Welcome to another busy Sunday in Major League Baseball. The stars have aligned and almost all the elite starting pitchers are on the bump on Sunday as we have 15 games scattered throughout the day.
There are more weather concerns on Sunday in Baltimore and Pittsburgh so be sure to check the forecast before lineup lock.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/1/16. 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 DraftKings.
DFS Lineup Stacks to Target on DraftKings
Cinccinnati Reds vs. Jeff Locke
Locke has struggled early in the year and given up a .448 wOBA to right handed batters. He has also only struck out 15 batters while walking 15 in just 19.2 innings pitched. Zack Cozart and Eugenio Suarez make terrific cash game plays at the top of the order and adding the power of Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips makes a high upside tournament play.
Detroit Tigers vs Ricky Nolasco
The Tigers are rolling right now winning four straight games outscoring their opponents 29-10 in those games. They have power up and down the lineup and any of the top six guys make a terrific start to a lineup.
Chicago Cubs Top of the Order vs. Julio Teheran
The weather in Chicago finally looks clear enough where this game will get played on Sunday. Stack the Cubs top of the order vs. Teheran as he struggles giving up a .407 wOBA to left handed batters so far in 2016. All four of the Cubs at the top of the order are in play(Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo).
DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings
Clayton Kershaw (SP, LAD) $13,900
He is $2K more than the next tier of pitchers which might force some people to skip over the best pitcher in baseball on Sunday. Don't be one of them as he will enter a great matchup at home(hitters park) vs. the Padres who he has dominated in his career with a 13-6 record and 2.16 ERA with three complete games. He has been great to start the year despite the lack of wins and has struck out 40 batters while only walking three.
Noah Syndergaard (SP, NYM) $10,600
If you aren't feeling comfortable paying almost $14K for one of you starters dip down the board a bit and build around Thor. He sits 7th in salary under some elite names but has been one of the best pitchers in baseball in the early season. He has gone 2-0 in four starts with close to a 13 K/9 rate while walking just over one batter per nine innings. The Mets are red hot right now as they have won eight straight games and sit with the second best run differential in the majors behind the Cubs. Ride the hot streak of both Syndergaard and the Mets on Sunday.
Taijuan Walker (SP, SEA) $8,300
The young hurler for the Mariners has been outstanding to open the 2016 season. He has gone at least six innings in each of his first four starts and is coming off his best game of the year where he struckout 11 Astros while only walking one for his second victory. He is really progressing in his young career as he is striking out more, walking less and inducing around 15% more ground balls than last season. On a day full of high end starters it makes sense to pair Walker with one of the ones mentioned above in any format.
DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings
Stephen Vogt (C, OAK) $3,400
He got the day off on Saturday so he will be rested and ready to go again on Sunday. He gets a great matchup on Sunday vs. Doug Fister who has struggled against left handed batters to the tune of a .477 wOBA and five HR in just four starts. Vogt is a consistent option and great choice for any format with hits in three straight games including two doubles and a home run.
Victor Martinez (1B, DET) $3,800
The price is climbing on the Tigers first basemen and for good reason. After a slow first half of April, Martinez has turned it around with hits in 12 of his last 14 games including eight doubles and three home runs. He gets a great matchup again on Sunday vs. a fly ball pitcher.
Jed Lowrie (2B, OAK) $3,200
Infield is a great spot to find value on Sunday. Lowrie has been very consistent lately hitting .410 over his last 10 games with an average over eight DraftKings points per game. He hits right near the top of the Athletics lineup and gets a favorable matchup vs. Doug Fister.
Zack Cozart (SS, CIN) $3,400
He is enjoying a terrific start to the year batting .373 average and 138 wRC+ at the top of the Reds lineup. Cozart hits left hand pitching well with a combined .334 average since the start of the 2015 season while Locke has struggled vs. right handed batters with a combined .380 wOBA against since the start of the 2015 season.
Miguel Sano (3B, MIN) $4,400
Sano is a mixed bag when analyzing the stats. He is a very patient hitter with a 16.5% walk rate this season and was just below 16% last season. He is also a free swinger and strikes out over 34% of the time for the second straight season. He has huge power upside and will get a great matchup vs. Mike Pelfrey who is having trouble keeping the ball in the yard and isn't going to strike many out.
DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings
Giancarlo Stanton (OF, MIA) $5,300
One of the most feared hitters in the game is red ht right now with hits in five straight games including four home runs and eight runs batted in. If you haven't seen the highlight of his home run last night, you best go check it out. It hit the scoreboard in center field in Milwaukee. WOW. When power hitters find their stroke you ride the wave no matter the cost.
Starling Marte (OF, PIT) $4,200
With Marte you get a terrific combination of average, power, and speed. He hits right in the middle of the Pirates lineup who rank 3rd in the majors in runs scored(128) and also rank 3rd with a .353 team wOBA vs. right handed pitching.
Seth Smith (OF, SEA) $3,000
Fantastic price for a solid hitter batting second ahead of Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz. He is batting .288 to start the year with three home runs, nine runs batted in, 11 runs scored. The Mariners will get a favorable matchup vs. a struggling Ian Kennedy who has given up seven earned runs in his last two starts. He can strike guys out in numbers but is a fly ball pitcher that is prone to giving up the long ball.
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