FanDuel MLB Picks: Picks and Pivots for May 30

May 15, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles mascot hold an American flag during the singing of God Bless American during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Detroit Tigers defeated Baltimore Orioles 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB Picks: Picks and Pivots for May 30

Welcome to the Memorial Day 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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First off, in honor of Memorial Day I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to all those who have served or are currently serving this country!

As baseball fans today we get treated to a full day of action throughout the day with multiple playable slates:

1:10PM EST – Early Only (10 Games)
1:10PM ET All Day
4:05PM EST – Afternoon Only (6 Games)
7:05PM EST – Late (5 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	250.1	$ 8,604	25%	75%	$ 3,300	7.15
5 Day	245.9	$ 9,375	27%	73%	$ 3,203	7.02
Prev Day	210.2	$ 6,000	17%	83%	$ 3,625	6.01

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: Who are the top pitching options on Monday?

May 18, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) waves to the crowd as he walks off the field after the fourth inning where he recorded his 2000th strike out on the last out of the inning against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

With all 30 teams in action on Monday, finding a starting pitcher is surprisingly difficult when putting together your FanDuel MLB picks as there is no true elite option on the mound. There are two pitchers however that stand out as terrific cash game plays on Monday that should continue to deliver high end value.

Jeff Samardzija ($10,700) at Atlanta(1:10PM EST) – The highest priced starting option on Monday is the Giants right hander who gets the benefit of facing the Atlanta Braves lineup. Samardzija has pitched like an elite fantasy hurler over the last month, averaging 50.6 points per game which is good for 4.7x value. Over the last 15 days, that mark has increased to 53.5 points per game which is good for 5x value.

Although the Braves do not strike out as often as others (just 19.6% on the season), they have one of the third lowest wOBA of any team in baseball (.284) and with Samardzija being the biggest favorite on the board makes for a great cash game play.

Justin Verlander ($8,500) at LAA (9:05PM EST) – The Detroit Tigers ace is back to pitching like one of the best pitchers in baseball and sits at a price point that makes him my top play in all formats and an absolute must play if you are playing the late slate.

Over the last month, Verlander is averaging 42.8 points per start which is good for 5x value but we have seen him perform at Kershawian (is that a word?) levels the last two weeks. Over the last 15 days, Verlander is averaging 60.5 points per start which is good for 7.1x value while striking out 10 batters per contest.

Verlander is a tremendous value in cash games and is flashing the strikeout upside to be considered as an elite tournament play as well.

Pitching Summary: In cash games, Samardzija and Verlander make for the easy chalk picks based off their recent performance. For tournament plays, pivoting to an arm like Nathan Karns ($8,700) who gets a home matchup against SD, gives you the ability to target one of the highest favorites today (-175) and faces a team with a K rate of 24%.

Next: Top Offenses for Monday

May 28, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The top hitting options today are not surprisingly found in Coors Field with the Rockies and Reds both projected to score over 5 runs each and make for great targets.

Coors Field Options – Every single player in the starting lineups of these two teams are in play but there are a few options which stand out as great plays in any format Monday. The Reds bats saw a huge price increase with Joey Votto and Jay Bruce both over $4,000 which may price them out of many players FanDuel MLB Picks.

Carlos Gonzalez ($3,700) I continue to be shocked at the price point of the Rockies cleanup hitter as CarGo has averaged 16.9 points per game over the last week and is returning 4.6x value at this significantly reduced price point. Lock in CarGo against the Reds RHP Dan Straily and look to differentiate elsewhere.

More from FanSided

Houston Astros versus LHP Edwin Escobar in Chase Field – One of the top stacks outside of Coors will be the Astros bats in a power hitting environment facing a lefty who put up 4.68 ERA in the minors prior to his call up for this start.

Carlos Correa ($3,700) sits at a price point which is his low water mark for the season and can be paired with Evan Gattis ($3,200) and George Springer ($3,700) for a high upside multi-homerun stack to differentiate yourself from those going all-in at Coors.

Hitting Summary: The game in Coors will be heavily targeted but keep in mind that the 5 other teams are projected to score between 4.5 and 5 runs today including the Astros, Orioles, Pirates, Indians and Blue Jays which makes for some interesting mini stack possibilities for those looking outside of Coors.

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!