slate. While Joe Ross has been a disaster this year, Alec Asher has not been any better is clearly the worse overall pitcher. Back to Joe Ross. While he does present some issues with his above average strikeout rate (8.5 K/9) he has been getting hit extremely hard this season to the tune of a 39.4% hard contact rate against. This has led to 22.5% of his fly balls to leave the yard, giving up nine home runs in his first six starts. The fact that the Orioles are also likely to be without Manny Machado tonight, after injuring his wrist last night, leads me to believe that they could come under-owned in tournaments. I think it is a mistake to overlook them as they come with a ton of power, even without their elite third basemen.

Top Stack – Seth Smith, Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis

MLB Fanduel Lineup Today – June 07, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Fanduel lineup today, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. 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.

Starting Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw vs Washinton Nationals
Park – Dodgers Park

Yep, a real sleeper. On this three game early slate, there really isn’t a better option. Kershaw faces the Nats at home today, in pitcher-friendly Dodgers Park. While the Nationals clearly have star-studded names in their lineup, they do not do great against southpaws and strikeout more than league average. Kershaw has pitches that will destroy any left-handed batter, so the likes of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy will be greatly decreased. Kerhsaw, instead, should draw his attention to Zimmerman and who both hold a .390+ wOBA against them in 2017. Kershaw has a tendency to strikeout around 9 or 10 batters per 9 innings. In the past three straight seasons he has help a .280 wOBA. Even though he is expensive, Kershaw always seems to be worth the play in cash and GPP’s, especially on this small early slate.

Dallas Keuchel vs. Kansas City Royals
Park – Kauffman Stadium

Dallas Keuchel comes in as the top and most expensive pitcher on this main 12-game slate. HE heads to one of the best pitching parks in baseball to face off with one of the worst lineups in the game. Kauffman Stadium is one of the bigger parks in baseball and ranked 2nd to last in terms of power since 2012. Keuchel is having a Cy Young season and while he may be getting a few lucky breaks, he is this good. He’s holding lefties to a .122 wOBA and righties to an amazing .250. He’s still not a huge strikeout guy, putting away just 8.26 per 9 by the K. The Royals offense is one of the absolute worst in baseball, like it or not. They hold a .277 team wOBA against lefties, which is second to last behind just the Padres. In this ballpark, Lorenzo Cain is really the only + hitter against lefties and he is even struggling at the plate. Keuchel will be very popular and rightfully so. In cash games, I wouldn’t get cute. If you need to go elsewhere in tournaments, Greinke and Odorizzi are intriguing.

Offensive Stacks

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (Bronson Arroyo)
Park – Great American Ball Park

Bronson Arroyo is on the mound, so you have to love some of these Cardinals. While Arroyo hasn’t been thrashed in most of his starts, he isn’t very good either. He’s allowed at least 2 runs in each of his starts and usually gives up at least 4. He never lasts any longer than 5 or 6 innings and will rarely have a clean slate. He’s allowed 12 home runs in his last 5 starts, which is simply astonishing. He pitches at Great American Ballpark tonight, which has ranked in the top 5 for hitters in each of the last 3 seasons. The Cardinals are a team who gets a big upgrade with this park, as they are generally in the spacious Busch Stadium. A lot of these guys don’t have much power and this ballpark gives them a ton more upside. Matt Carpenter and Dexter Fowler are the easy calls. They both rake righties and have been swinging the bat well. You then have a whole bunch of different guys to choose from. Aledmys Diaz is a lot better than righties and he would be my other favorite if he sees the top of the order. Jedd Gyorko and Yadier Molina are the 2 Cardinals who will probably be over-owned, but are just fine in cash games. All in all, the Cardinals in Great American Ballpark against Bronson Arroyo is too good of a spot to ignore.

Main Stack – Dexter Fowler, Matt Carpenter, Yadier Molina, Stephen Piscotty

Sneaky Stack – Dexter Fowler, Matt Carpenter, Aledmys Diaz, Jhonny Peralta

Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins (Jose Urena)
Park – Wrigley Field

The fact of the matter is that Jose Urena is not very good at all. He, like Arroyo, seems to give up at least a few runs every single start. He also has a problem with the HR ball and moves into a park that is a lot friendlier to hitters than Marlins Park. Wrigley Field, while heavily dependent on wind and degrees, ranked 9th for power in 2016. Yes, that probably has something to do with the home team being the power-heavy Cubs. Still, that’s who Urena is facing tonight, so it doesn’t really matter. Urena has sported a .417 wOBA against righties and has allowed 7 homers in just 25 innings (lol). The Cubs are obviously one of the more dangerous offenses in baseball and always have 8 guys you can play. Tonight is no different. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are still the top dogs, with whoever is in the 1/4 hole coming up next. Against righties, it should be Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber/Ben Zobrist. In tournaments, you can definitely look lower in the order. Javier Baez has a ton of power against righties and always goes under-owned because of Addison Russell. The Cubs are the offense with the most upside tonight and you should be able to fit them without too many issues.

