MLB Fantasy Baseball DFS Fanduel Lineup Picks for 5/13

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Daily Fantasy Leagues - FanDuel Lineup Picks (5/13)

Please check the posted lineups and weather forecasts for each game before finalizing your lineup.

SP: Adam Wainwright ($10,100)

Sure, this is a lot of money for a starting pitcher, but I think he’s worth it today. Despite their ridiculous output yesterday, the Cubs have an atrocious offense this year. But my rationale for starting Wainwright goes beyond "good pitcher + bad lineup = great matchup." Most of the other top-tier starting pitchers have very unfavorable matchups tonight. Arguably, David Price vs. SEA is nice, but the Mariners’ offense has just an average strikeout rate, and Price will square off against tough pitcher in Iwakuma. Wainwright faces Jake Arrieta, who’s only had two starts this year since coming back from an injury.

With Jose Fernandez out for the year, Waino becomes a strong favorite to win the NL Cy Young. The Cubs offense hasn’t put up many runs this year, and they strike out at a very high rate. That’s a recipe for FanDuel success. If you’d prefer not to spend so much money on a pitcher, Matt Harrison @ HOU ($5,700) and Josh Beckett vs. MIA ($6,300) are both strong plays. However, with a couple of big platoon advantages to exploit with cheap hitters, I’m not too worried about breaking the bank for Wainwright.

1B: Adam Lind (vs. Justin Masterson, RHP) ($2,900)

This is a perfect platoon matchup. Lind is a much stronger hitter against RHP, and Masterson has some insanely pronounced splits for his career. Since reaching the MLB in 2008, Masterson has been 50% more successful at striking out RHH and he gives up nearly twice as many HR to LHH (0.88 HR/9 vs. LHH and 0.46 HR/9 vs. RHH).

Masterson has also been much more hittable overall this season. Lind is a good hitter in a great lineup with an elite matchup. Get him in your lineup!

2B: Danny Espinosa (vs. Bronson Arroyo, RHP) ($2,500)

Outside of starting LHH against Charlie Morton, starting LHH against Bronson Arroyo is probably my favorite platoon play. Espinosa has shown less contact skill from the left side of the plate, but significantly more power. He also gets to play in a much friendlier ballpark for hitters today. Don’t let his last couple of outings fool you: Arroyo is a league-average pitcher overall, but he’s one of the worst pitchers in baseball against LHH. Over his career, he has allowed a wOBA of .356 to lefties, and he’s been even worse over the last three years.

3B: Trevor Plouffe vs. BOS (vs. Felix Doubront, LHP ($2,900)

Despite only having one HR, which is likely due in large part to an incredibly low HR/FB rate (2.9%), Plouffe has been a plus offensive player this year. He’s also been a plus hitter throughout his career against LHP, while Doubront is a prime example of a wildcard. He could be absolutely brilliant tonight, but it's more probable that he’ll end up being closer to the “really, really bad” end of the spectrum. Plouffe is a top-five play at 3B tonight, and he’s a great buy for $2,900.