Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of our free MLB DFS lineup picks and value plays. This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 5/31/2022, Main Slate at 7:05 pm Eastern Time.
The lineup will range from some elite players to mid-priced options, and value plays. The main slate is 13 games on DraftKings and FanDuel with a lot of different routes one can go with lineup construction and tournament strategy.
You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter @Mark_Kieffer and ask away!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Cristian Javier- P, HOU @ OAK ($9,600 DK, $8,700 FD)
Cristian Javier is my top cash play for the day. He has the second-highest strikeout rate on the slate (33.1%), faces an Oakland team with the ninth most strikeouts in baseball, is favored to win, and is only the fourth-most expensive pitcher on DraftKings and eighth-most expensive pitcher on FanDuel.
Eric Lauer P, MIL @ CHC ($9,900 DK, $10,600 FD)
Eric Lauer is my favorite tournament option of the day. He has a 29.4% strikeout rate, the Cubs have the sixth-highest strikeout rate in baseball. There is some rain in the forecast as well, which could drive ownership off of Lauer as this is a large slate with 26 starting pitchers to choose from.
George Kirby P, SEA vs. CHC ($6,600 DK, $7,000 FD)
George Kirby is my favorite punt pitcher of the day. This would be an SP2 on DraftKings or a GPP option on FanDuel. Kirby has a 23.5% strikeout rate with a 3.19 SIERA. The Orioles have the 12th-highest strikeout rate, have scored the eighth-fewest runs in baseball, and have the seventh-lowest ISO. Kirby also has an incredibly low walk rate: 2.4%. Kirby's main issue is giving up the long ball and this Baltimore team hasn't been hitting the ball hard as a group this season. Kirby should have a good outing here in a good spot.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Eduardo Escobar- 3B, NYM vs. Patrick Corbin ($3,600 DK, $2,400 FD)
Escobar will bat in the middle of the order on a team with a 5.6 implied run total, going against Patrick Corbin. Escobar has a .340 wOBA and .260 ISO against left-handed pitching this season.
Dansby Swanson- SS, ATL vs. Humberto Castellanos ($4,600 DK, $3,400 FD)
I like Swanson as a decent value if he is batting at the top of the order tonight. Humberto Castellanos has a high 4.59 SIERA and the Braves are implied for 5.3 runs.
Brandon Drury- 2B, CIN vs. Michael Wacha ($3,400 FD)
Brandon Drury is batting second tonight against Michael Wacha and his 4.81 SIERA. Wacha also allows 1.03 HR/9 and has a 10% walk rate in addition to his low 17% strikeout rate.
Adam Frazier- 2B, SEA vs. Bryan Baker ($4,100 DK)
There are not a lot of great second-base options on DraftKings. The Marlins-Rockies game is likely to rain out, and a lot of the respectable options are in excess of $5K. If you can afford it, Ozzie Albies would be my favorite. Frazier is a bit of a compromise. He is likely to hit in the middle of the order. He doesn't hit for power, but the hope is he can get on base a couple of times and score a run. You could just outright punt second base tonight as well.
Pete Alonso- 1B, NYM vs. Patrick Corbin ($5,200 DK, $4,100 FD)
I would much rather punt second base and spend up on Alonso tonight than to spend $5K on a second baseman. Alonso provides multiple home run upside that I do not think any second basemen does. I don't mind running an Alonso-Escobar mini-stack in cash games or going with a three-man or larger stack of Lindor-Alonso-Escobar in it for tournaments.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Julio Rodriguez- OF, SEA vs. Bryan Baker ($4,300 DK, $3,500 FD)
I love the Mariners tonight. Rodriguez has six home runs, and 14 steals. He can score a boatload of fantasy points in a variety of ways.
Michael Harris II - OF, ATL vs. Humberto Castellanos ($2,500 DK, $2,000 FD)
Harris is my favorite punt play of the slate at outfield if you need to punt. In tournaments, I also am debating an Albies-Contreras-Harris type of a stack to get a little different from the field in a large field tournament.
Adolis Garcia- OF, TEX vs. Ryan Yarbrough ($3,800 DK, $3,400 FD)
Garcia does hit right-handed pitchers better than left-handed pitchers, but Yarbrough has a 4.53 SIERA and I think Texas can do some damage to him. Garcia is likely to bat third which is a prime spot. He is a home run and a stolen base threat, and a solid option for tonight at his price.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Here are a few stacks I am really liking today:
Atlanta Braves - Humberto Castellanos is not good. He has a high SIERA, allows 1.36 HR/9 and he strikes out just 15.7% of batters. You can stack the Braves in a variety of ways which is what I like the most about them.
New York Mets - They are going to be popular, so I wouldn't go 1-5 here or 1-4 here. I would look at different options that incorporated Canha or J.D. Davis into the stacks to be different
Minnesota Twins - This would be Game 2 of a doubleheader to be sure to check lineups and have pivots. Joey Wentz is arguably the worst pitcher on this slate and we want to attack that.
Cincinnati Reds - This is my "sneaky" stack. Wacha has a 4.80 SIERA but because his surface stats look good, and because Cincinnati is bad, this stack is going to be like 3-4% owned. I would not use as the main stack but would use it as either a filler secondary stack or as the main stack in a large field tournament where I am playing many lineups.