Main Stack – Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez

Sneaky Stack – Kris Bryant, Wilson Contreras, Jason Heyward 

Best MLB Draftkings Lineup for Tonight – 06/06/2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Draftkings Lineup for Tonight, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. 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.

Starting Pitchers

Chris Archer vs Chicago White Sox
Park – Tropicana Field

Max Scherzer is on this slate, so you can always make a very viable argument for him in cash games. He’s one of the best pitchers in the game and will more often than not get it done. However, he’s on the road facing the Dodgers, who have ranked in the 3 against righties so far this season. Instead, we’re going to look down a bit at Chris Archer. Archer is also one of the best pitchers in baseball, though his inconsistency in previous years has been his kryptonite. He’s been fantastic this season, striking out nearly 11 per 9 innings and walking just over 3. He’ll also take the mound at home, where he has been MUCH better over his career. The Rays are hosting the White Sox, who have ranked 28th in the league against righties with a .294 wOBA. They strikeout 23.2% of the time and have a hard time doing much damage (.150 ISO). Tropicana Field was a top 10 park for pitchers in 2016 and is typically a place where flyballs die. While Archer always has a bit more risk than a guy like Scherzer, his upside is identical and he has a much better match-up. Archer is my top option in all formats.

James Paxton vs Minnesota Twins
Park – Safeco Field

James Paxton is a beast. We know that. It just comes down to how limited he will be tonight. He came off the DL just a week and threw 74 pitches in a dominant 5.1 innings. He’s given up more than 1 ER in just 1 start this season and has struck out at least 8 in 4 of his 7 starts. Paxton has actually been slightly better against righties over his career, which is extremely rare for a left-handed pitcher. With that being said, he’s holding lefties to a .193 wOBA this season with strong peripherals, so who really knows. He faces off with the Minnesota Twins tonight, who are very lackluster against lefties. The rank 20th in the majors with a .298 wOBA against and have hit the 3rd least homers against southpaws. They also move into Safeco Field, which has always been a bottom 5 park for hitting. James Paxton should be able to get up around 90 pitches tonight, which gives him the upside to fit 7 innings. Make sure you keep an eye on Twitter as a pitch limit is something you want to fully avoid as it restricts upside 100% of the time.

Offensive Stacks

Colorado Rockies vs. Mike Clevinger
Park – Coors Field

Of course, Coors Field is going to be the top stack of the night. We do have Antonio Senzatela on one side, so the Indians aren’t a team we will be looking to target quite as much. That’s not to say the Indians offense can’t put up 10 runs in Coors Field. However, the Rockies are facing off with Mike Clevinger, who struggled mightily in 2016. He sported a .412 wOBA against righties and a .224 BABIP against lefties. He’s sure to see some regression very soon and will likely have a very tough time dealing with Coors Field. With a reverse-splits righty, you can target everyone. Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez are both fantastic against righties and in Coors Field, have as much upside as anyone. Nolan Arenado could also end up being a bit lower owned than he should be in an R/R match-up. In Coors Field, the production can come from anywhere. If you want to get sneaky in a large field tournament, don’t be scared to target the bottom of the order. All in all, this is Coors Field and it’s almost always the best spot on the slate. The Rockies will be highly owned and you can certainly fade in tournaments. In cash games, this is a spot you might want to ride the chalk.

Main Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu

Sneaky Stack – Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Ian Desmond, Mark Reynolds

New York Mets vs. Dillon Gee
Park – Globe Life Park

For whatever reason, Dillon Gee is getting another chance to start. He was absolutely horrible last season and had a lot of trouble getting both lefties and righties out. He held a combined .348 wOBA and had big trouble keeping the ball in the park (24 in 120 innings). This entire Mets team is in play here and they are definitely my favorite stack outside of Coors Field. They’re a team who has actually been hitting well, although the circus around them has made it tough. Michael Conforto is truly the best hitter in this lineup right now and you can’t avoid him against righties. Further down, you can target a lot of different guys. Jay Bruce and Lucas Duda have a ton of HR potential and will be a lot lower-owned than expected. Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson are also really good against righties and have more than enough upside in Globe Life Park. Arlington is a huge upgrade for the Mets, who play their home games in the pitcher-friendly Citi Field. The Mets should be lower owned than both offenses in Coors Field and have similar upside in Globe Life.

