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We have a typically massive Friday night slate on tap, although FanDuel unfortunately is not including the second game of the Royals-White Sox twin bill, robbing us of an opportunity to stack some Chicago bats against Kansas City’s vulnerable Jakob Junis.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty of favorable situations to exploit, considering both Dunedin’s TD Ballpark and Coors Field are among the venues hosting games. We also have a solid mix of impressive arms to offset some of the questionable ones taking the hill, making it very feasible to build a top-to-bottom roster that has balance and a chance to thrive in either cash games or tournaments.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 5/14/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like DraftKings, and other sports.
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FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Clayton Kershaw – LAD vs. MIA ($11,000)
Kershaw has had a couple of outlier performances this season but has otherwise been excellent, as evidenced by his 2.75 xERA, .214 BAA, 0.99 WHIP and minuscule 4.9 percent barrel rate allowed, among other metrics. The legendary southpaw bounced back nicely from the shortest outing of his career against the Cubs two starts ago to blank the Angeles over five innings his last time out, and he’s scored 36.0 to 55.0 FD points in six of his last seven trips to the mound. Friday, he gets a matchup against a team he’s frequently enjoyed success against in the Marlins, which check in with a .207 average, .295 wOBA, -2.4 wRAA and 26.7 percent strikeout rate versus lefties on the road in the last month. Kershaw has also been masterful at home, posting a 1.35 ERA and 0.80 WHIP at Dodger Stadium over 20 innings thus far in 2021.
Potential Alternate Play
Aaron Civale – CLE at SEA ($8,100)
Civale boasts four quality starts in his first seven trips to the mound this season, along with an unblemished 5-0 mark, 2.91 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .205 BAA. The right-hander is also doing a good job limiting hard contact as evidenced by a 3.8 percent barrel rate, and his 3.59 xERA helps substantiate his surface numbers aren’t just an illusion. Civale has been effective on the road as well with a 3.38 ERA, .215 BAA and pedestrian .311 wOBA allowed across 18.2 innings, and Friday, he gets one of the best possible matchups for right-handed pitchers when traveling – the host Mariners are sporting a 25.1 percent strikeout rate, .171 average, .560 OPS, -12.4 wRAA and .257 wOBA against righties in their home park over the last month of play. With tallies of between 29 and 48 FD points in all but one start this season, Civale could well prove a bargain at his salary.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Luke Voit – 1B, NYY at BAL ($2,800)
Voit has only played in two games thus far this season after a delayed debut due to a knee injury, going hitless with a walk over his first seven plate appearances. Therefore, he certainly shouldn’t be heavily rostered on a full slate like Friday’s, making him a potentially rewarding sneaky tournament play in a favorable matchup versus the Orioles Dean Kremer, who’s given up a .355/.394/.581 slash and .419 wOBA to right-handed hitters at Camden Yards. Meanwhile, Voit boasts a career .376 wOBA, 36.9 wRAA, .241 ISO and .887 OPS in same-handed matchups, along with a 42.4 percent hard-contact rate. When Kremer exits, Voit will also take aim at an Orioles bullpen that’s allowed a 5.70 ERA, seven homers and a .357 wOBA to the 105 righty bats its relievers have faced thus far in May.
Garrett Hampson – 2B, COL vs. CIN ($3,000)
Getting some exposure to a Coors Field game anytime there’s one on the slate is naturally always a good idea, and Hampson offers cost-effective access to the Rockies end of things against southpaw Wade Miley, who’ll make his first start since authoring his first career no-hitter against the Indians. Miley will pitch on extra rest and may even be avoided a bit by some DFS players, but Hampson could make for an excellent, relatively low-rostered way to attack him with an opposite-handed bat. The emerging 26-year-old has enjoyed his greatest success by far versus southpaws this season, posting a .314 average, 1.057 OPS and .448 wOBA overall against that handedness, figures that bump up to an even more impressive .368, 1.110 and .475, respectively, when split out for Coors Field only. Meanwhile, Miley is arguably pitching the best ball of his career at the moment, but it’s still worth remembering Coors is a great equalizer and he’s also allowed a .272 average, .332 wOBA and 138 career homers to right-handed hitters.
