RADIO
Today's main slate begins at 6:35 pm eastern and covers seven games. Since it's Monday, we have a shortened schedule, but as always we'll try to find you the best plays of the day in this space.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/13/2019. With a very interesting 6-game slate on our hands, I'll be touching on both superstars and value options. Let's take a deeper look at tonight's slate.
You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @VarneyDFS.
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Aaron Nola, PHI (vs. MIL) ($9,300)
When looking at today’s slate of games, a few things stand out. For one, there is only a single game with an over/under below 8. The Brewers @ Phillies. The Phillies also happen to be the biggest favorites on the board at -190, with the second biggest favorite coming in at -152. Vegas clearly likes the Phillies tonight and they think Aaron Nola will slow down the Brewers. They’re known as a solid hitting team, but rank 16th vs righties in terms of wOBA and they strikeout 26.8% of the time (2nd behind just the Marlins). Nola struggles to start the season, but has given up just one earned run in each of his last three starts. He’s struck out 17 batters in the last 17 innings and has looked a lot more like the Nola we are used to. The Brewers certainly have some scary bats, but they strike out a ton and should be contained from doing damage on the other side, giving Nola an easy W.
Robbie Ray, PIT (@ ARI) ($8,800)
Robbie Ray is always a volatile pitcher, but he gets an ideal match-up tonight and is the second biggest favorite on the slate. So far this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates rank dead last against lefties with a .259 wOBA and 28.5% strikeout rate. Those are numbers that are just embarrassing for a franchise. Robbie Ray doesn’t go deep into many games, but it’s because he works deep counts looking for the strikeout. He should get up close to that double-digit number rather quickly as long as he can avoid damage from the Pirates right-handers. Ray strikes out well over a batter per inning and this ideal match-up gives him an insane ceiling. He’s $500 cheaper than Nola and will be about half as heavily owned. I love both of these guys in every format.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
C/1B - Carlos Santana, CLE (@ CWS - Reynaldo Lopez) ($3,500)
Of course, you can pay up for Rhys Hoskins. You don’t need me to tell you that the most expensive option at first base has a ton of power potential. If you have extra funds sitting around, nobody will fault you for going there. With that said, Carlos Santana is the best point per dollar play. Reynaldo Lopez is atrocious vs lefties and has a huge home run problem. Santana mashes right-handed pitching and gets to swing in the hitter-friendly Guaranteed Rate Field. He’s fairly priced at $3,500, but isn’t cheap enough where he will draw too much ownership.
C/1B - Mitch Garver, MIN (vs. LAA - Tyler Skaggs) ($3,300)
Garver was given the day off yesterday, as many catchers are on Sunday. He should be right back in the order tonight and hitting leadoff. He’s affordable on FanDuel and has mashed lefties to the tune of a .544 wOBA. Tyler Skaggs still has his prospect name, but he’s not much to worry about anymore. Against righties, a 35% hard contact rate and .365 wOBA against is disastrous. Garver is a quality hitter that has power and doesn’t give in to any at-bat. The Twins are one of the nights best stacks and it’s hard to do without Garver in the leadoff hole.
2B - Jason Kipnis, CLE (@ CWS - Reynaldo Lopez) ($2,500)
We’re right back to the Indians at second base with Jason Kipnis. He hasn’t shown his power swing this year, but has been a doubles machine and has been swinging for better average lately. He’s right in the heart of the order and is too cheap to ignore. A 5.66 xFIP vs lefties in ‘18 suggests Lopez was super lucky and his fly-ball nature is a huge opportunity for this Indians team in this ballpark. They’re affordable across the board and shouldn’t be too popular.
SS - J.P. Crawford, SEA (vs. OAK - Mike Fiers) ($2,300)
Let’s go with some value at one of these spots. If you have the funds, Lindor is the best raw point play. In the real world, where salary matters, J.P. Crawford is hard to ignore. He’s been one of the league's best prospects for years now and is finally get a shot in a solid lineup. He’s taken advantage in each of his first three games by getting on base. He has a solid convo of speed and power, but also just doesn’t hit like a $2,300 batter. You’re getting a huge discount on Crawford and it won’t take long for his price to rise. As long as Mike Fiers isn’t in no-hit mode, you’re looking at a .348 wOBA allowed to lefties with four homers in 21 innings. Five if Votto wasn’t robbed last week. Fiers is a pitcher to take advantage of.
3B - Marwin Gonzalez, MIN (vs. LAA - Tyler Skaggs) ($2,500)
I was trying my best to avoid the Indians and Twins, as I don't want to pile on, but I can't stay away. While guys like Matt Chapman, Eduardo Escobar, and Kang are all in play, they don't stand up to Jose Ramirez or Marwin Gonzalez. Depending on how the rest of your lineup looks, one of these two guys should fit It just depends on the rest of your lineup and what team you want to stack. The Twins hold the highest implied total of the night and Gonzalez has been strong (.327 wOBA) against lefties this year. He'll be hitting with runners on-base and is way too cheap.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
David Peralta, ARI (vs. PIT - Nick Kingham) ($4,200)
We haven't touched on the Diamondbacks yet, but that's because most of their weapons come in the outfield. They are a heavy favorite and this is one of the higher expected totals of the night. As someone who likes Robbie Ray, I love combo-ing a few of these guys with their SP and hoping they get him an easy W. They face off with Nick Kingham, who's been absolutely terrible in over 100 innings of major league work. In 40 innings pitched to lefties, he's given up 12 homers and a .408 wOBA. David Peralta lives off of hitting right-handers and has held a .405 wOBA with a .268 ISO on the year. He's the top cash game outfielder on the board.
Also Consider: Jarrod Dyson in the leadoff spot
Bryce Harper, PHI (vs. MIL) ($4,400)
Freddy Peralta and Adrian Houser will split this start. Peralta made it five innings in his last start but may struggle to repeat against the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park. Peralta has allowed a .370 wOBA to left-handers since entering the league and has given up nine homers in just 45 innings of work. Harper hasn't been his usual self, but he's still mashing righties and has been extremely low-owned as of late. He has as good of a shot as an anyone to hit a home run. Peralta is atrocious against power lefties.
Jay Bruce, SEA (vs. OAK) ($2,900)
If you're looking for some affordable power, Jay Bruce is the perfect man. With 12 home runs and a .188 batting average, you know what you're going to get with Bruce. A home run, walk, or nothing. Fortunately, he faces off with Mike Fiers tonight, who mightily struggles against power left-handers. Aside from a .348 wOBA against, Fiers has given up 19 home runs in his last 100 innings vs lefties. If anyone is to take advantage, it's Jay Bruce. King of the multi-homer game. Good luck tonight!