Main Stack – Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce, Neil Walker, Lucas Duda

Sneaky Stack – Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Wilmer Flores

Best MLB Draftkings Lineup for Tonight – June 05, 2017

Welcome to Lineup Lab’s Best MLB Draftkings Lineup for Tonight, where we feature our top players for our MLB Lineup Optimizer on Fanduel and Draftkings. 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.

Starting Pitchers

Carlos Martinez vs Cincinnati Reds
Park – Great American Ball Park

This isn’t a slate where we’re able to choose from 100 different solid pitchers. We’re going to have to take what we can get and build solid lineups around guys that aren’t overly “safe”. Carlos Martinez is the first guy we’re going to take a peek at. He’s been absolutely great as of late, posting more than 40 FanDuel points in 6 straight contests. He emerged as an ace last year and it looks like he has no plans of regressing. He has held a .263 wOBA this season and with elite peripherals, it’s not going to go up. He faces a Reds team that is pretty weak as a whole. While Joey Votto and Adam Duvall are some scary bats, they are all the Reds have against righties. Eugenio Suarez and Zack Cozart are far superior against lefties and Scott Schebler is an HR or K almost every time. While Great American Ballpark is a lot worse for pitchers than Busch Stadium, Martinez has been fine there in the past. He profiles as the safest option on this slate and you can afford him n both sites. With that being said, his DraftKings price leaves a lot to be desired. If you feel the need to pay down, let’s take a look at a guy who can certainly be considered.

Junior Guerra vs. San Francisco Giants
Park – Miller Park

That guy is Junior Guerra. Guerra is a pretty interesting pitcher, playing just his 3rd year in the majors at 32 years old. He struggled early on and moved to the Mexican league to play professionally. He became a lot better while there and moved up the ranks quickly upon his return to the MLB. He’s been a little TOO GOOD against both righties and lefties, posting a sub .280 wOBA against both. While I’m not sure we can come to expect that, I do see Guerra as a solid 2 or 3 starter. He’s priced like a backend starter that’s going to go 5 innings and give up 3 runs. He faces off with the Giants, who have ranked dead last against righties so far in 2017. Miller Park has been neutral over the last 2 years and Guerra should be in for a very nice start. While I’m not expecting a clean slate out of Guerra, I expect him to strikeout at least 6 and go as many innings. His price is very fair on both sites and on DraftKings, he is a strong SP2. He should be highly owned and rightfully so. I don’t see anywhere else you can go while also paying down.

Offensive Stacks

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds
Park – Great American Ball Park

We touched on Carlos Martinez as our top pitcher and now we’ll take a look at the guys who will be responsible for providing him some run support. They shouldn’t have much of an issue, facing off with Asher Wojciechowski in the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. Woj has been absolutely horrible and it’s not too clear why he is even getting this opportunity. He has struggled in the minors and allowed a 5.31 xFIP in AAA for the Marlins last season. The Reds have decided to give him a shot in the majors for whatever reason and it’s not going well, as expected. He allowed 4 runs in 4 innings to the Blue Jays and will likely have a very similar outing here. The Cardinals are actually a pretty simple team to stack. We know where the production will come from and how it will come. Matt Carpenter, Dexter Fowler, and Aledmys Diaz are the 3 best bats against righties and all have plenty of power potential. After them, you can do a bit of mixing and matching. Yadi and Peralta are both full of power and should be pretty low-owned. All in all, the Cardinals are implied to score the most on this entire slate and are a team that will be in all of my cash games and tournaments.

Main Stack – Dexter Fowler, Matt Carpenter, Stephen Piscotty, Aledmys Diaz

Sneaky Stack – Dexter Fowler, Matt Carpenter, Yadier Molina, Jhonny Peralta

Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals
Park – Kauffman Stadium

The Astros are the only team with a comparable team total as the Cardinals, sitting at 4.73. They’re a team who is usually heavily owned and very variant. Even though there aren’t many other offenses to target, I don’t think the ‘Stros will be too heavily owned. Ian Kennedy has put up some very misleading stats (.190 BABIP) and I think there is a false thought of him being decent. They’re also in Kauffman Stadium, which is a lot worse of an environment than Minute Maid Park. These guys still have plenty of power and can hit an HR in any ballpark. Ian Kennedy has posted some solid surface stats, but it’s pretty clear a .190 BABIP is the reason why. The Astros, unlike the Cardinals, are a bit tougher to stack. They can produce from anywhere in the lineup and are priced up in 8 of 9 spots. Jose Altuve and Josh Redick are my two favorites, with Correa and Springer coming in next. Marwin Gonzalez and Brian McCann are both great tournament options and should be low owned. Bregman and Aoki are fine but lack any type of upside compared to the others. While the Astros aren’t a must to stack, they will be a bit lower-owned than they should be and have more potential than anyone on the slate.

