FanDuel MLB Picks: Picks and Pivots for June 1
Welcome to the Wednesday 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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Wednesday’s MLB action starts off at 1:10PM EST and FanDuel offers a 4 game afternoon only slate as well as a “main” slate with an additional 11 games starting at 7:05PM EST.
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 | 249.8 | $ 8,601 | 25% | 75% | $ 3,300 | 7.14 |
| 5 Day | 240.0 | $ 8,500 | 24% | 76% | $ 3,313 | 6.86 |
| Prev Day | 249.5 | $ 8,300 | 24% | 76% | $ 3,338 | 7.13 |
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 Wednesday?
Tuesday’s best pitching options are very interestingly divided among the two slates as Jacob deGrom and Jaime Garcia go in the afternoon and the big ticket item, Max Scherzer goes in the evening slate which sets up some difficult decisions for those looking to play the all day slate.
Max Scherzer ($10,700) at Philadelphia (Main): From a cash game perspective, Scherzer’s production and match-up against the Phillies make him an easy plug and play as he has one of the safest floors and a high ceiling that very few others on this slate can match.
Scherzer is averaging 48.2 points per start over the last month, good for 4.5x value, and has an elite 30% K rate on the season which makes him a difficult fade in cash games. Scherzer has faced the Phillies twice this season, putting up 30 points at home in a no decision and 51 points in a road victory. In both starts, Scherzer struck out 7 batters which presents a very safe floor and the win should be attainable against Philadelphia starter Adam Morgan.
Jaime Garcia ($8,500) at Milwaukee (Early): When targeting hitters, it is common to utilize BvP stats to understand how a hitter has fared in their career against a certain pitcher. In some cases, a starting pitcher’s familiarity with an opposing lineup will allow us to uncover a similarly great matchup.
Garcia has flat-out dominated the Brewers in his career, limiting them to 25 hits in 132 at bats (.189 average) with only 5 extra base hits and 2 home runs while striking out 22% of opposing batters.
Earlier this season, Garcia pitched a complete game 13 strikeout gem against this same Milwaukee team which was equal to 78 FanDuel points and makes Garcia a top arm to consider on Wednesday.
Matt Shoemaker ($7,700) at home versus Detroit (Main): Over the last two weeks, there are two pitchers going on Wednesday averaging over 50 points per start, Michael Fulmer and Matt Shoemaker, who square off against each other Wednesday night in Anaheim.
Shoemaker is my preferred target in this match-up due to the elite strikeout numbers he has racked up over the last 15 days, where he has struck out 11 and 12 batters in his previous two starts against the Astros and Orioles, two very potent lineups.
Over the last 30 days, Shoemaker has put up roughly 40 point per start, in excess of 5x value, and with the ability to rack up double-digit strikeouts he makes for a great tournament option Wednesday.
Pitching Summary: In cash games, the match-up in Philadelphia is too strong to fade Scherzer and I am willing to pay the freight to lock in what should be a fairly safe 45-50 point outing. In tournaments, I am willing to drop down to Garcia in all day slates or Shoemaker in the main slate and will take my salary savings to spend up on offense.
Next: What hitters/stacks should I target?
Another day and another game in Coors with the highest projected total on the slate which puts the Reds and Rockies at the top of our radar when putting together our FanDuel MLB picks however FanDuel has adjusted many of the prices for the top-tier hitters north of $4,000 which will force gamers to look elsewhere if you are looking to pay up at starting pitcher.
Houston Astros RHB versus LHP Robbie Ray: The Astros get a home match-up against a very hittable left handed pitcher and any time that happens they make for one of the best stacks across the board.
Ray has given up 7 home runs in 36 IP versus right-handed hitters this year and surrendered a .377 wOBA which has resulted in 21 ER’s allowed to RHB.
The Astros are loaded with top-tier right-handed bats, George Springer ($3,800), Carlos Correa ($4,000), Evan Gattis ($3,300) and Jose Altuve ($4,000) that make for a great contrarian stack away from Coors or can be used along side the Coors bats if you are dropping down to a cheaper starting pitcher.
Arizona versus RHP Mike Fiers: On the other side of this match-up in Houston, the Diamondbacks get a solid tournament stacking opportunity going up against the wildly inconsistent Fiers. Over the last 6 starts, Fiers has gone 7 IP in half of those games and has not gone even 5 innings in the other 3 which makes him a great candidate for a potential blow-up outing.
Fiers has given up 10 home runs in 55 innings, and is equally charitable to hitters from both sides of the plate which makes the D-Backs a great team to fill in around a Coors/Houston stack.
Michael Bourn ($2,200) makes for a great punt play as he typically bats at the top of the order against RHP and over the last 7 days has averaged 10.3 points per game which is good for 4.7x value.
Hitting Summary: Another night in Coors and with the Rockies facing LHP John Lamb, who has given up 15 ER in 21 IP to RHB) I want to ensure I have exposure to key Colorado bats. The Astros also have a top end match-up and I will look to combine a Colorado/Houston stack especially in tournament lineups in hopes for a big time offensive evening.
Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup
Below you will find my initial lineup for Wednesday’s MLB FanDuel slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.
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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!