FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for June 10
Welcome to the Friday 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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Friday’s games start off at 7:05PM EST with 15 games for a full Fanduel MLB slate!
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 | 253.7 | $ 8,535 | 24% | 76% | $ 3,308 | 7.25 |
| 5 Day | 268.8 | $ 8,491 | 24% | 76% | $ 3,314 | 7.68 |
| Prev Day | 285.5 | $ 9,167 | 26% | 74% | $ 3,229 | 8.16 |
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 Friday?
After Thursday night’s slate bare of top end starting pitching, we return Friday with a plethora of aces including Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, Johnny Cueto and Stephen Strasburg. However with a game in Colorado, the question will be whether its worth paying up for the high-priced starters if you want exposure to the highest projected scoring game.
Lance McCullers ($8,800) at Tampa Bay: Over the last two weeks, no pitcher on Friday night’s slate has averaged more points per game (49) than the Astros starter and considering the top end names on the slate, that is an eye-opening stat.
McCullers has been putting up gaudy numbers over his recent starts, striking out 26 batters over his last 17 innings pitchers. McCullers has put up 5.6x value during this stretch, tallying 54 points in 2 of his last 3 starts.
McCullers has won 3 straight starts and is a slight favorite to win on Friday. With a variety of high-priced aces, McCullers may go overlooked but he makes for a tremendous play in all formats!
Matt Harvey ($8,700) at Milwaukee: At a similar price point to McCullers, Harvey makes for an interesting pivot as it appears the Dark Knight has gotten back on track in his past two starts after a rough beginning to the year.
Harvey has pitched well in his last two starts, going 7 innings in both games with a 51 point performance against the White Sox before matching up in a 1-0 loss with Jose Fernandez last start out.
Harvey has the upside to match the top end starters and his price remains deflated due to his early season struggles, so he makes for an ideal tournament play.
Pitching Summary: Although the top end pitchers are certainly in play, I want to ensure I have the salary to get exposure to the Coors Field game so am willing to drop down to McCullers/Harvey. Both pitchers have 50+ point upside and at similar price points, I will look to build two separate rosters and utilize one pitcher in each lineup and take a multi-entry approach to the slate.
Next: Who are top hitters on Friday?
Looking at the preliminary team totals for Friday, the game in Coors Field has an over/under of 12 runs and is the clear top choice for hitters on Friday!
Rockies bats versus RHP Andrew Cashner: The Rockies have the highest team total on the board Friday and are the clear top stack Friday night.
Carlos Gonzalez ($4,300) and Charlie Blackmon ($4,100) have the platoon edge but keep in mind that Cashner has actually shown reverse splits this season which puts Nolan Arenado ($4,300) squarely in play and we may get him at a reduced ownership as gamers typically go all out to roster him against LHP.
Trevor Story ($3,400) is the easiest and most cost-effective way to get exposure to the Rockies top bats so I expect him to be highly owned as a result.
Yankees versus Mike Pelfrey: The Yankees offense has been clicking of late and any time I see Big Pelf on the slate, I will look to target as many hitters as I can against him.
The Yankees left-handed bats make for a great contrarian stack, and Brian McCann ($3,100) sits at a price point that makes him an almost must play at catcher. Add in the fact that McCann is 20 for 43 in his career against Pelfrey with 10 extra base hits and 2 home runs, and it makes for one of the best foundation plays of the night.
Next: Top FanDuel Lineup
Below you will find my initial lineup for Friday’s FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.
Pitcher:More from FanSided
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- Patriots backup plan for DeAndre Hopkins is a shot in the dark
- Raiders: Saquon Barkley’s new contract may have screwed over Josh Jacobs
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!