Jean Segura– 3B, PHI at TOR ($3,000)
Segura’s excellent start to 2021 includes a .333/.352/.448 slash and minuscule 13.2 percent strikeout rate, along with a .342 wOBA and .816 OPS against left-handed pitching on the road. The matchup lines up very well for him based on the latter pair of figures Friday, as Blue Jays southpaw Steven Matz has started to progressively become more hittable as the season has unfolded and has pitched to a 9.22 ERA and 1.83 WHIP across the 13.2 innings covering his last three starts. Matz has also yielded a .333 average, .936 OPS and .410 wOBA to the 38 right-handed hitters he’s faced in his hitter-friendly temporary home park this season, and he’s been battered by Segura for a .533 average, three doubles, a triple and two home runs across 15 career encounters as well.
Trea Turner – SS, WSH at ARI ($4,000)
Turner is right back on track for another stellar season after generating excellent across-the-board numbers in 2020, as he boasts an .876 OPS, eight home runs, a .378 wOBA and a .218 ISO across 143 plate appearances. Turner is also putting excellent wood on the ball in the form of a career-high 46.6 percent hard-hit rate per Statcast, and he’s punished right-handed pitching for a .340 wOBA and five of his eight home runs. In turn, Diamondbacks starter Riley Smith checks in with an unsightly 5.02 xERA and 5.39 xFIP, along with a .322 BAA and .364 wOBA surrendered to right-handed hitters. The latter two numbers bump up to .381 and .371, respectively, when only looking at his home split against that handedness. When Smith, exits, Turner will be in just as good if not better a matchup, considering the 8.86 ERA, .364 average and .442 wOBA that D-Backs relievers have allowed to right-handed hitters in May.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Teoscar Hernandez – OF, TOR vs. PHI ($3,300)
Hernandez arrives to Friday’s matchup against Vince Velasquez on a tear, having gone 9-for-15 with a double, two home runs and five RBI across his last four games. That’s pushed Hernandez’s FD-point average to an elite 12.4 for the season, and he currently boasts a career-best .304 average and .353 OBP across 85 plate appearances. The matchup against the hard-throwing Velasquez, who’s always had trouble keeping the ball in the park, is a tantalizing one for Hernandez, who’s posted a .313 average, .850 OPS and .368 wOBA versus right-handed pitching in 70 plate appearances this season, and who’s always been an excellent fastball hitter and boasts a .421 wOBA versus Velasquez’s trademark four-seam fastball. Meanwhile, Velasquez is yielding a career-high 11.9 percent barrel rate and 2.3 HR/9, along with a .372 wOBA to right-handed hitters, who’ve also tagged him for five of the six homers he’s surrendered thus far.
Lorenzo Cain - OF, MIL vs. ATL ($2,900)
I’ll squeeze in the struggling Cain between two much “safer” outfield plays, as there’s a case to be made for the talented veteran outfielder. Cain has played in just 17 games thus far due to a couple of IL stints, making it difficult to get into a rhythm at the plate after missing almost all of last season. However, he’s been partly saddled by an abnormally low .189 BABIP thus far, and he carries a serviceable .327 xwOBA overall. He’s struggled against both handedness of pitcher early, but he’s a career .305 hitter against left-handers, against which he’s also posted a .359 wOBA and 43.1 wRAA. He’s also enjoyed success against Braves starter Drew Smyly specifically, and the latter comes in with a 6.25 xERA and massive 3.2 HR/9. Smyly has also been pounded by righty bats on the road to the tune of an .882 OPS and .377 wOBA, while his most-often thrown pitch, the four-seam fastball, is one Cain owns a .503 wOBA against this season and a .380 wOBA against during his career.
Jesse Winker – OF, CIN at COL ($4,600)
Winker in Coors Field against a vulnerable right-hander German Marquez is very much worth the hefty investment, considering how well the entire scenario lines up for the star outfielder. Winker checks in with a career-best .371/.430/.655 line that already includes 18 extra-base hits and 20 RBI across 128 plate appearances. The 27-year-old is averaging a whopping 14.3 FD points per game as well and currently sports a seven-game hitting streak during which he’s hit .429 with five doubles and a home run. He’s also boasting a 13.3 percent barrel rate and career-high 51.1 percent hard-hit rate per Statcast, and he’s tagged right-handed pitching for a .949 OPS, .401 wOBA and jaw-dropping 65.9 wRAA. Then, Marquez’s Achilles heel continues to be left-handed bats, which have victimized him for a .276 average and .352 wOBA in a 103-batter sample this season, along with a 37.9 percent hard-contact rate. Additionally, once Marquez has exited, Winker will face a Rockies bullpen that’s pitched to a 9.00 ERA, .349 BAA and .451 wOBA against the 49 lefty bats its relievers have faced at Coors thus far in May.
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