Main Stack – Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick, George Springer, Carlos Correa

Sneaky Stack – Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick, Evan Gattis, Carlos Beltran

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Sunday, June 4

Sunday is a big day for starting pitchers as several elite strikeout hurlers are taking the mound. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball 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.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Justin Verlander vs. Chicago White Sox
Park – Comerica Park

Verlander’s numbers don’t look good at first glance as he has a 4.50 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP for the season. However, a lot of that damage was done over two starts against the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Indians where he gave up a total of 15 runs. His strikeouts have been solid as he has 63 over 68 innings for the season. He has already faced the White Sox once this season and he only allowed two runs in six innings to go along with 10 strikeouts. Look for him to have success against them again Sunday.

Trevor Bauer vs. Kansas City Royals
Park – Kauffman Stadium

Bauer has very odd numbers as his 6.00 ERA and 1.39 WHIP are very ugly. However, he is a big strikeout pitcher as he already has 73 in 57 innings. He is coming off of a start against the Oakland Athletics where he recorded 14 strikeouts in seven innings.  His recent numbers have been better as he has allowed three runs or less and recorded at least six strikeouts in each of his last four starts. The Royals have one of the worst offenses in all of baseball, making Bauer a nice value play Sunday.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Colorado Rockies vs. Jarred Cosart (San Diego Padres)
Park – Petco Park

The Rockies crushed the Padres on Saturday, scoring 10 runs on 13 hits. Sunday they get to face Cosart who has an atrocious 1.80 WHIP for the season. He only has 10 strikeouts in his 20 innings this season, but he has issued 16 walks already. This is an epic mismatch, so look for big numbers from the Rockies again in this contest.

Players to consider stacking: Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Vance Worley (Miami Marlins)
Park – Marlins Park

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Diamondbacks will not be no-hit again on Sunday. Worley will be making his third start of the season on Sunday and while he only allowed two runs in his last start against the Los Angeles Angels, he only last five innings. In something you don’t see too often, he has allowed more runs (five) than he has recorded strikeouts (four) this season. His stuff is not overpowering to say the least, so expect the Diamondbacks offense to bounce back in a big way Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Paul Goldschmidt, David Peralta and Nick Ahmed

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Saturday, June 3

Of the 30 starting pitchers taking the mound Saturday, only eight of them have a winning record. There could be some offensive explosions as a result. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball 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.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Johnny Cueto vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Park – Citizens Bank Park

Cueto has been off to a slow start this season as he enters Saturday with a 4.37 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. However, the strikeouts are still there as he has 68 in 70 innings. He has allowed at least four runs in four starts this season, but that came against potent offenses in the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. That won’t be the case Saturday as he gets to face the Phillies, one of the worst teams in baseball in terms of runs scored. This has the makings of a big outing for Cueto.

Tyler Chatwood vs. San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park

At first glance, Chatwood’s numbers are not impressive as he has a 5.04 ERA and 1.40 WHIP this season. However, he is a far better pitcher on the road, posting a 3.06 ERA and 1.05 WHIP on the road compared to a 7.03 ERA and 1.75 WHIP at home. Not only is he on the road Saturday, but he also gets to face a Padres’ offense that is one of the worst offenses in the league. If you need to save money at starting pitcher, Chatwood has the potential to put up a valuable stat line.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Washington Nationals vs. Daniel Mengden (Oakland Athletics)
Park – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Mengden was hit hard in his only start this season as he allowed five runs in 3.1 innings against the Cleveland Indians. If he thought that was a tough match up, Saturday he gets to face one of the top offenses in all of baseball in the Nationals. This could get ugly in a hurry, leading to some crooked numbers for Washington. Load up your lineup with Nationals for this one.

Players to consider stacking: Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy and Trea Turner

Colorado Rockies vs. Jhoulys Chacin (San Diego Padres)
Park – Petco Park

Chacin has been hit hard lately, allowing 10 runs over his last two starts. He has actually allowed at least seven runs three times this season, resulting in a bloated 5.77 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. This is not out of the ordinary for Chacin as he has posted an ERA of at least 4.81 in three of the last four seasons. Even though they aren’t in the friendly confines of Coors Field, you can still expect a big performance from the Rockies offense Saturday,

Players to consider stacking: Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez