MLB Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Baseball Picks May 21

Jul 21, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; A baseball, baseball glove and baseballs are shown on the infield during batting practice before the game against the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

MLB Picks and Pivots – FanDuel Baseball Picks May 21

Welcome to the Saturday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy column focused on providing analysis for the upcoming MLB FanDuel slate. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big pay day!

FanSided and Fantasy CPR have you covered – For additional FanDuel MLB analysis, take a look at Matt Rogers FanDuel Economics column or Mike Marteny who provides Draft Kings MLB Picks analysis giving you the most in depth DFS coverage for tonight’s baseball slate.

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Saturday’s MLB action kicks off at 2:10PM EST with a 3 game “early only” slate, an additional 7 games at 4:05PM EST in the “afternoon only” slate and an additional 5 games at 7:15PM EST on the “late slate.”

More from FanSided

I will continue to track winning Tournament lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Time Period	Score	Pitcher Salary	Pitcher %	Hitter %	Hitter $/Player	Value
Season	251.4	$ 8,513	24%	76%	$ 3,311	7.18
5 Day	272.1	$ 8,386	24%	76%	$ 3,327	7.78
Prev Day	292.6	$ 10,600	30%	70%	$ 3,050	8.36

Now on to the picks…For more DFS Strategy insights, check out my latest article to help take your game to the next level! I highly recommend gamers track their game performance across the various types of games they play – GPP’s, Cash, Multipliers etc – as this simple exercise will help teach you more about profitable roster construction than you can imagine.

Next: Top Starting Pitchers

May 15, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws to the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Starting Pitchers

Jose Fernandez ($10,900) against Washington at 7:15PM EST – If you are playing in cash games on Saturday, just lock in Jose and move on as the man is pitching at another level right now and it will be difficult to fade him and expect to cash in on Saturday. Over the last 2 weeks, Fernandez is averaging 63 points per start, which is 20 points higher than any other starter on Saturday’s slate of games. Fernandez gets to face the Nationals again on Saturday, the same opponent he faced last game out and put up 63 points while striking out 11 batters over 7 innings. In fact, Jose has back to back 7 inning 11 strikeout performances and the reality is, no pitcher has the upside Fernandez has on Saturday making him my top cash game pick but also an interesting tournament pivot. The fact that Fernandez is not even the top priced pitcher AND his price actually went down $400 after back to back 60+ point outings (huh?), makes him a must play for me in the main or all day slate.

Tyler Chatwood ($7,900) at Pittsburgh at 4:05PM EST – Chatwood has been very impressive so far this season, putting up an average outing of 32.5 points, however when he is away from a Coors his fantasy games goes to a whole new level. In four road starts this season, Chatwood is 4-0 with a 0.33 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, .185 BAA and 0 home runs allowed for a whopping 47.75 fantasy points per game. Chatwood makes for a great tournament play at a reduced price point from the top arms but he has clearly demonstrated the ability to dominate with 2 of his 4 road starts eclipsing the 50 point mark.

Next: Top Hitters/Stacks

May 9, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) bats in the first inning of their MLB baseball game with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports /

Top Hitters/Stacks

Although Saturday’s slate has a few top end aces on the mound, the majority of hitters face favorable matchups, making this a great spot to employ a variety of mini-stacks with five teams projected to score 4.5 or more runs.

Toronto Blue Jays versus LHP Pat Dean – At some point this year, we have all been burned by stacking the Blue Jays against a mediocre LHP as this is supposed to be one of the most simple stacks in DFS but it has not worked out that way so far this season. The matchup on Saturday is too good to pass up and the Blue Jays bats have seen their prices drop due to their early season struggles which makes them a fantastic play as one of the top projected scoring teams on the day. Facing LHP Pat Dean, a finesse pitcher who tops out in the low 90’s and does not strike out many hitters(12-13% K rate in minors), should put all the right handed bats in play. Josh Donaldson ($3,700) at this price point feels like an absolute must play and will be in all my lineups on Saturday.

Boston and Cleveland at Fenway Park – This game has the highest projected total of any game on Saturday’s slate, and both teams are projected to score 4.5+ runs facing mid-tier right handers (Bauer versus Kelly).

Carlos Santana ($3,400) hit lead off on Friday night and is averaging 11.6 PPG over the last 2 weeks (3.4x value) and can be paired with the scorching hot Jason Kipnis ($3,600) who is averaging 12.5 ppg (3.5x value) for a great mini stack.

Jackie Bradley Jr. ($3,900) continues to be the hottest player in baseball on a 25 game hitting streak and is averaging 17.9 PPG over the last 15 days, good for 4.6x value. Blake Swihart ($2,100) has been recalled and started in LF on Friday but the fact he is catcher eligible at near minimum price makes him a great punt play if you want to fit in some top end bats/arms on Saturday.

Mariners versus LHP John Lamb – One team outside of the top projected scorers but still in a favorable matchup, are the Mariners right handed bats against LHP John Lamb. Lamb has been torched by right handed bats so far this season, giving up a .357 average and allowing 7 ER to only 45 batters faced. Nelson Cruz ($4,100) is an elite play any time a left hander is on the mound and may be overlooked with some of the other matchups on the board tonight. Franklin Gutierrez ($2,000) is one of my absolute favorite punt plays any time a lefty is on the mound and is typically batting at the top end of the lineup.

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Best of luck tonight gamers! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups!