FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 4

Welcome to the Saturday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy baseball column focused on providing analysis and insights into the top FanDuel MLB lineups. 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 is a fascinating setup on FanDuel as we have an all day slate starting at 2:30PM EST including all the MLB Saturday action and we have a main slate that starts at 4:05PM EST but does not include the two 10PM EST games(you will see why this matters shortly).

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	$ 8,519	24%	76%	$ 3,310	7.16
5 Day	252.5	$ 7,417	21%	79%	$ 3,448	7.21
Prev Day	256.55	$ 6,550	19%	81%	$ 3,556	7.33

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 Saturday?

Saturday’s action has two clear cut top options in my estimation when building your lineups and the unique game set-up I touched on in the open will likely determine how you utilize them when creating your FanDuel MLB lineups.

**Please Note – Rich Hill would have been an option Saturday but he was a late scratch Friday night and will be skipped on Saturday.

Clayton Kershaw ($13,500) at home versus Atlanta: It’s Kershaw at home versus the worst offense in baseball, do I really need to say any more? Kershaw is an absurd -380 favorite in this game and the only worry is whether or not the Dodgers will let Clayton go deep into what should be an easy win.

Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball and we just saw what a top end starter can do against the Braves when Madison Bumgarner put up 68 points against this lineup. Value is easier to come by on weekend day games, so do not be afraid to pay up for Kershaw and scour the lineups as they are released to find value bats when building your lineup.

Stephen Strasburg ($12,000) at Cincinnati: If it were not for Mr. Kershaw, Strasburg would be the chalk play on this slate based off his recent performance. The Nationals right hander has averaged 47.3 points per game over the last month and over the last two weeks has seen that increase to 51.7 ppg.

Strasburg is 5th in baseball with a 30.5% K rate and is a heavy favorite (-190) which puts Strasburg in a perfect spot to pick up the important FanDuel win against the Reds.

Pitching Summary: Kershaw is clearly the top dog on the mound Saturday but the fact he plays in a 10PM EST game removes him entirely from the main slate, meaning the only way to play him would be in the all-day games.

If you are playing in the all-day slate, Kershaw is clearly the top choice from a cash game perspective however in tournaments, since this is the only format in which you can use him, a strategic fade may be warranted as he will be even more heavily owned as gamers try to utilize him.

On the main slate without Kershaw and with Rich Hill being scratched late Friday night, Strasburg is the clear cash game choice and I would recommend using him in tournaments as well as I do not believe any pitcher on the slate can match the point output of the Nationals star.

Next: Who are the top bats Saturday?

With two high end pitchers on our radar, it will be critical to identify key value plays to maximize our point output on Saturday when setting our FanDuel MLB lineups.

Baltimore Orioles at home versus Ivan Nova: Any time the Orioles are in Camden Yards they become an interesting choice for gamers but it is the match-up against Nova that has me advocating a full-on stack here.

In his career against the Orioles hitters, Nova has given up over a .300 opposing average, .590 slugging percentage and 12 home runs in 172 at bats.

Because of their familiarity with Nova, using BvP in a larger sample size allows us to identify some top targets in the Baltimore lineup:

Chris Davis ($3,800): 9 for 29 with 3 home runs
Matt Wieters ($2,900) 12 for 35 with 4 home runs
Mark Trumbo ($3,800) 9 for 16 with 2 home runs

Hyun-Soo Kim ($2,700) has moved into the top of the lineup and is still woefully underpriced for this prime position in the Orioles lineup and makes a great addition to a stack or a standalone play as he is averaging 10.7 points per game, (4.1x value) over the last 2 weeks.

Chicago White Sox versus Mike Pelfrey: Anytime Pelfrey is on the mound, he makes for a great target for opposing hitters. Pelfrey has been one of the most hittable pitchers in all of baseball this year and is extremely home run prone as he has given up 10 home runs in only 52 innings.

Pelfrey has given up an over .300 batting average to hitters on both sides of the plate so we can feel free to target all the White Sox hitters regardless of platoon advantage.

J.B. Schuck ($2,100) makes for a great punt play as Melky Cabrera was put on leave and Schuck entered the lineup Friday night batting 5th for the White Sox. Brett Lawrie ($2,700) is a very solid 2B option, as he has averaged 8.5 points per game over the last 2 weeks which would equate to a 3.1x value at his current price point.

Hitting Summary: The Orioles are my top stack on Saturday night and can be easily paired with the cost savings found in the White Sox lineup. As with any weekend day game, it is critical to keep an eye on lineups as they are announced as value will open up throughout the day which will be critical as we try to afford Kershaw and Strasburg.

Next: Top FanDuel Lineup

Below you will find my initial lineup for Saturday’s MLB Main FanDuel slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.

Pitcher:

More from FanSided

Catcher: Matt Wieters ($2,900)

First Base: Chris Davis (3,800)

Second Base: Brett Lawrie ($2,700)

Third Base: Chris Coghlan ($2,100) With a RHP on the mound, I would look to use Coghlan as a punt play here but ultimately this spot will be determined once lineups are available.

Shortstop: Manny Machado (4,100) Deciding between Machado and Trumbo was difficult but ultimately I chose to utilize Machado due to the position scarcity at SS and the fact that the White Sox have a plethora of cost effective OF’s to choose from.

Outfield: Hyun Soo Kim ($2,700)

Outfield: Avisal Garcia (2,500)

Outfield: J.B. Schuck ($2,100)

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!