FanDuel MLB Picks: Picks and Pivots for May 28 (Main)
Welcome to the Saturday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy baseball column focused on providing analysis and insights into the top FanDuel MLB Picks . 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 payday!
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 gives us a very unique “3-Slate” shot on FanDuel with games broken out in 3 main categories on this Memorial Day Weekend:
- 1:07PM EST Early Slate – 3 Games
- 4:05PM EST Afternoon Slate – 6 Games
- 7:15PM EST Main Slate – 6 Games
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 | 250.6 | $ 8,637 | 25% | 75% | $ 3,295 | 7.16 |
| 5 Day | 242.2 | $ 9,938 | 28% | 72% | $ 3,133 | 6.92 |
| Prev Day | 269.8 | $ 7,300 | 21% | 79% | $ 3,463 | 7.71 |
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.
Unlike the early slate, the main slate is more heavily weighted towards top end Starting Pitchers and less towards high octane offenses so it makes sense to spend a higher percentage of your budget on your hurler when making your FanDuel MLB picks.
Noah Syndergaard ($11,500) at home versus Dodgers – No pitcher going on Saturday has put up more points per start than the New York Mets right hander, as “Thor” has averaged 64.5 points per start over the last two weeks which is good for 5.6x value.
Syndergaard has top end strikeout ability as he has struck out 32.6% of batters so far this season. The last two games, Syndergaard has struck out double digit batters in both starts and has blossomed into one of the best pitchers in all of real life and fantasy baseball.
Yu Darvish ($8,700) at home versus Pittsburgh – One of the most electric arms in baseball two years ago is finally back and sits at a valuable price point allowing us to target high end bats.
I wrote up a detailed analysis on Darvish’s return to baseball a few days ago and you can dive into that article here.
Darvish makes a great tournament play as I expect most gamers to take a wait and see approach, allowing us to get the Rangers hurler at a lower than expected ownership.
Pitching Summary: Syndergaard is the unquestioned cash game play, however in large field tournaments I love the idea of using Darvish in his first game back at a reduced price point.
Next: Top Hitters/Stacks
Arizona Diamondbacks versus RHP Cesar Vargas – The Diamonbacks have the highest projected team total of any pitcher on Saturday night and make for a great stack at home in Chase Field.
Jake Lamb ($3,400) is my top play from Arizona on Saturday as Lamb has averaged 11.9 points per game over the last two weeks and sits at a reasonable price point for a player hitting 3.5x value over the last 15 days.
More from FanSided
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Seattle Mariners versus Phil Hughes – One under the radar stack is to target Phil Hughes in Safeco Field with the Mariners left handed bats.
Hughes has given up a .339 average to opposing left handers in only 12 IP putting players like Adam Lind ($2,600) who is averaging 15.5 points over the last two weeks which equates to 6x value. Lind makes for a great high upside punt play at this price point and allows you afford the high end starting pitchers.
Hitting Summary: The Diamondback and Mariners present the best stack options and include various mid priced bats which allow you to focus the majority of your salary on your starting pitcher which is the recommended approach Saturday night.
Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level
Best of luck tonight gamer’s! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups!