RADIO
What better way to start off the work week tomorrow than by waking up to a bunch of moolah in your DFS accounts. Step one to achieving this spiritual peace is to continue reading this article. Remember, these picks are not the absolute best plays of the day, but rather the best possible return on your investment (bang for your buck). If you can afford Mike Trout, he's hitting .368 with five bombs versus Felix Hernandez FYI, then by all means take him. But then proceed to use this cheat sheet in order to find cheaper studs to fill the rest of your lineup.
That is the purpose of this article -- to provide you with the best value hitters available each day.
Today I'll be bringing you eight value hitters for MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball on FanDuel and DraftKings for May 15th, 2016. Let's get rowdy.
DFS Hitters - Lineup Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings
Brian McCann, NYY (C)
FanDuel: $3,200/ DraftKings: $3,800
McCann loves him some RHP. Against righties this year, he is hitting .300 with three HR and a .859 OPS. Today he faces off with Miguel Gonzalez, who has allowed a .304 BA and .899 OPS to left handed batters in his two starts with the White Sox.
Head to head, the two have squared up 14 times in their careers, two of those at bats resulted in a HR for McCann. Today is a safe bet for number three, making B-Mac a great option for both GPP and cash games.
Joe Mauer, MIN (1B)
FanDuel: $2,900/ DraftKings: $3,600
Like McCann, Mauer is also smashing the righties this season. Versus RHP he is hitting .303 with a .452 OBP, .868 OPS, and drawn 24 BB against only 12 SO. He only owns eight XBH all year, but as you will find later in this article, getting on base today should mean runs scored. Points are points, no matter how bland. Mauer also has had previous success against Bauer, boasting a .353 BA, .706 SLG, and a dinger in 17 career PA.
As you may remember from yesterday's Justin Smoak pick, I love saving some dough at first base since the options tend to be much deeper than other infield positions. Mauer represents another great opportunity to execute this strategy today, but due to the low upside, makes for a cash game only pick.
Chase Utley, LAD (2B)
FanDuel: $3,100/ DraftKings: $3,700
Continuing today's theme, we have another left handed batter facing a RHP. Utley is also destroying righties in 2016, with a .326 BA, .926 OPS, and 10 XBH. While Mike Leake has been more effective with the opposite handed batters than the previous two pitchers, four of his six HR allowed have come from the left side of the plate.
While the BvP numbers do not favor Utley, 2016 has not been too kind to Leake (5.10 ERA), and Utley is playing his best baseball in years. The thrifty price with a high ceiling makes Utley a sneaky GPP play today.
Jake Lamb, ARI (3B)
FanDuel: $3,100/ DraftKings: $3,900
I know, I am getting predictable now. Lamb is well known for his splits versus RHP, and 2016 has been no exception. Against the righties he owns a .305 BA, .900 OPS, and 15 XBH. Insert Matt Cain and you have a dream matchup. While Cain has been generous to all hitters this season (0-5, 6.69 ERA, 1.51 WHIP), he has been especially vulnerable to left handed batters, allowing a .351 BA and .936 OPS.
Back on April 19th, Arizona scored three runs in 4.2 innings on Cain, with five hits and four walks. Lamb hit an RBI triple, scored a run, and walked once. This game should rock one of the highest totals of the day, and Jake Lamb will be at the heart of the Diamondbacks onslaught. Fire him up in both GPP and cash games.
Brandon Crawford, SF (SS)
FanDuel: $3,200/ DraftKings: $3,800
This pick is less about the RHP on LHB split, although all four of Crawford's HR have come off righties, and more about the past numbers Crawford has on Rubby De La Rosa. In 14 head to head PA, Crawford has taken De La Rosa deep twice, sporting a .357 BA along the way.
San Francisco ranks fifth in the league in runs scored, and as previously mentioned, this game has the potential to end with a NFL game score. Crawford, too, is a pick for both GPP and cash games.
Oswaldo Arcia, MIN (OF)
FanDuel: $2,900/ DraftKings: $3,700
Holy BvP, Batman! There is no one in the league with a better chance to go yard today than Arcia. In 10 career PA against Trevor Bauer, Arcia has five hits, four of which have found the bleachers. That equates to a modest 1.700 SLG.
Paying under $4,000 ($3,000 on FanDuel) for a 40% chance of a HR is worth every penny, and is deserving of my "GPP Play of the Day" label.
Chris Owings, ARI (OF)
FanDuel: $2,100/ DraftKings: $3,400
Hey look, a right handed hitter! Owings has destroyed Cain in limited work in his career. In nine PA, he owns a ridiculous .714/.778/1.286 slash with a HR. When they last faced each other on April 19th, Owings finished 2-3 with a R, double, and two BB.
The FanDuel price is ridiculously low, and should be apart of all your lineups today. DraftKings is much more reasonable, taking all the fun out of this pick, but is still deserving of a cash game play.
Carlos Beltran, NYY (OF)
FanDuel: $2,900/ DraftKings: $3,800
Even at the age of 39, Beltran still has his power stroke. He has seven HR on the young season, three of which have come in his last six games. Six of those HR have come off RHP, and six have been hit at Home. Well, it just so happens that Beltran draws a match-up against Miguel Gonzalez at home today.
The stars have aligned for Beltran to go deep. It also doesn't hurt that he is 5-8 with a HR and a 1.375 SLG against Gonzalez in his career. I am confidently throwing Beltran in GPP and cash games today.
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